I would like to be able to report that the Kubuntu install experience was better than the Debian one, or even on par with a Windows install. Unfortunately, that just isn’t the case.

My machine contains three 500GB hard drives. One is used as the system drive, while an integrated hardware RAID controller binds the other two together as a RAID1 array. Under Windows, this setup worked perfectly. Under Kubuntu, it crashed the graphical installer, and threw the text-based installer into fits of rage.

With plenty of help from the #kubuntu IRC channel on freenode, I managed to complete the Kubuntu install by running it with the two RAID drives disconnected from the motherboard. After finishing the install, I shut down, reconnected the RAID drives, and booted back up. At this point, the RAID drives were visible from Dolphin, but appeared as two discrete drives.

It was explained to me via this article that the hardware RAID support that I had always enjoyed under windows was in fact a ‘fake RAID,’ and is not supported on Linux. Instead, I need to reformat the two drives, and then link them together with a software RAID. More on that process in a later post, once I figure out how to actually do it.

At this point, I have my desktop back up and running, reasonably customized, and looking good. After trying KDE’s default Amarok media player and failing to figure out how to properly import an m3u playlist, I opted to use Gnome’s Banshee player for the time being instead. It is a predictable yet stable iTunes clone that has proved more than capable of handling my library for the time being. I will probably look into Amarok and a few other media players in the future. On that note, if you’re having trouble playing your MP3 files on Linux, check out this post on the ubuntu forums for information about a few of the necessary GStreamer plugins.

For now, my main tasks include setting up my RAID array, getting my ergonomic bluetooth wireless mouse working, and working out folder and printer sharing on our local Windows network. In addition, I would like to set up a Windows XP image inside of Sun’s Virtual Box so that I can continue to use Microsoft Visual Studio, the only Windows application that I’ve yet to find a Linux replacement for.

This is just the beginning of the next chapter of my own personal Linux experiment; stay tuned for more excitement.

This post was mirrored at The Linux Experiment

Alright, so, the installer must have failed. I went and ran DrvSetup_x64.exe from the game disc, and got another fantastic error message:

Well, that’s handy. A Google and a half later, I found a slew of angry posts about Tages copy protection on various message boards. I gather that Tages essentially installs a copy-protection driver to your system that isn’t signed by Microsoft. This is an issue under Vista, and the system refuses to install the driver for security reasons. You can reboot and tell Vista to not require that drivers be signed by tapping F8 at boot and selecting “Disable Driver Signature Enforcement” from the boot menu, but according to these posts, you have to perform this action every time you wish to play the game, which is a big security hole as well as a big pain in the ass.

I found a link to an updated version of the drivers at the Tages website that were signed by Microsoft, and installed with no issues, finally allowing me to run a game that I legitimately paid for instead of simply pirating. While I appreciate the situation that studios and distributors find themselves in regarding piracy, I can’t help but be indignant when confronted with copy protection schemes that punish the honest customer. Between my mother and I, our family has purchased three copies of this game, and every previous installment of the franchise. She wouldn’t have been able to figure out the issue with the drivers. Why weren’t the drivers distributed on the game disc signed by Microsoft? Why did the game not automatically update the drivers after validating a legitimate install? Why was there no post about this issue on the game website?

I have to admit that while looking for a solution, I did consider torrenting a cracked version of the game instead of bothering to fix my legitimate copy, which is funny, because the Tages website states that:

The proof of TAGES™’s effectiveness is undeniable as illustrated on various web sites. All major competitors have been hacked and the hackers have made generic cracks available for free. Anyone can break into these systems and produce illegal copies. With TAGES™ there will never be a generic crack, and there will never be one-to-one copies. It is physically impossible.

An interesting claim, since a quick Google search shows quite a few illegal versions of the game available for torrent. At the end of the day, while I cannot condone piracy, this kind of nonsense really gets me angry. I understand that piracy is pushing developers away from the PC platform and toward the more secure Console systems. I understand that piracy can destroy the user experience of a game; but I demand that if a company is going to take steps to prevent piracy, they do it well, and don’t inhibit the actions of legitimate users of paid copies of their product. You wouldnt knowingly push a game to market that had a bug that made it unplayable – so why do DRM schemes get a free pass?