Are you using linux? If yes, why?
- Thread starter warlockk
- Start date
captain-sensible
Well-Known Member
- Credits
- 8,515
it was the "add on" software costs that made me look at Linux e.g Office Suite and it also coincided with a Desktop build. I had no O.S on a new build so thought i would have nothing to loose putting lInux on it.
When i found that i could get Linux up and it had a free word processor that was the start.
Then i started playing with websites anyone remember cuteFTP it was a client to easily connect from your P.C and upload files to the server. Then i saw gFTP
When i found that i could get Linux up and it had a free word processor that was the start.
Then i started playing with websites anyone remember cuteFTP it was a client to easily connect from your P.C and upload files to the server. Then i saw gFTP
D
Deleted member 58530
Guest
I needed an alternative to Windows XP as it was reaching EOL and tried out Linux and here I am.
I also use old computers and certain Linux distros give new life to old computers and old computer hardware.
Linux encourages installing Linux distros on as many different computers as I want and most of the time Linux installs and updates and works OOTB.
You just can't beat all of that for free and I donate some cash for the Linux distros I download an iso file from to help defray the cost.
Linux works for me OOTB most of the time without being a PITA and I like that.
I also use old computers and certain Linux distros give new life to old computers and old computer hardware.
Linux encourages installing Linux distros on as many different computers as I want and most of the time Linux installs and updates and works OOTB.
You just can't beat all of that for free and I donate some cash for the Linux distros I download an iso file from to help defray the cost.
Linux works for me OOTB most of the time without being a PITA and I like that.
Last edited by a moderator:
captain-sensible
Well-Known Member
- Credits
- 8,515
Why copy software illegally if you can get it for free ?
Its something i asked myself when last in Ghana . My empirical observation is that 98% of users are using cloned Windows including a lecturer laptop that also had cloned (stolen) Windows. here is there thinking "why bother to learn something" when i can get Windows for free. Microsoft engaged a "Country manager" but not quite sure success rate of collecting revenue. If Microsoft push to hard maybe they are frightened of Cloned Windows users going straight to linux. In Indonesia quite some time back they were pro-active and closed down internet cafes using Cloned Windows. This in part led to "Zencafe" distro based on Zenwalk Linux which had quite an input from Indonesian coders
Its something i asked myself when last in Ghana . My empirical observation is that 98% of users are using cloned Windows including a lecturer laptop that also had cloned (stolen) Windows. here is there thinking "why bother to learn something" when i can get Windows for free. Microsoft engaged a "Country manager" but not quite sure success rate of collecting revenue. If Microsoft push to hard maybe they are frightened of Cloned Windows users going straight to linux. In Indonesia quite some time back they were pro-active and closed down internet cafes using Cloned Windows. This in part led to "Zencafe" distro based on Zenwalk Linux which had quite an input from Indonesian coders
Attachments
Using GNU/Linux exclusively. Have been since 2009. Why?
Burnt out on Windoze with the 2000 version. Had to reinstall so many times while at a GIS shop I grew sick of it; had to tweak it to make it work in ways that I was told were illegal and swore to myself I would not, ever again.
Bottom Line -- it's Free (both as in 'Free Beer' and as in 'Liberty');
all it takes is a little learning, which is a challenge (and I need challenges in Life); I cherish Freedom above all but the Creator, who sets us free in more ways than I can fathom if we but let hin and use him in the opposite sense that humans use humans.
------------------------------------------------------
RANT
Debian holdouts from systemd (like devuan, antiX, BunsenLabs and others)* and Slackware (add BSD if you must) are the last of the old-school distros that are truly free and have not sold out in one way or another. (Gnu is Not Unix founder insists his is not Linux, either, or I could name him here, as well!)
Eight to ten years ago, at a linux fest site, I met one of the original developers of openSUSE. He told me in not so many words but without a doubt that MS was 'secretly' purchasing a share of his beloved distribution. I believed himn and never saw him again. No surprise, a recent thread.
*It's a shame about Ian Murdoch, isn't it? And the only good mint is peppermint (buth that will change,too, now that its founder is deceased, as well)!
Burnt out on Windoze with the 2000 version. Had to reinstall so many times while at a GIS shop I grew sick of it; had to tweak it to make it work in ways that I was told were illegal and swore to myself I would not, ever again.
Bottom Line -- it's Free (both as in 'Free Beer' and as in 'Liberty');
all it takes is a little learning, which is a challenge (and I need challenges in Life); I cherish Freedom above all but the Creator, who sets us free in more ways than I can fathom if we but let hin and use him in the opposite sense that humans use humans.
------------------------------------------------------
RANT
Debian holdouts from systemd (like devuan, antiX, BunsenLabs and others)* and Slackware (add BSD if you must) are the last of the old-school distros that are truly free and have not sold out in one way or another. (Gnu is Not Unix founder insists his is not Linux, either, or I could name him here, as well!)
Eight to ten years ago, at a linux fest site, I met one of the original developers of openSUSE. He told me in not so many words but without a doubt that MS was 'secretly' purchasing a share of his beloved distribution. I believed himn and never saw him again. No surprise, a recent thread.
*It's a shame about Ian Murdoch, isn't it? And the only good mint is peppermint (buth that will change,too, now that its founder is deceased, as well)!
I started looking at Linux after reading about the privacy and security concerns about Windows 10. I also discovered that there are several Linux distros that work well on older computers, so now there is no need of throwing away good equipment because the increasing requirements of the latest Windows offerings. After using Linux (even a lightweight distro), I have found it to be a much better OS than Windows. I have another computer with Windows 10, but most of the time I use this old Dell laptop that originally ran Windows Vista but now runs Linux. I prefer it to the newer W10 laptop.
I started using Linux somewhere in the 1992-1994 timeframe, partly because even back then I was NOT a fan of Windows (TM, at least in this context) or Microsoft. And I'd been using Unix/Solaris/so_forth for a while anyway, so wanted something better than DOS.
I liked it so much I co-founded the Phoenix Linux User's group.
I'm still using it. In fact, except for the 3 Macbooks here that I don't really use, all my computers run Linux. Mint, if you must know.
I liked it so much I co-founded the Phoenix Linux User's group.
I'm still using it. In fact, except for the 3 Macbooks here that I don't really use, all my computers run Linux. Mint, if you must know.
I've been using Linux and MacOs for years now. I've always used Macs and my 'daily drivers' and Linux systems as sandboxes.
I've always been very attracted to the ethos behind the open source movement and I like that Linux is heavily cusomizable and I think fun to use.
So now I've got several Linux systems that I'm using for programming and sysadmin hobbyist stuff and I'm using a Macbook 17" from 2009 as my daily driver (web surfing, emai, etc.), however when Macbook either dies or becomes so obsolete that it's unusable as a MacOs system, I'll either replace it with a linux laptop or put linux on it.
I've always been very attracted to the ethos behind the open source movement and I like that Linux is heavily cusomizable and I think fun to use.
So now I've got several Linux systems that I'm using for programming and sysadmin hobbyist stuff and I'm using a Macbook 17" from 2009 as my daily driver (web surfing, emai, etc.), however when Macbook either dies or becomes so obsolete that it's unusable as a MacOs system, I'll either replace it with a linux laptop or put linux on it.
captain-sensible
Well-Known Member
- Credits
- 8,515
the open source movement is great maybe like Communist ideology in theory. I looked at it recently and what OS are available that are truly free. I should be going to Ghana where use of Linux is extremely limited and use of cloned Windows is endemic(my flight got cancelled again so you will have to put up with me a little longer) ;I thought it might be fun to see if I could get involved thinking Slackware would be the obvious choice for me .
Now that meant I had to establish and clarify where I stood with Slackware gnu/linux against microsoft cloned WIndows in terms of a moral argument . This is a reply back from Richard Stallman :
[[[ To any NSA and FBI agents reading my email: please consider ]]]
[[[ whether defending the US Constitution against all enemies, ]]]
[[[ foreign or domestic, requires you to follow Snowden's example. ]]]
Running an unauthorized copy of Windows still gives Microsoft power
over you. So I say: an unauthorized copy of Windows is a very bad
thing -- almost as bad as an authorized copy ;-{.
Slackware GNU/Linux has two flaws.
1. It contains nonfree programs.
See https://gnu.org/distros/.
2. The developers call it "Slackware Linux" which is unfair to the GNU Project.
See https://gnu.org/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html and
https://gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html, plus the history in
.
So i had a look at all of them booted them live; https://www.pureos.net/ looked a likely argument though the mention of Gnome Desktop prompted a thought (old ?)
Anyway no joy with wifi; from my limited investigation i think there are no free Intel ucode wifi firmware . Also on first sight pureOS not actively maintained . So the pragmatic reality is that maybe commercial endeavor stays ahead and with the times and opensource is lagging behind. I wonder if Mr V just thought i want an effective OS , so i can live with some none free software ?
Old documentation used to state Slackware gnu/Linux but currently on slackware.com as r.m.s sates header is of 2020 " The Slackware Linux Project"
Now that meant I had to establish and clarify where I stood with Slackware gnu/linux against microsoft cloned WIndows in terms of a moral argument . This is a reply back from Richard Stallman :
[[[ To any NSA and FBI agents reading my email: please consider ]]]
[[[ whether defending the US Constitution against all enemies, ]]]
[[[ foreign or domestic, requires you to follow Snowden's example. ]]]
Running an unauthorized copy of Windows still gives Microsoft power
over you. So I say: an unauthorized copy of Windows is a very bad
thing -- almost as bad as an authorized copy ;-{.
Slackware GNU/Linux has two flaws.
1. It contains nonfree programs.
See https://gnu.org/distros/.
2. The developers call it "Slackware Linux" which is unfair to the GNU Project.
See https://gnu.org/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html and
https://gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html, plus the history in
.
So i had a look at all of them booted them live; https://www.pureos.net/ looked a likely argument though the mention of Gnome Desktop prompted a thought (old ?)
Anyway no joy with wifi; from my limited investigation i think there are no free Intel ucode wifi firmware . Also on first sight pureOS not actively maintained . So the pragmatic reality is that maybe commercial endeavor stays ahead and with the times and opensource is lagging behind. I wonder if Mr V just thought i want an effective OS , so i can live with some none free software ?
Old documentation used to state Slackware gnu/Linux but currently on slackware.com as r.m.s sates header is of 2020 " The Slackware Linux Project"
To me it isn't just about Software Freedom - it is also about caring about the quality of the software as well which to me is equally important. Unfortunately we live in a GNU/Linux or Linux world where a lot of wireless cards won't work without non-free firmware. Hardware does exist but I need my wireless to work.
Developers of various Distros put out releases that are half baked and have some serious bugs. Leaving to the user to have to work out how to fix them - a developers job.
Case in point Debian a buggy Debian Buster with a broken su. I and others I have come across wasted hours trying to work out why something simple like dpkg -i, dpkg-reconfigure tzdata no longer worked. Thankfully there are people like Fsmithred to help you (Developer of Refracta). Sorry To rant but Debian devs have got real sloppy lately.
Anyway why do I use Linux - because of Distros like Refracta (Devuan made beautiful) - using Chimaera version at the moment which is very fast with 5.6 kernel. So I still love Linux.
Developers of various Distros put out releases that are half baked and have some serious bugs. Leaving to the user to have to work out how to fix them - a developers job.
Case in point Debian a buggy Debian Buster with a broken su. I and others I have come across wasted hours trying to work out why something simple like dpkg -i, dpkg-reconfigure tzdata no longer worked. Thankfully there are people like Fsmithred to help you (Developer of Refracta). Sorry To rant but Debian devs have got real sloppy lately.
Anyway why do I use Linux - because of Distros like Refracta (Devuan made beautiful) - using Chimaera version at the moment which is very fast with 5.6 kernel. So I still love Linux.
Last edited:
captain-sensible
Well-Known Member
- Credits
- 8,515
yes i agree; in Ghana they don't even care if the software is stolen as long as it works (my empirical observation since 2005 )
I've got even less patience than you; thus after one update of ubuntu/debian that was half baked on software which messed my system I just switched to Slackware via a few other distro :
Simply Mephis -> Zenwalk -> slackware
Mr V takes his time but i can't remember a time that user expereince became worse with slackware as long as I read up docs and new the risks .
I've got even less patience than you; thus after one update of ubuntu/debian that was half baked on software which messed my system I just switched to Slackware via a few other distro :
Simply Mephis -> Zenwalk -> slackware
Mr V takes his time but i can't remember a time that user expereince became worse with slackware as long as I read up docs and new the risks .
I agree with both of you, captain-sensible and darry1966, on all counts!
Being a cynic, at times, I find it interesting that both 'buntu and debian have become buggy distros. This, after Ian Murdoch was killed by SF police and the head of the 'buntus expressed an interest in getting ahold of Debian much like MS got a hold on SUSE.
Coincidences make me suspicious, especially of greedy capitalists.
(My rant for the morning here at GMT -6).
@khedger -- welcome! Have seen you at a different forum, I believe.
@darry1966 -- thanks for the heads-up re: Miyo. I am using and liking it. Will check out Refracta. Usually use antiX but may change.
@captain-sensible -- Stallman doesn't get his due. Even at Slackware practicality overrides FOSS purity, especially regarding wireless (which has become much easier in debian distros than it was in the past).
I started out with ubuntu 9.04, but abandoned it after Lucid Lynx. Things like Zorin began popping up and I wonder how much its parent distro gets 'under the table!'
Philosophical differences, one might say. They influence our preferences and sometimes make me a little intolerant. (See the 'Funny' thread)
May your day go well, friends!
Being a cynic, at times, I find it interesting that both 'buntu and debian have become buggy distros. This, after Ian Murdoch was killed by SF police and the head of the 'buntus expressed an interest in getting ahold of Debian much like MS got a hold on SUSE.
Coincidences make me suspicious, especially of greedy capitalists.
(My rant for the morning here at GMT -6).
@khedger -- welcome! Have seen you at a different forum, I believe.
@darry1966 -- thanks for the heads-up re: Miyo. I am using and liking it. Will check out Refracta. Usually use antiX but may change.
@captain-sensible -- Stallman doesn't get his due. Even at Slackware practicality overrides FOSS purity, especially regarding wireless (which has become much easier in debian distros than it was in the past).
I started out with ubuntu 9.04, but abandoned it after Lucid Lynx. Things like Zorin began popping up and I wonder how much its parent distro gets 'under the table!'
Philosophical differences, one might say. They influence our preferences and sometimes make me a little intolerant. (See the 'Funny' thread)
May your day go well, friends!
With regards to wireless there needs to be a greater effort to produce totally free firmware but while companies that produce cards that are designed to only work with windows with proprietary stuff then that is like shoveling --------------------- up hill.
Hello Captain, I've run into a med-tech who has clients in the USA and overseas. He tells me that *most* of his overseas clients still use Windows XP. FWIW.
In addition, while casting about for a new OS (in lieu of Windows 10) I ran across ReactOS, which, if memory serves, is a Russian OS and is completely compatible with Windows (by which I guess is pretty much a copy of Windows). ReactOS - Wiki
I would not be surprised. In the military, the Soviets would copy every thing from gas masks to missiles and proudly tout them as Russian (there was a B-29 bomber forced down in Russia in the closing days of WWII. The Russians returned the crew to America, but kept the bomber, copying it to the last detail. We found that they even copied where the fuselage had suffered bullet holes from enemy action and had been repaired with sheet metal).
As far as which distro of Linux I will be using, the jury is still out. In my search I've loaded and discarded Linux Netbook Edition, Xubuntu, Zorin, Peppermint, Ubuntu, Porteus, Lubuntu, Mint, Linux Lite, LXLE and Q4OS.
Settling on a distro has been hampered by my specific mission: revive 32-bit architecture for donations to the needy and theme it with Windows-like icons. This means I need very light distros which also look pretty and behave much like Windows XP or 7.
So far it's a toss-up between LXLE (which is very good in recognizing all sorts of hardware), but which is difficult to adjust the themes and icons to resemble Windows' start button, task bar and other aspects; and Q4OS which themes extremely easily into a Windows look with a single download, but has a real tough time recognizing a lot of hardware out of the box.
Another reason both distros are good is that they both have excellent memory management and can run at respectable speeds performing basic (e.g. not AutoCAD or gaming) operations on 1 Gig of RAM.
One group of recipents overseas (Panama) has suggested that they prefer the Linux machines to the old Windows XP machines (but the kids like the XP machines because they were loaded with games).
Another reason Linux is good is because Windows has burned its bridges behind it, deleting drivers for all but Window 8 or 10 from their support sites. Loading LXLE (ubuntu-based) brings most of those motherboards and devices back to life. The biggest challenge is getting new users to understand and use the Command Line Interface. If I can find a distro that satisfies the above requirements AND has a GUI for most purposes, then that will likely be the distro I settle on. I understand ROX is WM or DE that is point and click, in the tradition of the Windows GUI, rather than the CLI.
==============================
Yoda: He is too old. Yes. Too old to begin the Linux training.
Skywalker: But I've learned so much.
Yoda: [looking toward the sky] Will he finish what he begins?
Skywalker: I won't fail you! I'm not afraid.
Yoda: [grimly] Oh! You will be. You will be.
==============================
Last edited:
I agree. Right now dealing with trying to get Debian to recognize an older WiFi card. (Intel WiFi Card, C9063 WM3B2200BG).
Will be wrestling with these suggestions this weekend, but really, does it have to be this hard?
How to install WiFi and graphics driver in Debian 9?
I recently installed Debian 9. Now I need to install WiFi card driver. But, I couldn't find a working one on my system. These are my devices listed by command lspci: 00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel
unix.stackexchange.com
How could you convince the hardware types to release totally free firmware, when the financial incentive is to constantly churn out new products for us to buy, but in order to do that, they want us to throw away the stuff we already have? From what I am seeing, as a new explorer of Linux, is that Linux users are thinking hardware and software, while Windows-based manufacturers call what they make "products" and are concerned with sales trends and market share. Just my two cents.
captain-sensible
Well-Known Member
- Credits
- 8,515
I will be pushing Slackware in Ghana ; if only for the reason that Mr P V doesn't seem to like noobs and I can't think of anything more entertaining then a lot of Ghanaian noobs bothering Mr P V etal with dumb questions. I'm working on 2nd draft for a talk for Owasp Ghana which will mainly be about WordPress and it which will be my first opportunity to mention Slackware ! Since Windows is usually the first OS that users use that sets , psychologically a preference . Ghanaians generally see computers for entertainment rather than doing something useful. But there is an odd oasis in the desert; they have OWASP ghana and Linux user group Accra
PS you are one digit off in user name it should be HAL_2001 -stanley kubrick ?
Last edited:
It's a tongue-in-cheek reference to both
In my explorations of Linux (or not-Linux), I've heard good things about AntiX / MX19 and BSD. I have also heard that Debian is 'stable' but a real b**ch to get to recognize devices with.
I suppose I *could* just look up the Slackware Wiki, but would you care to tell me what sets Slackware apart from Ubuntu, Debian and other mutations of Linux?
The Matrix Runs on XP
Last edited:
captain-sensible
Well-Known Member
- Credits
- 8,515
its a tongue-in-cheek to : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001:_A_Space_Odyssey_(film) Hal being the benevolent Computer gone evil. Did Azimov write that ? I only read the beano and docs slackware
tell me what sets Slackware apart from Debian and its children Mint, Ubuntu etc
Well the problem is where do i start.. docs are here https://docs.slackware.com/ mostly users are extremely lazy and just can't be bothered to contribute to docs. Slackware is the most Unix like. This is my take what you want in a Linux distro depends on your purpose.
Do you want to mouse left click and have a great user experience or learn something. Slackware is basically a pain in the butt ..for a metaphor a bit like an old triumph motor cycle . It leaks oil but you can take the carburettor apart and use a strobe light to do timing. You will learn a hell of a lot .curse a lot eg package management SlackBuilds it forces you to install each dep one by one manually and read all about it .It will force you to use the command line from day one. if you read up on a slackbuild it will help with bash knowldge .Since its been going since around 1993 there is a reservoir of knowledgeable users that actually know the answers. if i go to google and search for Ubuntu I find a zillion posts about the same problem and no answer. ..
if you find you wake at 3am worrying about Corvid 19 or other matters than will not matter a jot in 100 years you can always listen to this to help get back to ZZZZ https://shows.acast.com/slackchat/episodes/01-whyslackware
tell me what sets Slackware apart from Debian and its children Mint, Ubuntu etc
Well the problem is where do i start.. docs are here https://docs.slackware.com/ mostly users are extremely lazy and just can't be bothered to contribute to docs. Slackware is the most Unix like. This is my take what you want in a Linux distro depends on your purpose.
Do you want to mouse left click and have a great user experience or learn something. Slackware is basically a pain in the butt ..for a metaphor a bit like an old triumph motor cycle . It leaks oil but you can take the carburettor apart and use a strobe light to do timing. You will learn a hell of a lot .curse a lot eg package management SlackBuilds it forces you to install each dep one by one manually and read all about it .It will force you to use the command line from day one. if you read up on a slackbuild it will help with bash knowldge .Since its been going since around 1993 there is a reservoir of knowledgeable users that actually know the answers. if i go to google and search for Ubuntu I find a zillion posts about the same problem and no answer. ..
if you find you wake at 3am worrying about Corvid 19 or other matters than will not matter a jot in 100 years you can always listen to this to help get back to ZZZZ https://shows.acast.com/slackchat/episodes/01-whyslackware
Last edited:
