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/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> The Cafe >> JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1393375353 Message started by Oldfeller on 02/25/14 at 16:42:32 |
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Title: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Oldfeller on 02/25/14 at 16:42:32 Justin has been talking about going to Linux for a while now. Now we are gonna geek him up good. If Justin can do it, you can do it ..... What do you have to lose, but your chains ???? continued from several other threads ..... What I would suggest is getting a disk defragmenter that will stack everything together in a cohesive clump at the front of the drive. This wil give you free room at the back of the drive for Linux. Your traditional Windows world has many defragmenter/compactors, and quite a few of them are free. Defrag and CoMPACT your current hard drive using Windows tools. Tell it to move everything to the front if you have that option (most just do it automatically anyway) Your current drive is huge, you have a ton of space. You can install Linux Mint Mate version on 20-30 gigs of hard drive and think it was a 100 gigs --- Linux files are much smaller and much fewer of them are required to run a system. =============== Go here and download and burn the OS to a DVD with your DVD burner. (cksum it to make sure it all got there) http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=104 Scan down the page and pick a USA mirror from the list and click on it right before you go to bed. Downloading takes quite a few minutes for an entire OS DVD load and people fricking around with the PC and tapping on the keyboard actually cause more bad downloads than anything else really does. ============== Like I said, in a couple of months Mint Mate edition goes to a new 5 year LTS version, and me, I'm waiting for it. Once you boot Linux, it doesn't matter how eat up your old Windows is with crap and viruses nor how badly your old program files are chewed up. Linux will create a new set of partitions, written in a format Windows can't read and it will organize a nice neat new world on those partitions that Windows (and Windows viruses) can't touch. Your drive may wheeze and moan all the time under Windows because the boot sector has root kits on it and the FAT table is mangled and the drive struggles to read stuff that has been corrupted. When you boot Linux, magically all that hard drive illness just ..... stops. On my old while box I was running a hard drive that Windows and the manufacturer's fix it disk said was 100% dead & gone -- but it was fine under Linux. Think of it as an experiment -- you can always change the drive out later if you want to. ================= You are going to set up a dual boot system, so your old Windows world will always be only a reboot away if you need it. Still there, untouched and all buggy wormy & polluted with dead trojans lying around on the sidewalks just like it always has been ... You don't realize how bad it is because you've always been there in the middle of it ..... And you really don't have any IDEA how slow it has really gotten .... |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN does Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it? Post by justin_o_guy2 on 02/25/14 at 16:59:03 Id rather pull it & stick it in a drawer.. I know what youre saying, I know it works, Ive done it, some years ago,, Id rather buy a new drive & just go from there, so, please, point the way,, |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN does Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it? Post by Oldfeller on 02/25/14 at 17:06:42 I did, you have to identify a drive that will work inside YOUR OLD DELL UNIT. type "replacement hard drive for Dell xxxxx" into your browser with the x's being your Dell's model number. If you dual boot on your existing hard drive, your old windows is there already hooked up for when you need to go back to it for something. Going cold turkey isn't recommended for newbies -- no one is that good not to need something off the old Win machine at some point in time. I needed the addresses list for my Christmas card mailing And some saved links for car stuff that I knew I was going to need to buy later on. (later on came) Having to pull an old drive out of a drawer and hook it up is a PITA .... don't do that to yourself. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN does Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it? Post by justin_o_guy2 on 02/25/14 at 18:52:50 Ill give that a LOT of thot. I appreciate the heads up. I remember the pain of losing hard drives.. I had several die back in the late 90's,,Its kinda like losin your house, car, bike & shop & truck keys & billfold, all at one time,, YUKK,, BUT, this time I can spend some time, I can install the new one & load stuff from the old one,, NOOO,, Im afraid Id load a bug,, dangitt.,. HEY,, Most of what I have is websites I like,, I can email the links to myself,,right? Okay, the grandson needs me,, I gotsta go,, moms asleep & he wants a snack,, Ill be thinking,, thank you for your advice. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN does Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it? Post by Oldfeller on 02/25/14 at 19:31:41 You can transfer all of that easily if you are using Firefox. Explorer, I don't use it so I can't say. If you are putting the Linux stuff on the existing Windows drive, Firefox is smart enough to go to the Windows area and go get it for you. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN does Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it? Post by Serowbot on 02/25/14 at 22:17:04 Well... RIP JOG... I tried Linux mint for 1 1/2 years... I'm not a geek... (perhaps a 'tard)... I just couldn't navigate... Too many fruity tooty names... I need literalism... Put my programs in a place called programs... documents in documents,.. music in music, movies in movies... etc... Leave the puppies, dolphins, penguins, squirrels, and gnomes alone... I couldn't even select my own wallpaper... :-?... Admittedly... my cellphone scares me... :-/... Linux makes me crazy... |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN does Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it? Post by Kirill Timofeev on 02/25/14 at 22:31:26 Not sure what fruity tooty names you mean. Regular ubuntu installation has all those Music, Documents etc directories. And wallpaper can be selected with 3 clicks. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN does Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it? Post by Serowbot on 02/25/14 at 22:40:10 JOG can fill me in... once he figures it out... :-?... |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN does Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it? Post by Oldfeller on 02/26/14 at 01:30:07 Most of us don't react well to "different" and I do remember far enough back to when early Gnome used to use some real cutie pie names for some things. That was a while ago and Gnome isn't default for any distro any more (it died due to running off a cliff under the leadership of an idiot who wouldn't listen to anybody). The son of Gnome is called Mate and it is run by the ones who baulked at the edge of the cliff and wouldn't drink the koolaide and refused to be stupid. That was most of them, BTW. Mate looks a whole lot like XP, you change the wallpaper by right clicking on the blank desktop then selecting what you want. Mate looks to be a stable desktop now that has figured out that using a mouse and keyboard is the best way to go with a PC screen, not touch and gestures. Is it always the exact same as XP, no. But it is consistent and if you type in a question about how do you do "?" in Mint Mate (version #) the internet instantly tells you how to do it. After a while the jump to get used to Mate is a whole lot less than the jump that Windows made going from Win 7 to Win 8. Plus, once you get your desktop set up and your program icons where yo want them, the whole thing just sits there working, day in, day out, year after year until a new LTS comes out and you upgrade to it. Flash comes and goes periodically (Adobe has now dropped all direct support for everything but Windows and Mac) but Google has taken up the slack on that front. DRM makes a pain in the butt out of itself every month or so with the free Amazon Prime movies, but that is just Amazon trying to get you to buy a Kindle by twisting your arm. Serowbot has tried Linux a while back and didn't like it. I'd say 50% of those who try Linux for the first time simply don't like the distros they try out first. Me, I hated Red Hat and all the KDE distros, and Slackware, and Knoppix. I liked Puppy, but it seemed like it really wasn't all there. I used to use Ubuntu until the Unity thing ran me over to Mint. Then the Gnome split up took place with Mate surviving and stabilizing several years ago and I found what I liked and stayed there. Linux Mint gives you all the non-free graphics drivers and proprietary stuff in the original easy install and Mate gives you a simple, clean, stable, normal acting desktop experience. ================== Me, I'd give Justin a good shot, but I fear he's about like Serowbot and won't like hitting very much "different" all that much. The size of the speed bump that will make your suspension go CLUNK varies per vehicle and operator ..... everyone is different. I'm serious about Apple using women to use-test all the software before they release it -- Apple has learned that men aren't their main customers and anything that makes the woman happy stays .... and that anything that frustrates her very quickly goes away. Linux is learning that fact quicker than Windows, since women programmers contribute more to FOSS than the average male programmer does. Problem is that there are a lot more male programmers in the world right now so Linux still tends to be geeky sometimes. However, my wife uses my Mint/Mate rig with no instructions and just a few minor complaints about the odd menu system I use on my Word .... She however LIVES on her I-Pad 2 and curses her Windows laptop bi-weekly. Her Android phone frustrates her because it is too complicated to use .... and she hates the GPS in the car because it is totally stupid (Japanese software engineering). Women have strong feelings about technology (and everything else too). ;) Roku is my current example of "good software that was written for/by women" I don't even think there IS an instruction manual for how to use a Roku -- it is that simple and completely intuitive. Compare that Roku remote to most TV and DVR remotes -- Roku has very few buttons and only uses a simple "move and select" system for doing everything. The magic of Roku is intentional simplicity and large clear screens to do the selecting on. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN does Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it? Post by justin_o_guy2 on 02/26/14 at 08:33:26 Intuitive, thats what I need,, If it isnt at least intuitive, Im not gonna win it. Ive learned XP, but until this cell phone, I was helpless.. I can do a few things with her phone, SHE has it in her hand almost constantly. I cal it her "Fidget". |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN does Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it? Post by Oldfeller on 02/26/14 at 09:06:40 Linux Mint Mate is on the same level as XP -- you gotta learn how to use mostly the exact same moves to do the exact same things. Many things work exactly the same as XP though, and it looks almost identical as far as the desktop goes. It has a start button in the bottom left hand corner that opens everything up so you can get to all the drop down menus, just like good old XP did. Menus have different items, but the idea is the same. You go to menu button>System Tools> you pick it to change it. So, you ask the internet for help finding what you need to change, then the menu structure is so simple you don't need much beyond the help you get on the net. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by old_rider on 02/26/14 at 22:58:28 Trust me JOG... downloading and installing Linux Mint is not hard at all. I downloaded it to a thumb drive with 16gig on it (cost me all of $10). I then, just looked at "my computer" and the disc drive, and hit "install", Linux allowed me to create a "dual boot" system and keep windows version that was currently installed. Now when it boots up it gives me four selections Last boot (or safe) for Linux Mint Regular boot for Linux Mint Last boot (or safe) for Windows Regular boot for Windows just use your arrows to select which one you want to boot. Mint is really similar to most other operations.... play with it and you will learn it in a week (well the easy stuff, like opening folders and logging on to the net). |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Oldfeller on 03/01/14 at 13:25:19 Optiplex GX620 Is this what you got? If not, pull it out and read the info off the main label on the back of the unit. That is the info that counts. You got to pull it out anyway and pop the back of the case off and make sure what you have looks exactly like the video before you go order anything. Next, before you order anything, do you have a DVD WRITE drive on one of your other machines that is working? What came on your old Dell is a read only DVD which cannot write the OS files to a DVD. You will need another machine to do that. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWCxaJbJZVE[/media] If so this relatively inexpensive older technology 3.5" hard drive should mount your plastic slide rails and plug into your SATA connectors. http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000Q85WOK/ref=sr_1_6_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1393707900&sr=8-6&keywords=3.5%22+sata+hard+drive&condition=new :) (everybody feel free to jump in if I picked wrong or you can find a drive cheaper somewhere else) |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by justin_o_guy2 on 03/01/14 at 14:33:20 Im not havin a good day, wouldnt be smart for me to go diggin in a puter.Ima hafta wait, a day or 3,, but Ill leave the other thread to walk down the page into oblivion. I DID say thanks, right? Well,, thanks again,, If I have to Ill get a Read/Write drive.. I desppise this one anyway, it sounds like a thrashing machine. cant watch a dvd its so noisy,, |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Oldfeller on 03/01/14 at 14:50:22 Once again, you will have to make sure the new burner will work with the old Dell unit that you have before you order it. Yours is really really old, a full generation older than mine and I thought mine was really old when I got it. PM me with a snail mail addy by PM and i will send you a Linux Mint DVD to try out. This means you don't have to buy a new DVD burner as your reader that came in your Dell is all that you need. (it is the last out LTS that I have been using fir the last year and a bit). |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by justin_o_guy2 on 03/02/14 at 06:52:13 Just fired that off, Mang,, WOO HOO what a great deal thatd be if this works out,, |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by youzguyz on 03/02/14 at 07:36:39 Where I am getting jumpy is my email deep dark pit at work. I am on outlook, I think using PST files, and I have oodles of folders, sub folders and sub folders of subfolders, some with the same names as subfolders under other subfolders and some maybe on different planets. I here that Thunderbird (the email that comes with Mint?) doesn't like the concept of the same named folder existing in more than one place. OF, any comments or suggestions? |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/02/14 at 13:13:55 Justin, your snail is mailed. I double stamped him to get him to slither to you a little faster (catch a fast ride on a turtle or something). You got a sampler disk with several distros to look at and the handwritten disk is the stuff I am using right now (recommended for best support). ================= Youzguyz, I don't know about that locally loaded email stuff any more, I have a mail.com account and a gmail.com account -- I've been in the cloud for email for so long I don't even remember how the old local loaded stuff even worked. Since I am recommending that you do a dual boot (keep your old windows intact and in one piece) I guess you would just have to reboot and go to your old stuff and get it when you needed it. You could set up Thunderbird or any of the other Linux email clients and you could import your old stuff. Or you can move your email to the cloud with a gmail.com account or a mail.com account. I don't have any email issues because keeping mine in the cloud means I can get to my email from any pc anywhere or from a phone if I need to. (and yup, there's an android app for that) My email set up meets the Big Three Criteria. (Free, easy, robust) |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Steve H on 03/02/14 at 13:54:00 Youzguyz If you're using Outlook, it has a few options for exporting your mailbox. If you're using Outlook express...there's nothing. You will have to remail it to yourself or lose it. If you're on a MS Exchange server, your mail is probably stored on the server. But, I don't know of a good Linux Exchange client. Exchange can do POP3 but you lose lots of the fancy Exchange features. Your company may or may not allow that. Course you could possibly run Windows in a VM and have real Outlook that way if you had to. I don't know if Outlook will run under Wine or not...never checked. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/02/14 at 15:35:49 Well, here is the operant theory anyway. XP is going to lose close support from MS next month on the 8th. When this happens, things may become dicey with XP unexpectedly at any time. Or it could run smoothly for months and years, it all really depends on what you catch out there on the web. To give you a second PC home to fall back to (just like the list has a backup list in case of emergency) I am going to coax any of the XP persons out there through a dual boot set up on Linux Mint Mate 64 bit version 17 aka 14.04 or Querida (or something that starts with a Q and ends with an a). The only benefit from all of us being on the same distro is close support in case of questions (there will be many, I am sure). Ubuntu will drop their general release version of 14.04 on April 17th and Mint turns theirs loose a day or so later. This will be a 5 year supported Long Term Release which is carefully tuned for stability and no bugs. I have had good luck simply going from Mint Mate LTS to LTS as I am not looking for great exciting change, but instead for just keeping up with the codex and driver changes in the industry fairly closely and primarily really really wanting ROCK SOLID performance and no hassles. Mint Mate LTS gives you all the modern graphics and codex and various proprietary drivers properly cooked into it from the very beginning AND it gives you ease of use. Plus it looks and tastes a whole lot like XP, which is very much on purpose I suspect. By following along and setting up a dual boot machine, you will not lose any of your old XP functionality or saved files or anything else -- until it dies a normal death by root kit or whatever. You will be able to select Win XP at the boot prompt and all will be unchanged when the boot finishes up. Until the inevitable finally happens and something munches your XP stuff beyond redemption. Then you reboot, tell it to go to Mint Mate and roll on .... You will find you quickly become able to do most all things just about as easily on Mint Mate as you could on XP. You get to keep the best of both worlds while you are learning, which makes it about as painless as it can be done. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by old_rider on 03/02/14 at 19:45:32 You got me messin' with Linux Mint tonight.... going to download some pics and see about editing them.... :) |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by rl153 on 03/02/14 at 20:45:58 OF,my computer is an emachine, i bought reconditioned in 05, amd althon64 processor , XP.Will linux definately run on it? |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Kirill Timofeev on 03/02/14 at 21:10:36 Linux itself is not resource hungry. Graphical environment can be. So if you would install Graphical shell with lots of visual effects you can experience some lagging. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/03/14 at 05:16:06 My old white box was a first generation Athlon (the very FIRST true 64 bit processor rah rah) and it ran Mint Mate just fine for many many years. Folks run Mint on some very old slow hardware, much older and slower than yours. http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=628 Kirill hit the nail on the head, if you stay away from complex 3-D graphics super-intensive programs, you are fine. What kills you there is the graphics as you are likely resource sharing with a minimal on-board video system on any of the e-machines. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by rl153 on 03/03/14 at 19:00:49 this is a helpful tutorial I think, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLdqNVusyIo |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by rl153 on 03/03/14 at 19:27:38 I have a question. When I download that mint mate file , do I save it to my computer ,and then burn it to a dvd? or is there something else involved because it is an ISO file? Thanks! Mint Mate is the version I should use ,isn't it? |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Steve H on 03/04/14 at 05:36:22 An iso is an image file of a disk. You'll need software that knows how to write an iso to disk. There are thousands of files in that iso file. Most any cd/dvd burning program can handle it |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by rl153 on 03/04/14 at 08:12:37 I have the original nero software that came with my computer . Do you think that will do it? |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/04/14 at 08:45:15 Nero will burn an iso image to a DVD if you have a DVD burner. Remember to do your chksum to make sure it all got there. ..... see you are learning new geeky stuff already. Iso image and chksum are geeky new stuff and how to burn an iso image to a DVD. If you get stuck, holler. :) of course it would be nice to know which version of Nero you are talking about since their menus are all different. http://www.wikihow.com/Burn-ISO-Files-on-CD-Using-Nero-6.6 |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Kirill Timofeev on 03/04/14 at 09:00:49 unetbootin (http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/) can be used to create bootable usb drive. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Oldfeller on 03/04/14 at 09:23:42 08175A5455545A630 wrote:
Yes, it can. They will need to make their USB drive bootable in their systems bios (and if the XP machine is old enough they can't do that because it warn't invented back then). Plus, you need to point them to the reference materials of a detailed "how to" if you are going to be telling them about bootable USB drives. Me, I try to point them in ways they likely can go -- and I will be looking out for a cut down ISO for Linux Mint Mate 17 that can fit on a CD for those who only have CD read/write drives (many older XP boxes do date back that far). They used to have smaller images by dropping off the Office to make the ISO image smaller but the Office could be down loaded afterwards through the Software Manager easily enough so it was no big deal. Since XP upgrades will be a hot topic again maybe they will offer the smaller ISO images this time 'round. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by rl153 on 03/04/14 at 10:50:27 I have nero express Version 6.Is that sufficient? It says as one of the options disc image and saved projects. I think thats the choice. How do you do a chksum? |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/04/14 at 11:55:22 575E4D52555E0A0902023B0 wrote:
Read this as it ..... http://www.wikihow.com/Burn-ISO-Files-on-CD-Using-Nero-6.6 .... should apply to what you have then. Any variations in menus should be very slight. ============================ chksum is a utility that goes under the name MD5 in the windows world. In Linux it is part of the operating system and is always available. When you download a large ISO image file sometimes download errors do take place. You use the MD5 (or chksum) value that is listed by the origin mirror you got the image from and you compare it to the analysis of the file that actually showed up at your computer. They should match exactly. A free windows utility to do a MD5 (cksum) analysis is here: http://www.winmd5.com/ |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by oldNslow on 03/04/14 at 13:34:01 You can buy a DVD from this place if you don't have a DVD writer on your machine. My old dell reads/writes CDs but only reads DVDs. $5.95 + a couple of dollars shipping. https://www.osdisc.com/products/linux/linuxmint |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by rl153 on 03/04/14 at 16:39:38 Thanks oldnslow,that's what I might do. Would it be the mint mate 16 for the 64 bit pc? Also ,thanks,OF for the info! |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Oldfeller on 03/04/14 at 16:44:45 Looks like they have all the various Minty flavors, but they are all still at version 16 and you want to wait until late April when they start to sell the DVDs for version 17 (which isn't out yet). |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by rl153 on 03/04/14 at 17:09:06 I will wait, but is it the 64 bit pc version? Also, my computer is already partioned into c and d drives,will mate automatically create the 3rd correct partition? Also , where will all the hardware drivers originate once mate is installed ,from windows or mate? Thanks! |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/04/14 at 18:22:48 If you have a 64 bit processor you can load the 64 bit version of Mint Mate 17 when it comes out in late April. All drivers in Mint Mate are already hooked up and running automatically when you do the install. That (along with the fact it looks like XP) is why we picked Mint Mate. Partitions will remain untouched unless you change them yourself. If you do it yourself, simply leave some unallocated space for Mint to discover. If you want Mint to do it automatically it will find the biggest blank spot and suggest it to you. Since you geek partitions, you can shift stuff around using your favorite tools to make 20-30 gig of unallocated drive space for Mint to find. I always found I could shrink an old Windows partition that I wasn't going to add anything to enough to put in a Mint partition since the required hd space/size needed by Mint was so durn small. Linux is TINY ...... all of Mint plus enough expansion room for all you ever need or want in the future will go into 20 gig. ..... and this is less room than Windows takes up by itself. ============= People fear partition work because they have heard horror stories of dead computers. You know what really happens? The idiot driving the keyboard tells the program to resize the partition in question and ..... nothing happens for a while (the program is busy moving all the scattered to hell and back files over to one side to make room for the resize). This takes 15-20 minutes or longer to do, hell a simple defrag takes longer than that on most neglected old machines, but the idiot gets panicky because he doesn't see anything happening ..... Then the idiot driving the keyboard gets all panicky/impatient and cold boots the machine (mangling his file allocation tables by interrupting a partition level activity). .... oops, dead machine .... SO ..... Do yourself a favor and defrag and compact any windows partitions that you have before you go trying to do any partition work. A fresh defrag and compact job makes for a nice clean quick partition resize job that takes MUCH less time to complete. And once you hit "go" on the partition shrink -- go to bed for the night. Don't sit there watching at it & getting yourself all jittery and panicky. It will finish, eventually. PS ..... turn off your windows screen saver settings and all your power settings and go to sleep settings, or turn them way way way up so the machine doesn't try to shut itself down in middle of resizing. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by rl153 on 03/05/14 at 04:35:13 Thanks OF ,appreciate the advice! Saw this article,thought it relevant http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/windows-xp-end-of-life.html |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Gerry on 03/06/14 at 05:29:08 Update later that same morning :) I figured it out. I'm on this forum using the Mint computer now. Gerry Hi Oldfeller, I have been lurking through most of your recent post about OS's and such and enjoying them. I used to play around with Linux back in the day when Mandrake then Mandriva were common and available distro's. So I thought I would give Linux another look see and following the link you provided in the beginning of this thread I installed Mint version 13 on my spare newly formatted and new install of Win XP machine. Updated the XP install as well as defragged the hard drive. Now I see that there is a newer version of Mint (16) that I downloaded and burned the image to DVD. I went to install it with the intent of erasing the Mint 13 partition and installing Mint 16. Problem is the only options I get in the installer is to erase the entire drive, install 16 along side of XP and 13 or create my own partitions. I choose create my own partitions and I get into very unfamiliar territory. Can you offer some guidance for creating these partitions? I tried to just erase the Mint 13 ext/4 partition and install 16 to the partition but it asks me for mount points and I tried to use / but it doesn't like that either. There is a long list of mount points in the drop down and I think it wants me to choose and set the size for all these mount point partitions? I thought it would just be a simple 2 partitions, mint 16 and swap but I am not getting it I guess. I wish there was jut an option to install the new Mint where the old mint was. Any ways, thank you for any advice you can give. Gerry |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Yonuh Adisi FSO on 03/06/14 at 09:13:25 Hey OF, Now that I have my new to me laptop I am thinking of putting linux on my old one. I want to just completely get rid of XP all together and run linux only on it. It is a pretty old machine. It's an HP Omnibook 6000, when it was manufactured it had come with Windows 2000. (that should tell you how old it is) It has a small 900mhz processor and 256meg of ram with a 40gig hd As I said, I just want to get rid of windows completely on that machine and run linux only. I have already transferred all my important files to my Vista machine so I have no problem with completely wiping the drive. Basically, I am looking for advice. Your instructions have been for creating a dual boot system and I would prefer to have a single boot. I am going to use the Omnibook aka Dino-laptop to learn everything I can about linux so that eventually I can give windows the finger all together. I may also once I have learned linux enough, use Dino-laptop as a small server. So in the immortal words of Johnny-5 "Input, need input." |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by oldNslow on 03/06/14 at 10:10:34 I think you need 512 megs of Ram to run the newest version of Linux Mint. Might be a different/older version that will work on your machine though. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Yonuh Adisi FSO on 03/06/14 at 10:17:27 That's what I was thinking as well. Any suggestions of which version would probably work best? |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Dane Allen on 03/06/14 at 10:32:17 4758151B1A1B152C0 wrote:
I did just this very thing with a USB drive, switched from Ubuntu to Mint. I loved Ubuntu 12.04 but this new interface and other problems just took the fun out of it. I did the Mint-Mate-Petra version. Runs a bit faster but the file menus are a huge improvement for me. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by oldNslow on 03/06/14 at 10:57:14 65535249547D58554F553C0 wrote:
I don't know anything about these myself, but this link might help: http://www.howtogeek.com/172987/revive-your-old-pc-the-3-best-linux-systems-for-old-computers/ |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/06/14 at 12:03:13 Since your machine is that old and that low on resources you are not going to be able to run a modern full distro like the rest of the XP people should be able to do. Yep, the three extra small distros mentioned post above will fill your bill though. Not going to look like XP though, going to run simpler interfaces and simpler programs. Puppy is a good oldie goldie, but Barry Krauler got old and has just quit supporting the distro again (got sick and retired from it again). Somebody else will pick it up, I am sure. Can't really speak to the others .... |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by justin_o_guy2 on 03/07/14 at 21:22:32 Okay.. I got the CD.. actually, coupla days ago, but, we had been outta power for 2 days & I was sore & worn olut from finishing the generator installation. I hung a coupla outlets in a weatherproof enclosure on the back wall & ran wires to the breaker box & installed 2 20 amp breakers. Up & down & up & down on the washer to get to the breaker box, hada peel paneling & put a 2X6 between studs to hang the box to. Still havent put the piece I sliced off back, face plate is still offa the box,, Ive just been too pooped to even get the tools put away.. BUT, I am ready for instructions on what to do with this CD. If theyre here already, just quote it into place. Thank you, thank you,, |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/08/14 at 04:27:05 Justin, If your PC is in working shape, is plugged into the internet and has a hard drive installed in the case, just stick the handwritten DVD in the drive and turn on the machine with a cold boot. Let it boot off the DVD. Write down your start time because we are going to have us a little a contest to see who can get up and running the quickest. Be patient, it is reading an entire operating system off the DVD drive and putting it all together (it does this a lot faster off your hard drive, so don't judge things just yet). Meet Olivia, alias Mint Mate 64 bit version 15. http://www.tecmint.com/linux-mint-15-installation-guide/ Here is the detailed installation guide, which you need read and follow except for the two slides I list below because I want you to do something different when you get to them. When you get to the formatting section (Installation Type) you gotta think some. If you are actually using the new drive you talked about, follow the instructions as stated. If not and there is other operating systems on the drive you want to keep then choose Dual Boot selection (not shown in the example given). http://www.tecmint.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/lm-6.jpg ============== http://www.tecmint.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/lm-9.jpg Who ARE You ??? screen requires some thought. First, keep your name and your password VERY SHORT & VERY EASY to type. Some folks use a single letter or their initials or something else very easy to deal with. Why? You type it in every time you want to change the system so the machine knows its you instead of a worm or a virus. This gets bad if you use too long of a name and password -- on my first shot I was typing in my full name all the time (which is too long) and a full 8 digit password which got sorta old too. Plus, since nobody told me any better I left the wrong radio button clicked and got hit with a full log on screen every time I cranked the machine up. And every time I farted. And every time I breathed. SO, click Log In Automatically down at the bottom so you don't get hassled all the time. When you reboot after install and get your desktop back, note the time again and figure out your total initial install time. =========== JUSTIN, remember to STOP AND ASK before doing stuff that gives you a speed bump. Like I said, these screens will be different for each machine as the choices are generated off what equipment you have in your box. If you are really using that empty drive, then you really can't make a mistake that can't be fixed by a simple re-installation. If you are working with the drive that has your old windows on it, move a little more carefully as you want to keep your old windows in one piece. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Oldfeller on 03/08/14 at 06:03:04 So, at this stage we got a half dozen folks who are into Mint Mate of various older versions. As you version swap in the future you will learn these tricks, so I though I'd mention them now. Your favorite browser has a way of exporting bookmarks and settings, learn how to use it, create the backup file or export file or whatever the hell else they call it and put it on a thumb drive that you use just for migrating from one machine to the next. On your desktop put a folder called Kelly's Stuff (or you could use your name if you wanted to). I like to use Kelly's Stuff 3-9-14 as the folder name as it includes a date stamp which means on my thumb drive i now have a series of date stamped folders that keep all my stuff time coordinated on the backup drive. Use this rolling folder (with sub folders if you have lots of stuff) to hold all your data. Periodically copying Kelly's Stuff to your thumb drive is a smart thing (this is called backing up your data files in case you haven't ever done that). Once a month or so, copy it over again to the thumb drive to keep it current and keep it safe. Now, when you upgrade your Linux every few years you ALREADY HAVE all the stuff you wish you'd saved before upgrading. It's right there on your thumb drive. Size of thumb drive does not need to be killing big. Linux is TINY -- files are tiny too. I used a 2 gig thumb drive for a lot of years until my wife needed it, then I upgraded to 4 gig next time I went to WalMart -- of which 88% of the 4 gig is still unused. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/08/14 at 06:28:49 I told you Linux Mint Mate 64 can really look a lot like XP. Yes, it can. http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/Screenshot.png This is what I set mine up to look like for my wife -- she occasionally complains my Word menu isn't set up like the ones at school and I tell her I'm not spending $300 just to upgrade stuff for some silly menus. She is actually using Linux Mint Mate 64 Olivia and Libre Office with all the save defaults reset to be the MS standard extensions .ppt, .doc and .xls. She goes on Drop Box and gets her work files, opens them, works on them and puts them back on Drop Box. Only complaint she has so far is PowerPoint doesn't always keep the formatting exactly right (she has to tune it a bit at school). |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Gerry on 03/08/14 at 07:29:51 4261696B686161687F0D0 wrote:
I did not give Libre Office a chance. I have been using Open Office for the last few years. I did take a look at Libre yesterday but just a passing glance and I then went online and downloaded Open Office (or Apache Open Office as it is now called) to install on the Mint machine. Which brings me to one of the things about Linux that has always bothered me... why is it not just a simple matter of clicking on the download and installing? Seems Windows uses .exe as well as other programs to install where Linux does not? So after some Googling and finding some step by steps that were close I got it installed. Had to do something to remove the symbolic link to Libre that did not work so I then discovered the method for removing Libre completely (although I did want to keep Libre Office to check it out more) and installing Open Office... all by using the terminal and a little bit of typing and using the correct syntax and changing directories and so on and so forth. Got it done but was not really easy. My fault really if I just leave well enough alone. But I'm always dinking around it seems. Now I need to figure out to connect the Mint machine to my printer on the Windows network. I have done this before but I have forgotten all the terms used in the Linux printer setup and what my network calls them and put the two together to get Linux to see the printer. Gerry |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by justin_o_guy2 on 03/08/14 at 10:34:28 Im not yet exactly at the top O my game, & when I AM, its not where I was just 5 years ago. So,, If you dont mind, I would appreciate you PM'ing me your phone number so I can talk to you while I do this. Im not ready today, Im still kinda beat. I will be loading onto the existing hard drive for now. Once we get the hang of it, & can do what we need to do, then Ill get a new drive, I just want this old Bugged up one gone, I know, it doesnt sound reasonable, maybe its not, I just want it that way,,, call me weird,, Ill never say youre wrong. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/08/14 at 12:34:02 I did not give Libre Office a chance. I have been using Open Office for the last few years. I did take a look at Libre yesterday but just a passing glance and I then went online and downloaded Open Office (or Apache Open Office as it is now called) to install on the Mint machine. Which brings me to one of the things about Linux that has always bothered me... why is it not just a simple matter of clicking on the download and installing? Seems Windows uses .exe as well as other programs to install where Linux does not? So after some Googling and finding some step by steps that were close I got it installed. Had to do something to remove the symbolic link to Libre that did not work so I then discovered the method for removing Libre completely (although I did want to keep Libre Office to check it out more) and installing Open Office... all by using the terminal and a little "bit of typing and using the correct syntax and changing directories and so on and so forth. Got it done but was not really easy. My fault really if I just leave well enough alone. But I'm always dinking around it seems. Now I need to figure out to connect the Mint machine to my printer on the Windows network. I have done this before but I have forgotten all the terms used in the Linux printer setup and what my network calls them and put the two together to get Linux to see the printer." Gerry ===================== Gary, your distro installs Libre Office by default because Open Office was controlled for a while by Oracle and the guy who runs Oracle, Larry, was an arsehole who was then currently suing Google and others over some of the stuff he had just bought (in a patent troll type of action). Sun had given FOSS clear permission to use Java and Larry bought it and then immediately sued Google over Android using something like it (and lost, BTW). All of FOSS immediately forked all the softwares that Sun used to support (that Larry and Oracle had bought with the ghost of SUN) and all of FOSS disavowed any and all of the original Sun stuff that remained under Larry's control. Open Office is one of those items. NO DISTRO HAS USED OPEN OFFICE AT ALL for several years. Larry then attempted to off-load Open Office but nobody would take it, so he tried to give it to the Apache Foundation who didn't want it either. But "technically" Open Office is running now under the verbiage of an Apache type license now (if you can trust Oracle that is). Apache does not maintain or own Open Office, just think of it as Larry's people using Apache's good name to front continuing playing their crappy little games and you won't be too far off the mark. Watch out, Larry may want to charge you for Open Office upgrades somewhere out into the future .... he copies the improved code from Libre Office and then charges businesses for the "support" for Star Office (Sun's old commercial version of Open Office). So Open Office still exists, and if anyone trusted Oracle or Larry any at all to get themselves gone and STAY GONE the two forks might eventually come back together again some day under the original name. But, right now Open Office is mostly dead and Libre Office is very much alive and still being developed. And that is how it will stay. ====================== Next, Gerry, you need to learn to use the Mint Software Manager. (under the little gear Menu left hand bottom corner) All of this sort of software is specifically tweeked for the Mint distro and is maintained by the Software Manager where you select what you want and it goes and gets it for you (along with all dependencies) and installs it for you. With just one click. But you won't find Open Office in the Software Manager -- for reasons listed above. ========== Justin, you got a pm. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Yonuh Adisi FSO on 03/08/14 at 14:26:30 I am extremely confused here OF. I want to download linux puppy but what the hell? There are so many files, do I download them all and put them on a disk or what? |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/08/14 at 16:24:52 I offer advice on Linux Mint Mate 64 bit version 17 -- what you do with them odd functioning puppy dogs is up to you. (I could never get Puppy to work right either). Find the Ubuntu Puppy fork and download that one ISO image. You got a skidilion versons of Puppy now, you just need to pick ONE of them and download the ISO and burn it to a CD. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Yonuh Adisi FSO on 03/08/14 at 16:33:02 Do you think ubuntu will work on my machine? |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/09/14 at 04:43:10 Puppy is ODD -- it is built from scratch by a crew of Australians and New Zealanders that used to be led by Barry Krauler before he retired yet again. They all had obsolete machines (and I mean DOS level old machines). They wrote a crop of Puppies that would fit their machines. I looked at the site yesterday and there is still a whole litter of puppies over there of all sorts and descriptions. One of these was an Ubuntu Puppy, but it was noted as as being a porky puppy. ======================= More organized Ubuntu based (for very old machines) alternatives http://lubuntu.net/ Lubuntu is one of the skinniest semi-official Ubuntus out there. It will fit your machine's specs but you have to have PAE on your machine. It is LXDE based as are all of the very light distros. This Ubuntu based distro is so far off from normal Ubuntu function-wise it got cut loose by the main group to become an independent spin as NOTHING MUCH IS LEFT UNALTERED in order to get Lubuntu that durn small. But the documentation is very well done since at one time it was an Official Ubuntu distro, just the very skinniest of them. Lubuntu is your "good shot" at a semi-official Ubuntu that will fit your machine -- be aware that the supporting group is now very small like the distro is small, but all the stuff on the web site certainly remembers being an officially supported branch of Ubuntu. ==================== Peppermint is another independent LXDE spin of Linux Mint/Ubuntu that can run very light on resources. One of its main tricks is to get you on the web then use somebody else's server power to do most of your heavy lifting. Because of this trick Peppermint can do a lot your machine by itself really can't possibly do, but once again it goes far far far away from the standard distro it came from in how it utilizes exterior server power for extra speed and processing power in normal functions. http://peppermintos.com/about/ System Requirements for Peppermint Four Here's what you'll need to run this distro: Absolute Minimum: 192 MB of RAM Processor based on Intel x86 architecture At least 2 GB of available disk space Recommended Minimum: 512 MB of RAM Processor based on Intel x86 architecture At least 4 GB of available disk space However, Peppermint always struck me as being well organized and about as well maintained as a dozen people can possibly do. They keep all their development stuff out on the pages so you can get involved with what's what as they do it. I think a Peppermint question will get answered. I think Peppermint got started up about the same time Lubuntu got cast out of the Ubuntu family tree as they were all getting pretty far from the Ubuntu tree at that time. Peppermint will run on your low hardware level, supposedly, and it HAS the documentation level you will need. Peppermint is noted for being quick and easy enough to learn, but learn you shall as it is a different approach to the web and computing. ;) Note: some folks will say that Chrome OS was a reconsideration of some of the ideas behind Peppermint and some folks will say that Peppermint was a reconsideration of some of the ideas behind Chrome OS -- both use the web (and all those super strong server farms) to energize their speediness. I think Chrome OS does a more seamless job of it since Google actually owns the server farms they use to superpower Chrome OS. ============ So, here are two Ubuntu based distros you can try that seem to have the internal organization level that the whole litter of Puppies seem to lack. Beyond this, I can't say -- I intend to support folks on Linux Mint Mate 64 bit as after all my looking it is the best XP replacement out there that looks and works most nearly like XP (least surprises, least learning). But you need 512k of systems memory and a 600 mhz to 1 ghz Athlon processor to run it well enough. It will run with less, but not well. Folks tend to forget that XP started out as a 32 bit only Pentium class operating system and the early early machines sometimes only had 256k of systems memory. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Gerry on 03/09/14 at 06:51:06 Thanks OF, yes, I did go into the software manager and was surprised that Open Office was not there. Now I see why. I have always liked Open Office, especially after MS was practicing for the Win 8 F-up by bringing in the ribbon bar format to all their office products. I think I can use the software manager in Mint to re-install Libre and it will manage the installation for me and allow Open Office and Libre to play side by side. I will then be able to take a longer look at Libre. Thanks again OF, Gerry |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Serowbot on 03/09/14 at 09:38:35 I'm following along,... hoping to see a successful, non-geek, acclimate to Linux... but, I'm not optimistic... Best luck, guys... I'm riding XP into the ground... then I'll re-install ride it down again... I hate change... >:(... |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by justin_o_guy2 on 03/09/14 at 10:15:33 Well,, Rowboat, Im gonna give 'er a go.. Im with ya on that "change" thing,, 'Bout 33 years a go, when I was single, goin to college & 'puters were just hitting the scene good, the geeks at school would be huddled around a table ( the ones who werent huddled around discussing their all important Dungeons & Dragons life, talk about a waste of time!) & theyd be talking about how to make a computer do this or that & it was all G(r)eek to me. I decided I would wait, let them get the early bugs worked out, get the things all running on one system, you know, like video tape had to shake out, 8 tracks died, we had cassette & HEY, everyone ( dummy!) KNEW that was the final format.. Boy, I didnt see lasers that would fit in a handheld device reading tiny pits in a spinning disk coming,, Nope,, didnt see that one comin At ALL.. Anyway, I was gonna learn computers, when the Changes slowed down,,so that what I learned yesterday would still be relevant tomorrow.,.& theynever slowed down enough or looked to have reached a point to where I felt like I had a chance to get in & "get it", That we have OF here & that he knows what he knows is just , well,, way cool. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Oldfeller on 03/09/14 at 11:46:38 Justin, it is all relative. I know more Linux than you. Kirill knows more Linux than me. Dave is a better bike mod man and Lancer is a better mechanic. Big Zuk could ride us all into the ground on a Savage and never even break a sweat doing it. We are all different. However, WE as whole are a pretty good mechanic and a pretty durn smart computer person. And that is why I am still asking if anyone knows of anything better to take XP people over to that is better than Linux Mint Mate. Anything more XP like or easier to use once you get it installed. So far, no suggestions have come forward, so we go on forward with the project. ====================== Justin is going to take some time off to finish his generator installation before he hauls out his old Dell computer stuff. So far I count 3 new people who have successfully installed dual boot Mint Mate without requiring very much in the way of hand holding. Four if you count Serowbot, who has done a couple of times in the past and is thinking about not doing it again until he has to. (which is fine, but he'll be totally dead in the water with no distro sitting there on a DVD when he needs it -- or better yet already set up as a dual boot on his hard drive) Everybody else will have a dual boot machine up and running, going XP whenever they want and Mint whenever the root kits and viruses are acting up again. That's a thought -- if you ran Mint for the normal easy stuff and only went XP when you wanted to run a program that required it that might work to extend the lifespan of XP on your machine. You would do most of your net surfing on Mint (and really wouldn't be catching much in the way of illnesses accordingly). Most stuff gets on your machine by visiting web pages or opening something containing Hidden Evil while running a vulnerable Windows machine. Linux Mint on the net is like walking in a mine field wearing an Iron Man suit -- your might step in it and it might blow up on you, but has little to no effect because it simply can't reach your flesh. Most times you don't even hear the BANG because it isn't even in the same plane of reality as you are when you are running Mint. :D I hope MS hasn't disabled Serowbot's XP installation CD yet, he's gonna be sick if he sticks it in and it doesn't work when he needs it the most. Remember guys, According To Microsoft that CD belongs to them and you only have the right to use the software on the CD according to the rules they set down. And according to those Microsoft rules XP ends one month from now on April the 8th -- and, having tried last year to get a replacement CD for my official XP installation disk when it crapped out on me, I can tell you they won't give you one. "XP is unsupported at this time" "Reference the Version Life Schedule page for additional information" "You need to update your Windows to a more modern version" "You can't get upgrade pricing to anything past Windows Vista" "Windows Vista is unsupported at this time" "You can't get upgrade pricing to Windows 7 from Windows XP" |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Serowbot on 03/09/14 at 12:02:01 Okay,.. ya' scared me... I have Xp with SP3 on a bootable flash, and Linux mint 11 or 14? on another... I'm gonna' download Mate. Hope it's better than than Mint... Between me n' JOG,.. we're gonna' pound you with so many dumb questions you'll need a better chair... For now,.. could you explain "mounting/un-mounting" and "Command lines"?... I never got those... :-?... |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by oldNslow on 03/09/14 at 12:25:32 4650475A42575A41350 wrote:
Serobot Here's a preliminary report from a non geek that might make you feel a bit better. I installed the 32 bit version of Mint 16 alongside XP on my old Dell Inspiron 5305. I used this dvd: https://www.osdisc.com/products/linux/linuxmint/linux-mint-16-mate-install-live-dvd-pc.html Installed without a hitch and I can now boot to either Linux or XP. Mint found my printer, and my network - everything works perfectly without my having had to do anything. The Mint desktop and menu system look a lot like XP and will be no problem for anyone used to XP. The firefox browser that comes with Mint works great - I'm using it right now; It's as fast as Chrome and way better than IE. The other preinstalled programs in Mint look very similar to their windows counterparts. The only one that I've spent any time with so far is Libre Office Write. I moved my documents over - most created using Microsoft Works- and Write handled them perfectly. I have stuff on the XP side of my machine that I use that doesn't require an internet connection. I plan on doing all my online stuff with Mint and keeping the XP side as a stand alone box. Should run forever that way. At least that's the plan :D If an old Luddite like me can do this, I think just about anyone should be able to handle it. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/09/14 at 14:05:19 3026312C34212C37430 wrote:
I never got mounting and unmounting either, I always thought in terms of open and close and I thought command line was something you used in DOS .... Linux Mint Mate 64 doesn't use mounting and unmounting, it uses open and close and I have never had to do anything in the command line box either (in Mint Mate you go get the command line box the same place you went to get the DOS box in XP). I am serious, Linux Mint Mate 64 is set up to look and feel like XP. I too am partial to what I like and I liked XP .... so I got a Linux version that is very very much like it. ============ OK, let's hear some install times. Start to finish, how many minutes to get Mint Mate off the DVD and to a rebooted off the hard drive fully installed desktop? oldNslow can go first since he spoke up last. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by oldNslow on 03/09/14 at 15:17:47 Quote:
About an hour I think, but I didn't bother to look around at anything first. I just went ahead and installed it. I had defraged my drive while I was waiting for the DVD so more than half of it was just empty space. That might have helped. While I'm typing this I'm listening to an album that I imported using Banshee. No more difficult to figure out than Media Player. I think I'm going to like this. There is a learning curve, but for the stuff I do it dosen't look like it's going to be too steep. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Yonuh Adisi FSO on 03/09/14 at 15:37:48 Got Dino-laptop all hooked up and I am working on downloading Lubuntu. Okay, it's at reboot phase now, let's see what happens. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Yonuh Adisi FSO on 03/09/14 at 15:57:49 Oops, I think I boogered it. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Serowbot on 03/09/14 at 16:56:01 7244455E436A4F4258422B0 wrote:
:o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o... |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Yonuh Adisi FSO on 03/09/14 at 17:18:27 Retrying now. Had to let my little sister use my comp to resolve an ebay thing. But I am now back on task. I'll get it figured out, at least I'm trying to do this with dino-laptop and have a newer one for my usual stuff so if I screw up really bad I'm still good. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/09/14 at 17:44:28 5365647F624B6E6379630A0 wrote:
Serowbot, don't get too excited -- he's trying out a mini-distro called Lubuntu not the Linux Mint Mate we are saying to go to. His laptop in question is VERY VERY OLD -- his machine can only be used for a super mini-distro and it may have some bios related issues for simply being as ancient as it is. .... he is going to have to be very careful to have some items done the way they say to do them .... BTW did you chksum your download to make sure it all got there correctly? Next is to go on the Lubuntu forums and ask about known problems with your particular unit and that distro -- they will want to know specifics about your machine and the error messages you got when you rebooted. If you don't get any response, you got the "nobody home" syndrome that small partially abandoned Linux distros often show. If it simply won't go and nobody answers your questions, try Peppermint -- Lubuntu has never been terribly user friendly for me anyway (never got a CD to really work correctly on the three times I tried it over the years) and Peppermint always seems to download, burn and work OK. Peppermint had "somebody home" last time I asked a forum question -- but that has been YEARS ago now. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Yonuh Adisi FSO on 03/09/14 at 21:16:05 The Lubuntu install is kicking a$$ now. It seemed to have stalled for a while there but I went and left it alone and it picked back up. It's still installing so don't know results yet. Oh and OF, I did do the chksum, all was good. :) |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/09/14 at 21:53:33 Taking hours & hours to do a CD install ain't right .... something's done gone awry in Lubuntu town. Lubuntu uses the stock Ubuntu installation and set up stack, which may be what is slooooowing youuu doooowwwnn soooo baaadly. Or you might have a really dirty laser sensor head in your CD/DVD drive. Here is a review of Peppermint, it uses the Mint installer system (it simply works better and it installs all the proprietary graphics drivers and codecs for you automatically) and it also has some of the other good items of Mint Mate (the one click Software manager, and a few other things as are noted in the 4.0 review below) http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.com/2013/06/peppermint-os-four-review-linux-mint-of.html Peppermint fits on a CD and only requires 192 meg of systems memory. Plus once it is up and running you can download some serious sized software from the Mint Repository using Software Manager and run them as local loads instead of just being a web-based person (which is what will be set up by default). ::) If your Lubuntu doesn't ever jell for you, give Peppermint a try. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Gerry on 03/10/14 at 05:44:08 4D73727E6C70711F0 wrote:
Just going by memory but I think it only took about 20 minutes to go from insert DVD, re-start computer, remove DVD when asked and press enter to re-boot. And maybe another 15 - 20 minutes to update through the up date manager. Gerry |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/10/14 at 09:24:16 That's more in line with what I see when upgrading from one LTS Mint Mate to the next LTS Mint Mate. Folks who are seeing most of an hour (or more) might have some issues with their DVD drive having a dirty laser sensor head or something. ========================= And that's 20 minutes to load the entire enchilada, not just the OS or one program -- ALL OF THEM. Downloading updates generally takes place in the background and you just tell it when to plunk them on into the system. This only generally takes like 3-5 minutes. Waiting to download them and then install them will take a lot longer, naturally. But that should never happen again, you'll get them ongoing and just pick the time to plunk them all into the system. Did you notice you didn't need to reboot at the end of every program like Windows always made you do? As a matter of fact, most times the entire update process (putting down multiple multiple program updates) requires NO REBOOTING at all. And wait until you have to do a monthly defrag to keep your Windows partion's speed up to snuff ..... Or update all your Windows antivirus programs (plural) ..... You have to do all that for a Windows system that runs like 2x slower and 5x-10x porkier on hard drive use and systems memory plus every software on it requires your attention day in, day out week in and week out for SOMETHING OR ANOTHER, CONSTANTLY. Linux Mint Mate just runs ..... and runs ..... and runs. ;) |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Dane Allen on 03/10/14 at 09:44:35 I wrote over the Ubuntu 13 with the Mint Mate Pettra 16 on Friday and all seems to be working well. My initial attempt to dual boot with a split partition for the Ubuntu failed so I over-wrote all and now am very happy with Mint. My wife was frustrated with the Ubuntu interface but loves the Mint and even the 6 and 8 year olds are navigating with ease. I did the download iso to USB and boot from the USB, worked great!! |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by oldNslow on 03/10/14 at 10:03:26 Oldfeller wrote: Quote:
Probably. My drive hardly ever gets used, and it sounds like a blender :D |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Yonuh Adisi FSO on 03/10/14 at 10:36:29 AAAHHHRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!! Was installing great then... Insert disk two. THERE WAS NO DISK TWO!!! Going to try Peppermint as you suggested. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/10/14 at 11:58:53 51747B70547979707B150 wrote:
Yup, when you give it to wives and kiddies and they do it without a bobble it must be easy enough for Justin ( ;) or even Serowbot ??? ). |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by verslagen1 on 03/10/14 at 12:21:05 7B4D4C574A63464B514B220 wrote:
maybe you could rename the disk? |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/10/14 at 13:21:45 It may be that the image was larger than a CD could hold. If so then Peppermint would be an answer for that because it will fit on a single CD UBUNTU and all its derivatives gotten bigger and bigger and bigger ..... even Mint Mate needs a DVD now. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Yonuh Adisi FSO on 03/10/14 at 13:29:15 7B5850525158585146340 wrote:
Yeah, unfortunately the cd drive on dino-laptop just died. I am going to try again using a 1 gig usb flash drive. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Yonuh Adisi FSO on 03/10/14 at 14:02:46 No-go. Looks like dino-laptop is now nothing more than a paperweight. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/10/14 at 14:23:28 Does the USB drive still read the stick? If I can get my memory to work right, there was once upon a time a distro called darnsmall Linux that was intended to live on a stick -- you didn't boot it, it just was just all there on the stick. This was back when sticks were less than a Gig in size, darnsmall, right? http://www.darnsmalllinux.org/ |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Yonuh Adisi FSO on 03/10/14 at 14:25:38 I can try it but I am not sure it still reads it or not. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Oldfeller on 03/10/14 at 14:29:10 Feel his frustration -- understand it is coming for you sometimes out in the future when your XP stops working ..... Microsoft wants to give you something for free -- Frustration -- Been giving you free trojans and viruses and root kits for the longest time and you never ever even said thank you once. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Yonuh Adisi FSO on 03/10/14 at 14:38:15 Nope, it's boogered. It ain't even reading the it. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Yonuh Adisi FSO on 03/10/14 at 14:43:51 I got an idea. I have a adapter that will basically turn a hard drive into a usb drive. May be I can get it to install it onto dino-laptop's hd through my vista machine using that adapter. I'll let you know how it works. I so thought I had a solution, but I can't get the vista machine to show me the drive even though it says it is ready to use. Oh well, it was worth a shot. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by rl153 on 03/10/14 at 17:16:39 OF, I'm probably wrong, but I don't see why our xp recovery discs that came with our computers wont work if we try to reinstall it.It's all done from your computer,do they stop you from your internet connection?How does microsoft stop it from functioning?Thanks! |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Yonuh Adisi FSO on 03/10/14 at 17:22:31 After installing you have to either call or go online to activate, otherwise you can only use it for a set amount of time. (I think that is how it was when I installed XP on dino-laptop.) |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/10/14 at 17:31:28 In my case even more basic than they won't set my key again -- the CD disk itself is "unreadable" and they won't replace it. So much for buying a software license from Microsoft -- their word is about as good as their plastic they used in their CDs. =========================== If my XP installation CD were good I'd use it to set up a dual boot on my new box as some of my old XP game collection is still worth playing occasionally. As it is, I still have a couple of Windows laptops running around that I can use for that duty. I have a copy of Serious Sam on one of them that has lots & lots of modifications that were current when the game was relatively new. I got a mini-gun that fires a 12 gauge buckshot shell instead of a 308 round (you can flat dig a trench in a stone courtyard with it and it mows down them charging bulls just like grass). My nephew wants my XP gaming laptop when I die as he has never seen a game as cool as my tweeked and modded Serious Sam. I showed him how to fly up right above the Ugg giant at the end of Far Cry and have Ugg catch all the rounds from all his various helpers as they try to shoot at you and then you can have Ugg stomp all over them as you lead him around in small circles by flying in front of his face. In Far Cry I showed him how to take just the silenced small machine gun and how to SNEAK effectively, hide inside plants and pop everything in the headbone, just one head shot per baddy. It is a flaw in the game that if you are totally still, and are inside some foliage, they can't see you at all -- but you can see them as the leaves move in the breeze and they will walk up and stop about 10 yards away and look around and around for you. <pop> (I've built piles of bodies on a path, just for the fun of it) In Far Cry I got a sniper rifle that has 150x magnification available. The bullets explode like rockets when they hit (one shot per small baddy). I got a lightsaber with a variable length blade instead of the long butcher knife. I can fly and go through walls as needed. Another favorite tweeked game was No One Lives Forever 2 --- I used to run through the Japanese village hitting each of the wooden alarm bells in turn until every female ninja that could be spawned was running in a line behind me. Then I'd pull my sword and kill them all just as fast as they could catch up (or until I caught to many flying shirken and died). "Ouch, that hurts --- ooooh, I'm bleeding" Use the crossbow and the scope to pin an arm or a hand against a wooded wall from a distance, then walk by them while they are still alive and kicking. In the original NOLF you could use the spear gun the same way, just pin one foot to the floor and walk on by the Turkish dudes while they jabbered nonsense at you in protest. In NOLF2 the crossbow with the scope and all the assorted poison and exploding ammo you could get by the end was the cat's meow at the you had to off all those augmented powerpacked eyeblasting type monstrosities. I guess those were my three favorite games -- they just got better the more you tweeked at them. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by justin_o_guy2 on 03/11/14 at 06:16:45 Install disk 2 NOW! & all ya got is ONE disk? Maaaan,, that just aint right,, NORMAL, yes, right, No.. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Oldfeller on 03/11/14 at 07:09:19 You feelin' adventurous today Justin? ;D I know your disk works right, I'm running off an install from it right now. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by rl153 on 03/11/14 at 09:18:53 OF ,I don't know if this will work ,but I found this article about installing xp without a product key. http://www.ehow.com/how_6122593_reinstall-xp-product-key.html |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by verslagen1 on 03/11/14 at 09:37:53 There used to be a free utility that would print out the key code. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Oldfeller on 03/11/14 at 10:07:23 Guys, once again my installation CD is bad, won't read. I've got a key code for the bad disk, but what good is it? I've got XP and Vista laptops, I can get to Windows if I want it ... |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by justin_o_guy2 on 03/11/14 at 11:15:20 Naw, man, Im havin a pretty low day.. If Im down to messin with makin a scraper Im not up to much challenge.. I have plenty of projects I could dive into, Im just not interested in much today.. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by rl153 on 03/11/14 at 12:37:18 ok,sorry. I was trying to determine if microsoft would actually block you from reinstalling xp by not activating your product key after april, but from the people i talked to, that is not true. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Steve H on 03/13/14 at 15:17:48 There are several methods published on the web to activate XP without MS being involved. OF...you might be able to find a disk image on the 'net somewhere either pre-activated or use it with your code. (probably a much better idea) |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Steve H on 03/13/14 at 15:19:27 Has anyone tried the KDE version of Mint? I have always loved the KDE desktop since I first used it. If so, how does it compare, performance wise, with Mint Mate? |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Oldfeller on 03/13/14 at 16:07:34 Steve, KDE is by its nature very unlike XP, to almost the same degree that Mate is very intentionally like XP. So, being a "like XP fan" I can't really answer your question. It's there if you want to give it a whirl. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by Steve H on 03/13/14 at 18:19:31 Oh yeah, I know it's completely different. Just was wondering if anyone had any comparisons between the two. I am sure that KDE is much more resource intensive. I might have to try Mint Mate and see how I like it. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by old_rider on 03/13/14 at 19:43:45 so best Linux, is now mint mate? I have a big laptop now, won't have to replace it for gaming for a long time... and i'm thinkin of throwing some minty freshness on this one...going the dual boot route again, but want the best mint for it.... one that can use win office stuff ect....oh and easy play game short cuts |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/14/14 at 08:35:43 Old_rider, I am not so foolish as to try to tell people which Linux is "the best" as there is no real answer to that question as what is "best" as that is something that is kinda undefined and always changing. What I shot for instead is "most like XP" and "easiest to transfer over to" and "has the minimum learning curve for an XP user". Any new OS will have differences and some learning to do, but we tried to pick the one that absolutely minimized the shift change. So far the answer to the "best matches XP question" is Linux Mint Mate 64 bit. With four people switching over with no issues and no one coming forward with a better XP alternate, it is the one we are going to recommend going forward and try to support as our XP folks roll into the future. Next month Linux Mint Mate 64 version 17 will come out as a 5 year supported Long Term Support version. I will be going through this update myself so I will have fresh and totally recent hands on experience with the ins and outs of it. So, if you want to you can experiment with Linux all you like, there are many many versions out there and you can have some fun with it. However, for those who want to have a relatively painless switchover from XP (which is dying next month) to Linux Mint Mate which will continue on in 5 year long chunks way out into the future we as a group can support you in doing that. ================ Why should you make a dual boot with Mint Mate as soon as the LTS becomes available? Rumor has it that XP will be attacked with exploits that are intended to kill it inside the first month of unsupportedness. Why would somebody want to do this? They want your money, either for "fixing it" or else get you to go buy an new machine. If you set up your current machine as dual boot machine and use Mint to do most of your internet cruising and save your XP installation for use only with the things that require it, your odds of having your XP survive a lot lot longer go way way up. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by oldNslow on 03/14/14 at 10:13:19 0f Couple of questions. I installed the 32bit version of Mint Mate 16 'cause the XP I'm running is 32bit - XP Home edition service pack3. Should I, could I, have installed Mate 64 bit instead ? What's the difference? Advantages? My processor is an Intel Pentium Dual E2140 1.6 GHz |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/14/14 at 12:46:18 You did the right one -- http://hothardware.com/Reviews/Intel-Pentium-E2140-Dual-Core-Processor/ https://www.google.com/search?q=is+Pentium+E2140+Dual+Core+a+64+bit+chip 5-10 years ago I would have said "no real difference" but there are programs out there accessing 64 bit addresses and a whale of a lot of more modern video chips and video cards are 128k wide now days. Modern softwares (and most Linux distros) are 64 bits wide now -- you can still get 32 bit modded distro versions (using older bits and pieces and the PAE extension tricks) but they are becoming scarcer and scarcer. This is one of the reasons you didn't see a great big move to adopt ARM on Linux until it got up to the true 64 bit level. So, how do you like what you have seen of Mint Mate so far ?? |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it?) Post by oldNslow on 03/14/14 at 13:46:03 Quote:
I think it's going to work very well for me. The interface is very XP like and easy to use. The pre installed programs that I've used so far - Libre Office Write, Banshee, and Firefox work just fine and are simple to use for someone familiar with their windows counterparts. Also moved my photos over from the XP side of my machine using a flash drive. The default photo viewer in Mint works just as well as the one on XP. I haven't downloaded an editing program yet. I see that there is a compatible version of Picasa in the software manager list so I'll probably download that. The Mint desktop isnt as "pretty" as the Windows one and there are not as many built in options to spruce it up but I don't really care about that. Thank's for the info about the processor. When 17 comes out I may try it sometime down the road, but for now I'm pretty happy with what I've got. I'm by no means a power user, and I don't care about games. I just want the stuff I do use to work. I'm curious about what's going to happen with XP. If it's going to blow up as fast and as completly as some people think it will. I'll continue to switch back and forth until something happens. The fact that I have someplace to go if/when doomsday comes makes me happy. The fact that it cost me $8.20 ($5.95 for the DVD + $2.25 shipping) makes me even happier. I hate throwing away usefull things. Having my computer become junk just because Microsoft needs me to buy a new one, and because there are malicious a**holes out there who get their jollies from writing code to screw stuff up makes me unhappy. I'd rather be happy :) |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/14/14 at 15:12:39 Appearance stuff for Mate, yeah they got some canned desktops and wall papers and the like, but for the fancy stuff you have to ask the internet for it and they will point you to the correct repositories for all the Gnome Tools stuff. You can dolly it up as pretty as you want, right up to the rotating cube Comprise interface stuff that I never had any real use for either. Fancy you can do, it just doesn't come stock that way. It comes stock looking like home sweet home to an old XP user ..... :) |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/15/14 at 12:01:19 GAMING ON LINUX I watch Steam weekly to see if any decent Linux games go on sale. Painkiller has showed up as a Linux Beta (pending fixing the last of the bugs) which was sort of a surprise to me. Painkiller runs on Unreal Engine #3 and apparently all the work that is being done on the on-line Unreal Engine #4 is backporting into a whole crop of older but goodier full bore type games from the last 5 years or so which were done in Unreal Engine #3 and #4.. As the Unreal Engine tricks all work themselves out to completion, look to see lots and lots of older titles moving over to the Steam OS category. (.... and to all the Ubuntu based Linuxes, which includes Mint Mate 64 our favorite flavor) They won't be 100% free, but Steam runs older games on sale at 80% - 90% off periodically which knocks the price down to $5-6 for a full bore major attraction game. I can live with that. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/16/14 at 12:05:21 Well, I put $4.99 at risk and bought Painkiller Windows on $4.99 sale, then I participated in the Linux Beta program and my Linux stuff is downloading as we speak. Why? Because i want to encourage the rolling of good gaming titles over to Linux. Of all the money I can donate, this $4.99 has the most potential to do some real good. Simply rolling old titles over to Linux is a cheap easy way for the game companies (Epic in this case) to make a buck, expand their audience and DO AWAY WITH ONE OF THE LAST MAJOR NAGGING REASONS PEOPLE STAY ON WINDOWS. If I could find more first rate titles on Linux (running Steam and Ubuntu/Mint) I would save an eventual Windows 9 license cost as that is the ONLY reason I would ever need Windows again. Plus, Painkiller is a fairly good shoot'em up game. I missed buying Serious Sam on $9.99 sale last month because I didn't have near enough video card to play it. Since then I caught a open box low profile Asus video card for $22 that will play it at ~ 25-30 frames per second at medium detail levels which is fast/good enough for government work (or for me anyway). Low profile (half height) graphics cards tend not to be uber-powerful on the gaming side of things, but they are quite a bit better than older on-the-motherboard GMA graphics from Intel -- by a whole bunch. :D Like I said, for $4.99 I will try to encourage Epic to keep on rolling those old game titles over. And yes, using Linux and the new graphics card I now have a $102 "in total cost to me" gaming rig that can play recent PC type full bore level games using Steam & Linux Mint Mate 64 bit OS at $5-6 per major game (when the games are bought on weekend specials). Cheap ofd farts RULE !!! |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/16/14 at 19:15:19 Painkiller on Steam/Linux is a real real BETA VERSION, the Logitech mouse controls are still very wacky and very jumpy although the AI and the scenery seems to be OK. Don't buy it yet until it goes full release and the bugs are all settled. Of course it will cost more then, and supposedly I will get the joy of watching them fix all the buggies that we all report. Step one for me is to substitute a Microsoft mouse that I happen to have on hand to see if the MS drivers are working any better than the Logitech drivers. :D I was surprised that my $102 Linux gaming rig was auto-recognised as high level everything in the game's processor and graphics settings. I didn't think it would do that as I was only promised mid-range when I bought the card. (it wasn't real -- the auto-recognize lied to itself) ;) It sounds stupid, but helping to fix stuff is part of what makes open source a little more fun than MS stuff. With MS you CAN"T fix anything, it just stays broken until the next Windows version comes out. With open source, you file bug a report and then you see if folks respond, then they say what they did and ask you to try it again to see if it is working now. You feel like you had a part in getting it right. Being BETA in a game isn't always flaw free, but it is satisfying after a fashion. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/17/14 at 07:35:48 Gaming on Linux through Steam is a work in progress. I have bought 2 "full ready" Linux/Steam major game items recently, both required significant tweeking of the in-game parameters to get it to run using the Linux Mint Mate 13 LTS that I have on my box now. Fair disclosure, some of these games claim up front that they need more modern Mint versions than I have. It would be nice if the game developers doing the porting would stick with LTS versions instead of just downloading whatever is current and developing everything for that. It is plumb stupid to fully develop a game for a Ubuntu non-LTS version that has only a six month shelf life ...... So, Gaming on Linux still seems to suffer from distro fragmentation even within the very short Mint/Ubuntu kissing cousins range. It suffers from growing pains as time (as short as a year) moves the environment along far enough that discontinuity comes about between older games and distros and Steam versions. Steam had a dream, but the dream is flawed because of lack of hard, stable standards between what was written then (6 months ago) and what is here now. To make this work, Steam needs to sit firmly on their Steambox Standards and not let every fool in the world at whatever distro/version age/performance level download their software. It ain't going to work right without a more stable consistent environment. Or else, like Painkiller, all the Steam Linux games need to be listed as BETA until they get worked out 100% for a closely controlled range of LTS distro versions. ================= Gaming is still better on Windows right now. ::) Sorry Status update: Painkiller Hell and Dam-it-ation is now running in Super VGA mode (monitor's natural mode) at low spec levels (monitor's natural pixel density) at really fast fight'n speeds. Game looks good, looks like it fits the screen properly and everything is working like it is supposed to. The game is still kicking my butt mercilessly, but I am old and my reflexes are slow .... (still learning how to bunny hop sideways and strafe) Metro Last Light isn't running at all -- wrong Ubuntu base is being used by me (my fault) awaiting next month's upgrade to Mint Mate 14.04 to get "even" spec wise with itself. |
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Title: Re: JUSTIN & Linux (sounds dangerous, don't it Post by Oldfeller on 03/18/14 at 17:22:54 Good Old Games, Inc. is a re-packager/seller of old depreciated PC game titles, selling them at the $5.99 price point. Considering that most games cycle totally out of favor when the follow on game hits the market, this means that a great MANY games out there are depreciated at this point in time. Since they looked around and saw so many old games being converted to Linux (and since so MANY of the old depreciated games are Unreal Engine 3.0 games) guess who has decided to join into the Linux Gaming efforts? Yup, GOG is .... and if you read their announcement page you will see just how organized this Linux conversion effort all really isn't just right now. ;) http://www.gog.com/upload/images/2014/03/a55b21c793c5a2734013e01f58651e90273596c8.png http://www.gog.com/news/gogcom_soon_on_more_platforms HOWEVER, for every well transferred game GOG is going to make a reasonable buck, and so is Steam for every one of the more current games they take over the wall. And so is the original maker of the game. (residuals must be paid, after all) This signals that Linux has enough market share to entice commercial enterprise, which is refreshing and good to see come about. As Windows fails, Linux will begin to gain in more and better this and that. Linux will begin to see forces asking for DISTRO STANDARDS and adherence to standards will be needed so gaming and other similar items can work better. As ARM embraces standards so must the very disjointed world of the Linux Distros ..... sorry kiddies, playtime is over |
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