#!

If you've already downloaded a copy of #! LINUX but you haven't gotten around to installing it yet, you might want to download the latest version instead.  As always, torrent if you can, but direct download links are also available for those who need it.  If you want to help out the #! community by creating a torrent seed after you download that would also be a nice way to lend your support.

If you have already downloaded and installed #!, you should be able to upgrade to the same versions of software by using the following commands from terminal:

The main differences of the new releases are that the SLiM DM (login screen) has been replaced with GDM (Gnome DM) for stability, and there are some updated key bindings which may or may not be helpful to you.  Release notes can be found on the forums by clicking here.  Consequently if you have already installed #! and are happy with your current setup, there is no need to download and install the new release.

How to create your own LINUX install disk

How to make backups - don't skip this step

How to install #! alongside Windows XP as a dual boot setup

Get familiarized with #! LINUX

I have a number of reasons for choosing #! over Ubuntu:

Compatibility - #! is extremely lightweight and fast, making it compatible with a wider range of computer systems. If your computer is running Windows XP it should have no trouble running #!, and older systems may also be able to run this distribution of LINUX also.

Debian - #! primarily uses Debian repositories, while Ubuntu uses its own. What this means is developers for #! will be simultaneously developing for multiple Debian based LINUX distributions, whereas Ubuntu developers tend to develop for Ubuntu. While software developed for Ubuntu may still be usable on other distributions (possibly with some work) with Debian there is more choice. Ubuntu is presently the most popular LINUX distribution, but the bigger they are, the harder they fall, and I'd rather bet on the little guy.

The Little Guy - #! is currently being developed by Phillip Newborough (aka corenominal) as a labor of love, and he quit his job to dedicate all of his time to this distribution. It is not being developed by a board of directors made up of people who have no practical experience with using LINUX in a desktop environment, and his motivations are more likely to remain pure.

Customization - OpenBox window manager (the software that lets you open programs in multiple windows) is easily modified to provide you with the custom environment you want. The tint2 toolbar is likewise easily customized. In both cases changes are made to text XML files and then appear as the programs are reloaded, without needing to reboot the entire computer system. Both programs are extremely lightweight and contribute to the #! distribution's wide range of compatibility with older computers.

Learning - LINUX will help you better understand that your computer is not some mysterious black box that IT professionals perform voodoo over in order to repair them. Ubuntu has been progressively obscuring the inner workings of their distribution in such a way as to entice users who are not interested in this understanding, and while it looks sleek and sexy, it tends to use more resources, and is also usually much harder to customize or repair when it stops working as expected. #! will require research in order to learn how to customize it and correct things that do not work as expected, but once you start figuring out how to fix problems by looking up the error message and performing searches on the internet for answers, you will begin to truly understand your computer at a more nuts and bolts level.

Community - The #! forums (http://www.crunchbanglinux.org/forums) are made up of like-minded #! users who are happy to share their knowledge or point you in the right direction if you get stuck. If you can't find an answer to your problem on their forums. then there's a good chance you will find the solution on Debian's forums instead. There is a large user base of experienced LINUX users to draw from when you need information. It is a virtual community that is very welcoming, and extremely unlikely to ridicule those who have just started to learn to use LINUX.

One of the nice things about #! LINUX is that it assumes that you are smart enough to keep your system up to date by periodically checking to see if there are any updates available.  Ubuntu preferred to generate a window with a blinking icon, roughly as annoying as someone jumping up and down and waving their hands near your face just out of the corner of your vision while you're trying to compose a letter.  It was all the more annoying because I prefer to do my upgrades from terminal, because I can have an easier time handling kernel upgrades in that fashion.  This behavior is the norm from Microsoft because Microsoft assumes by default you are all idiot computer owners.  If, however, you are using LINUX, it can be safely assumed that you are not an idiot.  Of course this is what brings me to this post today.

Before I get into this, however, if you are new to LINUX or new to Debian based distributions, you should open a terminal window and type in the following two commands daily, or at the very least once a week, in order to keep your system up to date and secure:

The first command will make sure your sources are all up to date with their lists of available software, and the second will automatically download and install new versions of your current sources.  This command will not, however, install new kernels and you will typically see a message stating that certain updates have been "held back".  If you do not have any manually installed packages (meaning without the use of dpkg, aptitude, or Synaptic Package Manager which are built-in software package management utilities) you can type the following command to upgrade your kernel:

Two packages in #! that I install manually are AMD Catalyst to provide full 3D rendering support, and VMWare Player (which I have been using to create #! tutorial videos without having to modify my main system).  The downside to doing this is that these programs make changes directly to the kernel, consequently whenever the kernel gets updated, problems can occur.  Most notably they will occur when you try to upgrade other packages that impact these programs in some way, because aptitude or Synaptic Package Manager will fail to complete the upgrade.  Trying to remove the packages that have failed in order to reinstall them is not a good workaround.  Also, the following command will typically not work in this situation (but can be helpful if something did not install completely or correctly under normal circumstances):

Consequently the best method is to do a manual uninstall of each program before upgrading your kernel.  This is why it is beneficial that "apt-get update" does not automatically upgrade your kernel (the above explanation has been filed under the category of "things that nobody ever bothered to explain to me but which would have been helpful knowledge to have", hence this post).

Unfortunately each program you install in LINUX manually is bound to have a unique uninstall method, and in some cases different uninstall methods depending on the version of the software you are using.  It will require some research and potentially some trial and error to figure out the correct command.  However, again, terminal will be your friend as you resolve these issues and you'll feel better knowing that you are much more knowledgeable about your computer than you used to be.

For example, the command to manually uninstall AMD Catalyst 12.1 is currently:

Please note that if you have created .deb packages or installed Catalyst from a respository this command will not work.

Likewise, the current command to remove VMware Player is:

When prompted it is likely safer to not delete your settings, unless you do not intend to reinstall VMware Player.

Once the software has been manually removed it is now safe to upgrade your linux kernal using the "apt-get dist-upgrade" command listed above.  After restarting your system, you can then safely proceed with reinstalling the software that has been manually removed.  Depending on the kernel update, it may be necessary to obtain a newer version of the software.  If a newer version of the software has not yet been released, you may wish to revert back to the previous kernel in the meantime in order to keep using your current version (which should still be available as a boot choice in your Grub startup menu).

Once you have working software again, it should be safe to uninstall the old kernel if you wish to remove it from your grub menu.

VMware Player Update: I'm using VMware Player 4.0.2 and just upgraded #! to the LINUX 3.2 kernel, which resulted in VMware Player attempting to update the new kernel and then failing to start with a "module updater unable to start services" error message.  If you run into this issue yourself, you will need to apply this patch after reinstalling VMware Player 4.0.2 before you can run it (link to patch file found at VMware Community Forums).  Download the patch to your home folder, then open a new terminal window and type the following commands:

You should now be able to run VMware Player 4.0.2 on the LINUX 3.2 kernel.