Anybody use a Linux OS?

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  • Hassan Darkside
    We Here
    • Sep 2003
    • 7561

    #1

    Anybody use a Linux OS?

    I've been messing around with Linux Mint 10 this weekend because my laptop hard drive died and I can't live without my computer for ~4 days until my new HDD gets here. My dad is a believer in Linux, never using Vista or 7. He went straight from XP to Linux and said that he really has no desire to go back.

    Anybody on here use Linux Mint or Ubuntu? What's the difference between Mint and Ubuntu? I've heard Mint is easier on n00bs. What perks are there over Windows 7?

    Will all my software work on Linux?
    [NYK|DAL|VT]
    A true MC, y'all doing them regular degular dance songs
    You losin' your teeth, moving like using Kevin Durant comb
    Royce da 5'9"


    Originally posted by DCAllAmerican
    How many brothers fell victim to the skeet.........
  • ehh
    Hall Of Fame
    • Mar 2003
    • 28960

    #2
    Re: Anybody use a Linux OS?

    I'm on Ubuntu right now at home, never used Mint so I can't comment on the differences. My media server is Windows 7 at the moment, my home and work laptop are Windows 7 and my home desktop is Ubuntu. I have an Ubuntu server box I screw around with virtualization stuff on.

    I'm a big fan of Windows 7 (first Windows OS I ever loved) so I wouldn't say I like one more than the other. Certainly can't blame your dad for skipping Vista to go to Linux though lol. Ubuntu is def cool and considering it's free you can't go wrong. I'm an IT professional so the learning curve wasn't too bad though I don't go crazy with command line stuff yet as I haven't had a need to.

    As far as advantages go I would say the highlights are...

    1) It's free (duh) and so are almost all of the applications
    2) More secure than Windows
    3) How applications work and are "packaged" is cool but probably isn't a big deal to an average user.
    4) Comes with loads relevant software. OpenOffice, GMIP, etc. No DLing a ton of standard software with Ubuntu, most of the stuff you need is already there in some form when you're done installing the OS.
    5) Requires less hardware resources. Right now I'm on an old POS HP box with half a gig of RAM and Ubuntu works flawlessly. I don't even know what the microprocessor is in this hunk of junk but I know it's nothing impressive. A client upgraded a bunch of desktops at the end of 2010 and this was an old one they were going to recycle so I took home it home. I spent a decent amount of time doing BS desktop support on this box when it was running XP and it was sooooo sllllllow. Not the case with Ubuntu though. Anyway, so everything I'm on right now (hardware/OS/software) is 100% free and working as well as I could ask for.

    And a personal preference but Opera runs much more quickly on Ubuntu than W7 lol. I use Chrome on W7 because it's blazingly fast but Opera is good stuff on Ubuntu and it's my favorite browser.

    Def cool what you can do for free though.
    "You make your name in the regular season, and your fame in the postseason." - Clyde Frazier

    "Beware of geeks bearing formulas." - Warren Buffet

    Comment

    • Laffer
      Rookie
      • Jan 2003
      • 213

      #3
      Re: Anybody use a Linux OS?

      I've used Ubuntu for years. I had always had problems with Windows being an unstable POS. I've never once had an issue with Ubuntu crashing on me, and any issue I have had is easily solved by a quick google search. The way the software is packaged, and the speed at which it runs will blow you away if you are using an older machine. All your software won't work on Ubuntu, but you will find that most of the software you have been using is ****, and there are much better alternatives (I can't believe that 5 years ago I was still using Adobe reader).

      With that being said, I really like Windows 7. I dual-boot my laptop, and find myself using Windows more often than not. My laptop runs it nicely, and even though I've used Ubuntu a bunch, I'm still more comfortable tweaking Windows installs, since they are what I've grown up w/.

      Either way, use this program when you are starting up.
      The easiest, fastest way to update or install software. Ninite downloads and installs programs automatically in the background.

      It will save you a ton of time, and only offers fantastic programs.

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      • Kashanova
        Hall Of Fame
        • Aug 2003
        • 12695

        #4
        Re: Anybody use a Linux OS?

        I use Ubuntu as well, I highly recommend it.

        Comment

        • joshuar9476
          MVP
          • Feb 2006
          • 1880

          #5
          Re: Anybody use a Linux OS?

          i'm using linux mint myself ... if your just a web surfing computer user, then it's perfect. i also have it on my wife's machine and she doesn't even know the difference.

          i, however, have to dual boot with xp because there are a few programs that i couldn't find a decent replacement (microsoft money). i also can't get Baldur's Gate 2 to work under linux. in fact, i could probably "live" with a money replacement, but BG2 is a must so i need windows.

          i love mint and will never not have it. hang in there and don't be afraid to ask questions on the mint forums.
          Individuality: Always remember that you are unique. Just like everybody else.

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          • Hassan Darkside
            We Here
            • Sep 2003
            • 7561

            #6
            Re: Anybody use a Linux OS?

            Well I consider myself an advanced computer user, I do more than just web surfing.

            I plan on probably installing both Mint and 7 when I get my hdd and keeping the option of dual booting. My main question I guess is is it possible to run Windows programs on Linux without having different installs? There's several programs I'd need for school (like Visual Studio, MS Office, etc) but I don't really want to install those twice if I don't have to.


            [NYK|DAL|VT]
            A true MC, y'all doing them regular degular dance songs
            You losin' your teeth, moving like using Kevin Durant comb
            Royce da 5'9"


            Originally posted by DCAllAmerican
            How many brothers fell victim to the skeet.........

            Comment

            • ehh
              Hall Of Fame
              • Mar 2003
              • 28960

              #7
              Re: Anybody use a Linux OS?

              You can run pretty much any OS on any other OS simultaneously with a virtualization client. VMWare Workstation is the most popular but not free.

              "You make your name in the regular season, and your fame in the postseason." - Clyde Frazier

              "Beware of geeks bearing formulas." - Warren Buffet

              Comment

              • mgoblue
                Go Wings!
                • Jul 2002
                • 25477

                #8
                Re: Anybody use a Linux OS?

                can you do media sharing with PS3 and Xbox on linux? I work with linux servers and whatnot for work, but don't use them for other than LAMP setups as webservers...

                I have my old desktop that's good for being my media host for streaming to my various consoles (using WMP) and was wondering if there's something that works on Linux too. My comp has XP and is so slow because that OS has been on it for like 9 years or something lol
                Nintendo Switch Friend Code: SW-7009-7102-8818

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                • ehh
                  Hall Of Fame
                  • Mar 2003
                  • 28960

                  #9
                  Re: Anybody use a Linux OS?

                  Sure, takes a little work with Samba and command/terminal stuff.



                  My home media server is Windows 7 right now but my next project is to make it an Ubuntu/Samba server. Unbuntu and Ubuntu server both come with Samba btw.
                  "You make your name in the regular season, and your fame in the postseason." - Clyde Frazier

                  "Beware of geeks bearing formulas." - Warren Buffet

                  Comment

                  • judgejudy
                    MVP
                    • Feb 2006
                    • 1377

                    #10
                    Re: Anybody use a Linux OS?

                    you could also just get the linux version of PMS http://code.google.com/p/ps3mediaserver/ i know it was made for ps3, but it works for xbox too as long as you don't have stuff requiring on the fly encoding.

                    Comment

                    • cyclone2426
                      MVP
                      • Mar 2008
                      • 2037

                      #11
                      Re: Anybody use a Linux OS?

                      Just got Ubuntu 11.04, and I really like it. It moves so much smoother and faster than Windows. It also seems a lot more simpler/streamlined than Windows. I mean I can always boot up Windows if I need to use something that is Windows dependent, like Photoshop or something, but for the most part, I see myself using Ubuntu.

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                      • ehh
                        Hall Of Fame
                        • Mar 2003
                        • 28960

                        #12
                        Re: Anybody use a Linux OS?

                        It's pretty too.

                        A little cosmetic improvement never hurt anyone.
                        "You make your name in the regular season, and your fame in the postseason." - Clyde Frazier

                        "Beware of geeks bearing formulas." - Warren Buffet

                        Comment

                        • Kashanova
                          Hall Of Fame
                          • Aug 2003
                          • 12695

                          #13
                          Re: Anybody use a Linux OS?

                          agreed ehh, I love the 11.04 upgrade even faster than before. I imagine that 11.10 is going to be beastly, I hear it will have the 3.0 kernel.

                          Comment

                          • The GIGGAS
                            Timbers - Jags - Hokies
                            • Mar 2003
                            • 28474

                            #14
                            Re: Anybody use a Linux OS?

                            I run Ubuntu 11.04 at work (just upgraded a bit ago) and I run Windows 7 with an Ubuntu VM.

                            I am thinking about making a switch to Linux Mint at some point. I haven't really looked into it very much right now.

                            I am also looking for a small piece of hardware I could use as a headless web server (if anyone knows much about those). I'd be running Ubuntu server on it so that I could have my personal webserver on it, and it'll probably be a media server as well.
                            Rose City 'Til I Die
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