Re: Linux question

[M Watts]

Rob Canning wrote:
> Ralph Palmer wrote:
> > Hi -
> >
> > I realize this is marginally on topic, and I apologize if it causes 
> > anyone distress.
> i think this is on topic as many users might be interested in 
> GNU/Linux environments which are lilypond friendly - so i post back to 
> list too :)
Indeed so; it's always interesting to hear what apps, environments, 
settings etc. others use.
> > I'm currently a Windows XP user. I would like to mount Linux on an 
> > old (circa 2002) Dell laptop my daughter is going to pass along to 
> > me. I've narrowed my choices to Ubuntu, Kubuntu, or Debian (a distant 
> > third).
I'm currently running Fedora 10 on a Compaq nc8000 (circa 2003) -- 
installation went flawlessy, and everything works out of the box, except 
for the fn key combo to enter presentation mode.  But's that's soon 
rectified by assigning a keyboard shortcut to an xrandr command.

If you're looking at Ubuntu for your first distro, you can't go far 
wrong.  If you're into making music with computers, Linux is a great 
choice, because of its freedom in both senses (beer and speech).  
There's a specialised audio distro called Ubuntu Studio, which, like 
Puredyne, comes ready to go with a realtime-enabled kernel and a heap of 
great apps to get started, including the JACK sound server, which allows 
you to route audio and midi data to and from any jack-aware app any way 
you want.
> ok so i am biased as i am a developer of puredyne
>
> http://puredyne.goto10.org
>
> its debian based with a focus on audio / visual work
> it is a combination of the debian repositories along with the debian 
> multimedia repositories and our own puredyne repositories.
I use Fedora with the RPM Fusion, Planet CCRMA, and separate Compiz 
repositories.  The great thing about Free software is that you find a 
system and setup that you feel comfortable with, and more importantly, 
one that actually works with your hardware.
> if you do a "full install" you can just add lilypond with
>
> aptitude install lilypond
>
> or install using the lilypond installer for the latest 2.11 version
To get back on topic, CCRMA was using lilypond 2.10.33 until very 
recently, so I've been using the lilypond installer for the latest 2.11 
version from lily's website.  I use gedit for typing up lilypond files, 
and evince for viewing, but I print from the commandline with lpr, 
because I find it easier and faster than clicking through dialog boxes.

There's also LilyKDE, which integrates several KDE apps into a 
user-friendly lilypond environment, and LilyPondTool, which also 
provides a complete environment.

Of course, power users will continue to stick with Emacs or Vi, but I've 
no wish to discuss the merits of one vs the other ;)
> we will have a dvd version in the next release and this will include 
> lilypond and all the lilypond extensions we can get our hands on - as 
> a lilypond user and a puredyne developer i have a strong interest in 
> making this a super nice environment for lilypond users. - there is 
> also a live version which runs off usbsticks or cd which makes in nice 
> for workshops etc.
>
> its super light so works well on old machines - it uses the xfce4 
> desktop as part of its lightweight ethos but if you want to bloat your 
> system and add kde or gnome thats easy as
Xfce is indeed a great environment -- it makes old boxes usable, and 
fast boxes faster.  If you're coming from windows, the first thing you 
notice is the sheer configurability of the various desktops -- you can 
have various panels, launchers, taskbars etc. anywhere you want, or not 
at all -- after all, real geeks only use runlevel 3, right?
> aptitude install yourfavoritewindowmangerhere
>
> as its debian (lenny) based.
>
> good luck
>
> rob c
>
>
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