Turning to Linux

[kwisher]

For older PC's the XFCE desktop usually performs a little better. Mint offers an XFCE spin that is quite nice and you can also try the Ubuntu spin called Xubuntu.

 

[Altster]

Mint with the Mate desktop of course.

Ubuntu has too much baggage.

Ditto, ditto...

BTW, I just set up my daughter-in-law with a nice little Gatway / MPC E-155 (?) tablet PC with Mint Mate and it works great! No special extras needed to make it work and it found, setup and prints to her wireless printer - YAY!

 

[OaksLabs]

I prefer Ubuntu server (with xubuntu desktop if a desktop environment is needed), but for a run of the mill linux box Mint is nice.

 

[oldtimer50]

Mint is better for everyday use, on the desktop

 

[coffee]

As far as I am concerned, Linux Mint is the premier flavor to run if you want an enjoyable linux experience. Especially true for the first time user. I say this because there are over what? 200 or more different flavors of linux out there. Each flavor leans towards a particular group of users. There are highly technical flavors and desktop environments and at the other end of the spectrum are very user friendly flavors. Its important to know which area your preferred flavor is leaning towards. I have heard from a lot of first time users that they tried linux and hated it. My first question to them is what flavor they tried? I get responses like Slackware or Fedora and then some I have never heard of. So, They base their whole experience on a flavor that leans toward experienced users. Great example is Fedora. Fedora is cutting edge and you can expect problems and a higher learning curve when you run it. Its the test bed for Redhat. This means things will break when upgrading and some software will have glitches and may not work. An other area to understand is the desktop environment. If you have an older video card or perhaps a not so well supported video card then running something like the cinnamon desktop is going to be a bit of a challenge.

One other area of contention is an area of politics. Ubuntu linux gets a lot of press and a lot of users will gravitate to it. However, With Ubuntu linux your going to be running the "Windows 10" of the linux world. By that I mean you really do not know what its doing in the back ground as far as privacy goes. If you find privacy an issue with Windows then your not doing much better with Ubuntu. Ubuntu loves to watch over you and report information on your searches to 3rd party vendors like Amazon. Ubuntu kinda follows the philosophy of Windows - "Pay not attention to that man behind the curtain" kinda mentality. If this doesnt bother you then have at it.

If you want a truly pleasing experience with linux and especially for a first time user then run Mint with the Mate desktop. Although Mint is based on Ubuntu it is quickly moving away from Ubuntu as its base. Expect in a year or so that Mint will be fully separate from it. Also, Mint listens to its users on almost everything it provides. This is in contrast to Ubuntu. Ubuntu developers feel they know best. Also keep in mind there are different versions of linux Mint depending on the desktop environment you would like. I recommend the Mate desktop. Just start out here and you can always install another version in a VM to test drive it. Mate is very stable and is easily travelled which makes it very productive from a user stand point.

Most every complaint I hear about linux makes me grin. The reason is, Most of them are baseless. It just mearly points out that they fall into only a few groups of users - 1. Those that would have a lot of difficulty in windows too. 2. Windows fanboys just looking to knock linux in general. 3. Those that have not done their home work.

If your running 10 year old hardware do you really expect stellar performance from any operating system? The same goes for unsupported hardware. Many times someone will load up linux and discover that their printer or other device is not supported. This isnt a linux issue. This is the manufacturer’s issue. They choose to not support linux by providing drivers. Thats fine. But then you as a user should not support them by buying their products.

One other thing that a lot of users do not understand: When you look at a flavor of linux and they list a choice of a desktop version or a server version they are all the same. Its just one does not have a GUI desktop environment installed. If you want a desktop enviroment then just install it. Its not like "Gee, I want to run it on a server so I will pick the server version". In all actuality, You can install the desktop version on a server and just add the services you want. You can even run it in a non-graphic mode just like the server flavor. My server runs Mint with the mate desktop. If your very concerned about memory on a server then you do not have to run a desktop environment. Thats why the server editions are out there. I am just pointing out the basic difference between the desktop version and server editions.

One other thing - Linux is the kernel your computer boots from. Open Source Software are the programs that run off the kernel.

Ok, Off my bandwagon here.

Linux Mint Mate is great. Also, It keeps getting better with every update and upgrade. It supports the true meaning of Linux

coffee

 

[Dewtrnx]

As far as I am concerned, Linux Mint is the premier flavor to run if you want an enjoyable linux experience. Especially true for the first time user. I say this because there are over what? 200 or more different flavors of linux out there. Each flavor leans towards a particular group of users. There are highly technical flavors and desktop environments and at the other end of the spectrum are very user friendly flavors. Its important to know which area your preferred flavor is leaning towards. I have heard from a lot of first time users that they tried linux and hated it. My first question to them is what flavor they tried? I get responses like Slackware or Fedora and then some I have never heard of. So, They base their whole experience on a flavor that leans toward experienced users. Great example is Fedora. Fedora is cutting edge and you can expect problems and a higher learning curve when you run it. Its the test bed for Redhat. This means things will break when upgrading and some software will have glitches and may not work. An other area to understand is the desktop environment. If you have an older video card or perhaps a not so well supported video card then running something like the cinnamon desktop is going to be a bit of a challenge.

One other area of contention is an area of politics. Ubuntu linux gets a lot of press and a lot of users will gravitate to it. However, With Ubuntu linux your going to be running the "Windows 10" of the linux world. By that I mean you really do not know what its doing in the back ground as far as privacy goes. If you find privacy an issue with Windows then your not doing much better with Ubuntu. Ubuntu loves to watch over you and report information on your searches to 3rd party vendors like Amazon. Ubuntu kinda follows the philosophy of Windows - "Pay not attention to that man behind the curtain" kinda mentality. If this doesnt bother you then have at it.

If you want a truly pleasing experience with linux and especially for a first time user then run Mint with the Mate desktop. Although Mint is based on Ubuntu it is quickly moving away from Ubuntu as its base. Expect in a year or so that Mint will be fully separate from it. Also, Mint listens to its users on almost everything it provides. This is in contrast to Ubuntu. Ubuntu developers feel they know best. Also keep in mind there are different versions of linux Mint depending on the desktop environment you would like. I recommend the Mate desktop. Just start out here and you can always install another version in a VM to test drive it. Mate is very stable and is easily travelled which makes it very productive from a user stand point.

Most every complaint I hear about linux makes me grin. The reason is, Most of them are baseless. It just mearly points out that they fall into only a few groups of users - 1. Those that would have a lot of difficulty in windows too. 2. Windows fanboys just looking to knock linux in general. 3. Those that have not done their home work.

If your running 10 year old hardware do you really expect stellar performance from any operating system? The same goes for unsupported hardware. Many times someone will load up linux and discover that their printer or other device is not supported. This isnt a linux issue. This is the manufacturer’s issue. They choose to not support linux by providing drivers. Thats fine. But then you as a user should not support them by buying their products.

One other thing that a lot of users do not understand: When you look at a flavor of linux and they list a choice of a desktop version or a server version they are all the same. Its just one does not have a GUI desktop environment installed. If you want a desktop enviroment then just install it. Its not like "Gee, I want to run it on a server so I will pick the server version". In all actuality, You can install the desktop version on a server and just add the services you want. You can even run it in a non-graphic mode just like the server flavor. My server runs Mint with the mate desktop. If your very concerned about memory on a server then you do not have to run a desktop environment. Thats why the server editions are out there. I am just pointing out the basic difference between the desktop version and server editions.

One other thing - Linux is the kernel your computer boots from. Open Source Software are the programs that run off the kernel.

Ok, Off my bandwagon here.

Linux Mint Mate is great. Also, It keeps getting better with every update and upgrade. It supports the true meaning of Linux

coffee

Thank you for such a detailed explanation of the different flavors of Linux. I've only played with Ubuntu and didn't like it. Next I'll be looking at Mint with Mate desktop. I have so many old machines laying around I've been wanting to start using Linux and now I feel I have a better idea where to start. Really appreciate the amount of information you provided in this post and the others too!

 

[coffee]

Thank you for such a detailed explanation of the different flavors of Linux. I've only played with Ubuntu and didn't like it. Next I'll be looking at Mint with Mate desktop. I have so many old machines laying around I've been wanting to start using Linux and now I feel I have a better idea where to start. Really appreciate the amount of information you provided in this post and the others too!

I am glad I was able to answer some questions concerning linux. If you have any problems or questions I would be glad to help get you up to speed and help fix any issues you might have.

 

[Diggs]

Just to add some flavor to the discussion, I usually have a copy of Puppy Linux installed on a bench machine somewhere. Puppy is pretty rough around the edges but there's just something I like about running in root all the time?

Got Root?

 

[coffee]

Just to add some flavor to the discussion, I usually have a copy of Puppy Linux installed on a bench machine somewhere. Puppy is pretty rough around the edges but there's just something I like about running in root all the time?

Got Root?

I understand as coming from windows where privileges can be a mixed bag, But running linux in root is a security risk. I guess if you understand the risks involved in running programs as root its you call.

 

[Diggs]

(Many have had that discussion before us.) Running Linux even in root with no attachment to the internet (or network) and using it as an appliance is usually much more secure than a networked Windows machine doing diagnostics and repairs. (But, that's not what this thread is about and not one we'll decide...)

 

[altrenda]

One of the things I see is that most people's experience with Linux is with the latest and greatest distro with all the bells and whistles on "old machines laying around " and discovering that it runs only marginally better than Windows, compared to how well that distro runs on modern hardware. Running a lighter weight version, like LDXE, is a better idea for older hardware and gives a much better experience.


also, isn't this true as well, regardless of the OS?
Running a computer even in root with no attachment to the internet (or network) and using it as an appliance is usually much more secure than a networked machine doing diagnostics and repairs.

 

[coffee]

This is how it works for people that like to run as root.

When you run as a certain user your settings are stored in /home/$username. If your running as root then they are stored in /root.

Somewhere down the line you will eventually want to connect to the internet or a localnet. Now all your settings are stored in root rather than a regular user. So, They run as root and thats where the trouble begins. Then they start yelling how insecure linux is in forums and such. Like I said earlier, If you want to run as root then go for it. Its your computer and your data.

As far as the network cable being unplugged, Well, Any POS O/S (like windows) is very secure when the cable is unplugged. Heck, Even Microsoft cannot tell what you are doing then.

 

[altrenda]

As far as the network cable being unplugged, Well, Any POS O/S (like windows) is very secure when the cable is unplugged. Heck, Even Microsoft cannot tell what you are doing then.

LOL. Although these days, I don't put anything past anyone.

 

[Altster]

As far as the network cable being unplugged, Well, Any POS O/S (like windows) is very secure when the cable is unplugged. Heck, Even Microsoft cannot tell what you are doing then.

You mean they don't monitor everything via the power cable / battery too? I know they'd sure like to!

Time to put the tin foil hat on / off.

 

[coffee]

You mean they don't monitor everything via the power cable / battery too? I know they'd sure like to!

Time to put the tin foil hat on / off.

Speaking from personal preference, I would rather run a linux box than a windows box. The advantages for me are too many to list here.

As for 'tin foil hats' I dont know where you are going with that. If you are saying that my opinion is that of a crazy person then I would have to disagree.

 

[ZenTree]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I have been a long term supporter of puppy linux for my diagnostic usb since it's just so damn quick to load. On the suggestions on here I tried Mint with mate and it's come a long way since I tried it a few years back. Old netbook booted quickly off SD card and wireless drivers were installed with no hassle (which i've always had issues with on linux before). Impressed with how smooth it is and how well designed. Going to have a play around with it.

edit: seemed to lag really badly on occasion on the netbook when using it. Tried it on the repair PC from the same SD card and ran a lot better but for diags I think will stick with puppy. Going to be using Mint on a spare home laptop though.

 

[Altster]

Speaking from personal preference, I would rather run a linux box than a windows box. The advantages for me are too many to list here.

As for 'tin foil hats' I dont know where you are going with that. If you are saying that my opinion is that of a crazy person then I would have to disagree.

The tin foil hat was directed to me. You are still safe (for now) <grin>.

 

[coffee]

I see Dell is starting to push Ubuntu linux more on their computers. I read some articles on Dell and they are partnering with Ubuntu to develop and clean up new drivers for their laptops.

https://insights.ubuntu.com/2015/04...s-dell-launches-two-new-ubuntu-based-systems/

http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/dell-ubunto-skylake-xps-13/

I would rather see Mint on the laptops but that can be changed if one wants to clean off the hard drive and just install Mint. Should work just fine as Mint is based on the Ubuntu base.

 

[Altster]

Should work just fine as Mint is based on the Ubuntu base.

Which in turn is based on Debian - correct?

 

[coffee]

Which in turn is based on Debian - correct?

Yes, But please do not get the idea that you can download and install just debian based software. Reason being, Since Mint is an offshoot of Ubuntu there are certain "tweeks" to the software when compiling for Ubuntu/mint. So, You could also end up in dependency hell trying to do a debian program install.

Always install from the repos (Menu/Software Manager).

I was in a situation a few weeks ago that I was trying to install 'Open Broadcaster' and had to compile it from source. There were some dependencies that took me on a wild ride for about an hour. I imagine it would be worse if you tried a debian download/install of some software.

But the short of it is, Ubuntu branched off of Debian. Ubuntu decided that they know better about what you like and started changing things like adding the totally useless and idiotic Unity Desktop. At the same time, Gnome got a wild hair and changed things around alot in the release of Gnome3. A lot of us experienced users got upset and complained. Some of us got kicked out of the Ubuntu forums (me). So, Then Linux Mint came to the rescue and continued with Gnome2 and also listened intently to what the users wanted. This is how Mint has become so popular.



coffee