moving to Linux

[cutnrun]

After a clear out i have found an old laptop and rather than buying a Raspberry Pi i am going to Linux up the laptop so i can have a play with that!

Only down side is that the laptop is non pae so i am going to have ti install either Lubuntu or Xubuntu then play a bit.

Then I will sort out a LAMP and maybe play around a bit!

 

[Dieseljockey]

I tried Linux back in Feb 2012 as a dual boot on an old laptop....must admit I thought it was cleaner than windows....but never stuck with it..I have an old laptop I may have another go now.

 

[Titus A Duxass]

Been on Linux sine SuSe 7.3.
Now running mint 13 on the main pooters and a stripped down Ubuntu on the netbook.

Going to have a play with a raspberry pi - I need to build an automatic (light driven) door for the chicken coop.

 

[brizleciderarmy]

Best thing i ever did was migrate from W*****s. I would urge everyone else to do the same. It has always been an overpriced overhyped buggy virus prone crock from the off. Gates must be laughing his little pecker off at all who are creaming there pants over windows 8.

Im 90% settled on ubuntu now. Still have to dual boot XP to configure my cameras and until i am fully familiar with the way 1 or 2 programs work on Ubuntu.

 

[olriley]

an automatic (light driven) door for the chicken coop.

Amazing! :ugeek: :hat: :clap:
SWMBO makes me get out of bed early on a Saturday to let ours out.
Must look into this *adds to neverending list of projects*

PS I've heard mint is the best linux for older/slower machines

 

[fbsf]

Linux Mint or WattOS for lower-powered laptops. I gave an old machine to my dad for browsing, and WattOS works lovely on it without any bother or the constant need for Updates that MS constantly nags for.

 

[Springer]

Been with Linux, various version for years, can't remember but well over ten. :thumb:
They have moved on alot, but I like Ubuntu been with it since version 8, thats 2008, best of the bunch I have tried. Everything ? works.
Don't buy software but did make an exception with Beersmith, thats brill as well Well worth the money even to me. :lol:
S

 

[Jeltz]

The best distro I have found for my netbook is Fuduntu which isn't an ubuntu variant as the name sounds, it has a very elegant front end and good performance.

I wish I could get a dual boot going on my win 8 laptop but there seems to be something stopping me from booting from USB or Disc even if I move items in the bios!

 

[EskiBrew]

If you're migrating from Windows then ZorinOS is a good option because it looks and feels like XP or even Win7 at the touch of a button :thumb:
Personally I use xubuntu and love it :

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

If you're migrating from Windows then ZorinOS is a good option because it looks and feels like XP or even Win7 at the touch of a button :thumb:
Personally I use xubuntu and love it :

Is it complicated to install and set-up Martin ?

BB :?

 

[EskiBrew]

If you're migrating from Windows then ZorinOS is a good option because it looks and feels like XP or even Win7 at the touch of a button :thumb:
Personally I use xubuntu and love it :

Is it complicated to install and set-up Martin ?

BB :?

Doesn't have to be John. With all versions of Linux, you can "try before you commit" - simply download an image and burn to CD then reboot the machine with the CD in the drive and it will boot into Linux without altering your machine at all. This is called a LiveCD and although it does run more slowly, it allows you to try things out before committing to anything.

There are a number of videos on Youtube from a lad that has been getting his mum to try out different operating systems to see how she gets on. The one about ZorinOS is here. Ignore the initial few minutes when they are chatting on the balcony.

As has been said earlier - among the other benefits, you no longer have to worry about viruses and updating a virus checker :party:

 

[cutnrun]

well it took a few attempts but got xubuntu installed last night.

The install was very simple and having a bit of a play it seems nice and clean abd quick!

I use Unix at work quite a bit so i am comfortable with it already. infact i used to love windows when you had to boot the GUI from a command prompt.

I didn't get round to setting up a LAMP, I have a parrot that decided i had spent too much time not playing with him so started running around on the keyboard and pulling the keys off.

did find some interesting stuff about converting an old router into a wireless bridge by updating the firmware online, next project, remove the wires, firewire and wireless dongles from all the networked media devices!

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Isn't there any viruses on other OS ?

BB

 

[cutnrun]

i dont know but my guess would be that if I were to design a virus i would aim for the biggest honey pot going... Windows

there are so few users of other OS i wouldn't bother making a virus that would not be able to spread from 1 pc to another.

 

[ScottM]

Isn't there any viruses on other OS ?

BB

There are always viruses but with most other OS options there are far less.

People suggest this is down to the security of the OS but the actual reason is 2 fold... one Windows is by far the most popular OS among home users and therefore a major target. Two - There are far more people in a position to create security issues that hate windows than there are any other OS and when they want to target something it's generally the thing they hate or the thing that will get them the most publicity/recognition.

Most of the major hacks that you hear of regarding companies/government etc are through linux/unix systems so they are by no means untouchable.

The overwhelming odds are always stacked in the "other os" favour regarding statistics because of this. I've done the unix/linux/PS3Linux etc and got bored very quickly. Absolutely no advantage for me or anyone I know to move over to them so I always end up back with windows. I SERIOUSLY considered moving permanantly when Vista was making its move though lol. And windows 8 will never be on any of my systems, absolutely load of frustrating dross.

 

[EskiBrew]

Isn't there any viruses on other OS ?

While it is not impossible, it is very rare for several reasons whereas with windows, it is rare to find someone who has not had a virus

Linux has a huge percentage of the server market share, especially on the web, so it is a fairly large target for hackers. There are sometimes flaws found in security which allow hackers in but because of the vast number of people involved in the open source movement, these are usually spotted and fixed very quickly leading to very robust code.

 

[EskiBrew]

Oh forgot the clincher for BB
There are many 1000s of programs available for Linux system that you can download and use for FREE
I can tell that made you sit up straight BB :lol:

 

[hairybiker]

I have been using Mint for several years now since I switched from ubuntu (round v10) I have Mint 14 Mate on this pc and LMDE with LXDE (Debian edition a rolling release - no upgrades needed, with LXDE desktop) on my LT that runs as my "server".
I also have puppy running on an old Sony Viao (pIII 700Mb 128Mb ram) but thats more a project than a usefull pc.

I run WITHOUT a firewall (firewall on router in basic mode) or AV on both those pc's and have had NO issues with viruses on either pc compared with the neverending updates/scans on m$ pc's
There was talk of a linux virus but it required you to enter the root password to work :thumb:

I had to fix a mates pc yesterday and my first thought was VIRUS but it was a corrupt IE toolbar.

 

[EskiBrew]

Last time I tried Mint it was in the process of moving over to Cinnamon and MATE so I'm not sure I was able to give it a fair go. I definitely could not get on with the Unity interface in Ubuntu though so xubuntu was nice to find.

 

[LeithR]

Hi all,
I have happily been using Puppy Linux on my old Compaq Presario 2100 for the last couple of years. I've gone for a full implementation with no windoze on the machine at all I have settled on PL Slacko 5.3.3. It now comes with many apps which have been puppified so they just down load and work from the off.
Viruses
As there is no hard drive mounted on a Laptop linux implementation there is little possibility of a virus taking hold, every time you finish with the machine you switch it off any rubbish disappears with the switch off. The operating system runs in RAM only and uses a swap partition on the HDD to help with larger applications. You don't need much RAM, I have 256M and my HDD is 18G. This distro (OS) is perfect for older machines. My machine with was labouring under windoze XP runs like "Sh** of a shovel" now it has been converted

Think about it like going over to the "Dark Side"

The basic Distro comes complete as a downoad off the internet, to be able to use it you need to burn an .ISO onto a DVD (its about 170Mb total) then change the Bios so your machine will boot from the DVD first (before looking at the HDD) and you are ready to give it a try. Here is a link to the page where you can download Puppy to try it.
http://puppylinux.org/wikka/puppy533
Don't worry about the names of puppies eg slacko5.3.3. There are dozens of varieties of PL which have been developed for the developers specific needs or interests. Slacko 5.3.3 is a good basic distro which works on older machines and brings them back into normal everyday use without splashing out hundreds on a new machine with a huge HDD and enormous RAM.
The downside of Puppy Linux compared to windoze is that there is only the puppy linux forum to rely on for support, the upside of this is that the forum is absolutely first class the help is there. I've learned a huge amount over the last couple of years just reading the posts on the forum.
Here is a link to the said forum:
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/
There are other forums which offer tutorials and specialist support but Murga is the best (in my view) basic PL forum. Even the original developer of Puppy, a guy called Barry Kauler still contributes every new and again.
We already have a great forum running for homebrewing so we who are interested in going for Linux have an inbuilt initial support forum available.


Go for it - you know you want too!!