Anyone use just Linux?

LeBelge

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Mint is basically a drop-in replacement for Windows that anyone can use intuitively.
On my PC even Ace Sream works under Linux Mint. But, it was not easy to make it work.
 
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Sleepingwiththefish

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Also no such problems for me, ran a variety of distributions before settling with Debian, everything always worked.

Most common problems are related to specific hardware, videocards, soundcards etc, sometimes only closed source drivers work or specific workarounds are needed, or even use non free drivers that may be available (choose those only if there's no other way...), need some time and research, remember Linux is free, sometimes you have invest some time and patience and it will pay off!
 

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Mint is basically a drop-in replacement for Windows that anyone can use intuitively.

Its intuitive enough to use - but hopeless to set up.

Ive been playing with works computers for 20 years so I know my way around the bloody things and know up to win7 pretty well. Linux will NEVER be mainstream if I someone like me cant get a dvd playing despite spending hours on it & numerous reinstalls from scratch. Your average pundit doesnt stand a chance.
 

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Well we'll just have to disagree on that one. Not only does my IT_numpty SWMBO find it nay bother, but my somewhat less than cerebral near neighbour also perceives no noticeable difference between Mint and Windows.
 

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PS: Can't fault Fedora either - although I haven't used it for DVD as the hardware has no optical drive.

Got a couple of extra years potential use out of my Linx 1010! ( (Unless the Battery dies, which it might well, given it gets two full charges each day)
 

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"Anyone use just Linux?" I'd love to, and tried different builds a dozen times or so over the years, it works, it's stable, can do many things, no problems.

But everytime, after a few days, am getting that feeling of being shipwrecked alone on a desert island with just a small cardbox of bare necessities (the general lack of programs\choices, lack of my favorite programs, some annoying situations here and there popping up).

Will regularly try again, not lost hope.
 
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Sleepingwiththefish

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getting that feeling of being shipwrecked alone on a desert island with just a small cardbox of bare necessities


That's actually what I feel when using Windows to something other than gaming :lol:

There's some commercial software (maybe needed for work) that certainly will not be available for Linux, but for most personal usage, generally, 'I can't do this, I can't do that', actually means "I don't know how to this or that and I don't want to learn"

Also, commercial software is always very easy to use, trivial tasks but pretty UI makes user feel special, in the end keeps people stupid and money coming! (not for the user :-rofl2)

For me it all started with embedded devices, it feels a life ago... routers... OpenWrt, after some time using command line (SSH) on those systems I was amazed by what a little 720MHz CPU and 64MB of RAM can actually do, after that everything escalated rapidly to bigger things... now even do some programming...
 

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Just bought a new HP Pavilion that came with Windows10. Wiped it because I can't be bothered with all the Microsoft questions etc before I would be ALLOWED to use it. Just moved the SSD with Ubuntu installed from my old Lenovo. No problems after I sorted out the bios boot order.
 

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That's actually what I feel when using Windows to something other than gaming :lol:

There's some commercial software (maybe needed for work) that certainly will not be available for Linux, but for most personal usage, generally, 'I can't do this, I can't do that', actually means "I don't know how to this or that and I don't want to learn"

Well, in addition to some important major stuff not available at all, there must be many 100x or more free, useful and excellent stuff available for W than L. That's Linux's problem, not the OS itself.

Have tried Wine regularly to give things a chance, but way too much trouble\unstability. & yes, I can edit photos & do much in some L distro, but as it stands ftm, compared to my collection of W programs it feels like big steps backwards too often.
Just my opinion\experience. Still hoping to one day see available program offerings in L grow substantially.
 

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Hugely impressed with Fedora, now that I've been using it for a few days.

In general, the advantage of the more prevalent Linux Distros is that all Windows users can quickly and seamlessly become familiar with them in no time at all plus those with a particular penchant can get "under the bonnet" - something you can't do with Windows.

Oh, and no viruses, and rock-solid stability. No BSOD!
 

LeBelge

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Oh, and no viruses, and rock-solid stability.

The lack of viruses was the main reason for installing Linux on the new computer (new motherboard, processor and RAM) for my 10 year old son in 2017.
I know how to use Windows without paying for it, but I do not know how to teach a child to beware of viruses !
Some times I use Windows 7 with Photoshop, it is installed on a separate HD.
The laptop is running under Windows 10 and even ... Android ( it boots from USB flash stick). Android is about Viber, there is no way to install it on desktop under Linux or Windows, without having it already installed on smartphone or on tablet. So, the laptop is a tablet for Viber, because it runs under Android and has a webcam.
 
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Sleepingwiththefish

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there must be many 100x or more free, useful and excellent stuff available for W than L
True, but it is also true that most of those are actually spyware disguised as freeware, ...and most are closed source, you can't really check the code.

These days even drivers come with spyware (e.g drivers from nvidia, logitech...) even if you opt out of 'analytics' during installation, most of those simple ignore this and continuously try to connect to internet (even if auto-update=off), my firewall logs are always full of blocked requests, 1 hour and the log have thousands of entries.

This is not true on Linux, at least the most notorious distributions have strict rules about this. If one uses tcpdump to check connections on a Linux machine it will not see much than NTP/DNS requests, plus services and connections running with user consent.

I would be careful with some distributions that try to imitate MS Windows too much...
 

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most of those are actually spyware disguised as freeware
I read that statement as a big exageration. Downloading stuff (one has read reviews \ tests about) from the well renowned download sites, one has to be -very extremely- unlucky if ever ending up with any kind of problem or unexpected program behaviour.

An immense availability of useful small to big programs, that Linux could only dream about. Suiting anyone's needs, from basic to very, very specialized. This is what keeps me, at this time, from switching my daily pc's from W (which I hate as a company btw :O)
 

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I read that statement as a big exageration. Downloading stuff (one has read reviews \ tests about) from the well renowned download sites, one has to be -very extremely- unlucky if ever ending up with any kind of problem or unexpected program behaviour.

An immense availability of useful small to big programs, that Linux could only dream about. Suiting anyone's needs, from basic to very, very specialized. This is what keeps me, at this time, from switching my daily pc's from W (which I hate as a company btw :O)


Can you give us examples of progs. that interest you that aren't available in Linux?
 

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^^^ Let's mention just a few things I don't want to see (nor need see) changed in facilities, interface, offerings, looks or behaviour: Windows Resource Monitor, MP3tag, Notepad++, Agent Ransack, Macrium Reflect, Huawei Hisuite, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Partitionwizard, Windows Firewall (added 3rd party enhancements), some small great os 'helper' programs, CCleaner, Freecommander, Mailstore, Samsung Smart Switch, GPedit, Bitlocker, Canon Digital Photo Professional, could continue.

Yes, yes :O) there are Linux more or les alternatives available for some, zero for others. As the W dept. here is working perfect, choice is easy as things currently stand.

Enjoy your Linux setup, I don't need (or want) it now, but I'll try some fresh Linux distro + programs again (for the 12th time or so), always starting with the hopes of Linux offerings maturing into the satisfaction of kicking W out the door with no regrets.
 

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Well I felt the way you do at one point, but ditching Windows proved quite cathartic in the end!
 
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Sleepingwiththefish

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Downloading stuff (one has read reviews \ tests about) from the well renowned download sites, one has to be -very extremely- unlucky if ever ending up with any kind of problem or unexpected program behaviour.
:lol:
You completly misunderstood, is not like someone hijacked the software with some spyware virus, are the developers of freeware themselfs that put analytics in their software for earning money with your data, and windows 10 itself have a ton of them.

Your software list is........well..........interesting :-ohmy. Still, most have counterparts.
Samsung, Canon, Huawei stuff and $alike$ will never run on Linux. Mentioning those reveal a lack of basic undertanding what is free and open source software.

And you want "windows resource monitor", "Gpedit" and "windows firewall" on Linux? Without changed in facilities, interface, offerings, looks or behaviour? Forget it, I don't wanna know! But fyi there's much powerful alternatives.

And CCleaner for what? There's no junk to clean on Linux!
 

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:lol:


And CCleaner for what? There's no junk to clean on Linux!

True enough, but bleachbit is the ccleaner equivalent if one wishes to take a collective approach to clearing logs, caches and the like.
 

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Mentioning those reveal a lack of basic undertanding what is free and open source software.
Was responding to Lazarus, not your post. btw, my basic understanding is to have a setup that does all needed\wanted tasks in the best way, seamlessly and reliably, using available tools from whatever useful source. ftm on the W platform in my case.

You completly misunderstood, is not like someone hijacked the software with some spyware virus, are the developers of freeware themselfs that put analytics in their software for earning money with your data, and windows 10 itself have a ton of them.
No problem, you're entitled to opinions, and seems to like generalising. I personally use and have used a whole bunch of (very good) freeware over dozens of years that grabs or logs no data and transfer nothing = no unwanted behaviour. A very few are entitled to a firewall rule (ccleaner for example), to stop any and all attempts at anything. & same with browsers, all phoning home blocked.

btw, my W 8.1 & 10 os' are also set to have absolutely -zero- telemetry \ internet activity during use. Incl. updating, am downloading wanted KB's directly and apply them myself. But those damn version updates (complete os swap really) are a pain (Windows as a disservice).

Stock w10 without extensive tweaks and cleanup is a privacy\telemetry catastrophy. The way Windows has evolved over many years is the main cause for my sustained interest in Linux.

Once I get a little more seriously going I'll analyze Linux background network activity, would be amazed if no discovery of interesting things needing attention, got no vision of Linux as some holy white angel hovering over a dark world, to save the righteous and innocent while demanding nothing in return.

There's no junk to clean on Linux!
Browsers surely have cache, cookies, forms etc, and really no os \ program logs etc etc to flush ?
ccleaner or similar, imo so very practical to have one program that does many things from a central, configurable point with one click.
 
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