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Message started by Oldfeller on 05/25/16 at 03:18:22

Title: The Linux crew
Post by Oldfeller on 05/25/16 at 03:18:22

I went to Linux (Mint) quite some years ago when MS dumped my XP rights saying I didn't really have any rights at all (had disks from OEM and sticker on the machine and all of it, but MS wanted me to upgrade to Vista at the time and wasn't listening at all).

Since then I have run Linux through 5 generations of upgrades, bought a Win 7 install disk so I could have a gaming partition and then I suffered through fighting to keep Win 10 from taking that partition over and all that various MS crap.

I have listened to you guys and have watched some of you change over when the time came. Old_Rider and Serobot were the most communicative, but I sense there were others who weren't wagging their fingers for much.

Who else is running Linux out there, or has changed away from MS to Apple, etc. ????

Title: Re: The Linux crew
Post by Art Webb on 05/25/16 at 07:09:42

so far I'm win 8.1 (if they haven't 'upgraded' me
If my machine goes batty I will be all android, all the time
I'm pretty sure abdroid is linux based, so does that count?
I have a mint 16 disk, but I'm too chicken to install it ;D

Title: Re: The Linux crew
Post by Serowbot on 05/25/16 at 07:18:48

If you do it,...do Mint 17.3...
Mint 16 is over... it's software manager refuses to install programs.

17.3 is much better anyway...

Title: Re: The Linux crew
Post by Art Webb on 05/25/16 at 07:21:05

well poo, I done wasted 15 bux for a program that's done gone obsolete
(I've had the disk since 16 was current, my fault)

Title: Re: The Linux crew
Post by oldNslow on 05/25/16 at 08:10:56

I've been running Mint 16 since MS quit supporting XP. Yeah, no updates to Mint for quite a while, but everything I need still mostly works so I haven't gotten around to ordering the
cd to upgrade to 17. Eventually I'll do that.

I installed 16 on my ancient 32 bit Dell so that I can still boot it to XP if I want to. I've got a couple of programs that only run under XP, that I still use occasionally. and I use the camera wizard for downloading photos cause I'm used to it and I don't like the default photo thing that comes with Mint 16. I don't spend any time online on the XP side of the machine, and so far I've had no problems with XP.

Title: Re: The Linux crew
Post by Paladin. on 05/25/16 at 16:55:26

My 10 month old Dell laptop's hard drive died.
Seagate said no warranty on drives installed by manufacturer.
Dell said what warranty? We'll sell you a new hard drive for more money with half the capacity you can buy at Staples.
Microsoft said they will install Win-10 for just $50, labor.

Got Ubuntu MATE up and running with no problem, considering I'm running an 8-bit 6502 brain. Got DOSbox Emulator and got Betrayal at Krondor up and running (I paid for that program circa 1993 and have had it sitting on the old files folder since.)

Should do more, but playing the antique game is more fun.

Title: Re: The Linux crew
Post by gizzo on 05/25/16 at 17:39:00

I have NFI what you guys are talking about. I was pissed when MS forced my laptop to upgrade to 10, not that it's made any difference to me. Next computer I think I'll get Apple. I'm really not interested in computers other than as an appliance and I just want something that works when it needs to.

Title: Re: The Linux crew
Post by bobert_FSO on 05/25/16 at 18:03:08

I'm running Ubuntu 14.04 Unity on my formerly Vista laptop. I had been dual booting for about a year. Then about the 1st of the year, I was almost exclusively booting to Ubuntu. I tried booting back to Vista, but something was hosed and it wouldn't boot. I decided that is was the time to dump Vista and format the laptop for only Ubuntu.

It does everything I need for this laptop. It mostly sits by my recliner and does web surfing and other light duties. I also have Win7, Win8.1 and Win10 machines in the house. They all run LibreOffice because I am too cheap and anti-Microsoft to buy and run MS Office.

My main computer is Win7, and between some registry settings and researching updates before installing them, I have been able to keep Win10 from downloading and trying to install. I do not want to move this machine to Win10 because of some older drivers for audio/video recording and editing hardware.

I am fed up with MS and would dump MS completely, except for 2 programs I can't get for Linux. One is Apple itunes, with which I manage my iphones. The other is Reaper, which is a multitrack recording application. Reaper can run on Linux via Wine, but you really have to jump through hoops.

Both itunes and Reaper also run on Mac. I believe my next computer will be a Mac for those two applications and Linux for the rest of my computers.

Chromebooks do not give me the offline capabilities I need, but I will be looking at the Chrome/Android stuff they say is coming.

Title: Re: The Linux crew
Post by Oldfeller on 05/26/16 at 02:29:21

Bobert,

ChromeOS and the machines that run it will mature now into a full product by Christmas. The new chrome machines (with 4 gigs of memory and 32 gigs of SSD) will cost a little more, but they will be cheaper than a Windows machine and a lot quicker to run things. If Chrome takes off, a lot of your older programs will become Chrome natural through Steam or other old style gaming centers.

Type "crouton" into your browser and read what it can do by putting Ubuntu/Mint into a chrome tab on a chromebook. We are looking to see the new Chromebook machines to wind up being able to bounce between Chrome and Android and Ubuntu seamlessly (having them all available at the same time) making up a very very strong OS package.

ChromeOS has communities kinda like SuzukiSavage.com and they can teach you anything you need to know to get over the bumps, but be aware that Chromebooks are different, simpler in a lot of ways but different.

Did I mention that you can buy a few older Linux capable Windows style Dell lease returns off the larger leasing companies that have "missing OS issues" (due to MS being all anal) for dirt cheap? I buy them for around $80 every time I burn one up due to kitty fur dust bunnies building up on the various fan surfaces. Then I load up Linux Mint on the empty hard drive and it recognizes everything in the machine automatically and just runs like ....... well, Linux Mint.

You can buy some newer Chromebooks with no fans, BTW. Silent, fan free passive cooling all the way.

Kitty fur proof in other words.

Title: Re: The Linux crew
Post by old_rider on 05/26/16 at 08:53:14

I do have a Mint 17 (cinnamon) disc sitting on the desk... not sure what ver. it is, but it says 32 bit version because that is what I was going to put back on the little 14" AMD laptop after the hard drive failed.
It has my security cameras on it now, but I might see about dual booting it again as I do have an OLD PC that has the camera system on it.
Haven't really played hard with Linux yet... just did a touchy feely a bit to see what it looked and felt like.
Guess now is the time to try and really dig into it... I procrastinate if I have other venues to use :P
Perhaps I need to attempt the hoops Bobert had to jump through to make my windows programs usable with Linux.
I wrote an email to the Linux Users Group in our area, they get together monthly and do "User Fairs" occasionally when thec companies show their wares. They send me .pdf files to invite me every month.... I don't like folks that send files I have to open.
Maybe I should ask them to just send an invite explaining what will be going on during the next meeting :P
I know where they meet (local church), but it is in the next town over and I don't want someone with other agenda's (converting to their church) souring my Linux experience.
Sorry, but its just the way I am :)
So I'll slug along on my own, until I find another group, that meets somewhere like a library, or local eatery (hehe... I would rather the second one).

Title: Re: The Linux crew
Post by Oldfeller on 05/27/16 at 02:32:39

It seems like nobody moves over unless they gotta.

That's OK, MS is going to tell you your stuff isn't supported and will start sending out new drivers that don't work on your old system hardware and scrap you out using their new improved "proven method" of messing up your old machine.

For those with broken or non-existing DVD writers, https://www.osdisc.com/products/linux/linuxmint will get you what you need for $5.95 sent to your house.

Or, you can go out and buy you a brand new Windows 10 pc -- and spend a bunch of money so you can belong to MS.

Title: Re: The Linux crew
Post by ls650v on 05/28/16 at 23:58:42

I have been experimenting with Puppy Linux 6.0.5 tahrpup CE on an old Win XP Dell Inspiron 6000 laptop. You can boot tahrpup from a usb thumb drive. You don't need to create another hard drive partition to create a dual boot system. You don't need to do anything to your system except change the boot order in the BIOS to look at the USB port first.

I use this computer for general web browsing and watching videos. I was surprised to find the default media player is VLC, which is my favorite media player. The packaged web browser is PaleMoon, a Mozilla-derived web brower.

When MS finally stops supporting Win 7 in 2020 I will most likely switch my workhorse desktop to one of the Linux distros.

Title: Re: The Linux crew
Post by old_rider on 05/29/16 at 06:08:40

ls650v
I did something similar with a cd with mint 15 about a year ago I think.
I downloaded the file and made it into a cd bootable, then just put my settings on my laptop to boot to cd first.
Thing is, most folks here are not that into their systems and are not comfortable going into their base settings and would have to be talked through it.
I believe though that most systems are set up to boot from cd first, so just sending a cd with Linux on it would get them some idea of what it is like, would have to make sure that they know not to "install" Linux just use it for temporary. :)