Do you think you could put a word in for me?
Would love a job watching DVDs.

But seriously , we already figured out that you simply downloaded the wrong Linux Mint version.

You installed the 'No Codecs' version.

However, even the No Codecs version is capable. The catch is that you need the ability to read, understand and follow instructions. A skill you evidently lack, as demonstrated by the fact that you downloaded the wrong Mint in the first place.


Just notch it down as an experience and reinstall Windows, no-one will think any less of you.
If you lack the Windows install disk, call Microsoft. They might charge you even if you already paid in full for your license. Not much any of us can do about that, but at least you can then get on with your business watching DVDs.

The OP brought all this to himself. If he had asked for help on his problem instead of ranting, the replies here would be different.

I had my issues with linux, freebsd and solaris and when things don't go as plan I use google first, then I asked for help in forums or irc channels.

RANTS = NO HELP

I think the point has been made, and we are getting nowhere OP if there are specific questions we can try to help perhaps start a new thread

My Dish Network DVR went brain-damaged a while back. Dropped to a commandline mode. When I saw "fsck" being run, I knew it certainly wasn't Windows under the hood! fsck managed to do its job, and the DVR was back to normal after it completed, other than one corrupted recording, which is no doubt what triggered the fsck in the first place.

However, a dedicated device based on Linux is different than a user desktop based on Linux. You normally don't leave the application level of your device to delve into the OS.

I just wanted to say thanks for I think that says all that needs to be said and shall remember it for the future.

When I get round to it , I'm sticking it in AutoKey

I find it embarrassing to the Linux community that some members act like a pack a dogs attacking an outsider.

As a Linux user for over 10 years, I still have problems with some of its installation, with instructions that defy logic or understanding. I could easily write such a post myself.
I believe that most of you who claim it is so easy are doing a similar basic installation that you laugh at in windows.

I have strayed off the basic installation and can testify that it is hell. There are many interacting options, and disabling almost any option has the side effect of breaking some software in obscure and undocumented ways.
So much of the documentation is several versions (or years) out of date that little can be trusted to still be relevant.

It is not helpful to stand around and laugh when someone reaches their frustration point.
I do not accept your lame excuses, you are not the one frustrated.
This is a facility to help the frustrated.

To the original poster: you probably made a early mistake with an obscure instruction. There are two choices.
1. Take the mess to someone familiar to Linux and have them straighten it out.
2. Start over. Reinstall again, and carefully re-consider each answer you gave to the installation instructions. It is most likely that your installation is completely normal and no strange options should be selected. Selecting strange options leads to problems.
3. There is an annoying spiteful attitude among some developers that if you don't know what an option does you should not select it, and if you select it then you are on your own. Trouble is the developers lost interest and are really avoiding documenting the problem, so they avoid documenting any of this too. Some options exist only for development, or future plans, or the developer had an idea and never completed the code, or it may have never had a use. Strange options should not be selected.
4. Consider the possibility that you have a Linux that is older than your hardware. That rarely works well and can cause obscure problems. Some hardware has specific fixes where earlier drivers have problems.
5. Much of the problems are not in Linux but are in the window manager. Choose a different simpler window manager. I recommend xfce4 as being simpler and without KDE problems. It will run when KDE coughs up and dies (proven for over a year on one of my machines). KDE tries to setup a complicated desktop (requiring several interrelated libraries and support programs) that looks and acts like windows, where xfce4 does not.
6. Much of the internet community is about free software and facilities that are designed to profit someone, and it is not available to everyone. After a time, some access and facility is gained for Linux too. Shockwave flash is an example. To live with Linux requires accepting that the instant gratification of using the latest windows gadget will not be available. Linux has its own gadgets, and so does Mac, and Android, and no end of others. You will hear much about windows gadgets though because their community is so noisy. You will have accept that you are not going to be the early adopters in those windows specific fads.
7. I have worked for weeks to get something installed. Sometimes it installs easily on XP and then takes weeks on Linux (because I am trying to do something unusual). Other things are simple in Linux, and cannot ever be done in XP. And there is no hoping they will get around to it with XP.
8. Some hardware is not supported in Linux because the manufacturer will not cooperate.
9. I would not use any of the latest Windows because of their agreements and difficulty of doing anything with them that is not a pre-approved usage.
10. It is getting better each year. mostly.
11. Some of the difficulty in interfacing to software outside of Linux appears to be deliberate, to block Linux users. I have read several times that what may appear to be deliberate many times is just ignorance and indifference.
12. I do not use Mint. For Mint to be simple it would have to automate much and assume normal hardware for much and it could be wrong for your specific hardware.
There is some hardware that requires extraordinary setups. The later kernels (specifically udev, and X11 adaptations to udev) are much better at that than previous versions.
13. Much of the help for usb memory sticks is specific to a version of Linux. There has been much trouble and development with usb. Be careful to NOT follow instructions or help meant for a previous version of Linux or udev.
14. Ask very tight specific questions. This increases the chance of a useful answer, and lessens the attention from trollers, anti-trollers, and their associates. Most people who answer do not know an answer because they do not have your hardware and software to experiment upon. Sometimes they guess, and sometimes they guess well.

1 members found this post helpful.

He wasn't attacked, the blatantly obvious was pointed out.

You say you don't use Mint and from your reply that is obvious. Before you say things are hard, download the current version of Mint (with codecs) then navigate to Skype download the version Skype actually takes you to and then come back and tell us how hard it is.

The OP very clearly downloaded the wrong iso from both Mint and Fedora, he is 2 versions off current Fedora and 1 off current Mint. The Mint website tells you what is in the iso image. Next he very clearly downloaded an old version of Skype (one that I don't think is even available on the Skype website anymore and if it is you would need to bypass the page Skype actually takes you to to download version 4.2 and navigate somewhere else to deliberately download 2 beta.

This scenario isn't frustration by any means rather it is either ignoring clear hand holding and written advice on at least 2 , maybe 3, websites that the products in question originated from or it is simple trolling. The developers didn't neglect to document things in this case rather the user (none other than the OP) neglected to read clear concise information and instructions.

Hey selfprogrammed, do you know the moment when you say to yourself 'i couldn't write it better, plus the guy saved me some of my time by actually writing it'?
Thank you for saving my time!

For Mint working out of the box, yeah it did, for TEN minutes, then Cinnamon just ...stopped. And never rebooted succesfully again (VFS error). Now i could put some ironic joke about this being their most ambitious release, but i won't.

What nonsense is this, Mint 14 is 'Supported until April 2014.'! How can it be wrong version?

Back on topic; 'Why is Linux a nightmare'. I have a theory on this.
So so many people use computers without knowing or caring about how they work what so ever. These people in the *nix community are often termed 'typical Windows users'. These people of course aren't limited to Windows, and many Mac users are no different in fact. It's the behavior of these people that i want to talk about. They download software and install it from any website, usually the first one to offer it. They never update it as long as it works. They never check for updates on their operating system (this is why Windows annoyingly downloads and install updates in the background without you knowing, by default). Here comes the kicker in the big joke; after all this poor computer administration, when things begin to no longer work, they say 'i've got a virus'. They may or may not have a virus, but more importantly, they have a scapegoat. The computer isn't playing up because of their poor usage, it's playing up because it's got a 'virus' which is typical 'now days'.

When these people find out about Linux and how it's famed for having 'no viruses', they think 'great i'll try that', but the problem is, they bring along all their poor habits and no intention to care or learn the slightest on how things work. When they have issues they have a major problem, 'Linux has no viruses', which means they can't use ye ol' scapegoat. 'Well if things aren't going right, and "Linux has no viruses", it must be just to damn hard for everyone who isn't a computer nerd'.

Gnu/Linux isn't the nightmare, it's the unfortunate mentality of many people that is the real nightmare.

3 members found this post helpful.

I agree pretty much to all your points, but the above observation is exactly on target, quotable, the distilled truth of the matter... and applies to much more than computers and Linux!

There must be a name for it - "scapegoat mentality" maybe?

Did you read the entire post? No! let me repeat myself for you it is not the current version. Nothing the OP downloaded was the current version. It might be supported but tell me this, what newbie deliberately searches out something other than what the website sends them to first? Someone who wants to complain that nothing works maybe. You want to watch DVDs download the version with codecs (i.e. the correct version) not the version without codecs (i.e. the wrong version).

Go to the Linux Mint homepage, click the download link at the top of the page and you get a page to Linux Mint 15 not Mint 14. He had to go further and click yet another link (All Versions) and then another link after that to get page that has the the version he downloaded. Even on that page it tells you what is available (codecs or no-codecs). He did the same with Skype, click the download link and you get sent to a page where Skype knows what OS you have and it tells you that the current version for Linux is 4.2.

So let me finish this off for you as simply as possible, he wanted something with codecs he downloaded something without codecs (it is obvious he downloaded the wrong version). He wanted Skype yet downloaded something that I doubt is available on the Skype website and is old and unsupported (he downloaded the wrong version).

When buying a vehicle for heavy hauling would you buy an F350 or a Mini Cooper. If you buy a Mini Cooper you bought the wrong thing. Do your research, read widely, ask many questions but when you make an obvious mistake don't blame anything else but yourself.

It may not be an outright attack but the deluge of troll calling and "you brought this on yourself" posts mean some members don't (want to) look past the frustration of a new Linux user and forget to be lenient and helpful towards new LQ members. That is not how we should choose to act as a community of Linux users.


@All: to anyone posting after this in a way that is not inviting or does not help the OP (in other words: analyze the problem and help him fix it): do keep yourself from posting. And please keep this thread on topic (again: help the OP, not argue).

Enough is enough.

Ok. Skype is in Mint repos. No need to download. That is for starters.

done.


2nd. No

Cinnamon no-codecs (32-bit) Cinnamon DVD
Cinnamon no-codecs (64-bit) Cinnamon DVD

Yes

Cinnamon (32-bit) Cinnamon DVD
Cinnamon (64-bit) Cinnamon DVD

http://www.linuxmint.com/release.php?id=19

If you want to watch movies,DVDs, Use yes. If not. Use no-codecs.

done.

Mint forums would have set the OP or any other new Mint user on the right path. All you have to do is ask. No asking was done in this thread that I could see so I answered original post in kind. Down south here. We call that yelling at a fence post.

It don't listen either.

Lastly Mint 15 is a beta pre release not ready for prime time yet and one should realize that by just reading and researching. One is asking for trouble installing the latest pre release of anything if you are a new user. Latest and greatest does not necessarily mean the best. Posting from my

IBM T23 wireless laptop that would not run anything newer than Windows XP any way and I have no desire to do so on this laptop.