Linux/Ubuntu - Post Interest Here!

[SonicMan46]

Awesome Dave, that is a pretty cool but not well known distro.  I think that the easiest to use (works with proprietary drivers for wifi, graphics etc, has flash etc) is still Mandriva, but PCLOS is still darned good.  That would be funny if you ended with up something hard like gentoo, arch, or slackware.

Well, I hope not -     This Linux OS is just a hobby for me to explore - Susan is pretty much fixed on MS applications; our next DT will be Windows 7 (unless 8 comes out soon) w/ Office - don't think that she wants to change.  Now, I have this Apple iPad2 (son an IT guy w/ all of these MS initials after his name, bought 2 iPads and talked her into getting one!) - well, we're having some fun w/ it - my main reason to have a Linux lappie was to take on trips when hooked up to these unprotected hotel Wi-Fi networks; well if we can be happy w/ an iPad (Wi-Fi) w/ the bluetooth keyboard, then well do I now need Linux?  Dave 

[DavidW]

I mostly use Windows 7 too, Dave this is what I do and you might consider it... run Linux virtually.  So no booting into the distro, you just fire up a program (vmware) and load linux and you have a virtual desktop that runs like you had a computer inside a computer.  And anything saved on your virtual workstation is in this funny file, and nothing gets out into windows.  So basically you have what you need without having two operating systems or two computers.

[ibanezmonster]

Security, stability and support for many more architectures other than OS.

OpenBSD is the most secure OS out there.  NetBSD can be installed on almost anything and their motto is "of course it runs on NetBSD" and FreeBSD for the slightly more user friendly OS. 

Also BSD doesn't operate under the GNU license, helpful for people who don't want to share their code but still build off of bsd.

In other words... the government uses this? 
I can see why they would if it's the most secure OS. For a normal user on a home computer, just be safe. I have had Vista on my laptop for probably 2 years now, without any viruses. Or if you don't think you can do that, just use some form of Linux.

[DavidW]

Yeah governments do use it, as well as universities and private companies.  A common practice is to use OpenBSD to run firewalls.  It's also common to use FreeBSD to run servers since it's insanely stable.

http://www.openbsd.org/users.html

[ibanezmonster]

Ah... well... time to write a bunch of BSD viruses, then.

[DavidW]

Ah... well... time to write a bunch of BSD viruses, then.

  I dare you to just install one of them!

http://xkcd.com/349/ (and it really is a pain in the butt)

[ibanezmonster]

  I dare you to just install one of them!

http://xkcd.com/349/ (and it really is a pain in the butt)

lol

[DavidW]

I wonder if Dave felt that way today?

[Opus106]

Happy 20th!

    From: torvalds@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Linus Benedict Torvalds)
    Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
    Subject: What would you like to see most in minix?
    Summary: small poll for my new operating system
    Message-ID: <1991Aug25.205708.9541@klaava.Helsinki.FI>
    Date: 25 Aug 91 20:57:08 GMT
    Organization: University of Helsinki

    Hello everybody out there using minix -

    I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and
    professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones. This has been brewing
    since april, and is starting to get ready. I'd like any feedback on
    things people like/dislike in minix, as my OS resembles it somewhat
    (same physical layout of the file-system (due to practical reasons)
    among other things).

    I've currently ported bash(1.08) and gcc(1.40), and things seem to work.
    This implies that I'll get something practical within a few months, and
    I'd like to know what features most people would want. Any suggestions
    are welcome, but I won't promise I'll implement them :-)

    Linus (torvalds@kruuna.helsinki.fi)

    PS. Yes – it's free of any minix code, and it has a multi-threaded fs.
    It is NOT protable (uses 386 task switching etc), and it probably never
    will support anything other than AT-harddisks, as that's all I have :-(.

[DavidW]

Holy cow!  Already 20 years!!   How far linux has come.  I was just thinking the other day of installing linux on a spare pc... and found that Ubuntu has completely changed with their unity interface, most of the Mandriva devs have left to be replaced with cheaper labor in Brazil, and one of my favs Arch is so popular that it is in the top 10 on distrowatch now.

I think I will install archlinux on that old pc.

[DavidW]

For the more casual pc users out here, this explains the coolness of linux pretty well:

http://www.youtube.com/v/5ocq6_3-nEw

[SonicMan46]

Hi Guys - thanks for the reminder about 20 yrs!   

David - nice video about Linux - must admit since getting Susan & I the e-readers (iPad2 & Color Nook) in the spring that I've not even booted my Linux laptop for a long time!  But just turn it on and am downloading over 700 upgrade package files!  Hope the thing still works after these changes are made - still using the PCLinuxOS.

Neither have I kept up w/ the other update and/or new Linux distros - am curious - any good 1-stop websites that bring together the new developments in Linux and its distros over the last year or so?  I could probably use a simpler distro but still would like a nice GUI - just don't need all of the redundancy I guess.   Dave 

[Opus106]

Neither have I kept up w/ the other update and/or new Linux distros - am curious - any good 1-stop websites that bring together the new developments in Linux and its distros over the last year or so?  I could probably use a simpler distro but still would like a nice GUI - just don't need all of the redundancy I guess.   Dave 

Hi, Dave. Try Distrowatch.com. (Link is on the first page.) It usually contains information on all distros, big and small, and updates you on the release of alpahs, betas and final containing excepts from the release announcements with links to reviews, if any. They also have a useful weekly newsletter with updates, interviews and usually a review of some distro. If you want that along with some opinions there are just too many sites on the web.

[DavidW]

Navneeth have you used the new Ubuntu?  What do you think of there new fangled unity?

[Opus106]

Navneeth have you used the new Ubuntu?  What do you think of there new fangled unity?

Nope. This is the first time in 5 years that I haven't updated to the bleeding edge. I did/do have plans to switch to some other distro. That's why I tried Fedora 15 (live CD) and was repulsed by GNOME 3. The fact that one has to install an application to change themes wasn't the worst thing about it!

[DavidW]

Nope. This is the first time in 5 years that I haven't updated to the bleeding edge. I did/do have plans to switch to some other distro. That's why I tried Fedora 15 (live CD) and was repulsed by GNOME 3. The fact that one has to install an application to change themes wasn't the worst thing about it!

I always thought that gnome was a bit too dumbed down but that is ridiculous!!  Apparently this unity thing is even more restrictive.  Well I like kde and I like the light weight desktops... hopefully those are still cool.

[Daverz]

I always thought that gnome was a bit too dumbed down but that is ridiculous!!  Apparently this unity thing is even more restrictive.  Well I like kde and I like the light weight desktops... hopefully those are still cool.

The worst thing about Unity is that in trying to be clever they've made it unintuitive and difficult to use.  Two cases in point are trying to do menus like a Mac (and not well), and making scrollbars appear and disappear.  If you're Apple you can get away with the menu thing because that's the way you've done it since the early 80s and people like your hardware.  The scrollbar thing is just stupid nerd cool factor getting in the way of common sense.  I went back to "classic Gnome" and turned of the scrollbar thing as soon as I could, so I didn't see any other things that might have been stupid.

[SonicMan46]

Hi, Dave. Try Distrowatch.com. (Link is on the first page.) It usually contains information on all distros, big and small, and updates you on the release of alpahs, betas and final containing excepts from the release announcements with links to reviews, if any. They also have a useful weekly newsletter with updates, interviews and usually a review of some distro. If you want that along with some opinions there are just too many sites on the web.

Hi Navneeth - thanks for that link; just the way to START for me! 

I updated my PCLinuxOS and after a reboot seems to be working fine - still seems to require resources beyond the limitations of my old IBM lappie, i.e. often just slow - there are SO many distros available (I guess the reflection of an 'open' OS) - will take a good look at that site.  Thanks for the link and advice - Dave   

[DavidW]

Dave you probably want distros meant for older hardware.  It's been awhile since I've used Puppy Linux, but I remember it even breathing new life into a PC that used to run windows 97.  It couldn't boot windows but it could run puppy just live from cd faster than it ever ran windows!  It's meant to be lean, fast, small but doesn't do much besides internet browser, email and office.  Maybe not enough for you?  You can use it as a live cd or usb without having to install anything and it should be real fast.

http://puppylinux.org/main/Overview%20and%20Getting%20Started.htm

[ibanezmonster]

Anyone an expert at working the Linux shell? How long would it take me to become proficient?