Linux, continued

[dualstow]

I’ve been using Zorin OS lately. Mostly so I can use tiny, text-based no-frills programs like Wordgrinder.
I play with the Terminal once in a while but consider me a fellow no-nothing when it comes to Linux.
Browser use is fine. Firefox, Brave…

[Jack Jones]

Definitely pick a distribution that has KDE, so we can enjoy the fruits of our own Pointedstick's labor.

I concur.

Here's what he said a few years ago:

At the moment my favorite KDE distro is Fedora KDE, which I use myself, as does my wife and most of my KDE dev colleagues. It's a really good distro IMO.

[dualstow]

Is Fedora a good choice for a first-timer though?
I’ve always wanted to try it, but I needed a new machine to prepare the OS for the old machine, and the plan just fell to the backburner since it was so easy to download and try Zorin.

Mint was also easy. In fact, I first heard about it from PointedStick.

[I Shrugged]

I need to figure out how to back up the existing OS. Although really, it’s of no use and my personal files have already been migrated to my current Mac. I guess I’m stalling.

[I Shrugged]

I tried to make a bootable Linux USB drive from an ISO file this morning. I find the process exhausting. Terminal mode, etc., things don't give the results that the instructions say, etc etc. I hate this crap. I gave up. This should be a super simple process but it's not. Linux will never be ready for prime time if you have to be an expert to install it. (see comments in next post.)

I'm not requesting help. Just venting.

Edit to add, I got the bootable USB made thanks to Youtube and the Balena Etcher app. The Macbook is booted into the Linux distro. Have not done anything yet, just gonna poke around.

[I Shrugged]

The one I'm checking out is MX Linux. It's supposed to be lightweight. I'm going to buy some more USB sticks and load them with other flavors. I don't want to go crazy but I'd like to see a couple more at least. For my limited uses all I really want is easy hardware management/compatibility and a browser.

I do have a Windows laptop that I want to convert as well.

It also appears that MX Linux was a poor choice as far as installation instructions. Mint and others have very nice step by step instructions. MX Linux gives off a vibe of being for experienced users, in many respects.

[dualstow]

In the past, some machines just weren’t Linux friendly, even if you had a proper ISO file.

Macs were especially hard, while PCs have been more friendly. I think that’s why I gave up on Fedora: I wanted to put it on my old Mac mini. I learned that Fedora could work on that specific model and made the ISO on a new machine as instructed, only to learn that the power cord was lost in a house move.

Look up your macbook model and see if it plays well with Linux.

Now I use Thinkpads which I bought used specifically because they do well with Linux. They’re running better than a noebook PC I once bought from a Linuc PC vendor with Mint preinstalled.

[I Shrugged]

In the past, some machines just weren’t Linux friendly, even if you had a proper ISO file.

Macs were especially hard, while PCs have been more friendly. I think that’s why I gave up on Fedora: I wanted to put it on my old Mac mini. I learned that Fedora could work on that specific model and made the ISO on a new machine as instructed, only to learn that the power cord was lost in a house move.

Look up your macbook model and see if it plays well with Linux.

Now I use Thinkpads which I bought used specifically because they do well with Linux. They’re running better than a noebook PC I once bought from a Linuc PC vendor with Mint preinstalled.

My Macbook has an Intel chip, and by all accounts it works well with Linux. There are several videos covering the same model I have, plus adjacent ones. It's kind of a cult classic machine, I gather. So I've got that going for me, which is nice.

[Jack Jones]

I tried to make a bootable Linux USB drive from an ISO file this morning. I find the process exhausting. Terminal mode, etc., things don't give the results that the instructions say, etc etc. I hate this crap. I gave up. This should be a super simple process but it's not. Linux will never be ready for prime time if you have to be an expert to install it. (see comments in next post.)

I'm not requesting help. Just venting.

Edit to add, I got the bootable USB made thanks to Youtube and the Balena Etcher app. The Macbook is booted into the Linux distro. Have not done anything yet, just gonna poke around.

Eyy, there's some perseverance.

[dualstow]

My Macbook has an Intel chip, and by all accounts it works well with Linux. There are several videos covering the same model I have, plus adjacent ones. It's kind of a cult classic machine, I gather. So I've got that going for me, which is nice.

Sounds good. Don’t give up!

[ochotona]

I just keep using Ubuntu because I'm used to it. I have a dual-boot machine Win and Lin, but it's Win 10 and can't be upgraded, I'm just never going to boot it up in Windows any longer. Our family room PC won't upgrade to 11, so that looks like a Linux box as well. Maybe I'll use it as a file server.

[ppnewbie]

I’ve been dreaming about disconnecting from the matrix lately and using Linux as a daily driver and getting a degoogled android phone. I want to try out Omarchy. I pretty much work in the unix terminal anyway. I have also been dipping my toes in spacemacs. I tried to install doom emacs but had trouble. But I guess Omarchy has neovim as its main editor which would also work for me since I use vi anyway (I am a dinosaur).

[ppnewbie]

I am also thinking about buying a framework laptop.

[seajay]

For minimalist I compile a Linux kernel (https://kernel.org/) and compile/run a framebuffer vnc and ssh on top of that. ssh into remote boxes/servers and run chrome/whatever on those (gui forwarded via vnc). Around 20MB filesize so boots in a second and on very-low spec hardware. Not good for the likes of youtubes and more so if you hop through several ssh connections, London to Germany to New York for instance, a phone serves better for multimedia. But fine for low multimedia purposes, word documents, general searching/browsing etc.

Linux in general has to accommodate a very broad range of hardware and as such each distro is more prone to issues than the likes of MAC/phones where the software is highly refined to the hardware being used. Linux is more for the hobbyist/geek however some distros may work well enough on common hardware for regular/non-tech users. As such Linux may involve having to install/try many different distros before finding one that works good-enough for you. My regular boot uses a bespoke version that boots from USB and runs totally in ram, good enough for my general browsing/office purposes and on a old laptop that I've had for many years (where its 4GB ram is more than enough for my needs).

[dualstow]

I’ve been dreaming about disconnecting from the matrix lately and using Linux as a daily driver and getting a degoogled android phone. I want to try out Omarchy. I pretty much work in the unix terminal anyway. I have also been dipping my toes in spacemacs. I tried to install doom emacs but had trouble. But I guess Omarchy has neovim as its main editor which would also work for me since I use vi anyway (I am a dinosaur).

Code: Select all

https://youtu.be/DC2p3kFjcK0?si=eFKRyVRN_gEq1LLz

Which degoogled Android? That GrapheneOS?

I like vi and vim. Even invested in the manual because I didn’t grow up using it. I just started last year.
But since I don’t write code, I should really just be using wordgrinder which is more like a word processor than a text editor.

Will have to check out spacemacs.
Edit: Actually what I want is a phone completely controlled by Emacs.

[dualstow]

For minimalist I compile a Linux kernel (https://kernel.org/) and compile/run a framebuffer vnc and ssh on top of that. ssh into remote boxes/servers and run chrome/whatever on those (gui forwarded via vnc).

I want a SeajayOS! Don’t know if I could handle it, though.