[ubuntu-uk] f-spot vs. iphoto

[TheVeech]

On Fri, 2007-04-27 at 21:40 +0100, Robin Menneer wrote:
> Thanks.  Didn't know abouit the f-spot page, but a brief look at it
> doesn't encourage me but I'll look again.  
> Towards the end of this week I'm likely to get a brand new Intel mac
> mini and naturally I want to use Ubuntu on it.  Even having read about
> all the Feisty bugs reported on  this list recently, I am tempted to
> go for Feisty because of the ability to use f-spot the same as iphoto
> (and then I can persuade my missus to switch from iphoto).  I'm afraid
> that The Gimp is not an option for me at the moment due to work
> pressures but I look forward to grappling with it later on.   
> Firstly am I being stupid, and ought to wait until the novelty of
> Feisty has worn off and it has become reliable?  If not, how should I
> load Fiesty bearing in mind that I have never burnt a disc and didn't
> load Daffy myself, having had it done as a turn-key job for me?  I'm
> happy to learn how to run in Ubuntu, except I'm finding learning,
> these days, an uphill job because I can no longer remember sequences
> and my handwriting is getting difficult to read.  The help I got with
> loading f-spot was super. 

First off, I'm coming from the experience of installing on i386 PCs, and
have no knowledge of recent Macs at all (you may need specific advice on
this).

Personally, I'd go with Feisty straight away.  I've been running it
since Beta and I've had relatively few problems - no more than you'd
expect from changing to any new release, but this release is about as
usable as Linux gets, so, again, I'd recommend Feisty without
reservation (even over Long Term Support, which it lacks).

Another program you could look at for photos is Google's Picasa
http://picasa.google.com/
Unfortunately, this is a resource hog, but I've always had positive
feedback from people about its usability and features.
But see also: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=365802

If you wanted Picasa, an easy way to install it may be to use Automatix
http://www.getautomatix.com/
(Link for Feisty i386 download:
http://www.getautomatix.com/apt/dists/feisty/main/binary-i386/automatix2_1.1-3.12-7.04feisty_i386.deb)
which is a program that makes it very simple to install a number of
programs that aren't in the official repositories.  Personally I don't
use Automatix and, while some people find it really helpful, others
frown upon it.  But at the stage of learning that you're at, it's a
compromise that's probably worth taking up.

To save on resources, though, you could stick with the more than capable
default programs: F-Spot, or just use gThumb, using The GIMP alongside
it to do more with your pictures.  I think this combination is ideal,
and is worth the time learning about a new set of programs.

The GIMP is easy and rewarding to use.  Your use of OpenOffice.org Draw
suggests you like to use an app and stick with it to do numerous tasks.
You could use The GIMP similarly in that you can do a lot with it, but
ignore the parts you won't use.  The advantage of using The GIMP is that
you can start off simple and then become more advanced without having to
yet again learn a different app - i.e. it's powerful enough to keep up
with your progression.

If you do get round to playing with it, just hover over the tools for
descriptions and take a quick look at the menus, noting what features
you'd like to use.  Time for this?  Not that long.  Half an hour here
and there and you'll pick it up in no time at all.  In fact, once you
start playing with it, you'll probably enjoy the experience and want to
experiment a lot more.  Even though you don't really need them if you
prefer learning by doing, there's plenty of guides around on The GIMP
and books, if you don't mind investing.

For the Mac install, it would help if you have another computer
connected to the net at the same time, but it's not a disaster if you
haven't.  Finding someone who's been through this on that particular
machine and would be prepared to do it for you would be ideal.  But
that's unlikely to happen.  Instead, I'm sure enough people would be
willing to help you as you go along, so long as the time's convenient.
It might help to have someone else physically with you at the time of
install, though, to help with any printed instructions and guidance.

First off, have you got a printer?  If so, this will help because you'll
have instructions in front of you while you're installing.

Can you post specifics of the machine (as I haven't used an Intel Mac
Mini, I don't know what makes up one), so people can determine what
exactly you're getting?

Can you also give a good idea when you're getting the machine and are
planning the install?  This way you can arrange with anyone who's
willing to help a time when they're free to help out if you get stuck.
I'm assuming you've got a phone!

Finally, stop worrying!  You don't need to remember sequences!  It isn't
The Parallax View.  This will be your first time doing an install, but
it isn't that tough, even if you put yourself down and build it up too
much.  Burning the distro is easy enough.  You could even order a disk
from the official site if you're not comfortable doing this:
by buying one:
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/purchase
or requesting a free one:
https://shipit.ubuntu.com/

Just make sure you get the right disk for the machine!

Assuming Macs aren't a nightmare, installing's easy, too.  Partitioning
you may find difficult, depending on how you want to do this, but you
can be guided along with that and anything else you may be having
problems with.

All in all, once you've done this, you'll realise that it isn't
particularly complex at all, and you'll find it a lot easier the next
time.  But the more information you can post about the machine in
advance, the better the chances are that you'll get good responses.