Quote: (12-04-2016 11:11 PM)Simon Mcozelean Wrote:
It is clear that in order get companies to do what we want, we must stop giving money to them. Microsoft is no different. Unless you are a video editor, or a game developer, you should not be using Windows.
The great thing about Linux is that you can be sure that you are not being spied on. It is also much more customizable.
Currently, I'm using Linux Mint. It's great if you are a Windows user and you want to switch. It very closely resembles windows, with all the buttons you are familiar with.
First off, sorry for not checking the other thread. I will do at some point, but seeing as a few of you responded here, I'll chuck in a bit.
Secondly, your post reads like a troll. I mean, the kind of authoritative tone it takes - full of assertions and 'I know better than you'. It's not even a plea or a question - it's a mini-rant.
I'll take your post, paragraph by paragraph to start with.
1:
It is clear that in order get companies to do what we want, we must stop giving money to them. Microsoft is no different. Unless you are a video editor, or a game developer, you should not be using Windows.
Are you deluded? "To get companies to do what we want"? Taking on Microsoft? Hard to take you seriously from this point on.
2:
The great thing about Linux is that you can be sure that you are not being spied on. It is also much more customizable.
First off, wrong. You can still be spied on. Secondly, wtf does it being customizable or not have to do with anything? Do you have problems with joined up thinking? You are either dumb or trolling. Perhaps both?
3:
Currently, I'm using Linux Mint. It's great if you are a Windows user and you want to switch. It very closely resembles windows, with all the buttons you are familiar with.
Bully for you! You got something right. Even if this post isn't really about Linux at all, you managed to read the no.1 slot at Distrowatch and ascertain that Mint is no.1. Bravo.
Now, with that out of the way, and just for the record, I think you are on a wind up, I will say this...
Yes, Mint is good, but it does not 'closely resemble windows' in the way you put forward. Sure, it runs on a computer and it has a desktop manager, but that is where it ends. Lots of things will be familiar, and it might work for 50 percent of the people that try it, but most that are familiar with windows will find it a different species. It tries hard to be like windows, but it is disingenuous of you to claim it as some familiar replacement. It's not.
First off, most programs that you use on windows do not exist on Linux. I'm talking graphics and audio stuff here, but there is probably more. Sure, Gimp is a powerful bit of kit, but learning it to the level that you know Photoshop at is another matter.
Then again, there have been a lot of advances in audio stuff for Linux. But again, it is 5 years behind. It's easier to get your windows programs to comply by running them in WINE which does a decent job, than it is by trying to get the few programs that work in Linux working on your particular distro.
It's fine if you just want mail and internet and office/word/spreadsheet stuff. Then it makes perfect sense. But if you do 3D/Audio/Graphics, then forget it. I know that the world doesn't revolve around these disciplines, but even so, setting up a working Linux box with proper backup management is not a trivial task. It's not difficult, but it's about taking the time, or having someone that knows what they are doing, taking the time to help you.
If you are going to go to the Linux side of things, then Mint is a good place to start. And no better place to start within Mint, than the LTS (Long Term Support) distro of 'Rosa'. It will keep going for a few years yet. Then again. My system stopped working the other day after not using it for a few weeks. When I updated, it started working again.
Updating can be hard in Linux. Sometimes it is just easier to uninstall a program and re-install it and hope that it all gets updated, rather than messing about with 'sudo apt-get install update' etc. etc.
At the end of the day it helps to have a buddy that can help you out with all of this. The people on the Linux forums are 'terse' to say the least.
Linux is a great alternative to windows for a lot of people, but it is not a panacea/holy grail of fuckyou microshaft!
Having said all that, I'm very impressed with how quick Reaper runs with the half a dozen synths and drum machines and FX I have, going with it. It took a whole evening to set up, but it's going now and a pleasure to use. I did a back up of my system that took up about 25GB of space, using my Terrabyte 'Image for Linux' backup software. It still hangs and takes a couple of minutes to load a calculator sometimes - all on a dual 2GHz x64 cpu.
I have a couple of virtual machines set up on it (winXP mainly) via VirtualBox and it works pretty good. But every now and again it hangs my system and I have to reboot. So ultimately it is useless. I just need a bigger/faster computer I suppose.
Linux has its place. It's the no.1 OS on the planet, like it or not. But windows has its place too.
TL;DR: Linux Mint Rosa (LST) is where it is at:
You can download it from here:
https://www.linuxmint.com/release.php?id=26
I would go with the XFCE edition as that is the most 'windows' like, and the lightest desktop that takes the least resources. Linux is just a kernel of the OS and a GUI of the desktop management system (ok, not as simple as that, but for noobs it will do) is put on top. So, Linux Mint Rosa will be your kernel of the OS, but XFCE will be your desktop. KDE is good, but heavy on resources and buggy - strictly for those that know what they are doing.
Most use MATE/Cinnamon but these also are not as light on resources as XFCE is. XFCE is really light on your system using much less RAM and whatnot. In fact, I found it lighter and faster on my system than LXDE, which is supposed to be the lightest of all. XFCE is the most bang for your buck.
So, TL;DR: Linux Mint Rosa (LST) is where it is at:
You can download it from here:
https://www.linuxmint.com/release.php?id=26
Choose the 'Xfce' edition.
That is supported for another couple of years iirc, before it just stops working. Just keep it updated. Little icon in the bottom right hand corner.
I can surf the net with my setup of this. Check mails. Do spreadsheets. Compose word documents. I can browse and edit photographs. I can do vector artwork with Inkscape apart from raster graphics with Gimp. I can compose music and edit it in Reaper via WINE. It does a lot.
But it's not a total replacement for windows.