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Why Linux?

Seek assistance with all types of tech. - computer, phone, TV, heating controls etc.
Infrasonic
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Re: Why Linux?

#38314

Postby Infrasonic » March 12th, 2017, 6:56 pm

Infrasonic wrote:As this has come up a few times...https://blogs.skype.com/news/2017/03/01 ... -download/

Since the launch of Skype for Linux Alpha a few months ago, we have been focused on building a new experience that is in line with Skype’s ongoing transition from peer-to-peer to a modern cloud architecture. We want to create a Linux version of Skype that is as feature rich as the existing Skype on desktop and mobile platforms. Today, we’re pleased to announce that we are ready to take the next step and promote Skype for Linux from Alpha to Beta.


http://www.zdnet.com/article/whats-new- ... inux-beta/

jofc
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Re: Why Linux?

#38909

Postby jofc » March 15th, 2017, 4:14 pm

I came home from work yesterday to find my 11 year old daughter had pulled out an old laptop that I installed Mint on last year & was using Open Office to do her homework on.

Didn't seem to bother her that it wasn't one of the several windows machines we have, or that it wasn't Word.

Her older siblings would have headed direct for a windows machine running word.

UncleEbenezer
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Re: Why Linux?

#39027

Postby UncleEbenezer » March 16th, 2017, 9:47 am

jofc wrote:I came home from work yesterday to find my 11 year old daughter had pulled out an old laptop that I installed Mint on last year & was using Open Office to do her homework on.

Didn't seem to bother her that it wasn't one of the several windows machines we have, or that it wasn't Word.

Her older siblings would have headed direct for a windows machine running word.

As only a very occasional user of any 'office' software, I sometimes struggle to find an option for something I want to do.

On one occasion, I was finishing work for the day and going out with friends, one of whom had come to meet me at my office. I was, as it happens, using StarOffice (the program that later became OpenOffice and LibreOffice), and looking for an option to do something before finishing for the day. My friend, who had never seen StarOffice but was proficient in MS Office for her work, looked over my shoulder and without hesitation told me exactly what menu options I was looking for.

I can date that between 1999 and 2001, when I was working in the office where that took place. That also means I was using Slackware Linux for my desktop at the time: the distro aimed more at people with a Unix background than Windows-users.

Infrasonic
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Re: Why Linux?

#52880

Postby Infrasonic » May 11th, 2017, 9:44 pm

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker ... build-2017

Microsoft is doubling down on offering developers more options on Windows 10, and at Build 2017, it announced that three of the most popular Linux distributions are coming to the Windows Store.

Ubuntu, SUSE Linux, and Fedora will all be available to install directly from the Windows Store, making it easy to run Linux apps on any Windows 10 device. The Linux installations will run in a virtualized environment side by side with Windows, with the same command-line utilities available that you’d normally have with a full installation.
Cont.

Infrasonic
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Re: Why Linux?

#55382

Postby Infrasonic » May 22nd, 2017, 2:38 pm

http://www.techradar.com/news/10-of-the ... ux-distros
Modern Linux distros are designed to appeal to a large number of users who run modern hardware.
As a result, they have become too bloated for older machines, even if cut down by hand – if you don't have several gigs of RAM to spare and an extra core or two, these distros may not deliver the best performance for you.
Thankfully, there are many lightweight distros, trimmed and tweaked by expert hands, which can be used to breathe new life into older hardware.

Infrasonic
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Re: Why Linux?

#84933

Postby Infrasonic » October 1st, 2017, 3:05 pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYFcTix56e8

Linux distro comparison of Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Manjaro, Slacko Puppy, Lubuntu, Zorin OS, and Debian Jessie (with the Raspberry Pi Desktop!)

GeoffF100
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Re: Why Linux?

#85209

Postby GeoffF100 » October 2nd, 2017, 7:01 pm

Thank you very much for that Infrasonic. A very interesting review. It inspires me to think about playing with Linux again. Lubuntu looked particularly interesting. The user interface looks less eccentric than that of Ubuntu, and it should not need powerful hardware. A small Linux laptop would be useful for some pf my tasks. One possibility would be to load Lubuntu on a cloud book such as this one:

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing ... 5-pdt.html

That looks like it would be an interesting toy. The Celeron processor is the not the fastest, but the most processor intensive task that I would be likely to do would be web browsing. Would it be slick and quick for that?

GeoffF100
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Re: Why Linux?

#85223

Postby GeoffF100 » October 2nd, 2017, 7:29 pm

Ubuntu immediately recognized my Kodak printer, and immediately worked with my mobile phone. Windows would not work with my mobile phone unless I installed an absolutely huge piece of software. Either that or I have to email pictures to myself, or transfer them via the cloud. You have to be lucky here.

Infrasonic
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Re: Why Linux?

#85405

Postby Infrasonic » October 3rd, 2017, 2:30 pm

FredBloggs wrote:
GeoffF100 wrote:Thank you very much for that Infrasonic. A very interesting review. It inspires me to think about playing with Linux again. Lubuntu looked particularly interesting. The user interface looks less eccentric than that of Ubuntu, and it should not need powerful hardware. A small Linux laptop would be useful for some pf my tasks. One possibility would be to load Lubuntu on a cloud book such as this one:

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing ... 5-pdt.html

That looks like it would be an interesting toy. The Celeron processor is the not the fastest, but the most processor intensive task that I would be likely to do would be web browsing. Would it be slick and quick for that?

I have just today installed Linux Mint 64 bit, Cinnamon onto a modest ex-Windows 7 laptop. I can recommend it except for one thing. I have been struggling all day to get my Epson printer/scanner working. Unlike with Windows 10 where you plug it in and it just works, it seems my choice of printer is a bad one from a Linux Mint perspective.

As an aside I have dabbled on and off for the lat 15 years or so trying several Linux distros in that time, Red Hat, Ubuntu, Suse and several others. To date, I have always gone back to windows. The reason? I can never get printers to work. Microsoft Windows got this cracked pretty much by Windows 98SE. So I am very disappointing that Linux still seems to struggle with mainstream plug and play printers.


Weirdly I'm having exactly the opposite problem.

W10 won't work properly with my HP Laserjet 6L, keeps downloading drivers, none work etc. been through every thread I can find on the web (it's a known issue), still unresolved.

Linux Mint on the other hand worked straight off the bat, no messing my end at all...

ReformedCharacter
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Re: Why Linux?

#85429

Postby ReformedCharacter » October 3rd, 2017, 3:41 pm

Infrasonic wrote:
Weirdly I'm having exactly the opposite problem.

W10 won't work properly with my HP Laserjet 6L, keeps downloading drivers, none work etc. been through every thread I can find on the web (it's a known issue), still unresolved.

That's a pity, the LaserJet 4/5/6 are great printers and last almost forever.

Presumably on your searching you have read this page:

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/LaserJet- ... -p/5496404

RC

GeoffF100
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Re: Why Linux?

#85447

Postby GeoffF100 » October 3rd, 2017, 4:41 pm

A printer manufacturer has to ensure that their printer works with Windows, otherwise it will not sell. If it stops working with the latest version of Windows when they have stopped selling it, that is less important, but they will still upset a lot of people who may not want to buy from them again.

A printer manufacturer may not care whether their printer works with Linux, because there are relatively few Linux users. If they do not use a standard interface, someone then has to do some unpaid work to write an interface. That may or may not happen.

Infrasonic
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Re: Why Linux?

#85458

Postby Infrasonic » October 3rd, 2017, 5:28 pm

ReformedCharacter wrote:
Infrasonic wrote:
Weirdly I'm having exactly the opposite problem.

W10 won't work properly with my HP Laserjet 6L, keeps downloading drivers, none work etc. been through every thread I can find on the web (it's a known issue), still unresolved.

That's a pity, the LaserJet 4/5/6 are great printers and last almost forever.

Presumably on your searching you have read this page:

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/LaserJet- ... -p/5496404

RC


Yeah that's why I've been persevering with it, built like a tank, really cheap generic toner refills and I very rarely print, otherwise I would have got a cheap laser mono (or all in one) on special offer.

Been through that help link already unfortunately, all the fixes that have worked for others failed for me.
Still all the same issues as in this thread I did here...viewtopic.php?f=39&t=7009

Infrasonic
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Re: Why Linux?

#85462

Postby Infrasonic » October 3rd, 2017, 5:41 pm

Another relatively cheap print option if you are feeling brave is to get a Raspberry Pi3 or Zero W and turn it into a print server.

Quite a few instructionals out there from basic wired/wireless to all singing all dancing Windows/wifi direct/Google Cloud/Air print et al.
Some have even got SANE scanning working (although a much lower success rate...)

You'll have to get your hands dirty with the command line, and in my case there's the added complication of a USB to Centronics cable (which may or may not work, all the tutorials are for USB/USB).
But for the price of a Zero W with bits (under£20) even if it doesn't work I can still put it to other uses, and the CL skills are worth having.

GeoffF100
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Re: Why Linux?

#86301

Postby GeoffF100 » October 6th, 2017, 2:07 pm

Here is someone who has installed full Ubuntu on one of these Acer Celeron + 2 GB cloud books:

https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments ... that_runs/

He got it to work and it was much faster than Windows, but there were some issues.

GeoffF100
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Re: Why Linux?

#86482

Postby GeoffF100 » October 7th, 2017, 1:09 pm

Here is a good article on Lubuntu:

http://www.everydaylinuxuser.com/2014/0 ... r-usb.html

The video at the bottom gives a good indication of the user interface. Very retro. Small footprint, and looks very much like an old version of Windows, which cannot be bad. I will have to give it a try.

Infrasonic
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Re: Why Linux?

#90645

Postby Infrasonic » October 25th, 2017, 2:41 pm

https://www.pcworld.com/article/3223865 ... tk.rss_all

The Librem 15 laptop, from the privacy and freedom-oriented Linux PC maker Purism, aims to be the answer for those who want ultimate data protection. After taking this laptop for a long spin, I can safely say it delivers thoroughly on security and privacy—though not surprisingly, at the expense of other features.
Cont...

...While the software privacy tools are nice, the two privacy features I like most are actually hardware features. The Librem 15 features two hardware kill switches: one for the mic and webcam, the other for the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Cont...

I really hope this becomes more common on phones,laptops, tablets, monitors/all-in-ones with a built in webcam/mic etc.

Infrasonic
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Re: Why Linux?

#93591

Postby Infrasonic » November 6th, 2017, 1:51 pm

Another excellent practical video from https://twitter.com/ChrisBarnatt of 'Explaining Computers'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqZDuKB949U

Running Windows software on Linux using Wine, PlayOnLinux, Winetricks and CrossOver, and demonstrated on the distros Zorin OS and Linux Mint.

The Wine website is at: https://www.winehq.org/

The PlayOnLinux website is at: https://www.playonlinux.com/en/

The Winetricks website is at: https://wiki.winehq.org/Winetricks

The Codeweavers CrossOver web pages are at: https://www.codeweavers.com/

Infrasonic
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Re: Why Linux?

#94113

Postby Infrasonic » November 8th, 2017, 1:06 pm

Related to the above post...http://www.androidpolice.com/2017/11/07 ... open-beta/

CrossOver by CodeWeavers has been available for Mac and Linux for years, allowing users of those operating systems to run some Windows programs without a copy of Windows. It does this by utilizing Wine, an open-source Windows compatibility layer for Unix-based operating systems (CodeWeavers is one of the main contributors to Wine's codebase).

CodeWeavers released the first preview build of CrossOver for Android over a year ago, allowing Chrome OS devices with the Play Store (and standalone Android devices) to run Windows applications, as long as they had an x86-based processor. The port has been continually refined over the past year, and now the invite-only preview has become an open beta.
Cont.

Infrasonic
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Re: Why Linux?

#95623

Postby Infrasonic » November 14th, 2017, 3:33 pm

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/11/1 ... dows_2020/

Munich city council's administrative and personnel committee has decided to move any remaining Linux systems to Windows 10 in 2020...
Cont.

...Munich rose to fame in the open-source world for deciding to use Linux and LibreOffice to make the city independent from the claws of Microsoft. But the plan was never fully realised – mail servers, for instance, eventually wound up migrating to Microsoft Exchange – and in February the city council formally voted to end Linux migration and go back to Microsoft...Cont.


Worth reading the whole article to get a feel for the differing views... ;)

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Re: Why Linux?

#98224

Postby Infrasonic » November 23rd, 2017, 4:41 pm

https://appdb.winehq.org/

This is the Wine Application Database (AppDB). Here you can get information on application compatibility with Wine.


https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager. ... 00&iPage=1


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