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The "Linux questions (and other stuff)" thread

lunatic59 said:
Another option would be to pop in an additional physical drive and install Linux there, then you can use the computers boot menu to select which drive it boots from.
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Ah, more money... for a guy on a fixed income, that'll have to wait. Which Linux-based OS would you recommend, one that has stability and the ability to run off of one C drive? LW
 
Here's another similarly difficult question to answer ... blond, brunette or redhead? ;)

Seriously, it may be a matter of trial and error and trial and error and trial by jury and conviction or acquittal. :eek:

Most of the popular distro's ... Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora, OpenSuse, et al, should be fine on most hardware setups. I was a big fan of Mint/Cinnamon until v17. For some reason the wireless drivers in that distro have intermittent drops and hangs with the adapter in my laptop. It's a known issue and the fixes in the Mint forums didn't work for me so I backed up and installed Fedora 21.

I first tried the official Fedora 21 with the Gnome 3 desktop. As Taylor Swift says, I'm gonna hate hate hate ... i really HATE gnome 3. I gave it a try and i just can't warm up to it. So, I blew that away and am now using Fedora with a Cinnamon spin (Gnome 2 variant). It just makes more sense to me. Seems the wireless drivers aren't an issue for me with Fedora.

While that seems like a lot of work, it really isn't. With a LiveUSB I can remove an old Linux OS and install a new one in under 15 mintes including restoring my data.
 
Yes yes I'm running Ubuntu 14.04.1 trusty tar I believe, if I were to use "evo/lution" Arch Linux would I be able to use the cinnamon GUI? That what cinnamon is right? The user interface? I have like 8 jump drives to load up with distros and I'm deciding between Ubuntu, and arch Linux based bbq-linux and evo/Linux.

Can I put Cinnamon on Ubuntu? Trying to find the Linux setup I feel most comfortable with before I jump in head first to compiling from source again
 
lunatic59 said:
Cinnamon on Ubuntu is Mint. ;)
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Almost but not quite. If I wanted Cinnamon and a Debian base I'd definitely go for Mint over Unbuntu with Cinnamon. I guess I'm kinda splitting hairs but Unbuntu bothers me.

I used Gnome 3 for a year or so with Fedora 15. Never really got comfortable with it. Went back to Fluxbox for a while, which I used before for many years on Mandrake, CentOS, Fedora, etc.

When I installed Fedora 20 I loaded Cinnamon not so much for me, I much prefer a minimal window manager like Fluxbox. But Cinnamon is like using Windows XP. And that's ok, much as I despise Windows I'll admit that XP is actually a very usable UI. Cinnamon makes it easy for other people to just sit down, log in and use Linux. All the basic stuff is familiar. Not so with Gnome 3 or simple window managers. KDE is just too much of a pita.

So Cinnamon has been a good compromise. I've found it to be the best overall desktop environment for Linux so far, even if it's really a little too Windows-like for my personal taste.
 
For me it's all about workflow and efficiency. Gnome3 to me showed no marked improvement in either, and until I got familiar with it, it really was a bottleneck. If I may make a visual analogy ...

Simple displays of necessary information where you need it. Controls are relatively easy to figure out.

3l-image.jpg

Probably an improvement, but the UI is not helpful and until you get accustomed to it, you are lost.

f35-cockpit.jpg

Everything in your face all the time. ;)

Mig-29-Cockpit.jpg

gruber.jpg
 
I can't speak much because I've only used Mint w/ Cinnamon, but I really like it so far. It's been pretty easy for me to use the UI. I haven't had time to get into the terminal at all(maybe after tax season), but overall I like it.
 
I personally like lxde the best. I have tried cinnamon and mate but really didn't care for either. Gnome 2 was my choice for years but then 3 came out and killed it
 
argedion said:
Fedora with Kde cause I'm difficult like that :p
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Kde? Fill in the blanks for this noob... I want a Linux OS that will make any front-end buss bottlenecks less annoying.

I want to know all that I can about running Linux for multitrack recording, the most powerful Linux-based recording software; i.e., having the ability to run user-friendly multitrack recording software that has 32-bit floating point [or, linear!] wordlength with 192 kHz sampling rate, herculean FX that can be used in different varieties track by track, or, in stereo tracks... in other words, I want ProTools Mac features in a Linux OS that would be used minimally for regular computer 'stuff'.

Come together, knowledgeable ones. Help this Linux noob become a powerful recording force. If not, then, I'll be forced to go back to my old friend, a RAM gobbling, proven-but-expensive Mac setup that will break my bankbook...

Help, Tarzan, help! LW
 
The K Desktop Environment (KDE) is a powerful front-end for Linux. It is highly flexible and customizable, but is heavier on resources than most. If you like tweaking things, then KDE is where it's at. If you are going to go with the default settings, then Cinnamon or lxde would be better.
 
Since we have a few new people wanting to install Linux I though I would give some advice for you and maybe future converts.

1. Find a distro that is compatible with your computing(yes I said computing) most distro's should be compatible with your computer but not all will do what you wish them to do.

The Main Players usually have everything you could want and more. These include but are not limited to:
Ubuntu and all buntu dirivitives (this includes Mint and others), Fedora and openSUSE. - There are tons more these are just some of the more popular ones.

2. Linux is not Windows it is not a better edition of Windows. While several desktop environments can mimic the Windows environment it is not WINDOWS. Linux is full of choice. You can install just about any desktop environment you can think of. The more Popular Desktops are:
Gnome, KDE, Cinnamon, Mate, XFCE, LXDE - again there are tons more but these are the ones a majority seem to use.
When Thinking of Switching to another OS you should use only Cross Platform programs where you can. Stuff like VLC instead of Windows Media Player. Thunderbird email instead of Outlook. Stuff like that. Learning how to use Cross Platform programs will make the transition easier as you will already be familiar with the interface of apps you use.

3. Linux lets you testdrive before install. Most come with a Live edition that allow you to boot up and test out the distro. I recommend you try out One distro and several of the Desktops at a time. See which one you like the best. We all have our opinions but at the end of the day its you who knows what is appealing to you and what is not.

4. Once you find the Combination you like (Linux Distro + Desktop Manager) you will want to join the forums of that distro. READ their section about installing. See what issues others have run into. Doing this can prepare you incase something goes wrong you can have an idea of how to start trouble shooting. Ask lots of questions in the forum theirs and here :)

5. Deciding to install is a decision that takes preparation. The very first thing you should do when planning to install is BACKUP YOUR ENTIRE DISK. Depending on how you install ( A lot of people dual boot) Partitioning the drive that all your data is on will need to be done. You will want a good backup incase something goes wrong and your partition has to be recreated. My best advice is to avoid this all together and stick Linux on an external if you want both Windows and Linux. Linux runs very well on an external drive.

6. Post install will include adding programs and codecs and other stuff to make your computer the way you need/want it. All distro's have their own repositories for adding these things. You can go into the Distro's "Software Center" (Add Remove Programs or whatever your disto names it) and search and add packages from there. Unlike Windows where you go to the internet and download and install you should really stick with the repositories. They are community maintained and are more guaranteed to be virus free. If there is a package you need that your distro does not offer in the repository and you have to download it make sure its in the package format your system uses:
Ubuntu - .deb , Fedora/SUSE - .rpm , etc.

7. Lastly Welcome to the DARKSIDE ENJOY :)
 
Tried to get my friend to convert from Mac to Linux as he replaced his HD in his MB Pro. No dice. :P

I'm sending my laptop back to ASUS next week to get the internal HD replaced under warranty. So I'll be Linux-less for the time being, unless I plugged my external HD into my work machine. :P
 
OK my fellow Linux / Android babies (in my best Dr. Johnny Fever voice - if you don't know, just roll with the babies thing, it's good ok) -

I've updated the Mini-SDK especially for Linux users.

I have to serve temporary and permanent Linux users so I already know it's not perfect and never will be.

But - anyone wanting to review and feedback here has my deepest gratitude. :)

http://androidforums.com/threads/adb-guide-updated-2014-11-11.443072/#post-5389081
 
Sigh.....the ubuntu & derivatives guide needs to be changed, adb and fastboot are in the repositories.

sudo apt-get install android-tools-adb android-tools-fastboot will net you a properly installed and up-to-date version of just the adb and fastboot tools, as well as allowing you to invoke them from anywhere in the filesystem. Additionally, they seem to be compiled for amd64 as well.

-edit-
I also didn't read down far enough, it looks like you did cover it. Still, I'd recommened directly pointing users of the ubuntu distro family to the one in the repository instead of the zip you're linking to.
 
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Lmao - well, not RTFM is part of the Linux tradition. :D

As I mentioned -
I have to serve temporary and permanent Linux users so I already know it's not perfect and never will be.
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But I do appreciate the advice, so I reorganized again for the Linux users and added a note - in bold - near the top that permanent Linux users don't need the Mini-SDK but do need to read the whole post.

That last bit isn't directed at you @Joelgp83 - I've tried to help a lot of people on all three OSs supported and it's no surprise that hand-holding isn't exclusive to the other two OSs lol.

Thanks for the feedback! :)
 
I just changed from Kubuntu 12.4? whatever long term release to Mint Cinnamon or whatever Rebecca is. I get confused when both desktops are offered. Mate and Gnome were also listed for desktops.

I don't do desktops. Mine are usually covered with files I want to find since I don't like Windows My Documents, My photos, etc. Desktop is usually plain grey with the trash can where I can find it. Monitor just goes black for screen saver. One desktop is enough. I'm the only user so no big deal.

I will admit that Linux does a better job with file folders for Pictures, downloads, etc.

I have to commend Mint on the install. They were clear enough on WHERE it was installing as I have a dual boot with offline XP. Even double checked before install. Also found searching for installation for an Epson 300 Photo scanner far easier to install. (Epson didn't include drivers in Linux.) Pale Moon went right in, and also got SRW Iron going. Had the usual trouble with Tar.gz, but found a DEB file for Iron that I saved. When that installed, it was the current version.

Would still have to jury rig old Canon Pixma. Those drivers are not included, either.

It's so easy to get rid of programs you don't want and install what you do.
I removed Libre Office as it no longer seems to work with WPD and Abiword does.
A lot of my old files are in WPD. I can't find the old WP for Linux, and WP9 won't work under WINE or I'd use it. I like the line by line formatting. I've hated Word since MS released it for DOS.

Had trouble with Skype audio the last time around with Mint, but now Vulcan has it on his computer. I can also put it on the laptop if I need to.

I also saw Clam AV in repository. Will have to check that out as I download for XP on Linux. I usually just shove the download on the Windows desktop.
 
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