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Tue Nov 04, 2008 7:55 pm

Since the Windows thread got off topic, I thought this would be good.

So i'll start. Been using Linux for a few years now, currently running a Ubuntu, Arch, and Gentoo tri-boot setup on my computer. Too many flavors to choose from (at least they are free). :lol:

I know there are some Ubuntu fans out there, any other distro's?

Tue Nov 04, 2008 7:59 pm

on ubuntu now. I only use windows at work. Ubuntu makes linux easy compared to what i tried a few years ago.

I like it starts up faster and is just easier to use.

Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:03 pm

I use Gentoo. Ubuntu is nice, but I like bleeding edge software... and Ubuntu doesn't really go with that.

Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:04 pm

What kind of file compatibility issues do you run into, like an office suite file or mp3's and such? yellow73kubel what are some pros and cons to each that you have found?

Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:09 pm

I also use Ubuntu, pretty much exclusively, but, once I get my other computer put together, I am going to give Linux Mint a try. It's supposed to be really cool. A lot of neat graphics and such.

Hopefully I'll be using it soon. So far, I am really impressed with Ubuntu. I tried Red Hat a long time ago, and I couldn't figure it out.

Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:13 pm

red hat, thats the one I tried. ubuntu allows average computer users like me to easily use a different operating system. I think Microsoft os will be in trouble as the younger generations get older.

Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:28 pm

iowa vw wrote: What kind of file compatibility issues do you run into, like an office suite file or mp3's and such? yellow73kubel what are some pros and cons to each that you have found?

The only thing I have run into with Ubuntu is a few graphic items don't always work right, and I can't use Rhapsody on Linux, 'cause of the DRMs. Although, you can always use WINE and run the Windows progs in Linux.
I think that you can use MP3's in Linux Mint, and Ubuntu 8.04 and 8.10 also, but I haven't spent the time to figure it out.

There are literally hundreds of programs that you can get for free with Ubuntu. Cool ones like KMy Money for tracking expenses, like Quick Books, and OpenOffice which you can also get for Mac and Windows. Does everything the M$ office suite does.
Additionally, it is a lot more secure, esp. if you encrypt your hard drive. Also, there are a heck of a lot more large companies running linux and ubuntu, including Google. Even the military is moving toward it.

Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:33 pm

mp3 play directly through rythmbox in ubuntu 8.04. Thats what I have.

Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:37 pm

wgargan wrote: mp3 play directly through rythmbox in ubuntu 8.04. Thats what I have.

Cool! I need to try this with my Creative Zen. I was having trouble a while a go, I'll give it a shot tonight. Thanks!!

Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:38 pm

I have never used Linux, only windows, but as wgargan was saying i think windows is going to get in trouble sometime in the near future and am looking to switch.

I have been looking at Ubuntu and Freesprire and th biggest thing is I have a lot of files like word documents and mp3's ,100GB, that I need to be compatible. I just want an easy to use OS because my wife isnt computer literate at all, just enough to get around online and music. I know how to get around and stuff and modify stuff but dont want to always have to maintain it. Finding apps with Freespire seem very easy also.

I am not worried about being 'secure' jut being stable and being able to multi-task.

Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:42 pm

i have never used or seen linux in my life. Just last week i had to work with a linux based DVR. I was clueless. I spent most of my day reading manuals and on the phone with tech support.

Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:47 pm

Nope, it doesn't work. I think it is because I have a Creative Zen MP3.

Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:51 pm

iowa vw wrote: I have never used Linux, only windows, but as wgargan was saying i think windows is going to get in trouble sometime in the near future and am looking to switch.

I have been looking at Ubuntu and Freesprire and th biggest thing is I have a lot of files like word documents and mp3's ,100GB, that I need to be compatible. I just want an easy to use OS because my wife isnt computer literate at all, just enough to get around online and music. I know how to get around and stuff and modify stuff but dont want to always have to maintain it. Finding apps with Freespire seem very easy also.

I am not worried about being 'secure' jut being stable and being able to multi-task.

those are all compatible. But keep in mind that most people have a dual boot( at minimum) so you can choose to boot into windows or a the linux os of your choice. So you will always have the opurtunity to go back and access those files from windows, if you need to.

Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:56 pm

wgargan wrote: iowa vw wrote: I have never used Linux, only windows, but as wgargan was saying i think windows is going to get in trouble sometime in the near future and am looking to switch.

I have been looking at Ubuntu and Freesprire and th biggest thing is I have a lot of files like word documents and mp3's ,100GB, that I need to be compatible. I just want an easy to use OS because my wife isnt computer literate at all, just enough to get around online and music. I know how to get around and stuff and modify stuff but dont want to always have to maintain it. Finding apps with Freespire seem very easy also.

I am not worried about being 'secure' jut being stable and being able to multi-task.

those are all compatible. But keep in mind that most people have a dual boot( at minimum) so you can choose to boot into windows or a the linux os of your choice. So you will always have the opurtunity to go back and access those files from windows, if you need to.

Yeah dual boot is the plan for now but I think that once I really get into Linux I will not use windows anymore and use Linux primarily and windows for the occasional whatever. I want to be able to transfer everything to linux and be good to go and not rely on windows for much.

Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:57 pm

I don't have it anymore, but I could look at the windows partition through Ubuntu 6.06. I had windows 2K and I got the blue screen of death and I could still access the documents, .pdfs and pictures and the like while I was still in Ubuntu. Saved me a LOT of frustration.

Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:58 pm

The specific control that Linux allows is nice. The command lines required to assert that control are not very intuitive. The average user can load Linux and get online without much difficulty as long as most of their hardware is old enough to be supported by a standard distribution. That isn't the likely case, yet. I'm not sure it ever will be that way.

Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:59 pm

ive used linux on and off for a few years now but have never devoted my self to it entirely. im working on doing that now.

ive had quite the interesting experience with Ubuntu, so far its been terriable and all kinds of weird shit has happened but after talking it over with a few people on some linux forums it seems like its more of a hardware conflict that im having over software. so far the only version i have gotten to work without a ton of problems is Kubuntu 7.04 64 bit. but even with that i eventually lost my tool bar and got stuck. so i moved onto the newest version but that dident go well. i have a version of Fedora that im going to install here in a minute i will let you all know how that went.

but i have heard that LinuxMint is a more media and internet friendly version thats more of an "out of the box" deal.

Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:59 pm

Like I said, I am no expert so take what I say with caution. When I set up ubuntu it asked if i wanted to transfer all of my setting from windows ( how it does this I do not know). I said yes and it made all of my files accessible in ubuntu with the same file names and folders etc....

Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:06 pm

A reply to a post from the previous thread (http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=326335):

yellow73kubel wrote: iowa vw wrote: Linux uses. Which are you running and why?

Ubuntu/Arch/Gentoo tri-boot. Ubuntu just works, Arch is fast, fun, and configurable (excellent documentation for tweaking), Gentoo is close to pure Linux (not very user friendly...).

In my experience, Gentoo has easily proven to be the most user-friendly Linux distribution. I've been through Mandrake, Red Hat/Fedora, TurboLinux, PhatLinux, Debian, Slackware, Damn Small Linux, KNOPPIX, MORPHIX, etc, etc, etc, and Gentoo still comes out on top.

Allow me to explain. :D

It used to be that Linux was hard, because you had to do everything yourself. Modern distributions have moved towards automating as much as possible, and indeed have made Linux a much more pleasant OS. However, this automation can also be their biggest downfall.

What really drove me away from Red Hat, for example, was Kudzu- the RH hardware configuration detection tool. It would run automatically, and any time it thought something had changed, it would shuffle its settings and reconfigure everything. It was a very frustrating experience, as I knew the hardware, knew the configuration, and had set it up many times - I was constantly fixing "artificial" problems, and fighting the very same automation that was supposed to make life easier.

Enter Gentoo. It does what you tell it to, and that's it. But at the same time, it still has the "nice" tools - just that they run on your terms. And unlike other distributions, which start with fully bloated systems that you have to trim back, Gentoo starts with a simple base so that you can add in exactly what you need (and only what you need) for a clean, efficient system. The performance of a tuned Gentoo system is something you appreciate more and more every time you use it - and especially any time you have to use something else. :wink:

Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:27 pm

iowa vw wrote: Yeah dual boot is the plan for now but I think that once I really get into Linux I will not use windows anymore and use Linux primarily and windows for the occasional whatever. I want to be able to transfer everything to linux and be good to go and not rely on windows for much.

Be careful dual-booting... in my experience, having that Windows "safety net" is one of the biggest obstacles to becoming comfortable with Linux.

I struggled with Linux for a few months when I first got into it. I could never quite get things to work, and for certain things I kept booting into Windows because I thought I needed it. Then, a lucky break- my Windows 2000 install crashed in a truly spectacular fashion, and nerds from far and wide couldn't fix it. :D I was so frustrated with Windows that I didn't bother reinstalling... and in the process, found Linux equivalents to every single application I "thought" I couldn't live without. But, again, with the safety net of a dual-boot system, I don't think I ever would have made it.

I think the other key is that you realize how many "Windows" applications are "Windows Only", and how many so-called "Linux" applications are actually "cross platform". For example, in Windows I would use Photoshop, MS Office, Internet Explorer, AIM, etc. None of these worked in Linux, so I migrated to the closest Linux equivalents: The GIMP, OpenOffice, Firefox, GAIM (now Pidgin), etc. But wait! All four of those "Linux" applications work in Windows too! Having the same set of applications on both platforms make it much easier to switch between the two, and much less intimidating to try a new OS.