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The "Linux questions (and other stuff)" thread

By any chance Nick, during your "default install" did you enable any additional repositories? (or ALL of them? :eek:) If you did, check to see if the development repository is enabled because you'd get immediate update notifications and all sorts of alpha and beta software, which can cause any number of problems.
 
What am i supposed to believe when Linux needs dozens of updates every 8 or so hours, and requiring a restart each time? if Linux truly is more secure i don't understand how it could possibly have so many holes to patch via security updates..any common user would or should feel the same way..

My machine wasn't online when i installed Ubuntu 14.04. i just selected my language, time zone, partitioned my hard drive, accepted the default desktop install and clicked OK. not sure how i could break anything like that. i left the 'download additional packages' checkbox unchecked.

EDIT: just checked, and only have the updates for backports and security selected. i changed the check frequency to weekly though to see what happens. so far the few updates i am getting (and which require restarting) are security updates. a bunch. if i left it off for a week i'd bet on there being hundreds. it really doesn't help one feel more secure about Linux though when there's THAT many holes to patch.
 
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What are you supposed to believe when your system response is markedly different from everyone else?

OK, I would believe that something went wrong for me, rather than believe that everyone else is the exception.

And for you, it was likely trying the offline install.

The RTS package ONLY was current for Linux and the core packages. Virtually everything required an update to get everything actually current.

After any new install, when online, you want to do -

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
(or maybe better - instead do)
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

In that order, because - http://askubuntu.com/questions/222348/what-does-sudo-apt-get-update-do see also https://www.digitalocean.com/commun...s-in-ubuntu-and-debian-with-apt-get-apt-cache

And maybe every few months, do it again. I think I do mine every 3 or 4.

If you do an offline installation and get anywhere near those commands, you're easily going to get the repository pointers tangled up.

If your repository list(s) got hosed, you can get the right information here -

http://repogen.simplylinux.ch/

I suspect that the offline installation, followed by whatever update options you tried, is the root of your difference to the norm.

And a fresh install of another distribution, online, will cure it also.
 
nickdalzell said:
EDIT: just checked, and only have the updates for backports and security selected. i changed the check frequency to weekly though to see what happens. so far the few updates i am getting (and which require restarting) are security updates. a bunch. if i left it off for a week i'd bet on there being hundreds. it really doesn't help one feel more secure about Linux though when there's THAT many holes to patch.
Click to expand...

Again, count the actual security updates that Windows really installs on its weekly automatic update - it's not a small number.

Or, yes, by fixing exploits as soon as they're found, even if only in a security laboratory before they hit, it's true, Linux is less secure.

Linux ought to wait to fix exploits or not do it at all in many cases, just like Windows.

^ And that's what doesn't make sense. ;)
 
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And btw, why I think I'm right about the whole offline thing -

Had a customer with a bad vendor running them around on updating their Ubuntu server.

I made two machines to sort out the problem.

The first was a backup-restore clone so I could have a baseline.

The second was a clean build, just as he did two years ago, offline using a 12 RTS.

And I had to debug what happened when he went online and applied updates later - and that's how I know that the repository list can get borked and how I came to know that repository site I linked above.

In the end, I simply did a clean 14 RTS install for them and migrated data.
 
I've been having some fun setting up a file server via Ubuntu Server and just letting everyone know that i'm happy to be learning some new tricks. i managed to essentially make my server act as a NAS device and access my offline movies via my Samsung Smart TV. i eventually intend on making it a router and many other things as well. quite fun! :)

No more MyCloud app or its inability to accept my username/password to worry about. hoping soon to have a router that doesn't need reboots every day due to freezing up.
 
Alrighty.

I'm a total Linux noob. I've been having shit luck with Windows 8.1 lately. I'm fed up. After 20 years of being a windows fanatic....I think I'm ready to move on.

My laptop has 2 hard drives. I'm considering installing a linux distro on the empty one and booting from it for a while to see how I like it. I know that Windows always comes with a crap ton of drivers so that installation is generally not a problem. Does Linux have any issues in this area? Am I going to have driver issues when I try to set it up?
 
bjacks12 said:
Alrighty.

I'm a total Linux noob. I've been having shit luck with Windows 8.1 lately. I'm fed up. After 20 years of being a windows fanatic....I think I'm ready to move on.

My laptop has 2 hard drives. I'm considering installing a linux distro on the empty one and booting from it for a while to see how I like it. I know that Windows always comes with a crap ton of drivers so that installation is generally not a problem. Does Linux have any issues in this area? Am I going to have driver issues when I try to set it up?
Click to expand...
The best way to see if things are going to work is to run a live cd and check to see if everything works. Do beware Linux is different than windows.
 
bjacks12 said:
Alrighty.

I'm a total Linux noob. I've been having shit luck with Windows 8.1 lately. I'm fed up. After 20 years of being a windows fanatic....I think I'm ready to move on.

My laptop has 2 hard drives. I'm considering installing a linux distro on the empty one and booting from it for a while to see how I like it. I know that Windows always comes with a crap ton of drivers so that installation is generally not a problem. Does Linux have any issues in this area? Am I going to have driver issues when I try to set it up?
Click to expand...

It depends on your machine. 90% of the time, I boot up a machine with no problems at all. The other 10%... well, sometimes the video isn't as good as when I was running Windows on it, and I have to research a different driver, or the wifi driver got dropped from the current kernel and I have to install a different one... like I said elsewhere, its the same kind of issues I would run into when building a new machine from scratch.

Since the overwhelming majority of distributions are free, I'd recommend downloading a few and booting some up on your laptop-- most will likely boot up straight from CD or USB drive and you can explore the interface and see if you are comfortable with it.

A lot of Microsoft refugees find Ubuntu and its derivatives a good starting point. I use Mint, which is based off Ubuntu.

Distrowatch is a good place to start looking for an OS.
 
Also be aware that a 'live' CD of Linux will, of course, run much slower than an installation on the HD. CD drives simply aren't that fast. You'll get a better results from a USB stick.

I'm not an Unbuntu fan, but Mint is IMHO the best of the Unbuntu-based distros, especially for a beginner. There's lotsa good distros but I like Fedora myself for reasons I won't get into here. It's usually very good at hardware detection and installation so may run on your laptop if other distros don't.

But I'm not a fan of Fedora's default Gnome 3 desktop. So I installed the Cinnamon desktop, which is also the default desktop for Mint. Cinnamon is kinda Windows XP-like so it should be easy for a Windows guy to get confortable with. Ask if you want more info.
 
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Thanks for the input. I think I"m going to try Mint. When I decide to install, do I boot from CD like you would a Windows installation? Or can I just throw the file on the destination HD and boot from that to begin the install?
 
Try it running from a CD or USB stick before installing on the HD. That way you'll know if it automatically correctly detects and configures your hardware and give you a taste of the UI. Linux includes drivers for most hardware and most times loads everything for you and just works. Live CDs usually offer an option to go ahead and install from the CD if it runs well and you like it.

Just burn the live CD ISO as a bootible disk and run it as if you were installing Windows. It will load a basic but functional Linux install loaded in RAM and running off the disk or USB. Nothing is changed on the machine. If doesn't play well with your hardware or you just don't like it, shutdown, remove the CD/USB and reboot. All will be just as it was. No risk.
 
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Crashdamage said:
No risk.
Click to expand...
Wrong!

There is a great risk of ending up with an ISO library of a dozen or so current distro's (not counting the legacy versions and utilities) and a rotation of Live USB sticks that have you booting into the wee hours of the morning and still can't decide. ;)

I've never been a big fan of Ubuntu, either, and less so recently. I am currently having issues with the latest Mint/Cinnamon distro (17.1, i think) and my WiFi adapter, but it's still my favorite to start someone with coming from Windows.

Definitely check out Fedora and Open SUSE, too.
 
Another thing. I absolutely despise OpenOffice. I have the full suite of MS Office 2010 which I prefer to use. Can this be run on Linux?
 
@lunatic59: You need to find a DAA meeting (Distro Addicts Anonymous). Fortunately, I've never had that problem. I tend to find something that works for me and stick with it for a few years.

I'll pass on Unbuntu and other .deb distros. I started out with .rpm with RedHat 5 and I still just prefer it. But there's arguments to be made for either one. But IMHO Unbuntu has gone off the deep end lately.

Actually, I'm not crazy about the Cinnamon desktop either. Too Windows-like for my tastes. I like something simple, basic, clean. I used Fluxbox for many years. I finally gave in and installed Cinnamon mostly so that other people could sit down and just immediately use my Linux box. Call it a concession to Windows users. With Fluxbox I had to give a quick lesson and quiz before I could walk away. That said, Cinnamon works fine in its Windows kinda way.
 
bjacks12 said:
Another thing. I absolutely despise OpenOffice. I have the full suite of MS Office 2010 which I prefer to use. Can this be run on Linux?
Click to expand...
Windows software does not run on Linux. You may be able to install it using a program called Wine, Crossover or Windows Ina virtual machine like Virtualbox.

http://www.howtogeek.com/171565/how-to-install-microsoft-office-on-linux/

Best bet is Libre Office which is a continuation and improved version of the old OpenOffice project. Give it a try, it's gotten better over the years. It's free and available for install in almost all Linux distros. Many people prefer it over M$ Office now.
 
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Since I don't consider computing to be a religious experience, I'm fine with being a pagan.

As upset as I am with MS right now, Office has always worked great for me. It's also what I use daily for work, and using a different suite would not be good for me IMO.
 
Linux is not a religion for me, just another tool.

If I need to use Microsoft Office, and there are times when Libre Office won't do, then I boot into Windows and use Office.

Then when I am done, I reboot back into Mint KDE.
 
Office 365 is on-line, runs in the browser, like Google Docs. So yeh it will work on Linux no problems. :D

Can try to make Linux run Windows software if you want, things like CrossOver and Wine.

In this country now, many enterprises, academic users, govt users, etc. have gone over to WPS Office, which is available for Linux and Windows. Because of the govt. discouraging the use of Microsoft products in favour of domestically produced software.
 
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