my linux story: and here it is exactly how it breaks

quick and clean. since compiz's not working, i decided to install kwin. so i've chosen "kubuntu-desktop" in synaptic. while downloading, i was doing some simple tasks, like editing text docs in ooo and choosing a screensaver. and suddenly the computer starts to work very slowly (while choosing a screensaver), ąnd then freezes completely. i managed to restart via 'skinny elephants' and FORTUNATELY everything's okay, and synaptic resumed it's work without protests. but ooooh how stable.

my linux story: ...graphics problems recalled

...and immediately i recalled one of the problems i encountered while trying ubuntu 8.04 or 8.10 on the fujitsu-siemens - compiz visual effects were not working, though apparently they can on this video chip, as attested somewhere on youtube (UPDATE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hklpe0OCclg, but i can't make it run on my system, because it needs viaarena driver, and it doesn't work on 9.04).
they can't be turned on also on 9.04. not fixed.

my linux story: new workstation needed, another attempt

i had to set up a new workstation for some project. i had an old fujitsu-siemens amilo pro v2010 laptop laying around and 10gb free space on hd. it has no usb boot support and a faulty dvd-rom drive, so i used this tutorial. it calls for installing ubuntu on another computer using usb connector for the hd. i used 8.10 factory disc.
i had to manually set up the partitions (493 mb for swap, the rest for the system), which needed minor research. also i had to unplug the main hd of my another computer, as existing swap partition there (of a faulty ubuntu i described in detail before) was continuously taken into account by the installer as main (or extra) swap for the newly installed ubuntu.
but generally it miracuously worked. the only thing i needed was to fix the screen resolution to fsc specs. it's now upgrading to 9.04 via upgrade option. we'll see.