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From LinuxMCE wiki
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This is a discussion of an outdated version of LinuxMCE. Please see the current version.
It seems all the known important issues reported with beta and RC1 have been resolved. Please report the results of your installation at: http://linuxmce.com/troubles.php and be sure to describe any problems you have, and if possible, include contact information so that if there is something we missed we can fix it before the actual release. Since there will be a LinuxMCE release that corresponds to each Kubuntu release, we have changed the versioning system. Instead of calling it 1.1, we will call it 0704 since it works only with Kubuntu 0704, and the next release will be 0710 to correspond to the next release of Kubuntu, which will be 0710.
August 6, 2007 Version 1.1 0704 is released
Before installing, check out the Known_Issues. There is an issue with the Quick Install DVD that may effect most users, but there is an easy work around.
LinuxMCE 0704 is a major improvement over the original 1.0 release. According to a poll, 86% now report LinuxMCE installs and starts up without problems, versus 27% with the original release.
There's a new demo Video that's much more polished and is actually a full walk-through you can follow starting with a clean PC, showing all setup, and all the major features.
All major features are now working. LinuxMCE is integrated into the KDE desktop and runs on Kubuntu Feisty 0704. The installer is completely redone, and there are now 2 versions. The CD installer, which comes on 2 cd's and installs on top of a clean Kubuntu install, or the new DVD installer which only requires key presses and setups up your hard drive (erasing all previous data from it) and installs Kubuntu with LinuxMCE in about 20 minutes.
See also:
Upgrade from LinuxMCE 1.0 or Pluto to LinuxMCE 0704
FOSS_0704 for the FOSS and development community explains what happened with the open source development after 1.0, and the current plans to develop a FOSS community
Feedback please report the results of your installation and be sure to describe any problems you have, and if possible, include contact information.
What's new with Version 1.1
LinuxMCE Version 1.1 for Kubuntu Feisty represents a significant change (see ChangeLog) over 1.0. The code in LinuxMCE 1.0 was already quite stable, however, many users reported installation issues, too many scripts inherited from Pluto that took over the conf files, a kludgey integration with Ubuntu, and incomplete integration with MythTV. All these are addressed in the new 1.1.
Integration with KDE
The biggest change with 1.1 is that it is now based on Kubuntu, not Ubuntu, and integrates with the KDE Desktop. A problem with LinuxMCE 1.0 was that the window manager in the Gnome desktop in Ubuntu does not support compositing and some of the other extensions needed to deliver a rich multi-media experience. Therefore, in LinuxMCE 1.0, Ubuntu and LinuxMCE ran in separate X-sessions, so LinuxMCE could have its own desktop and window manager. However, you cannot have two X sessions both using hardware acceleration, therefore LinuxMCE forced Ubuntu to use Vesa mode, and the integration was messy. KDE, however, does allow use of XFWM, which supports compositing and all the other visual goodies, so now LinuxMCE runs entirely within the KDE desktop and can be installed/un-installed and started/stopped like a normal app, and simply appears as an extra KDE desktop.
Also, the KDE core developer, Aaron Seigo, has confirmed that KDE and LinuxMCE make a nice fit, and the plan is to integrate the LinuxMCE project into KDE for the highly anticipated KDE 4.0 release. Now with LinuxMCE, KDE will also deliver home/media PC users a media-rich experience with lots of eye candy and a 10' UI. Many thanks to AMD, Pluto and Fiire for making the connection, and also for providing a lot of technical assistance.
New installer
The new installer includes a utility to test your video cards capabilities, and also caches on the CD the various 3rd party Kubuntu packages LinuxMCE depends on so the installation won't fail if a mirror is unreachable, which was the #1 cause of installation problems with 1.0.
How to Install(New Installation)
Using CD's
| It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Installation Guide |
1. Download Kubuntu Feisty: Kubuntu 7.04
2. Get the Installation CD's by using the torrent link: 1.1 CD's (alternatively you could download these after installing Kubuntu, but CD's are so cheap that this was the method that I used)
3. Burn all three CD images to CD's
4. Insert the Kubuntu CD, Select the option to start Kubuntu from the list.
5. Once Kubuntu is up and running, click the "Install" icon on the desktop, follow the installation wizard until you have rebooted and are running Kubuntu from your hard drive(resist the urge to update at this time, it will cause problems with the LinuxMCE cache CD).
6. Insert the Linux MCE packages CD, when the popup window appears select the option to display the CD contents.
7. Right click on the "mce-installer_2.0.1-1_i386.deb" and select the option to install the package.
8. Close the window after the installation finishes and click on the new icon on your desktop that says "Install Linux MCE".
9. Follow the on screen prompts, insert the cache CD when requested, and finish the install. After the computer has rebooted, you may update Kubuntu using Adept. For more installation help see: The Installation Guide (step 4 and after) or ask one of the friendly people in the forum.
New Launch Manager and conf file management
A new Launch Manager allows you to start and stop LinuxMCE like a normal application, and also control the startup sequence. Additionally, whenever LinuxMCE needs to make changes to your configuration, such as setting up network booting for any thin clients, it will make a backup of your existing conf files, notify you of the changes, and let you manually edit them. Thus, for a total Linux newbie, LinuxMCE can still be a fully automated 'black box' solution requiring no knowledge of Linux internals, but it will no longer frustrate advanced Linux users who don't want their configuration settings overwritten.
Try out the LinuxMCE 1.1
Help us by trying out 1.1 by getting the two cd's, the LinuxMCE Installer, and the LinuxMCE Kubuntu Cache CD, from this torrent: [1]. Then, please follow this link: click here to report if everything went smoothly or if you had any issues. Be sure you are using the 1.1 cd's, and be sure on the troubles page you select the second choice on "Which version of LinuxMCE did you try?". This way we can be sure that LinuxMCE works for the majority of users, and address any common problems in the final release. You will need to install Kubuntu Feisty, and then insert the LinuxMCE install CD, and when the contents appear, right click on LinuxMCE, and choose Kubuntu Installer, Install Package. That will put an "Install LinuxMCE" icon on your desktop. Select it and follow the prompts, inserting the Kubuntu Cache CD when prompted, and the putting back the LinuxMCE install CD when prompted to finish the installation. A couple volunteers have agreed to man the Yahoo, Skype and IRC chats to diagnose any installation or setup issues so we can be sure they all get addressed.
