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Offline commodorejohn

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Re: Tips on moving to Linux?
« Reply #14 on: March 26, 2014, 06:44:45 PM »
Quote from: cgutjahr;761285
Maybe you guys can take the "Linux sucks" discussion to some other thread?
Maybe not. ral-clan is a Windows user looking at maybe switching to Linux, which is exactly where I was two and a half years ago, and I put weeks of time and effort into the endeavor, only to discover that it isn't good, doesn't get better with familiarity, and I'd have made better use of that time banging my head against a brick wall. I'm just trying to save him the pain.
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Offline cgutjahr

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Re: Tips on moving to Linux?
« Reply #15 on: March 26, 2014, 06:46:22 PM »
Hey, I almost forgot:

There's another, more important decision to make when checking out Linux: Which Desktop to use - on Linux, you have a choice. Ubuntu and (AFAIK) Linux Mint come in different 'flavours', using different Desktops.

Simplified overview:

KDE: Imagine a traditional Windows desktop with a ton of configuration options thrown in.

Gnome 2: The Mac approach - not many configuration options, but trying to give the user a simple and elegant default look and feel.  Abandoned by the original developers, now continued by a new team as "MATE")

Gnome Shell/Unity: Two projects trying to create a GUI that fits all kind of devices. They got rids of the traditional desktop elements ("Start" menu, some sort of dock/taskbar etc.) replacing them with new ideas, like: touch the top left corner of the screen to get a stylish overview over all running apps, click on the one you want to switch to.

XFCE/LXDE: Basically clones of Gnome2, with an emphasis on using fewer ressources. Good for older machines with less memory.
 

Offline trekiej

Re: Tips on moving to Linux?
« Reply #16 on: March 26, 2014, 06:54:29 PM »
1. omg! ubuntu stated that Lubuntu is a good XP replacement. I tend to agree.
I downloaded both the 32 bit and 64 bit versions and they can run live as well.

2. Will xp get easy activation after April 1st? Will not install after too many installs?

3. Linux Mint 13 Maya is one of my favorite distros. with Cinnamon desktop.

4. The software app. has a lot of good software in Ubuntu.

5. I am not against Windows I just can not afford it and it comes in handy some times.
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Offline Oldsmobile_Mike

Re: Tips on moving to Linux?
« Reply #17 on: March 26, 2014, 08:19:50 PM »
Have to say I like Unity and the Ubuntu app store. Much better than how Windows 8 implements it. Again, this is something I set up for people who don't want to muck around a lot, I've installed it on everything from laptops to old decommissioned Dell business-class PC's, no problems with drivers. One guy wanted to add a wireless PCI card to his and I was pretty nervous, but open the case, plug in the card, power it up, and the card was automatically detected and the correct drivers installed. Nice! ;)

Geeze, some of you guys, just negativity, negativity, negativity. Instead of bashing everything, how about suggest another operating system he could try?  :angry:
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Offline commodorejohn

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Re: Tips on moving to Linux?
« Reply #18 on: March 26, 2014, 08:39:18 PM »
Quote from: Oldsmobile_Mike;761299
Geeze, some of you guys, just negativity, negativity, negativity. Instead of bashing everything, how about suggest another operating system he could try?  :angry:
There's no reason we can't both bash Linux and suggest other options, you know. I've already suggested sticking with XP; another alternative might be to run 32-bit 7 and copy XP's explorer.exe over it (never tried this myself, but I understand it works.) ReactOS and Haiku are two OSes I've had my eye on for a while, but ReactOS has been stuck in alpha for a long time, and Haiku, while more complete (though they still label it as "alpha,") suffers from a dearth of software.
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Offline Iggy

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Re: Tips on moving to Linux?
« Reply #19 on: March 26, 2014, 08:48:46 PM »
I'll agree with John there, ReactOS does look promising, if Microsoft doesn't litigate it out of existence.
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Offline ferrellsl

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Re: Tips on moving to Linux?
« Reply #20 on: March 26, 2014, 09:02:13 PM »
Why switch?  Why not make your system dual-boot Windows and Linux and have the best of both worlds?  It's much easier to do than you might think.

The easiest way to accomplish this is to add a second drive exclusively for Linux and then use the BIOS settings to select which drive/OS you want to boot with.

Offline Ral-ClanTopic starter

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Re: Tips on moving to Linux?
« Reply #21 on: March 26, 2014, 09:17:38 PM »
This has been a very informative threat - please keep it coming - even the warnings about using Linux.

Honestly, I am totally happy with my XP system.  If it wasn't for the fact I'm bracing for the malware onslaught to hit after April 8th, I would be in bliss.  I'm usually very careful when browsing and take precautions.

I hope the malware onslaught is over-rated, though, like Y2K was.

Actually, I'll be happy, when, in six years, XP has become such a forgotten, niche OS that the malware authors don't even target it anymore.

The Dual boot Linux/XP seems very attractive.  I'm extremely pleased to hear that the Ubuntu install takes care of all of that for you automatically.
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Offline Oldsmobile_Mike

Re: Tips on moving to Linux?
« Reply #22 on: March 26, 2014, 09:24:41 PM »
Quote from: ral-clan;761306
I hope the malware onslaught is over-rated, though, like Y2K was.

The "malware onslaught" is Microsoft FUD. As long as you use a modern browser and don't visit any "bad" sites, you should be fine.

Also, this:

https://www.malwarebytes.org/
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Offline kickstart

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Re: Tips on moving to Linux?
« Reply #23 on: March 26, 2014, 09:41:06 PM »
@ral-clan

Im on a closer situation, windows 7 is ok but sometimes i feel that privacity is just garbage for this OS.

Ubuntu with "unity" isnt enought responsive, devian feels too heavy and different light linux distros need a knowledge of command line for configuration (not for me), the lack of audio software is a step back for me, at the end still with w7 for some of this reasons.
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Offline gertsy

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Re: Tips on moving to Linux?
« Reply #24 on: March 26, 2014, 09:42:59 PM »
Quote from: ferrellsl;761305
Why switch?  Why not make your system dual-boot Windows and Linux and have the best of both worlds?  It's much easier to do than you might think.

The easiest way to accomplish this is to add a second drive exclusively for Linux and then use the BIOS settings to select which drive/OS you want to boot with.


That's what he's looking to do.

Suggest you start with Ubuntu in dual boot. As you're coming from the world of Windows can I suggest you familiarise yourself with Unix/Linux  concepts first. There are many informational sites out there :http://linux-tutorial.info/
Be prepared to spend a lot if time working "with" your OS to get things done.  As you're on XP you won't notice the boot times. Your certainly not going to get near the 10 second boot times of Win 8.
If you enjoyed "working" with the nuances of an OS Linux can be fun and rewarding.
You will uncover issues with Linux Desktop and music production. All who try do. Its not a flavor thing it's a Unix thing but there are many ways to overcome these issues within a balance. It's rare that you can't find a config that's usable, but it will take time. Get prepared to spend the time.
Coming the other way, from Unix to Windows (too long ago) I would suggest that Windows is gonna do best what you want to do in the Music world, but I'm guessing there and not suggesting you shouldn't go on the adventure.

Nike!
« Last Edit: March 26, 2014, 10:07:18 PM by gertsy »
 

Offline TheMagicM

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Re: Tips on moving to Linux?
« Reply #25 on: March 27, 2014, 12:15:42 AM »
As soon as I read commodorejohn's first post, I dismissed him, to put it mildly since I'm a moderator, as a ill-informed and .

I've been using Linux since 1992, dual boot with Windows, and then in '96 switched full-time to Linux.  I've used many different distros to say the least.  Each has their pros and cons, just like each version of Windows, except without the virus/malware problems.  Its come such a long way since '92.  Back then I had to dig around and fix dependencies on my own and any help came with a RTFM in irc chat days.  Fast forward to today...

My dad runs Linux.  He's not an IT guy.  He just wants something that works.  He ran Windows from  Win 95 to Win 7.   Well, he's been using Linux only for about 12 years.  He's 76.

Myself, I run a crapload of different distros in VM machines and on my server rack here at my home office and also UNIX.  I love it.   My Acer s7 runs Debian.

For you, I would try Ubuntu or Linux Mint which is what my dad uses.  Both Ubuntu and LM have nice package managers and have a plethora of software in their library.  Virtually all retro system emulators are supported and run very well, even on a P4 like yours.
« Last Edit: March 27, 2014, 12:18:42 AM by TheMagicM »
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Offline ElPolloDiabl

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Re: Tips on moving to Linux?
« Reply #26 on: March 27, 2014, 01:24:33 AM »
If you want to dual boot, get a partition manager to manage your partitions. The default partition manager won't let your resize primary partitions.

Virtual Box is quite advanced now. Use that to play around with Linux. Download the 32-bit Linux for Windows XP.

Problems I've had:
The setting of the hard drive to AHCI or IDE is important.

Another problem I had was during the install Linux would set to the max graphics resolution and stop installing.
My 3G modem causes a crash. That would be buggy drivers.
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Offline Madshib

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Re: Tips on moving to Linux?
« Reply #27 on: March 27, 2014, 01:55:04 AM »
I can only impart my experience here and nothing more, but maybe it will provide some guidance for you.

I stepped away from my Amiga and computers in general back in 98 thinking computers won't be as fun as they used to be(I was wrong on this point, but didn't realize until recently). I picked it back up in 03 and have been running XP then 7. They did what I needed them to do, minor music production and duplication, very few games, web browsing, iTunes, and Office work.

About 2 years ago I wanted to try something a little safer for my family in regards to security, privacy, and stability. I ultimately moved to Linux Mint LXDE/Mate for everyone after trying several "distros". It provides a platform for music production with Ardour and Audacity; it has multiple options for CD and DVD duplication; I use my Playstation or 1200 for games now ;) even though Neverwinter Nights is an awesome RPG with a native Linux client; Libre Office does everything I used MS Office for, and Firefox seems to be updated weekly. I haven't tried to figure out an iTunes replacement yet but it's not a high priority for me at this point.

I have had mixed results but a lot has to do with the learning curve on my part. Fortunately, there is a ton of documentation on the net, support is there for those who can search forums, go on youtube for tutorials, etc.
Getting the desktop running with pre-installed software is cake and getting additional software not included is just as easy. I never had anything "break" until I really started messing with things in attempts to learn and I wasn't really knowledgeable as to what I was doing. I know better now.:) but that's part of the "fun" so to say (at least for me)

One thing that I have realized is that I feel a little excited again. Almost like when I first started using the Amiga. I have even started a new partition for Linux from Scratch and have started reading up on C+. There are fun hacks out there, different ways to implement the OS, different desktops, options in general are varied. Mint itself is fast, works on older hardware, and has a great support and development team.

Me personally, I like using Linux and use it everyday. It is different in some ways and will take some time to learn, but once you do, it affords you a well supported alternative.

If you want to dual boot, this is an option as is the USB stick. There are also "live" cds, but these provide a generally poor experience due to the nature of system access. If you don't want to mess with your hard drive yet, go with the USB stick.

Flame on
« Last Edit: March 27, 2014, 01:58:04 AM by Madshib »
 

Offline commodorejohn

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Re: Tips on moving to Linux?
« Reply #28 on: March 27, 2014, 02:15:40 AM »
Quote from: TheMagicM;761324
As soon as I read commodorejohn's first post, I dismissed him, to put it mildly since I'm a moderator, as a ill-informed and .
Aww, you do care!

Quote
Each has their pros and cons, just like each version of Windows, except without the virus/malware problems.
...and with a mass of terrible UI and configuration/dependency issues that occur at random, so it's at best a lateral move.

Quote
Its come such a long way since '92.  Back then I had to dig around and fix dependencies on my own and any help came with a RTFM in irc chat days.  Fast forward to today...
...where that's still entirely the case if you attempt to do anything other than install pre-configured software from the repository, and occasionally even then, and the cat-calls of "RTFM noob!" are as strong as ever...
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Offline stefcep2

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Re: Tips on moving to Linux?
« Reply #29 from previous page: March 27, 2014, 02:49:40 AM »
Quote from: TheMagicM;761324
As soon as I read commodorejohn's first post, I dismissed him, to put it mildly since I'm a moderator, as a ill-informed and .

I've been using Linux since 1992, dual boot with Windows, and then in '96 switched full-time to Linux.  I've used many different distros to say the least.  Each has their pros and cons, just like each version of Windows, except without the virus/malware problems.  Its come such a long way since '92.  Back then I had to dig around and fix dependencies on my own and any help came with a RTFM in irc chat days.  Fast forward to today...

My dad runs Linux.  He's not an IT guy.  He just wants something that works.  He ran Windows from  Win 95 to Win 7.   Well, he's been using Linux only for about 12 years.  He's 76.

Myself, I run a crapload of different distros in VM machines and on my server rack here at my home office and also UNIX.  I love it.   My Acer s7 runs Debian.

For you, I would try Ubuntu or Linux Mint which is what my dad uses.  Both Ubuntu and LM have nice package managers and have a plethora of software in their library.  Virtually all retro system emulators are supported and run very well, even on a P4 like yours.


I'm glad that you had a positive experience, but many, many people have an entirely different experience-.  Look here:http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=327&

The thing is thats its often simple stuff that should not be an issue by now but it is.  A dodgy CD driver can boot you into a shell and you end up not having a clue why.  Off to the  forums and watch as your spare time crosses the Linux event horizon as you try and track the error down.

Maybe it helps that you have 20 years experience.

And Libre Office is a problem when you have to use Powerpoint collaboratively and the formatting gets screwed up every time you open someone else's file, as my partner is going through right now!

To the OP, test it out first off a Live CD or in a virtual machine *in Windows*, not the other way around.

My verdict is that it was a tragedy that Microsoft stifled innovation in computing.  It was an equal tragedy that open source chose Linux to waste millions of man-power hours on.