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All Forums > Tech Talk > Tech Talk Forum Page 5 > Is anyone using Linux exclusively?
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AuthorPost
RandomPrecision
Senior Member

Enjoy!
8175 Posts
3/06
Posted - Apr 21 2009 : 1:27PM
I've been getting (VERY slowly) acquainted with Ubuntu for the last few weeks. My initial goal was to ditch Windows completely but it's becoming increasingly clear that just isn't going to happen. The simplest things can be maddening to try to accomplish in Linux? I mean, what the fuck?
At some point, I'm hoping Ubuntu will be something I can use exclusively. If anyone is using Linux as their main OS, my hat's off to you.
Jacco All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

"liable to deprave and corrupt"
2673 Posts
5/04
Posted - Apr 21 2009 : 3:03PM
At home I've been using Linux exclusively for nearly ten years, at work for more than 5 years. The last Windows I used at home was 3.11 and at work some NT, a long time ago.
Jacco
charn
fubar

2880 Posts
12/09
Posted - May 14 2011 : 9:38PM
What the fuck happened to my videos? The color is suddenly saturated in yellow and orange for all video programs. Pics are still normal. If I can't fix it with software downloads, I might have to reinstall or switch drives with my older computer. If I can't solve this, I might have to abandon my plan to eventually dump all my dvds and store everything in hard drives.
Dubious_Leftovers
Senior Member

And on that fateful day, the hatred consumed me...
1423 Posts
3/09
Posted - May 14 2011 : 9:52PM
I use Linux (Ubuntu) on my netbook (not on my main computer). Yeah, it's code/programming nightmare. Not for the feint of heart. I only use it lightly...
I think that's the price you pay: a lack of user-friendliness (despite Ubuntu's deceptively welcoming front-end interface) in return for a very stable, free operating system.
It's not for beginners; the computer geeks' OS for sure...
jrv
Senior Member

1266 Posts
2/03
Posted - May 19 2011 : 12:37AM
I use linux for most "desktop" activities, FreeBSD with ZFS for all server things.
Last year I converted my entire "desktop usage" to a VM model: I installed VirtualBox on the host systems and use bunch of VMs, both for security and stability reasons. My "web browsing" VM is ubuntu.
I have a couple of Windows VMs for programs that need Windows but they are used only for the one application in that VM and not for anything else.
It doesn't matter what the host system runs as long as there is a lot of RAM available.
The complete list of programs installed on my bare-metal desktop *not* in a VM; VirtualBox, PuTTY, WinImage and OpenVPN. The web browser on that machine is never run (proxy set to a non-existent address).
I've used BSD for 25 years so linux is a little strange but nowhere near as hard to program in as Windows is. Windows does things well but only if you do them a certain way and don't need to know what's going on, otherwise it's a usability nightmare.
PS. My "web browsing" VM is set to "immutable" - every time it shuts down all changes (i.e., viruses) are discarded. A few Firefox files - bookmarks, cookies, etc - are symlink'd to a mounted filesystem outside the VM. Surprisingly this is practical to do and is a real win for security without being a PITA to use: not quite military-grade security yet not a usability headache. No FireFox hacks were needed.
 
Dave_K99
Member

497 Posts
12/07
Posted - May 19 2011 : 8:44PM
I've used Linux off and on since Redhat 5 in the late 90s, and most recently Debian based SalineOS for a pretty pleasant and lightweight operating system. It's different, so you have to do a bit of relearning if you're used to the Windows way, but I wouldn't say that Linux is so much more difficult to use than Windows these days.
I'd use Linux exclusively if fewer of the applications I currently want/need to use were Windows only. As much as I like Linux, it usually makes more sense for me to boot into Windows than constantly run software through WINE.
RandomPrecision
Senior Member

Enjoy!
8175 Posts
3/06
Posted - May 27 2011 : 6:09PM
OK. So I got curious And downloaded LiLi USB Creator (For those of you who like Linux but run Windows too, you should try this if you haven't.
Get it here ) and Mint 11. I used it to put Mint on a Sandisk Thumbdrive. I tried a couple of other Linux flavors and didn't like them at all. Mint seems to be a little more like Windows without all the confusing different names for drives.
BUT...
This version of Mint comes with Firefox 4 (apparently) and I can't figure out how to downgrade to firefox 3.6 (I like it better for now because many of my favorite add-ons don't work with 4). It's really not bad other than that and the fact that it just locks up every now and then. I tried to play a song on the media player and thought the song played (at full volume) everything else completely froze and I had to shut down with the power button.
I also can't seem to figure out how to speed up the mouse wheel. It has one speed. Verrrrrrryyyy ssssssllllooowwww.
Now I remember why I got so frustrated with it. Still thinking about keeping it. Any other versions of Linux that would be ideal to try on an 8 gig Thumbdrive?
Edited by - randomprecision on 5/28/2011 5:15:37 PM
ninja1
Senior Member

2939 Posts
1/08
Posted - May 29 2011 : 11:01AM
^Linux Mint 10 comes with Firefox 3.6, if you can't find an easier way to downgrade from Firefox 4.
Regarding the freezing, it may be the flashdrive is just too slow to run a big live OS from. Linux Mint is not designed to be lighweight. How much RAM do you have? Are you booting from the flash drive, or running the Live Linux after booting Windows? In my experience the 'live CD' proposition is always a bit flakey, performance-wise.
If you want to experiment with Linux while keeping your Windows machine, I'd suggest finding and old forgotten/discarded computer and installing Linux on it.
Dave_K99
Member

497 Posts
12/07
Posted - May 29 2011 : 4:22PM
That's actually pretty nifty. After reading about this, it took me about 10 minutes total to get the latest version of Puppy Linux downloaded, installed, and up and running in a window. It crashes if I try to write anything to persistent storage though, despite it being a distribution that's designed to work from a USB drive.
It won't let you simply uninstall FF4 and install the FF3.6 package instead?
You can change this in KDE's mouse settings, but I don't think there's currently any way to adjust it in GNOME.
I prefer a lightweight distribution personally, but I think Mint's probably the easiest version of Linux for new users coming from Windows.
RandomPrecision
Senior Member

Enjoy!
8175 Posts
3/06
Posted - May 30 2011 : 5:40AM
Yeah I finally got that.
I wouldn't doubt it. It was a cheap drive when I bought it and it's at least a couple years old. Are there faster ones now or is it the nature of thumb drives that they're just too slow to do this?
2 GB
Yeah. Was booting from the flash drive.
Well, I don't really know why but my inspiration for this was to put the thing on a flash drive. I just found the idea of a functional OS on something so tiny irresistible. I have an external USB hard drive I could do a proper installation on (and it works coz I've tried it before) but it's not really the same. The drive is literally the size of a book and has to be plugged into a wall socket. I wanted something compact and ultra portable.
This works much better than I expected though. I'll probably keep trying different ones to see if I can find one that works just right.
RandomPrecision
Senior Member

Enjoy!
8175 Posts
3/06
Posted - May 30 2011 : 6:28AM
Yeah. A couple of years ago when I bought this flash drive, I was trying to figure out how to put a copy of Linux on it and nothing I did worked. This is a nice little installer.
I don't know. It might....if I knew how. Since I'm not very familiar with Linux and have spent years doing things the Windows way, even the friendliest versions of Linux still have some things that are like waking up on another planet that looks a lot like earth but somehow, isn't. There was a button to uninstall FF4 but after doing that, the only option was to install FF4 again. I'm sure there's a way. I just couldn't figure it out and gave up after a brief Google search that yielded a lot of confusing results.
Yeah. I noticed that in Mint 10 (Which is KDE) but unless I was doing something wrong, even the fastest speed I could set was still kind of slow.
What about Peppermint? I was thinking about trying it but haven't DLed it yet. I tried Pinguy OS and really liked it but it froze up more than Mint.
Edited by - randomprecision on 5/30/2011 6:29:02 AM
charn
fubar

2880 Posts
12/09
Posted - May 30 2011 : 11:21AM
It was Opera that was messing with the color in videos.
ninja1
Senior Member

2939 Posts
1/08
Posted - May 30 2011 : 3:05PM
There are some companies which have a special line of "fast" USB flash drives. OCZ has the Rally series; Patriot has the Xporter XT series. Sandisk has a Ducati (yes, like the motorcycle) series which is supposed to be super-duper-fast, but it is also super-ridiculous expensive. If you shop around you can find the fast Patriot and OCZ for about the same price as "normal-speed" flash drives from other companies.
nietzsche
Deactivated User

5470 Posts
8/03
Posted - Jun 11 2011 : 11:10PM
I use Ubuntu on my laptop because I got a virus on my windows installation and decided to use the opportunity to ditch it. I still have some windows programs I need--proprietary stuff--so I use Wine and it works in most cases. My desktop is still Vista. I wanted to switch, but it would be too much of a pain in the ass. One day....
nietzsche
Deactivated User

5470 Posts
8/03
Posted - Jun 11 2011 : 11:19PM
I know what you mean in a way. You definitely need better computer skills to use Linux, or at least the willingness/patience to invest the time and figure it out. The command line is a universe in itself. Another problem is drivers. I recently upgraded and my virtualbox linux box and won't allow me to change the screen resolution. Now I'm stuck with 1200 by 780 or whatever it is. I assume it's a driver, I haven't investigated it thoroughly.
 
BlackSix All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

pornography wasn't sex but fantasies of an impossibly hospitable world
12377 Posts
9/07
Posted - Jun 11 2011 : 11:34PM
Fuck no, it's for hippies and nerds.
Keith_1
Member

66 Posts
3/05
Posted - Jul 2 2011 : 12:17AM
I use openSUSE Linux as my main OS.
Unfortunately I still need some Windows apps so for now my system is dual boot. I think you can also do that with Ubuntu.
But when I get my audio tweaked in Linux and find all the apps that I need for Linux, I'll switch to an all Linux system.
Jacco All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

"liable to deprave and corrupt"
2673 Posts
5/04
Posted - Jul 2 2011 : 6:06AM
If your hardware can handle it, you could install Windows in a virtual machine.
Jacco
Dave_K99
Member

497 Posts
12/07
Posted - Jul 2 2011 : 12:33PM
There's also Wine.
Trying to get some software running with Wine can be more trouble that it's worth, but you could always check your applications against their compatibility database first.
jackthetreacleeater
Senior Member

Shame on you!
2003 Posts
10/06
Posted - Oct 6 2011 : 5:15PM
Recently my hard-drive was getting rather full up so I bought a new one and cloned my old one. As I now had an empty drive still in my comp I decided to investigate Linux as a friend had been banging on about Ubuntu.
So I decided to create a dual boot system so as to leave my Windows 7 install unaffected.
I was unfamiliar with how Ubuntu or most other Linux systems were before the Unity interface was introduced. I gather Unity is an attempt by the Linux community to make their systems more distinct from Windows.
I found it a little difficult to get to grips with to be honest, being non "windows" bases with a more integrated approach. I know you have to give something a little time to get used too, but when I've got Windows still to fall back on, my enthusiasm soon faded. It really made me nervous and anxious trying to do simple things and I got very frustrated very quickly. It's rather tricky to set email up, especially when you're used to using Windows Live software with folders and the like.
I think ultimately there are niggly things in Linux, just as there are in Windows, that would annoy me; so there's probably no need to switch. To be honest I'm only using Windows 7 because I got it on student discount, I probably would have never paid full price for it and I'd still be using Windows XP, maybe I would have switched to Linux then.
The other problem of course is video games, most of which don't run on Linux.
Maybe there will be a time when I'm forced into using a Linux based system, but I can't see it happening yet. I have found myself forced into the world of open source in other areas. One Windows 7 niggle, there I was happily using my old version of Office XP for months and months, then out of the blue and for no apparent reason Word stops wanting to load properly. Despite un-installing and re-installing and going through the usual routine I thought sod it and I downloaded OpenOffice. It's taken a bit of getting used to as well and I've had a few problems with formatting issues porting over old .doc files.
Harri Patel
Senior Member

#SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele
5110 Posts
3/03
Posted - Oct 6 2011 : 5:21PM
OpenOffice is a dead end. Switch to LibreOffice.
jackthetreacleeater
Senior Member

Shame on you!
2003 Posts
10/06
Posted - Oct 6 2011 : 8:19PM
I couldn't really discern what the real difference was to be honest.
ninja1
Senior Member

2939 Posts
1/08
Posted - Oct 7 2011 : 2:09PM
Thanks for the tip.
nietzsche
Deactivated User

5470 Posts
8/03
Posted - Oct 17 2011 : 8:24PM
I'm trying to install linux on an extra internal drive but i can't boot from the CD.
Harri Patel
Senior Member

#SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele
5110 Posts
3/03
Posted - Oct 17 2011 : 11:56PM
You don't know how to make the machine boot from a CD in general, or there's something going haywire with this particular thing?
If the former, you need to go into the BIOS (when you boot up, hit Delete or Escape or one of the Function keys - usually there's a message that only lasts for a couple of seconds that says which one it is) and find the option that lets you specify the boot drive order. Make the CD drive the first one and whatever hard drive you're using to boot off of now the second one. Save the changes (usually F10) and the machine should reboot. It might say to press any key if you want it to boot from the CD.
If the latter, we're probably going to need more details.
 
nietzsche
Deactivated User

5470 Posts
8/03
Posted - Oct 19 2011 : 11:39AM
The CD is set properly, I think the CD drive is bad.
ninja1
Senior Member

2939 Posts
1/08
Posted - Oct 19 2011 : 12:45PM
^Have you ruled out the possibility of a defective or improper disc? Try a factory-made music CD to see if it plays.
nietzsche
Deactivated User

5470 Posts
8/03
Posted - Oct 21 2011 : 1:49PM
I've burned 3 of them. I'm just about 100% certain it's drive issue. Will buy one soon.
K
Smitten Kitten

Cloud 9
530 Posts
2/06
Posted - Nov 5 2011 : 5:20PM
If the machine is new enough to support booting off a USB drive, you could try that.
MUCH faster than CD too.
WideAngle
Senior Member

GAMBO192
1367 Posts
9/11
Posted - Jul 18 2012 : 9:01AM
I use ubuntu since an year, first I was using 11.04 and now I'm using 12.04. Ubuntu now is completely equivalent to Win or Mac in performances and comforts.
Magician9
Member

14 Posts
8/12
Posted - Sep 5 2012 : 4:47AM
For those that would like to try Linux, here are a couple of suggestions.
The Xfce desktop environment looks and feels a lot like XP. This can be comforting for a beginner and was how I got started. There are many good online resources for all flavors of Linux. Ubuntu and Fedora forums are very good. There are stickies on most forums to tell you how to install all the drivers you need to make your computer behave the way you expect it to. Right now I'm using Fedora 17, and there are some annoying little bugs but the other side of that is there are no viruses, ever. And it doesn't cost anything. So if you're feeling a little adventurous and would like to try something new, give it a shot. You might be surprised.
Goldstein All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

"You have sacrificed nothing and no one."
3689 Posts
8/10
Posted - Sep 27 2016 : 3:04PM
Goldstein All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

"You have sacrificed nothing and no one."
3689 Posts
8/10
Posted - Sep 27 2016 : 3:46PM
Do we have any ADT members that are using and/or familiar with Linux now in 2016?
I'm using Windows 7, and am very happy with it.
As you know, I successfully fought-off the "Free Upgrade" forced migration to Windows 10 fiasco.
HOWEVER, it is becoming increasingly obvious to me that Microsoft is gearing-up for "Round 2" in their mission to force all existing Windows users to their dystopian Windows 10 and beyond future.
The once vaunted Microsoft Update process has been turned upside down, and can no longer be trusted.
I honestly now believe that MS is using "updates" to actually break Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1, as opposed to providing actual service and benefit to meet their obligation to provide support for Windows 7 through 2020, and Windows 8.1 through 2013.
I have a HUGE investment in Windows 7 machines, hardware and software (many thousands of dollars), and I will fight them off through 2020.
BUT, I -- we -- shouldn't have to keep fighting with Microsoft over using software we paid for -- and under support terms that were clearly laid out when we purchased the software!
OK, so...
I'm strongly considering creating a Linux machine, in order to learn and evaluate the Linux OS as a possible successor to Windows 7 when the time comes.
More importantly, to evaluate the available Linux software for potential use.
Sure, the basic stuff is out there, and much of it already comes bundles with the Linux OS.
BUT, will I be able to perform high-quality video and audio editing like I do now on Windows 7?
So, please, any of you using Linux (and what versions of Linux) talk to me about it
Magician9
Member

14 Posts
8/12
Posted - Sep 27 2016 : 5:11PM
Get a Live DVD of Linux Mint. Google it and a list of vendors will appear. Order it from whomever you like for $5 or $10. This allows you to try it without actually installing it on your machine. Other possibilities are Ubuntu and Manjaro. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Although I feel your pain, I am comforted by the fact that others are as fed up with MS as I was when I left it behind years ago.
Goldstein All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

"You have sacrificed nothing and no one."
3689 Posts
8/10
Posted - Sep 27 2016 : 7:23PM
^ Are you familiar with the Cinnamon distribution?
And, are there high-quality video and audio editing programs available?
(If VLC for Linux is as good as the Windows version, it will suffice as the player.)
 
Jacco All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

"liable to deprave and corrupt"
2673 Posts
5/04
Posted - Sep 28 2016 : 7:23AM
Goldstein, you can download and burn a live DVD/CD for almost every LInux distribution for free. Do not buy a cheap CD from some random vendor! Download from the original site only. You as a security conscious person will understand why.
I am still using OpenSuse, both at home and in the office.
VLC on Linux works the same as on any other platform, maybe even better.
Video editing, I think there are some reasonable free programs out there, but I know there are commercial video editing packages for Linux, which are used by major studios, like Lightworks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_editing_software has a list.
Jacco
Edited by - jacco on 9/28/2016 7:23:53 AM
pringles All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

1351 Posts
2/08
Posted - Sep 29 2016 : 12:55PM
Goldstein,
It sounds like you're in the exact same spot I was in 10 months ago. I'll share my experience.
I LOVE Windows 7 and have done everything I can think of to keep it as long as possible. I'm also disgusted by Microsoft's behaviour this past year or two. I have Windows Updates completely disabled. I consider Microsoft to be the biggest threat to my system. I haven't had an issue with malware in many years. Besides privatefirewall and Avast AV, I think the biggest reason for this is AdBlock Plus and spywareblaster.
I have a backup of literally everything I can think of and find. This includes a Macrium Reflect image of my Win 7 system.
Still, I know Win 7 won't last forever. So I decided to give Linux a serious shot last October. I continued using and learning it through March. So about 4-5 months.
I decided to go with Ubuntu if only because it seems to have the most support online. IMO people focus too much on which environment to use and how pretty their desktop looks. Learn Linux instead.
No matter what flavor you go with, sign up for UbuntuForums. It's a fantastic community like ADT. They have specific forums for the most common Linux distributions.
To summarize my experience with Ubuntu, I think it would be a fantastic alternative for someone who only needs to fire up Firefox and surf the web. There's many things I really really like about it, such as being able to boot it from just about anything. I boot it from a docked external hard drive.
My frustration isn't as much with the OS as it is with the software and dependencies. There's alternatives for everything, including photo and video editing. I found too much of the software to either be buggy OR missing just one or two key features that the Windows versions had that make it a no go, unless you're willing to make a significant compromise. Often times I researched for an answer and found it wasn't the program, but it's dependencies.
You'll hear a lot about WINE to emulate Windows programs. I spent a lot of time playing with it and couldn't find anything it was useful for. FWIW I don't play computer games. Maybe it works for that.
I will try Ubuntu again when the day comes I have to choose between Windows 10 or Linux. I still have it on my external drive but I haven't touched it since April. I DO feel it was a great learning experience, and you should at least try it. I pushed hard to make it work for me, but in the end I feel like it's maybe 60-65% of my Windows experience. You will have to make compromises.
Burn a Live DVD and try it. You can also put Ubuntu on a USB flash drive. If you intend for that to be your main system though, there's quite a few modifications needed so you don't burn it out quickly. There's a thread or two on Ubuntu forums on how to do that.
Know that Ubuntu can see a Windows partition, but Windows can't see a Ubuntu partition out of the box.
Know that you can screw up your boot loader easily if you don't know what you're doing. It can be fixed. Keep your Ubuntu install off your Windows drive if possible to help avoid this. I turn my external drive on, reboot, F12 and select my Ubuntu partition on the external. It works great.
Don't think you can get away without learning to use the terminal. Learn to use it. Don't do anything in it unless you know what it will do. Double check what you typed before you hit enter.
Backup your system. There's various ways to do it, but one of the things I really liked about Linux is that you can just zip up your OS while it's running! There's a thread on how to do it on the forums.
If you have any Wordpad documents in Windows 7... I had a terrible time trying to find a workable solution to keep my RTF (Rich Text Files) or convert them in Ubuntu. I spent considerable time on it. I ended up deciding if I ever make the switch, I'll just re-type dozens of documents I have. So I printed them out for later use.
I believe Ubuntu is switching over to something called Snaps. This was beginning after I started so I don't know much about it. You might want to investigate. I believe it is the direction Ubuntu is heading in for future security purposes. My system is Ubuntu 14.04.
Download the Ubuntu Manual and read it.
Download The Linux Command Line from Linuxcommand.org. It's a great reference guide.
Here are some other resources I found very helpful:
help.ubuntu.com
Ask Ubuntu
Easy Linux Tips Project
Wine HQ if you decide to venture into WINE
OMG Ubuntu
psychocats.net - some great beginner info here
I apologize for the length of this. I hope something here helps. Good luck.
Edited by - pringles on 9/29/2016 1:09:33 PM
Jacco All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

"liable to deprave and corrupt"
2673 Posts
5/04
Posted - Sep 29 2016 : 2:48PM
LibreOffice can handle RTF files without problems.
Jacco
pringles All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

1351 Posts
2/08
Posted - Sep 29 2016 : 3:25PM
^
Not in my experience. LibreOffice was one of probably 10-12 programs I tried for RTF. I tried every single program in the repositories. If it wasn't an issue of just being buggy, it was an issue of formatting or something else.
I consulted help on the forums. I consulted the extensive LibreOffice documentation regarding "Using Styles from another document or template," "Creating a document template" and "Changing the default template" and couldn't get it to work. As I recall I found out some of the settings weren't saved and it was a known bug. Known bugs are another thing I ran into repeatedly.
I gave up after probably 10 hours of trying to solve just this one issue. I'm no longer interested in trying to solve it. I'll just re-type everything if and when I need to.
This is one example of how maddening Linux can be. Be prepared to be frustrated.
Goldstein All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

"You have sacrificed nothing and no one."
3689 Posts
8/10
Posted - Sep 29 2016 : 6:39PM
^ You guys may want to try saving your RTF documents off as simple Notepad files -- which will strip-out all the formatting, extras and font issues -- then move the Notepad files to LibreOffice.
This way, instead of "re-typing" documents, all you'd need to do is set the fonts and formatting to your liking in LibreOffice.
One thing I've noticed with Microsoft programs is that they go out-of-their-way to fight with you when you try to do anything reasonable to move them to other company's programs.
(I can only imagine the Hell Windows 10 will put people through when they try to move their files and programs as they abandon Windows 10)
I will probably build and entirely new and separate computer for my Linux experiment.
I mean, the OS and many programs are free. And, I already have most of the parts in excess inventory to build one for very little additional investment.
I'm also wondering what the market might be for pre-built Linux machines?
After all, most people don't know how to use their Windows computers right now.
Could I make money building and selling Linux computers?
Plus, the basic programs most people would get on a entry to mid-priced computer are actually pretty good and mostly free for Linux.
Firefox, VLC, Flash, and LibreOffice as a basic office suite, immediately come to mind.
Jacco All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

"liable to deprave and corrupt"
2673 Posts
5/04
Posted - Oct 1 2016 : 3:32PM
^^Weird, I have been opening ancient WordPerfect 4 files, old RTF's, old .docs that people could not open in Word anymore and more in LibreOffice without problem. Maybe Windows (not unusual for them) has their own non-standard version of RTF? Neither at home or at work have I used Windows in 20 years, so I never really have to deal with migrating from Windows.
Jacco
Magician9
Member

14 Posts
8/12
Posted - Oct 3 2016 : 9:17AM
I heartily agree with Pringles that people spend too much time arguing about which distro is best.
He's right. Just learn Linux if you want to although I realize this is a time committment many people are not willing to make.
One of the best Linux learning tools is the book The Linux Command Line. I have a paperback and a Kindle copy.
Regarding RTF documents, has anyone tried AbiWord? I have had great luck with 10 year old or more WordPerfect files that AbiWord handles flawlessly although I can't recall that I specifically tried it with RTF docs. Just a suggestion that might help.
Good luck on your Linux journey and let me add a word of encouragement. One key difference between Linux and MS and Apple is this:
MS and Apple will make a lot of arbitrary eye candy changes and also changes to the system setup files. While the eye candy on Linux is admittedly somewhat behind, the basic system concepts and configuration stay the same. Once you learn how to configure the system to your liking you are pretty much good to go. A Linux box does exactly what it is told provided you know how to say it on the command line. MS and Apple systems do not, and the programmers go to great lengths to keep you from telling your system what you want it to do.
I'm having a similar issue right now with GIMP because it's a little behind with things that PhotoShop Elements does in a more simple way but I know it will be worth the time and trouble to sort this out.
Again, good luck and I encourage you to stick with it. The Linux rewards add up more and more the longer you use it.
pringles All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

1351 Posts
2/08
Posted - Oct 3 2016 : 3:48PM
^
If you can't make a significant time committment for learning, I might argue that Linux isn't for you. Unless all you need is a web browser. There's a lot to know and it is significantly different than Windows. There's lots of outdated info and bad advice online. I learned a ton from others being corrected (or debate ensued) on Ubuntuforums and AskUbuntu.
I was frustrated the very first week and felt like giving up. I kept pushing and eventually forced myself to use Ubuntu only for weeks at a time without Win 7. When I hit a roadblock it was back to Google and Ubuntuforums.
I did try AbiWord. I don't remember the specific issue, but I found it to be unsuitable rather quickly.
If you're on Twitter, I recommend the following for keeping up with Ubuntu: @omgubuntu and @ubuntugeek
I'm still trying to stay on top of new developments even though I'm back to Windows. I invested too much time in it to forget everything before I give it another serious go down the road.
pringles All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

1351 Posts
2/08
Posted - Jan 7 2017 : 10:29PM
Goldstein,
Did you give Linux a try?
I've been back at it again with Ubuntu for the past few weeks. I think I've solved the remaining issues that will allow it to be my primary OS of choice after Win 7. I'm preparing to upgrade to Ubuntu 16.04.2 in a few weeks.
This turned out to be true. I found out Microsoft's Wordpad doesn't fully meet the RTF specification.
I also didn't realize that LibreOffice was available for Windows. I've converted all my documents to ODF/ODT format and with a few setting changes everything is looking good. I've tested the documents for compatibility on both systems. I really like LibreOffice.
Linux Preloaded maintains a list of vendors selling hardware preloaded with Linux.
I think it's worthwhile to learn to install it yourself.
Goldstein All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

"You have sacrificed nothing and no one."
3689 Posts
8/10
Posted - Jan 8 2017 : 12:31PM
^ I was thinking in terms of me building complete Linux systems to sell to others.
And, no, I haven't built a Linux machine yet -- but I will.
I'm still finishing updating, upgrading and "hardening" my fleet of Windows 7 machines :)
I even (finally) finished my final Windows XP Pro machine (i.e. one complete system incorporating all the best XP hardware/software I had on several machines), to serve as a reference system going forward.
There are still a lot of people running XP machines (that could become potential customers down the road).
What I really want to determine is if XP and Vista machines -- particularly the later ones that came with the 4GB RAM motherboards -- would make satisfactory hardware platforms for running current versions of Linux.
This would be a prime market for the "all I do is email and the Internet" older people -- and I hear this ALL the time.
(More specifically, when I have to explain to them that email and the Internet are the security threats to their computers) [o\|]
I have recently been given such an XP desktop with 4GB of RAM (a functioning one! that I am familiar with), and plan to check out a Linux system with this machine.
It was free. So, I have exactly what I need to start playing around with Linux :)
pringles All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

1351 Posts
2/08
Posted - Jan 8 2017 : 2:43PM
^
Yup, I knew you were thinking of selling them. I was just letting you know about that site.
It's just my opinion, but I still feel like Linux isn't a drop-in replacement for Windows. I think you need a certain level of technical and computer skills. You need to stay up to date on the changes for your distribution.
In the short time I've been using it, Ubuntu has gone through a handful of changes, such as the introduction of snaps. Soon they will be changing display servers, from XServer to Mir.
There are linux distros specifically for those older systems. Even within the Ubuntu family, there are flavors for varying systems... Lubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, etc. You can read more about them here.
Xubuntu and Lubuntu are intended to be a "low-system-requirement, low-RAM environment for netbooks, mobile devices, and older PCs."
4GB should be plenty. There are systems running on far less than that.
How many computers do you have?
LetTheWookieWin1981
Member

226 Posts
1/17
Posted - Jan 22 2017 : 11:46AM
XP and Vista-era hardware is not good for Linux, unless you upgrade the RAM to the max amount and install a recent Nvidia video card, with at least 2GB of VRAM. Even then, it's pretty dodgy unless you are using quad-core Intel CPUs, with large amounts of RAM. At this point, I don't recommend it because the price of doing a RAM upgrade for that older stuff is pretty high due to the fact that nobody really makes the ancient DDR/DDR2 anymore, though you can find it for not much if you look online at surplus parts sources or go to computer shows with RAM wholesalers. The best pre-fab hardware foundation for Linux builds are mid-range Intel PCs that are of the past five years, preferably something from 2-4 years ago. Why? That era of hardware is pretty stable in terms of Linux support. The integrated GPUs are well supported as are the chipsets and you can easily get RAM for anything from that time-frame. That's why the older Intel NUCs make such great Linux machines, cause they work out of the box with any current distro build.
Goldstein All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

"You have sacrificed nothing and no one."
3689 Posts
8/10
Posted - Jan 22 2017 : 1:04PM
^ By the same token, I'm guessing the very latest "Windows 10" hardware -- especially now the Intel 7th generation Kaby Lake processors -- is also not the ideal Linux solution, either (as support, drivers, etc. may not even exist yet).
So, sounds like Windows 7 era hardware, etc. is probably the safest bet for building a Linux system, at this moment in time.
Thoughts?
FYI, I mentioned the Intel 7th generation Kaby Lake processors above, as they will receive absolutely zero support for anything other than Windows 10, by design.
Most notably this means that they are purposely designed to not work with Windows 7 (in theory, to not even allow Windows 7 to install in a Kaby Lake system).
Microsoft wanted to do this with the Intel 6th generation Skylake processors, but relented (probably due to Windows 7 still being 50% of the installed user base), and will officially support Skylake until support for Windows 7 officially ends in 2020.
Adoption of Windows 10, essentially, flatlined after the "free upgrade" campaign ended, so they are now going to force the issue with the Intel 7th generation Kaby Lake processors.
Microsoft Massive Backtrack: Extends Windows 7 And 8.1 Intel Skylake Support
Microsoft Confirms Windows 7 And Windows 8 Support Cuts
Skylake systems supported on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1
LetTheWookieWin1981
Member

226 Posts
1/17
Posted - Jan 22 2017 : 4:26PM
Kaby Lake hardware is fine on Linux, so long as you're running it with an Nvidia GPU. Intel's own GPU drivers for their integrated GPU are not quite there yet, but they should be in good working order by Summer. The big problem with Kaby Lake hardware is that the pre-fab stuff shipping with Windows 10 is often locked down with UEFI to the point where installing Linux is difficult, if not impossible for all but the most skilled of users, who can crack the firmware. Also, Linux does not yet fully support Thunderbolt or the extra USB-C functions that are present in Kaby Lake hardware. No time-frame on that being implemented in ye olde kernel, though it should be in place by some time early next year.
pringles All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

1351 Posts
2/08
Posted - Jan 22 2017 : 10:31PM
^
Welcome to the forum. What distro are you using?
snufish
Member

580 Posts
4/14
Posted - Jul 23 2020 : 12:35AM
Linux mint works on my hardware, tried ubuntu and the screen was blank. Should've switched in 2006 but MS had me in a grip. I tried 3 distros, ubuntu, linux mint and tails. Tails & mint worked perfect on my hardware, I use tails on work pc and mint on personal.
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