You installed Ubuntu Server edition, which by definition, is a CLI based OS. What did you expect?

Switching distros is not really the answer, do a normal Kubuntu or Ubuntu install, and see how that goes. Your PC has more than enough muscle to run any version of Linux without feeling sluggish.

IGF

I did an Ubuntu server install and since in that form it was totally useless to me, installed Kubuntu on top of it it. By the way, if you go on Ubuntu/Kubuntu forums, that is the sequence that most people recommend. So, at least according to them, this was a normal install.

I don't know, I was never recommended to install that way, I've also helped several people install, and never suggested doing that way.

Were there specific server applications that you needed, and thus why they suggested server edition? Installing server edition, then putting KDE or Gnome on top of it, seems silly to me. If you wan ta GUI, download the appropriate distro, and then if you need server apps, install them from the package manager.

IGF

At least this way I don't have to go through hell and configure the server applications.
By the way, just had a minor success in this quest. Was finally able to change the boot order! Did not use "sudo su", to get to root. That was not needed. All I did was :sudo kwrite /boot/grub/menu.lst". Had to do it twice, as "4" wasn't enough. Had too many applications in the boot order. Changed it to "7" and Windows is now the default OS.
I guess that my next order of business is to configure the swap file. Someone told me that this is possible from within Kubuntu...
And then to get GTalk working. Got this info, but not sure how to understand this part:"1. Settings->Configure
2. New
3. Next
4. Select Jabber"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
First, you might need to install an additional package called tca-tls or similar, if it’s not already present. It seems every distribution has a slightly different name for the same thingy:
package name
Debian qca-tls
Fedora Core 4 qca-tls
Gentoo app-crypt/qca-tls
Mandriva libqca1-tls
SUSE qca
Ubuntu qca-tls

When you have installed this package, the most difficult part is probably over, the actual setup is pretty simple:

1. Settings->Configure
2. New
3. Next
4. Select Jabber
5. On the first tab enter your account information

Basic Setup
Jabber Id: [xxxx@gmail.com]
[ ] Remeber Password whatever you prefer
Password: [xxxx]

6. On the second tab enter

Connection
[x] Use protocol encryption (SSL)
[x] Allow plain-text password authentication
[x] Override default server information
Server: [talk.google.com] Port: [5223]

You should have Kopete with a Default KDE install, so you can set up Google Talk with it.

I have Google Talk setup with Pidgin... Its really quite simple to setup, and the instructions you posted are accurate. Pidgin used to be called GAIM, so you might have either one of those installed with your system(you likely have GAIM and or Kopete).

http://www.google.com/support/talk/b...n&answer=24073

I imagine it will be the exact same setup no matter which of the 3 clients you use, just may be different tabs, etc.

IGF

Have you used the package management system yet? This is one of the major strengths of a Linux system, as it allows the majority of programs to be installed and updated through a unified interface. If you haven't tried it yet, here's a little information about it. The package management system is actually a command line tool called apt. However, there are a number of graphical frontends. The default frontend for Kubuntu is called adept, but there is also a front end called synaptic, which I personally prefer. To install synaptic, go to the program menu, check under system and select Adept Manager. Since modifying packages requires access to system files, it will ask you for your password. Once the program has loaded, find the program called synaptic in the bottom left pane, and set it to install by right-clicking on it and selecting "Request install". It may well tell you that you need to install extra dependencies, which is fine. You can then click "Apply Updates" at the top, which will then install Synaptic.

Once Synaptic is installed, you can close adept and use synaptic instead (this is, of course, a matter of taste, no reason not to carry on using adept if you decide you prefer it). In the synaptic window, there's a list of programs on the right. If you click in that window and start typing the name of a package you want to install, it will jump to it. In this case it seems you want the package qca-tls. Once you've found the package, click the white square at the left of it, and select "Mark for Installation". Again, this may pull in extra dependencies, which is fine, just okay it and they will all be selected for you automatically. Once the package is marked for installation, select "Apply" at the top of synaptic and the package(s) will be downloaded and installed. Hopefully this will help you on the way to setting up GTalk.

By the way, it IS possible to modify files as root when necessary, without using the command line. To do this, open Konqueror and find the file in question. Right click on it, go to "Actions" and select "Edit as root". It will ask for your password, and once you've entered it, the file will be opened in a text editor.

Hope this helps.

I have tried Adept. Seems to work OK. Almost like installing stuff through Windows add/remove programs interface, with a HUGE list of available programs. Might be a good thing to look at in my copious free time

As far as GTalk and Kopete, early on when I first started it gave me a list of IM services to setup. At that time I picked Yahoo Messenger. It appears to work, but I don't really need it. The problem is that even after setting up a Jabber account and moving it to the top in Kopete's account list, after creating a new jabber/Gtalk talk.google.com account in Kopete, the Yahoo thingy stays as default, so I haven't in fact been able to start up GTalk at all.

I have been in the ubuntu forums alot and they have never recommended to do that, and there is no point in doing it that way, unless you read a thread about how to set up a SERVER with a gu

Good news to report! I have installed Kubuntu 7.04. It seems to work much better than the version installed on top of Ubuntu server. Thank you! No more mushy, hesitant feeling. Everything feels normal.
Have easily configured the boot order, got GTalk working in Kopete.
Thank you for your help and suggestions.

Last night have installed Kubuntu 7.04 on top of the old installation. It indeed works much, much better. No mushy feeling, or jerkiness anymore. I was even able to make GTalk work within Kopete, which for some reason I couldn't set up in the previous installation. It is either a better setup, or with whole four days of Linux experience I am becoming an expert

Thank you for your help, guys!

You're welcome, best of luck!

// Did not see that there were already three pages; this was in response to one of the first posts.
// Time to go to bed I assume

'doesn't work' is no error Please state what it does not do. And the easiest is probably to use nano in a terminal
nano is a text based editor with some actions at the bottom.

And the problem with grub is that it relies on a file on the HD; remove that file (as part of the linux removal) and you're in trouble. That is why I prefer Lilo; it installs completely in the MBR.
But the easiest way is to use the Windows install disks (as mentioned before).