Old FAQ
NOTE: This FAQ page tends to become cluttered with outdated information very, very quickly, so information below might not be up-to-date or accurate. You should probably check the current release notes and/or the forums if you really need the latest information – that’s what most of our users do anyway, judging from the fact that we have never had a single complaint about this page.
This FAQ is out of date. If you have any good questions – or better yet, answers – feel free to add them here.
Contents |
General FAQ
What is Linux?
According to Wikipedia: “Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system. Linux is one of the most prominent examples of free software and open source development; typically all underlying source code can be freely modified, used, and redistributed by anyone.” At least that’s the technical explanation. According to us, it’s essentially kinda like Microsoft Windows or Mac OS X, only much much better.
Confusingly, “Linux” also refers to the kernel, or the “guts” of the operating system. Because of this some people like to call the entire operating system “GNU/Linux,” after the GNU Project which develops a lot of the “userspace” code (the stuff on top of the kernel that you actually use), although we think that’s just silly.
What is Ultima Linux?
Ultima Linux is a “distribution” or customized version of Linux. A distribution contains both the kernel itself (see above) and the application programs you actually use. Ultima Linux was originally developed by Martin Ultima and is now maintained by its users, which means it’s designed to be practical and easy-to-use. Unlike many other distributions, which use exclusively “free” software, Ultima Linux includes several proprietary software programs such as 3-D graphics drivers, since we consider users much more important than self-inflicted license restrictions.
Is Ultima Linux free?
Yes – Ultima Linux is available free-of-charge, and incidentally consists (mostly) of so-called “free software,” so it’s valid in either sense of the word. You may download it from the Ultima Linux homepage, usually via the BitTorrent file-sharing protocol.
Note that while we do offer paid downloads – usually at higher speeds than the standard ones – and also sell pre-recorded Ultima Linux CD’s, these are exactly the same code as you would get downloading for free. In these cases you are merely paying for convenience, not for the actual operating system. See Can I buy it on CD?, below.
Can I buy it on CD?
It depends. Usually we try to offer buyable CD’s, but since CD sales are generally lower than downloads, we can’t always find vendors who will distribute our product (since it costs money for discs and burning equipment).
Note that while there are many Linux CD vendors available, we only “officially” list those who share profits with our project. For this reason, sites such as LinuxCd.org which do not split profits will not be listed. Also, not all vendors are distributing the latest version – some sites are still showing Ultima Linux 8.0.1 as the newest, even though that was released over a year and a half ago.
How is Ultima Linux funded?
Currently most of our funding comes from advertisements (via Google AdSense) and, when available, CD sales. We currently do not accept direct donations, although being the greedy capitalists we are – no need to deny it! – we hope to change this sometime in the near future.
Technical FAQ
Why doesn't my USB keyboard work??
USB keyboards are without a doubt the most problematic devices we know of, at least with Ultima Linux, and “why doesn't my USB keyboard work??” has to be the most frequently asked question of all. To make a long story short, we are unsure of why USB keyboards are not currently supported, but we are working to try and get them to work properly by the next release. In the meantime we recommend purchasing a USB → PS/2 adapter until we have the USB keyboard issue worked out.
NOTE: Our users have reported that Ultima Linux 8.2 does support USB keyboards, but the Ultima Linux developers have not tested this due to lack of equipment.
What type of hardware is supported?
Just about anything that you can use with Windows is supported (and it usually runs a lot better, too). Ultima Linux will run on any computer with an Intel or AMD processor, including newer 64-bit systems, and supports most popular video cards, networking adapters (including wireless), printers, scanners, flash drives, MP3 players (including iPods), CD/DVD burners, and other hardware. Detailed system requirements are available: x86 Edition, AMD64 Edition.
What is your recommended configuration?
Computer:
| Peripherals:
|
What type of software is supported?
Most software available for Linux should run without a problem on Ultima Linux, and a significant amount of software is already included. A large selection of software compatible with Ultima Linux is available from the Ultima homepage and LinuxPackages.net (the latter is primarily for x86). In addition, some Windows programs may be usable through Wine or similar programs, and for those which are not supported, Ultima Linux can “dual-boot” with other operating systems, meaning that the same computer can switch between Windows and Linux (but you can’t run both at the same time).
AMD64 FAQ
What processors are supported for AMD64?
A list of compatible processors is available on the AMD64 Edition page. The Ultima Linux developers recommend AMD processors, mostly because their packaging has “64” in huge letters so it’s easy to tell which are compatible (all of them on the market now ;-) but also because they seem to have slightly better performance.
Are Itanium-based CPU’s supported?
No. Itanium uses a different instruction code which is not compatible with AMD64.
Are Intel EM64T CPU’s supported?
Yes, but because of Intel’s naming scheme yours truly finds it hard to tell which are which...
Doesn’t AMD64 need twice as much memory?
No. The AMD64 edition is a bit larger than x86 – in fact, it includes a significant number of x86 packages, for compatibility reasons – but it’s certainly not twice as much... maybe about 1.2×, judging from the LiveCD.
Why would I want to use the AMD64 version?
It’s faster, and it’s the way of the future. Or something. It’s also the developer’s favorite.
64-bit systems can handle more complex number-crunching, so they’re better than x86 for processor-intensive work like graphics, sound, and video editing.
If you aren’t sure which one to use, the new LiveDVD includes both versions on a single bootable disc, so try both and see for yourself which one you like more.
Why are so many Ultima-AMD64 packages 32-bit?
NOTE: The very first AMD64 release contained a large number of 32-bit packages. As the technology has progressed, this has changed.
Most of the code in the AMD64 version is 64-bit code – otherwise there would be no point in having it in the first place. However, a few packages, such as OpenOffice.org and Java, are built as 32-bit for compatibility reasons:
-
Firefox is built 32-bit for compatibility with Flash/Java plugins, although future versions will use a 64-bit Firefox and nspluginwrapper.- Firefox is now built 64-bit, and uses nspluginwrapper for compatibility with Flash and other proprietary plug-ins.
- OpenOffice.org is built 32-bit because it simply does not build on AMD64, period.
- The 32-bit Java is included because both Firefox and OpenOffice.org use Java, and we honestly don't see any need for a 64-bit version of Java anyway.
Wolvix/Ultima FAQ
So what's the deal with Wolvix, anyway?
Starting in February 2007, Ultima Linux and [misc-wolvix.html Wolvix] have "joined forces" to create pretty much the best Linux desktop operating system. We're giving them some of our code (for example, kernels, X11, and KDE), and in return they'll be letting us use a few of their own custom programs (Wolvix Control Panel, LiveCD installer...)[misc-multima.html ]
Does this mean the projects are merging together?
No. Ultima Linux and Wolvix will still be developed independently as separate distributions. However, since we're going to be sharing a lot of code and stuff now, that means there will be a lot of similarities and changes in both systems - for your benefit, of course - and we may consider the possibility of a total distro merge in the future.
Right now [misc-multima.html Martin Ultima] (Ultima's dev) is planning to handle more "low-level" stuff in Wolvix so [misc-wolven.html Wolven] and his guys can do the fun bits - in other words, they make things work, and we beat them with a hammer when they won't work. :-)
What's the point anyway?
Making things better for users, of course. And yes, you're more than welcome to make suggestions and even contribute stuff yourself if you have any good ideas - by all means, let us know so we can do it right!
Has anything good come out of it yet?
Yes - right now, Wolvix is using some of our build scripts and packages for their distribution, and we're working to add a customized Wolvix Control Panel to Ultima Linux. [If you haven't seen it, WCP is without a doubt the best LiveCD control panel I've seen - kudos to Oithona at Wolvix for coding everything!] We've also stolen - er, borrowed - a few ideas, such as adding HAL/D-Bus for improved hardware detection and auto-mounting.
Whose idea was it, then?
Actually, blame our users - Ultima Linux was offline for a few months from November 2006 to January 2007, and a lot of users switched to other distributions. Specifically it was Vakkotaur who told us about Wolvix and suggested that we could maybe work together on building a better distro. So now pretty much everyone's hooked - including yours truly - we're all a bunch of good-for-nothing traitors, and I'm my own Public Enemy Number One!
Seriously though, thanks go out to Vakkotaur for telling us about Wolvix, and Wolven and his team for welcoming us in in spite of our best efforts ;-)
By the way, yes, this means any Ultima user who switches over to Wolvix, or vice versa, is immediately forgiven for what would otherwise be considered a mortal sin against the Cult of the Pink-Bowed Penguin. (Or whatever Wolvix's community calls itself, I'm not sure if they have quite as cheesy a cult name or not...)
Miscellaneous FAQ
What's with the Puzzle Pirates stuff?
Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates is a totally addictive online game which the Ultima Linux developers happen to rather like. Clicking any of the links on the Ultima Linux site (including this one!) will let you register a free Puzzle Pirates account and start playing.
Every time someone clicks one of our links and registers an account, they get 500 PoE (pieces of eight – Puzzle Pirates virtualcurrency) to start out with, plus it sends a little bit to the Ultima developer as well. This isn't any sort of exclusive deal or anything, any registered member can post referral links – but only ours are allowed on the Ultima site ;-)
- Personal tools
- Toolbox