Commodore OS Build Part 3 (Conclusion)

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Deano

Sorry I haven’t posted an update in a while. I’ve been busy with work and other things.

The Commodore OS turned out to not be all that I expected. The UI was really nice looking but it had a very slow response time. If you followed the other articles on this build you’ll know that I had some beefy components in this system and the UI responsiveness should not have been an issue.

Another thing that bothered me about this version of Linux is the lack of a support community for it. Commodore USA has made it clear on their website that they are not providing any tech support for it. This is fine, as long as there is a community of users in place that could answer questions for new users.

I know that the OS was written specifically for the Commodore 64X. But, you should be able to run it on a decent PC.

My final thoughts on the Commodore OS is that I see this as just another flavor of Linux that will fade into the sunset.

Needless to say I decided to uninstall the Commodore OS and Install Ubuntu. I have used Ubuntu in the past and I think that it is by far the most supported version of Linux out there. The only thing I don’t like with the newer version of Ubuntu is they are not including the Gnome desktop out of the box but rather providing their own version called Unity.  This is mainly because I have been so used to the Gnome desktop environment and there is a learning curve (albeit small) to Unity.

Aside from installing Ubuntu in the Desktop I was using for the Commodore OS, I decided to resurrect my girlfriends old Dell Dimension 2200 Laptop and install Ubuntu in that as well. So far that is going pretty good. I am having issues with the Wireless but I’m pretty sure that all I’ll need to do is install the Legacy firmware for the built in Broadcom Wireless adapter.

Until Next Time.

-Deano

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Commodore OS Build – Part 2

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Deano

So I managed to get a working system out of all the spare parts that I had lying around. Now the next step is to put some juice into this Frankenstein. Commodore OS has 2 ISO images that can be downloaded from The Commodore USA Site. They are torrent files so you’ll need a torrent client installed. My client of choice is Bit Torrent.

The first ISO image is the main operating system and the second ISO is optional and contains extra applications that run with the OS. I recommend you install the extras because there are a bunch of useful tools that are not included on the Base OS.

When I first ran the CD, I selected the Install Option from the menu. For some reason this didn’t do anything. So I shut the system down and tried again. The same thing happened.  It was getting late and I was growing Frustrated and tired. So before I took a bat to the system that I pieced together, I decided to call it a night.

The following morning I got up and approached the task at hand again; This time with a fresh perspective. When I fired up the CD again I noticed that there was an auto boot countdown. So I decided to let it run. Holy Shit! It started to go through the install process.

Overall the Main OS didn’t take that long to install (about 20 minutes). The extras seemed to take about the same amount of time.

My initial thoughts on this OS is that it is totally cool looking. It sucks that I don’t have any speakers hooked to the system because I read in some of the reviews that the OS talks to you through the configuration process. I’m still trying to tweak some of the configurations. I’m still trying to get it to see my windows Network and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to connect to my printer which is also on the my windows network.

In my next article I will talk about some of the cool things that this OS has to offer as well as some of the drawbacks. I’ll also be putting some screen shots up.

–Deano

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Commodore OS Build Part 1

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Deano

So The day has come where I started to get to work on going through all my spare computer parts and piece together a decent system to run the Commodore OS. The first step in this process was to venture into the corner of my basement where I’ve been keeping all the old computer cases, Motherboards, and hard drive from days past. I have a total of 3 computer cases that I can choose from

Life is full of choices

They are a little dusty but they will do. There are 2 cases that are ideal for my build. I have my old Viper case that I was using before my current system.

 

There is also a Blue chrome case that was used for my girlfriends old system. This is a really nice looking case because when the chrome is polished and wiped down the light really reflects off of it.  

After a bunch of back and forth, I decided to opt for the blue chrome case. The main reason why I went with this case is because the Commodore OS seems to favor a bluish theme for its look. Besides, this is a really sharp looking case.

Now that the case issue is put aside, I can focus on the actual components that will be used to run the system. fortunately, this is an easier decision to make then the cases. My old viper system had the newer components then the other systems so the decision there was really easy.

For this system I will be using  an Intel Dual Core 2, 3Ghz processor. I initially thought I had 8 gigs of memory on my MB but it turns out that I only have 4. I can upgrade to 8 gigs down the road if I choose to. These components will all be mounted on an Asus Motherboard. 

 

 For the Video card, I’m using a GeForce 9400 GT with 1 gig of onboard memory. This should be able to handle the graphic demands of the Commodore OS. I was also using this card in my viper system and was able to play a lot of the current games on medium to high graphic settings with no problems.

My Hard drive is a 1Tb Western Digital. I was going to use this hard drive for a file server project that never really got off the ground. I figured if I include this into my build I won’t have to worry about hard drive space for a while.

So, Now I have all the components I need for my system. I didn’t bother going into details about the keyboard or mouse because its only a keyboard and mouse. The only thing to note about the keyboard is that it lights up blue when it’s on.

I must say, that this is the first time that I was able to put components in a case without getting a cut from the cases metal edges. I guess I’m getting good at this sort of thing.

That’s about all for now. Stay tuned, in the next article I will be going over the install process for the OS and share some of the issues that came up along the way.

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My Blog, A New Beggining

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Deano

Well I finnally got my blog up, again!!!

Right now it looks pretty bland. This is because I haven’t really found any theme that reflects my taste. Besides, I would like to focus more on the content of the blog then the glam factor. I’ll have a theme up eventually that I can be happy with. But for now, I can live with just having a place to share my thoughts, Gripes, Rants and other adventures.

The first series of articles I’ll be writing involves my latest project.

My first computer was a Commodore 64. I got it as a Christmas present back in 1984. I had a blast with it. At that time the Commodore was considered one of the top ranked computers. Then the PC market took off and Commodore was left in the dust. Commodore has since been focused on developing gaming PC’s. Lately they started focusing on a new OS called Commodore Vision OS. For all you Linux geeks out there, this is a Linux OS that is based off of the Mint distro.

Commodore has also released their Commodore 64-x. The X is for Extreme (What is it with the overuse of the word Extreme anyways). This system is basically a Commodore 64 looking Keyboard with PC components Inside.

Now that looks pretty cool. It doesn’t come cheep though. They have 2 out of the box versions. The Ultimate, which has a Intel Atom D525 1.8GHz Dual Core CPU, 4Gb memory and a 1Tb hard drive for $1000, and the Extreme, which has a Intel Core i7-2720QM 2.2GHz, 8Gb memory and a 2Tb hard drive for $1500. You can also get a barebones system which only includes the Case, casis, keyboard and USB and multiport card reader for $350.

Currenty these systems come with a version of Ubuntu Linux installed but they will be shipping units with The Commodore OS once it is released.

So, back to my project and what I’ll be writing about for the next several weeks. I’m so stoked about this Commodore OS that I want to make a system that runs it. I know that with all the spare components I have laying around that I can build a system that will run this OS. So stay tuned. This is going to be a pretty cool adventrue.

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