1. google 'ubuntu mp3'
2. first link is www.ubuntulinux.org/wiki/RestrictedFormats
3. Follow instructions.
I've never had to use sudo yet, btw. If you've got the appropriate respositories installed (and all I've needed are universe and multiverse) then nearly everything you could want is available. I have added my own sources occasionaly (jedit, java) but was still able to use synaptic to work out dependencies.
Also I have a 'create new folder' right click menu option which is also available from 'file>create folder' and Shift+Ctrl+N.
for your dial up icon... I think ubuntu could make this one clearer but ... google 'connect to internet dial up icon ubuntu' and there are a few answers
The trash icon was removed from the desktop and added to the bottom right corner. I much prefer it down there out of the way but easy to quickly drag things to.
As for your file browser problems.. Big bugbear with Ubuntu - You need to turn off "spatial browsing" in nautilus which causes a lot of people problems. just hit Alt + F2. type "gconf-editor" (i think that's what it's called) and hit enter
select apps->nautilus->preferences->always_use_browser set the value to true.
Hope that helps ...
Tim
deliberate policy - icon free desktop
>And why does a window resize when you enter a new folder?
The spatial view, takes a bit of getting used, and worth reading up on so you can see what they are trying with it.
>And why isn't there a "go to parent folder" button or option?
The bottom left hand corner of every natulis window, gives you a drop down that allows you to select the parent folder, its parent, and so on all the way to root
>Maybe all these things are configurable, but it's not obvious how to do it.
Gnome is not a windows clone, if you expect things to work exactly as on an XP desktop you will be dissapointed. Nothing you have mention so far requires any configuration after installation.Its a different way of working, and a different desktop. I would recommend reading up a little on spatial to start with.
Try using Synaptic (it'll be on one of the menus) to find and install software. It's a graphical front-end to 'apt', which is a front-end to dpkg and it will take care of grabbing and installing dependencies.
Most of the instructions I've seen to add repositores have been rather stupid.
The default /etc/apt/sources.list includes everything you would need, just the extra lines are commented out. So people have turned a simple, "open file, remove extra #'s, close" into a complicated GUI procedure.
all you needed was
# deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hoary main
# deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hoary universe
# deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hoary multiverse
# deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hoary restricted
or I think simply on one line works too:
http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hoary main universe multiverse restricted
and
http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hoary-security main universe multiverse restricted
So yeah, if you had just uncommented the existing entries, every single package should have been installable.
Maybe I forgot to something in sources.list; I will double-check.
As for the Gnome issues, I realized that Gnome isn't Windows and doesn't aspire to be, but still it would be useful if you could do some basic stuff like creating a folder. I don't understand the concept of an "icon-less desktop"... then why have a desktop at all? But, I will definitely read up on it.
according to
http://packages.ubuntu.com/hoary...streamer0.8-
mad
the package is in universe, if you don't have universe in your sources.list, that would explain your problem.
oh, and you seriously need to re-examine the context menus, since an entry to make a new directory appears in a number of them.
I do have universe, and I could see gstreamer0.8-mad, but not two of the packages it depends on, libid3tag0 and libmad0. Their pages don't list them as being in universe. I wonder what repository they do belong to.
I had the same problem but then I told Synaptic that to use "universe" and it gave me the message that not all the packages are free. Then things worked fine.
I can't remember *how* I did it, but I do know that editing /etc/source.lst didn't work but changing the setting in Synaptic did. Just hunt around in the options.
All in all, I've been very happy with Ubuntu (but I've never been happy with Windows . . )
Zealots are what keep newbies away (perhaps on purpose?).