Issue23 / Q&A Geek

Q I need a complete, but similar, alternative to Photoshop, but I need it to also work in Windows as well as in Ubuntu. Is there anything like this?

A The best alternative to Photoshop is definitely GIMP. It is very powerful, and works under Windows and Linux. The previous issues of Full Circle Magazine are a good place to learn more about GIMP.

Q 8.10 is the first time I've used Ubuntu. I have done a lot of customizing and would hate to lose that when I upgrade to the newer version of Ubuntu.

I can download the Ubuntu installer on my campus network much faster than I can at home, so it would be much faster for me to do a clean install than go through the software channel. Would having a home partition keep all my settings intact?

A Basically, yes. The easiest way to keep your settings when reinstalling Ubuntu is to have a separate home partition. If you are going to keep your existing home files, make sure you copy the hidden files and folders as well.

Q I've got 3GB RAM and, in my previous Ubuntu installation, I had a 650MB swap on the end of the Ubuntu partition. Did I really need it?

A With that much RAM, and doing only normal computing tasks such as internet and email, you should technically not need swap space. However, if one day you use up all your RAM, your PC would probably crash. It would be like going skydiving without a backup parachute.

Q I have a Creative dial-up modem, and I want to know how to use it in Ubuntu 8.10. I tried "gnome ppp" but it didn't work. What now?

A There is a very comprehensive how-to on dial up modems in the Ubuntu Community Documentation at: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/DialupModemHowto