Today I switched from Suse 10.1 to Ubuntu 8.04.1 because of the smoother upgrading mechanism of debian. All people who already knows ubuntu won’t learn sth. from this post, so don’t waste your time 😉

Now all seems to work what I need as a ‘normal’ user:

• mp3, just start amarok and install the necessary packages
  To install the ability that you can burn mp3 files with k3b do

  sudo apt-get install libk3b2-mp3

• dvd, just start kaffeine and run the provided script in the console.
• 3d + desktop effects. To enable your 3d graphic card click the hardware info and make the propriatary 3d-support active. Thats it. Ubuntu will do the rest for you. The same is true for the desktop effects. Go to the K-Menu->System->Desktop Effects and install it.
• skype: add the following line to the file /etc/apt/sources.list

  deb http://download.skype.com/linux/repos/debian/ stable non-free
  and do
  sudo apt-get install skype

• If you need an import/export tool for thunderbird then try this.

• flash with
  sudo apt-get install flashplugin-nonfree
  

• grip to grab your cds, inkscape for your svg images, gimp for other images, kgpg to encrypt sth.,

The only real problem was that thunderbird and firefox have some problems with the layout. And be sure that you DO NOT use the provided thunderbird 2.0.0.16 because it does not work with lightning. Download 2.0.0.14 and get lighning 0.8.

Now we will go on to install things that we need as Java-developers. All is very simple and straightfoward:

Install Java 1.6

sudo apt-get install sun-java6-jdk
sudo update-java-alternatives -s java-6-sun

To set open jdk as the default use ‘update-java-alternatives -s java-6-openjdk’. Use ‘update-java-alternatives -l’ to list the installed jvms. Or use:

sudo update-alternatives –config javac
sudo update-alternatives –config java

Install NetBeans 6.1

Via https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Netbeans

or install NetBeans 6.0.1 more easily via:

sudo apt-get install netbeans

I had trouble to start NetBeans with sun-java5-jdk, even with the next procedure where I installed the very latest version. Download the .bin file directly from sun and convert it into .deb via:

sudo apt-get install java-package
sudo apt-get install fakeroot
fakeroot make-jpkg jdk-1_5_0_16-linux-i586.bin

A lot of warnings will appear. But as a result you should get the .deb file and do:

sudo dpkg -i sun-j2sdk1.5_1.5.0+update16_i386.deb

It will install the java not in /usr/lib/jvm but in /usr/lib/j2sdk1.5-sun/

Now you should be able to start netbeans with jdk5:
/home/user/netbeans-6.1/bin/netbeans --jdkhome /usr/lib/j2sdk1.5-sun --fontsize 14
But the problem is that I do not see the window content as with sun-java5-jdk ...

Install Eclipse 3.4

http://jhcore.com/2008/06/26/eclipse-34-ganymede-on-ubuntu/

or install Eclipse 3.2 via:

sudo apt-get install eclipse

Other things you can install: kdesvn, kdevelop, ..., extremetuxracer ;-)

For interested users I will post here the menu.lst for my semi-complicated OS
and disc constellation. Maybe it will be usefull for others.

I have two hard discs:
# device.map
(hd0)   /dev/sda
(hd1)   /dev/sdb

My system boots from the sata disc (sda) and can start the old suse on sda
and the new system on sdb (an ide disc).
It would have been very tricky to figure out how I can start windows which is located at sda,
but all the stuff was done from kubuntu! I don't know how, but it is great.
To install the menu list do sudo grub-install /dev/sdb

One question to my reader: were can I get the UUID?

# Now menu.lst
## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
default         0

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout         7

title           Ubuntu 8.04.1, kernel 2.6.24-19-generic
root            (hd1,5)
kernel          /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.24-19-generic root=UUID=3fce55c4-6d4f-4d88-b947-483acce2e7ee ro quiet splash
initrd          /boot/initrd.img-2.6.24-19-generic
quiet

title           Ubuntu 8.04.1, kernel 2.6.24-19-generic (recovery mode)
root            (hd1,5)
kernel          /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.24-19-generic root=UUID=3fce55c4-6d4f-4d88-b947-483acce2e7ee ro single
initrd          /boot/initrd.img-2.6.24-19-generic

title           Ubuntu 8.04.1, memtest86+
root            (hd1,5)
kernel          /boot/memtest86+.bin
quiet

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian
# ones.
title           Other operating systems:
root

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing
# linux installation on /dev/sda1.
title           SUSE Linux 10.1 (on /dev/sda1)
root            (hd0,0)
kernel          /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda1 vga=0x31a resume=/dev/sda5 splash=silent showopts
initrd          /boot/initrd
savedefault
boot

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing
# linux installation on /dev/sda1.
title           Failsafe -- SUSE Linux 10.1 (on /dev/sda1)
root            (hd0,0)
kernel          /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda1 vga=normal showopts ide=nodma apm=off acpi=off noresume nosmp noapic maxcpus=0 edd=off 3
initrd          /boot/initrd
savedefault
boot

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sdb3
title           Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root            (hd1,2)
savedefault
makeactive
map             (hd0) (hd1)
map             (hd1) (hd0)
chainloader     +1