Are You Kidding Me?

[jzenman]

I just tried Linux for the second time and am now reminded why I didn't like it the first time... I downloaded Xubuntu which is supposed to be a faster version of Ubuntu which is supposed to be the most accessible version of Linux... Ok no big deal and I'm trying out things until I want to play a simple video... Oh but NOOOOOO!! There's like ten things I have to do first to install a simple file... Give me a break... Even when I go to the VLC player site the program that I download doesn't work because I have to do ten things to open THAT file... Where is a simple executable file I can download to watch a simple .avi file... With Windows you just go to VLC Player or K-Lite Codec Pack and download and install the program with two simple clicks... AND you know what to click on because it tells you...

It's not that I'm stupid or don't want to learn a command line... It's just that I shouldn't have to do ten complicated things just to watch a video... So **** it I'm going back to Windows 7...

Plus the stupid warning about which country you're in and if it's legal or not... Give me a ****ing break... I steal all kinds of software with Windows and never get a warning or any stupid crap about being in the right country... If it's illegal just put the program on a server in a country where it IS legal... How do you think bittorrent servers work? It's called the World Wide Web for a reason...

[jzenman]

Oh and nice how you don't allow people to spell the F word... Go to a Windows forum and you can type whatever you want...

Your censorship reminds me of a line by Lenny Bruce... "If you take away or right to say ****... You take away our right to say **** the government."

[jayd512]

I'm sorry to hear that you had a poor experience with Linux. However, that is no reason to bring out a useless tirade about, basically, Linux sucks cuz it ain't Windows! Well the reason that it's different is because Linux is NOT Windows. As far as what is included and what isn't on MM codecs, legal reasons restrict distribution of these codes without specific permissions. Google it.
As far as the F word, there are some members here who find that form of language offensive. If you'd prefer a Windows forums, I wish you well.

[Dapper Dan]

So jzenman what's your question?

[Lakshmipathi]

It's just that I shouldn't have to do ten complicated things just to watch a video

If you are looking simple distro..for playing music/video ..i would suggest Mandriva 2009 ... I have used Fedora/Ubuntu/OpenSuse and others ....so far Mandriva 2009 impressed me for playing videos or music and good looking gui too.

[sirmille]

I just tried Linux for the second time and am now reminded why I didn't like it the first time...

Been there done that I'm about there now, been trying a lot of Distros the last few weeks and I've come to the conclusion that I'm just not a Linux person, Windows has and does everything I need, Linux is lacking, so what if it's free, I didn't pay for my copy of Windows either I'll keep dicking around with Linux though, I guess I'm addicted to trying new things but Windows will always be my OS of choice.

[mariane_08]

I'm no expert in fact I've asked lots of questions on this forum. I'm very pleased with Linux. I didnt have to do ten things to resolve my problem when videos wouldnt play, just one step of installing the codecs. Simple when someone told me what I needed. People have been more than helpfull.

Contrast this to my windows experience in Vista. I have some legally copied videos. Yes Legal!...they are videos of academic lectures that are available for copying. But Vista decided they are illegal i.e pirated video copies and refused to play them!

Sure I've had a few issues to sort out but its been, and continues to be, a great learning experience for me. I've made a little log book where I write down all the advice and tips and can refer back to it. its become my own "instruction manual" As I slowly learn and get more confident I'm getting more comfortable and able and have a very flexible system Loving every moment of it!

The F word? well the one thing which has struck me about this forum and Ubuntu forums is that there is none of the silly nastyness that you sometimes get in other places. I hope it stays that way.

[jzenman]

So jzenman what's your question?

Here's my question...

So is there a simple executable file I can download for media codecs or a media player that works where it just installs itself and I don't have to type in code? (by the way I can type in code. I tried typing into the command line to get VLC working but it still didn't work)

And this has nothing to do with me wanting Linux to be like Windows... I'm just talking about simplicity... There's nothing wrong with simplicity... It frees your brain up on the stupid things so you have more time and energy for the things that really matter... Like how I'm going to mount my other drives? What file system do they have to be in so I can see my data? How to set up a RAID array? I don't mind doing something complicated if it's a complicated thing...

Also I know there are legal issues and codecs are copyrighted and you can't just give them out free... However the Internet is a giant place and there are all kinds of things you can find that will do what you need regardless of what the law is... So far as I know there's no computer police busting down doors to find out if you have stolen software on your computer...

K-Lite Codec Pack is a good example... I don't know what they do but it's a program you install and it has ALL the codecs you need to play any video... Whatever the copyrights are or whatever the law is or if some company has to be the one to give it out it just works... Maybe it's some guy in Russia sitting in his basement connected to a server in Turkey whatever... I don't care it's just a website you can find online and you download one program and click install and your videos work...

Why doesn't an AVI work on this player in Xubuntu anyway? Dvix and Xvid are free aren't they? I thought Ubuntu was for the stupid people who didn't want to learn complex algorithms to type into a command line just to listen to music or play a video... I mean I had problems just installing Adobe Flash for Mozilla with Xubuntu...

And really guys... All this talk of Open Source or free software is really funny to me because I don't think I've ever paid for software EVER with Windows... I get everything and anything for free on bittorrent unless it's something really obscure... There are all kinds of cracks and hacks for just about any program available...

I'm going to look into this more tomorrow... I'm going to make sure there's nothing wrong with my on board audio or video drivers... Find out if there's a simple way to do this... Or I may try Mandriva 2009...

[bigtomrodney]

So is there a simple executable file I can download for media codecs or a media player that works where it just installs itself and I don't have to type in code? (by the way I can type in code. I tried typing into the command line to get VLC working but it still didn't work)

You won't like this but the first problem here is your approach and attitude. You've skipped the part where you try to understand what's going on and jumped straight into blaming everyone else. A quick google or polite question here would have had you up in running in less than two minutes.

Installing applications in Linux is easier than Windows, but it is different. You look at a catalogue and then you pick what you want, it does the rest. It is a logical fallacy to suggest that something is not simple because you expect it to behave a different way. First try to play the media that isn't working; if it suggests that it can download the codecs for you then allow it to do so. If not, open Synaptic Package Manager and install xubuntu-restricted-extras. That's it. Open Synaptic, search for that package, click on it and hit apply. Bam - your codecs are installed and working.

I'm locking this thread because it is non-productive and a magnet for ranting and whining. If you have another further questions please post another thread and try to remember that everyone here is a voluntary member just like you and that most people are happily running Linux without any trouble.