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I successfully installed Ubuntu linux on an hp5100 that I was given. It's sharp looking and even somewhat like osx. My main goal was to install vnc server so I could put the computer in a corner and use it remotely. Unfortunately after 3 hours I'm throwing in the towel. I've used several "how to's" that make it look simple but the darn program simply won't run.
I played with linux several years ago and gave up on it because nothing worked without installing thirteen other support programs first and as a result...nothing worked. I think things have improved as a lot of programs came pre-installed with Ubuntu linux but installing additional programs appears to still be too difficult for a mere mortal.
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You're not going to be using it for day-to-day work?
Why not go for Debian and RealVNC then?
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Ran a headless Ubuntu computer via VNC back in 2004 into 2005. Seems crazy the setup should be harder now. I've been using the other way around in more recent years. Linux computer to monitor headless Mac mini. VNC client on Linux, even a basic command line option has proven a better tool than Snow Leopard to Snow Leopard screen sharing. Weird. Also, thanks Apple for cutting my accelerated interface on my headless Mac. Who needs Quartz Extreme anyway, eh?
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A couple of years ago I tried Ubuntu as a Windows or Mac alternative for some seniors around here and found it too dependent on command language to do anything out of the ordinary and lacking in good application programs except for Firefox and OpenOffice. The profit motive for creating programs is evidently compelling.
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JEBB,
I played with several Linux boxes over the years and found them all too complex for the average person off street. Even as a headless machine. That's why I have an old Mac Mini as a server running OS 10.7. It's been rock solid reliable and has only three apps running on it at a given time - iTunes, Crashplan and Plex. I use Mac OS X screen sharing to access the Mini for system updates and other tasks.
The Mini (and its Drobo) is tucked into the corner of my desk. No keyboard. No display. Just a hardwire network connection to a nearby router. I could run a video cable from it to the display I use with my tower via a direct connection or via a KVM switch. OS X screen sharing works well enough that I never bothered.
Robert
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Robert M,
It doesn't bother you that headless Macs lose GPU acceleration of the interface. Some apps become mostly blank windows because of such features baked into the design.
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Silvarios,
Nopes. I've never experienced blank windows. Then again, my usage of the machine is limited to those few apps.
Robert
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Chak,
I will but the issue still doesn't concern me. The machine is used for three tasks: storage for backups (from various sources local and off-site), storage for media and serving media. No blank windows when jumping into the machine to check on it, install system updates and/or to modify the apps performing those tasks.
Robert
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I use Ubuntu Linux daily. I haven't had to do anything in the command line in a long time. It is often faster and easier if you know how, but I haven't had to use it for anything that I can think of for a long time.
