Quickly you find your first tip, such as How To: Install libdvdcss on Ubuntu Gutsy. You are like a freshfaced sailor setting off on a horrific journey, filled with seamonsters and pounding waves, yet all of that lies before you, and all you can see are the blue waves and seagulls. After all, I'm not the first person who's wanted to watch DVDs on Ubuntu, so there's got to be a solution.' So you go to Google and start looking around, calmly, your mind still tranquil and unfevered.

However, in each case, I've found that the process goes more or less as follows, here I'll use this specific problem as an example and hope it will help others (when they're Googling too): In the end, you do solve it, even though there are many moments when you think you never will, even though it sometimes takes days of frustration. Then you start solving the problem, by using Google. The only thing to help you is an obscure message, such as the one I got about 'libdvdcss'. Either it never worked in the first place or it suddenly stops working. The typical scenario is this-you've got some new software and, at some stage, either early or later, some essential thing doesn't work. And solving the problem was the same as every other time I've solved similar problems. I've now solved the problem, completely, as far as I can tell. Some weird message appeared, about 'libdvdcss', among other things. To sum it up: I found that I was unable to watch DVDs.

Well, it's now 10 days later and I've encountered my first BIG gotcha. I also mentioned I was now on Ubuntu 7.10 and that the world looked good. I recently reported on getting a new laptop.

Libdvdcss not working