kstars, has anyone used it?

[wraithe]

i'm wondering if anyone here has used kstars..
it comes as an educational application with ubuntu kde desktop..
but as its a seperate group i know its available for any distro using kde..
i am curious if anyone has used it and it does have the menu to add a telescope to its device list..
and yes it is linux, not a windows application..in fact i dont remember seeing windows on the list of platforms supported...
has a nice star chart and real time tracking...

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

yep, it's nice but has no magnitude limits for DSOs (at least the version I've got) and it is pretty slow.
Xephem is a lot more capable (but steeper learning curve).
Xplns is a good fast and simple planetarium program for Unix & Linux (don't think it will control telescope).
Cartes du ciel should also work on linux but don't quote me on that.

[wraithe]

Originally Posted by janoskiss

yep, it's nice but has no magnitude limits for DSOs (at least the version I've got) and it is pretty slow.
Xephem is a lot more capable (but steeper learning curve).
Xplns is a good fast and simple planetarium program for Unix & Linux (don't think it will control telescope).
Cartes du ciel should also work on linux but don't quote me on that.

whats the learning curve you are refering to?
the application or the OS...

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

They are all linux apps, so no, not the OS. I meant xephem itself.

[wraithe]

Originally Posted by janoskiss

They are all linux apps, so no, not the OS. I meant xephem itself.

I'll check out the site but cant download it s i am using win-xp for a week or so and dont wish to reboot till i finish what i'm doing...
thanks for app's tho...
K

[wraithe]

checked them out and thank you...
xephem looks good and i got a feeling ive seen it before...
any way never mind...it looks like a well developed application and i shall be getting it as soon as i reboot to centos...
dont know whether it will be worth trying ubuntu with it as that os is a bit limited...But centos shouldnt have any problem using the rpm for redhat...
Thanks again...
Kathy

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

Ubuntu limited? It can do everything Debian can which means it can do anything a computer can. If you want to install from rpms in Ubuntu, use alien to convert them to debian packages (debs) then install these with dpkg.

[wraithe]

yes i know, but i find it limiting...
its an absolute pain to use after growing up with suse and rh then changing to mandrake...i have used most distro's available back in 1995 including debian, but had a break for a number of years but the differences in ubuntu is very limiting for me... I do like the distro, dont get me wrong, but not for the types of work i am doing at the moment..have been told by a few how easy it is to change from win to ubuntu...cant get use to sudo...i liked straight su for root or having a root account for major mods but alas, i will get use to it one day, till then centos and mandriva are my major working distro's and i'll use ubuntu for the net...

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

Just do
$ sudo passwd
and set a password for root. After that you can su.

[Octane (Humayun)]

Debian GNU/Linux for life.

Regards,
Humayun

[wraithe]

Originally Posted by Octane

Debian GNU/Linux for life.

Regards,
Humayun

i totally agree "linux"...
had to rebuild 2 winbox's today...
and frustrating, if linux took this long to install and get working, i'd never have worked with it...
dam slow...must place on top of memory list, do not use linux commands in windows...lol

[Octane (Humayun)]

Originally Posted by wraithe

i totally agree "linux"...
had to rebuild 2 winbox's today...
and frustrating, if linux took this long to install and get working, i'd never have worked with it...
dam slow...must place on top of memory list, do not use linux commands in windows...lol

Each has a place.

Windows for most folks is fine for desktop work. A certain amount of tech-savviness is required in order to use *NIX-like operating systems. How would your everyday Joe Bloggs know what an MBR is or how to go about dual-booting? Chances are, he won't, unless he has an aptitude and a requirement for it. Even if he has a requirement for it, after reading the instructions or the process required to get it working, he'll probably opt for an easier option. Why waste time on A, when B can do it easier and quicker for you?

I need Windows for processing my astrophotography. I am pro-IRIS, and it hasn't been ported to *NIX. Nor am I aware of any other tool which is as great as IRIS that resides on the *NIX platform.

If there's one thing I'm not, it's a Windows basher. Nor am I a *NIX weenie. I loathe both (types of people).

Besides, Linux is a broken operating system. Debian just happens to be one of the least broken distributions.

You can most definitely use *NIX commands in Windows, by simply downloading a *NIX utilities for Windows and adding the directory to your %PATH%. Easy as pie.

Debian/GNU Linux for life (or until I switch to *BSD).

Regards,
Humayun

[wraithe]

I kind of disagree a bit here...There is no requirement for linux to be dual boot and you need very little knowledge of the masterboot record to install linux...Why do you have to install linux yourself, most people dont install windows themselves anyway...I have people that i installed linux on there pc's 10 yrs ago and they still have a good os and have learnt how to update themselves now, but i also know people that have used windows for years and cant manage there os at all...The best tech in town dont want linux to be popular here, and he also installs and uses it...why dont he want it, recons he wont get enough work then and that most of his work is windows specific...virus problems is probably his biggest money spinner, so to get linux popular here will do away with his work load...and he admits that for a general user it is probably one of the easiest to use, but installing is where you use a tech...I get asked quite often to fix windows os's up because people cant get help off the net....even i have trouble finding info for windows and usually have to work it out...(and yes i have tried getting help from microsoft, dont ask)....
As for a broken os, well maybe you need to consider that..is windows not a broken os too...if it wasnt then we wouldnt be having this type of discussion...

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

I've got a brilliant idea on how to settle this. Why don't we just ask Ken! Ken

[Octane (Humayun)]

Originally Posted by wraithe

I kind of disagree a bit here...There is no requirement for linux to be dual boot and you need very little knowledge of the masterboot record to install linux...Why do you have to install linux yourself, most people dont install windows themselves anyway...I have people that i installed linux on there pc's 10 yrs ago and they still have a good os and have learnt how to update themselves now, but i also know people that have used windows for years and cant manage there os at all...The best tech in town dont want linux to be popular here, and he also installs and uses it...why dont he want it, recons he wont get enough work then and that most of his work is windows specific...virus problems is probably his biggest money spinner, so to get linux popular here will do away with his work load...and he admits that for a general user it is probably one of the easiest to use, but installing is where you use a tech...I get asked quite often to fix windows os's up because people cant get help off the net....even i have trouble finding info for windows and usually have to work it out...(and yes i have tried getting help from microsoft, dont ask)....
As for a broken os, well maybe you need to consider that..is windows not a broken os too...if it wasnt then we wouldnt be having this type of discussion...

I'll respond by breaking your post into its main points.

1. My dual boot example was just that, an example. However, to provide a further example: if you wish to dual boot Linux and Windows, somewhere along the process, a question will be asked where you wish to install the boot loader. If someone makes a mistake at this point, and they intended to use Windows as their primary operating system, then there is a chance that they could install Linux as their primary system and not see Windows in their boot menu. If this happened to you or me, we would boot into Linux using a boot disc/disk and use a tool such as dd to re-instate what we want. A novice at this point has no idea. See point 2.

2. When people make mistakes and format their PC's (granted, they probably didn't have to in the first place, but it is totally dependant on the problem), more often than not, they will go about inserting their Windows disc or system restore disc and install their operating system from scratch. Windows is a simple operating system to install; you put the disc in and press "next" until the process is complete. I can't say the same for Linux; unless you're using a distribution intended for complete novices a la Mandrake.

3. In a home-based environment (read: Joe Bloggs), managing Windows is easier than managing Linux.

4. You must be having quite serious problems with Windows to not be able to find resources online. Personally, I find that any problem that occurs has been well-documented and is therefore easy to fix.

5. Windows is broken, Linux is more so. A lot more so.

Choice is a wonderful thing.

Regards,
H

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

Windows is broken, Linux is more so. A lot more so.

Nah, it's just that with Linux it's easier to see the broken bits.

[mojo (Terry)]

Originally Posted by wraithe

i'm wondering if anyone here has used kstars..

I love KStars connected to the LX200. The KStars interface makes sense. The other astro software I've tried are a pain to use and I haven't been able to get them working properly with the scope.

I've also used the Windows only version of Satellite Tracker with Wine under Linux. It works perfectly.
Actually tracking satellites, though, is not as easy as I thought But interesting.

As for this Windows vs Linux thing. It always surprises me when people say that Windows is "better" than something else (usually Linux). I use both. I'm using Windows now. All my other computers run some flavour of Linux. If I didn't have to write software for Windows, I wouldn't be using it at all.

I gave my 64 year old Dad (who never used a computer in his life) a computer running Linux. He happily e-mails and writes letters. He has no idea of what an operating system is. He like most Windows users, received a computer with the operating system installed. He certainly doesn't think Linux is broken - because he doesn't even know what an operating system is. Linux didn't "break" even after he kept switching the computer off from the power, while it was running. How eager would you be to turn your windows machine off from the power switch right now?

Linux can break. Windows can break. Any other operating system can break. But windows is the only one that you hear, "have you reinstalled?" as the solution to the problem.

[h0ughy (David)]

dont mention the war! I think that the original thread title program is a top program! for the price, its great and offers future improvements as time goes on. I cant vouch for its accuracy and star plotting predictions, maybe we might have to do a test to compare between different apps?

[mojo (Terry)]

Originally Posted by h0ughy

I think that the original thread title program is a top program!

Careful Houghy. One more sensible comment like that and I'll make you moderator

Originally Posted by h0ughy

I cant vouch for its accuracy and star plotting predictions, maybe we might have to do a test to compare between different apps?

I don't know about the different astro apps. But I can say that KStars is more accurate than using the controller. So I can only assume that using external software is more accurate than the controller.

[Octane (Humayun)]

Originally Posted by mojo

As for this Windows vs Linux thing. It always surprises me when people say that Windows is "better" than something else (usually Linux). I use both. I'm using Windows now. All my other computers run some flavour of Linux. If I didn't have to write software for Windows, I wouldn't be using it at all.

I said pretty much the same thing in my second response to the original poster. What I was arguing for was what you just said; they each have their own place.

Originally Posted by mojo

I gave my 64 year old Dad (who never used a computer in his life) a computer running Linux. He happily e-mails and writes letters. He has no idea of what an operating system is. He like most Windows users, received a computer with the operating system installed. He certainly doesn't think Linux is broken - because he doesn't even know what an operating system is. Linux didn't "break" even after he kept switching the computer off from the power, while it was running. How eager would you be to turn your windows machine off from the power switch right now?

My point again; your father was given a computer with the operating system already installed. He would have been shown how to launch his email client and web browser. He didn't have to install it. *cringe* at the thought of powering down.

Originally Posted by mojo

Linux can break. Windows can break. Any other operating system can break. But windows is the only one that you hear, "have you reinstalled?" as the solution to the problem.

Reinstalled the application software? -- Yes.

Regards,
H