Linux rocks! I just installed Ubuntu Studio + Banshee.

[bluesman]

I built my BeagleBone because I was tired of PC nonsense like background virus scans, automatic updates, bloatware, hanging on boot, hanging on shutdown, strange and erratic behavior that went away with a reboot etc etc etc. So I put a perfectly good PC (other than choking on its own software, of course) on a shelf and forgot about it......until Sunday. I knew about Ubuntu Studio but had no way to get it onto my 'Bone so I tucked it away in my mind and went MPD on Debian.

 

US is a complete package that includes the operating system plus "the full range of multimedia content creation applications for each of our workflows: audio, graphics, video, photography and publishing". It's downloadable as an iso image, which I'd burned onto a DVD back when I was researching a Linux-based music player but never tried. An iso image is bootable, so you can try it from the DVD without installing it - so I decided to do this over the weekend, just to see what I could see. And while digging on the shelf for the DVD, I realized that the PC I used to use as a player would be perfect for this.

 

It works great and it sounds great! I booted from the DVD and everything ran perfectly - SQ's the same as BeagleBone (at least to my ears). It took me 2 minutes of listening to decide to install it (although I chickened out and installed it as a dual boot, not being 100% sure I'd be OK emotionally without Windows). The package includes Audacious, Audacity and a host of other great media applications, and it's all installed in one shot. After setting the bios to boot from the disc drive and following the prompts, it was probably the easiest major software installation I've ever seen or done.

 

I then installed Banshee after discovering that Audacious doesn't rip (and there's a remote app for iPhone and Android to control Banshee). It added all my FLACs to the library from NAS as soon as I clicked on the location. Again, SQ is excellent and I hear no differences from the 'Bone. Audacity works just as well on Ubuntu as it did on Windows, except that the recording displays no longer mysteriously slow down any more. I'm running the coax digital out of the MB into a coax input on my DAC while the BBB's plugged into USB, so I haven't yet compared both on USB.

 

Tonight I kill Windows and do a clean install of Ubuntu Studio - it's fantastic and I highly recommend it. My next challenge is to identify the smallest, coolest, quietest computer that will run the package - maybe Cubox?

[gmgraves]

I built my BeagleBone because I was tired of PC nonsense like background virus scans, automatic updates, bloatware, hanging on boot, hanging on shutdown, strange and erratic behavior that went away with a reboot etc etc etc. So I put a perfectly good PC (other than choking on its own software, of course) on a shelf and forgot about it......until Sunday. I knew about Ubuntu Studio but had no way to get it onto my 'Bone so I tucked it away in my mind and went MPD on Debian.

 

US is a complete package that includes the operating system plus "the full range of multimedia content creation applications for each of our workflows: audio, graphics, video, photography and publishing". It's downloadable as an iso image, which I'd burned onto a DVD back when I was researching a Linux-based music player but never tried. An iso image is bootable, so you can try it from the DVD without installing it - so I decided to do this over the weekend, just to see what I could see. And while digging on the shelf for the DVD, I realized that the PC I used to use as a player would be perfect for this.

 

It works great and it sounds great! I booted from the DVD and everything ran perfectly - SQ's the same as BeagleBone (at least to my ears). It took me 2 minutes of listening to decide to install it (although I chickened out and installed it as a dual boot, not being 100% sure I'd be OK emotionally without Windows). The package includes Audacious, Audacity and a host of other great media applications, and it's all installed in one shot. After setting the bios to boot from the disc drive and following the prompts, it was probably the easiest major software installation I've ever seen or done.

 

I then installed Banshee after discovering that Audacious doesn't rip (and there's a remote app for iPhone and Android to control Banshee). It added all my FLACs to the library from NAS as soon as I clicked on the location. Again, SQ is excellent and I hear no differences from the 'Bone. Audacity works just as well on Ubuntu as it did on Windows, except that the recording displays no longer mysteriously slow down any more. I'm running the coax digital out of the MB into a coax input on my DAC while the BBB's plugged into USB, so I haven't yet compared both on USB.

 

Tonight I kill Windows and do a clean install of Ubuntu Studio - it's fantastic and I highly recommend it. My next challenge is to identify the smallest, coolest, quietest computer that will run the package - maybe Cubox?

 

Isn't Ubuntu (and other flavors) of Linux pretty geeky? I installed Linux on a home-built PC several years ago and found the GUI very Windows like in appearance - but even more primitive in operation - if possible! I know that computer nerds love Linux, but given the glacial development of open source solutions in general, I find it difficult to imagine that any Linux distro could have come as far as you seem to indicate, in the time that has passed since I last tried it and found it severely wanting.

[4est]

Why Studio over reg Ubuntu?

[esldude]

Isn't Ubuntu (and other flavors) of Linux pretty geeky? I installed Linux on a home-built PC several years ago and found the GUI very Windows like in appearance - but even more primitive in operation - if possible! I know that computer nerds love Linux, but given the glacial development of open source solutions in general, I find it difficult to imagine that any Linux distro could have come as far as you seem to indicate, in the time that has passed since I last tried it and found it severely wanting.

 

Well, linux is still more geeky or can be than Mac or Win. But generally speaking no it isn't that geeky if you are just doing normal things. Certainly for something like a music computer you may have to do a couple things extra (though probably not). After that the interfaces are good, simple almost complete GUI use is no problem. If it has been several years, they have advanced probably more than you expect they would. You can probably install from scratch the complete OS in the time your Win machine does whatever latest in the way auto update it insists upon doing.

 

I once was pretty high on Windows for cheaper equipment costs and non-critical uses. In the last couple years it has just become a never-ending hassle. Despite improvements in 'security' of windows my relatives and friends seem to get problems more often than ever before that I can remember. And windows somehow has a special genius for making updates get in your way. I keep one Windows machine, and I am sure it is partly because I don't use it daily (or even every week), but when you do turn it on you have to let it make itself happy before you the owner of the damn thing get to use it for something you want. Sorry for the rant.

 

As for why Ubuntu Studio instead of regular Ubuntu? Because it comes with lots of multi-media stuff already part of the install. Nothing you can't add to Ubuntu, but if you are using it for music or music/video Studio is just a touch more convenient.

[bluesman]

Well, linux is still more geeky or can be than Mac or Win. But generally speaking no it isn't that geeky if you are just doing normal things..

Yup - it's just another operating system now. The interfaces are "normal" and it's every bit as easy to use as OSs from MS & Mac. Installing programs is as easy as clicking the icon to open the "software center", typing in the name of the program you want, and clicking "install" when it's located - no more apt-get etc unless you want to use the command line. And even doing that is easier than ever (and easier than a PC) - you open the "terminal" by clicking an icon, and you're ready to command.

 

As for why Ubuntu Studio instead of regular Ubuntu? Because it comes with lots of multi-media stuff already part of the install. Nothing you can't add to Ubuntu, but if you are using it for music or music/video Studio is just a touch more convenient.

Yes indeed! It's a package with great audio, video and photo apps in it already. I was listening to my own FLACs within 90 seconds of completing the one-shot installation. Even the default desktop setup is very usable out of the box - I haven't changed a thing so far.

[hagensieker]

If you get a Cubox you can only use their flavor of Ubuntu right now. It ends up being oneric 11.04. You can update it to 12.04 but it has some flaws.

 

As it stands right now you can't just install Ubuntu Studio on a Cubox I don't believe.

 

The Ubuntu is a little buggy as well but useable. I opted to run Arch on my Cubox -i4