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opa
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Linux

by opa Sun May 15, 2022 7:16 pm

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This is the Linux thread. Put all Linux posts/thoughts/news here.
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opa
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Re: Linux

by opa Sun May 15, 2022 7:42 pm

I'll open things up.
Currently running ubuntu alongside windows 10 in my current desktop.

Although I am tempted to get one of those tiny Lenovo thinkcentres to use as a Linux machine. Anyone have experience with them? I like the small footprint.
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Re: Linux

by Ziggy587 Sun May 15, 2022 10:32 pm

I haven't used Ubuntu is years, not since before they switched the UI. I've been wanting to try it out again, mostly just out of curiosity, but I have less time to tinker these days.

I've been using Mint, though. I had a spare SSD that I used to put Mint on my old laptop. Then more recently, I have an old slimline desktop that I repurposed to use on my workbench. I have Windows XP on there because my chip programmer doesn't have a Linux driver. But I don't want to take XP online, so I dual booted it with Mint. For an older machine, that was low end when it was new, Mint runs pretty well. Well enough to browse the web, at least.
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Re: Linux

by o.pwuaioc Mon May 16, 2022 12:33 am

Fedora user here, although I used Mint off and on from approx. 2009 to 2016, after which I switched to Fedora 25 and never looked back. Coincidentally, my first Linux experience was with Fedora Core 1 way back when, I guess 2003, 2004? Used it until that computer died, then tried Gentoo before searching a bit and settled on Mint in 2009.

That said, because I've solely using Fedora now for 6 years, I haven't really kept up with other distros, and because I use it on my main computers, I haven't bothered with older hardware in a long time.

I have grown into a real believer, though. I firmly believe that anyone who is mildly computer literate will find that Linux is actually a better experience than Windows or Mac. It's not like the old days - it really is no "techie" than other OS's now. I've only had one problem that I couldn't fix, and honestly that's less than what I experience with Windows or Mac when I use them now. Some people won't be able to switch, though, if they're too dependent on programs like Adobe. Sucks to be them, I guess.
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Re: Linux

by marurun Mon May 16, 2022 7:17 am

So, I haven’t dabbled in Linux in a while. Are there any distros with a heavy power efficiency focus? I have a 10 year old laptop on its second aftermarket battery (they all seem to be crap) which I upgraded to an SSD and it still gets peanuts for battery life under Win 10. It would probably help if I replaced the thermal paste on the CPU since it spins up the fan to high gear over nothing. I know power savings was long a bugaboo for Linux.
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Re: Linux

by Ziggy587 Mon May 16, 2022 6:53 pm

FWIW Linux Mint in the MATE flavor has always run fine on my old laptop (bought around 2010). But worth noting is that I still have the original battery, and thankfully I never really had any issues with it (although now that I've said that it'll probably die).

Do you still have the crapped out batteries? If so, crack open the shell sometime and see if they use standard size battery cells. If so, then you could probably replace them (hopefully with something reliable). I've seen someone do this in a YouTube video once, IIRC it was the 8-bit Guy with an old Mac.
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Re: Linux

by opa Mon May 16, 2022 7:34 pm

yeah, 8 bit guy has a video on rebuilding a laptop battery.
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Hey o.pwuaioc, why fedora? As a (newish) user I'm curious why you choose it over Ubuntu (or other distros)?
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Re: Linux

by o.pwuaioc Tue May 17, 2022 12:14 am

opa wrote:yeah, 8 bit guy has a video on rebuilding a laptop battery.
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Hey o.pwuaioc, why fedora? As a (newish) user I'm curious why you choose it over Ubuntu (or other distros)?

I originally chose Fedora Core 1 because it came with a book on Linux admin I bought. Right around that time, a PC I had needed reviving, so I installed it and it mostly worked. My PC was super duper old, and I distinctly remember the Matrix screensaver being very sluggish, but otherwise it served me well.

Fast forward to 2016, and after trying Mint, Debian, and a few others, Fedora was the only one that immediately recognized my double monitor setup. No hassle in dealing with finding this driver or that setting, it worked flawlessly. I got the Xfce spin for that retro style and coasted. Eventually I wanted something fancier and got Gnome and have stuck with it for a few years now.

I continue to use it because it almost never gives me a problem. It's not as bleeding edge as something like Arch, where updates can easily break your system, but it's more current than Ubuntu. It was the first distro to get Wayland, too, which helped with screen tearing issues I was having.

I also appreciate Fedora's commitment to free software. I never minded hunting down the licensed software I needed, and I could trust them to not slip in something I didn't really want. Bloatware is inevitable on Gnome, but it's rather minimal compared to Windows or OSX.

Honestly, these days, there's not a whole lot of difference among the distros themselves. It really boils down to just a few factors: package manager, release schedule, install tools, pre-installed software, online help/support/wikis. The real look and feel though comes down to what desktop environment you use.
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Re: Linux

by Anapan Fri May 20, 2022 7:50 am

I don't like it but using it is inescapable if you do things on a computer as I often do. I run Mint in a VM with various script capabilities installed. Its VM file is rather large, but I dare not try to do anything but back it up as it can do the stuff and I don't remember how I convinced it to do those things. All operations start with "sudo" Most end with "Nemo"
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Re: Linux

by opa Tue Jun 28, 2022 10:58 am

I ordered the Linux Bible 10th edition. I have limited time, why not add a 800 page book to read. Lol

I did try fedora last night via live usb. Seems all right. I'll mess with it some more later.
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