Windows 10 vs. Linux

[John Mitchell]

7 hours ago, M.Chapman said:

 

I just tried Neverware too on an old Toshiba notebook. I don't like it much. Why did they try to make the menus look like Windows 10? All "spaced out" so they don't fit on the screen and need scrolling with scroll bars that don't appear until you start scrolling.  I much prefer the UI of Linux Mint and Linux Mint Mate versions which are close to Windows 7.

 

Mark 

 

I don't much like the look of Neverware either, and it's not very intuitive. It works well on my little Netbook, though, which has become very slow with Windows 7 Starter.  I'm going to explore some of the LInuv distros as well for my Netbook

[John Mitchell]

15 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

Ms Fuji says yes, Mr. Nikon has been replaced. Chuck and MDM will protest this statement. 

 

I didn't have anyone particular in mind, but there's nothing wrong with being Ms. Fuji or even Mr. Nikon, who has actually become Mr. Sony in some cases. 

 

If money were no object (it is), I might become a Mr. Mac as well. 🤓

 

 

[Brian Yarvin]

I've had good luck with LXDE on netbooks. I often write on an HP Stream running it these days.

[Betty LaRue]

4 hours ago, John Mitchell said:

 

I didn't have anyone particular in mind, but there's nothing wrong with being Ms. Fuji or even Mr. Nikon, who has actually become Mr. Sony in some cases. 

 

If money were no object (it is), I might become a Mr. Mac as well. 🤓

 

 

You need to move to Kansas or Oklahoma, where you would find your pension going farther and probably leaving you with something left over. The east and west coasts, while beautiful, are costly. My income would not support me there. I have enough disposable cash to prudently save for a few months and get something I want within reason. A retired couple moved to my neighborhood in Oklahoma City 10 years ago. They sold their house in California, and bought an all-brick house on my street twice as big, about 2000 sq feet, with a lot of money left over.

 

I’m rather strapped at the moment because of paying for siding and painting that wasn’t covered by insurance from the hail storm. Insurance paid for a new roof and siding on one side of the house, I’m doing the other 3 sides plus the painting I just simply desired. (Painting brick) Of course, while I made that commitment with work in progress at the moment, the A/C went out. It will be replaced tomorrow.  That’s the way with Muphy’s Law.

Betty

[John Mitchell]

22 hours ago, Brian Yarvin said:

I've had good luck with LXDE on netbooks. I often write on an HP Stream running it these days.

 

Thanks, Brian. Is this it?

 

A couple of questions. Can you run both LXDE and Windows 7 Starter on the same machine (i.e. same netbook)? Also, is it possible to try LXDE out before installing it permanently?

Edited August 7, 2019 by John Mitchell

[Brian Yarvin]

Yes, that's it John. 

 

You can run both on one machine if you have enough drive space. And yes, you can try it by booting from a USB stick first. There is also a website www.distrotest.net (with the perfect slogan "test it before you hate it") that allows you to try Linux distros via the internet. Distrotest does NOT offer LXDE - this should give you a sense of how many Linux distros are out there.

 

BTW ... distrotest.net does offer unbuntu studio, a Linux distro specifically for graphic artists including photographers. Some other readers on this board may want to try it.

 

Having two operating systems on the same machine is called "dual boot." This isn't something that a beginner should try on their first install, but with a bit of reading, a few tries, and the right installer, it could be really great.

[John Mitchell]

2 hours ago, Brian Yarvin said:

Yes, that's it John. 

 

You can run both on one machine if you have enough drive space. And yes, you can try it by booting from a USB stick first. There is also a website www.distrotest.net (with the perfect slogan "test it before you hate it") that allows you to try Linux distros via the internet. Distrotest does NOT offer LXDE - this should give you a sense of how many Linux distros are out there.

 

BTW ... distrotest.net does offer unbuntu studio, a Linux distro specifically for graphic artists including photographers. Some other readers on this board may want to try it.

 

Having two operating systems on the same machine is called "dual boot." This isn't something that a beginner should try on their first install, but with a bit of reading, a few tries, and the right installer, it could be really great.

 

Thanks. I bookmarked distrotest for future reference as it might come in handy. So many operating systems, so little time...

 

I've run across the term "dual boot". It does sound like it could be a bit tricky, like trying to stuff both your feet into one boot. 🙄

[M.Chapman]

10 hours ago, Brian Yarvin said:

Having two operating systems on the same machine is called "dual boot." This isn't something that a beginner should try on their first install, but with a bit of reading, a few tries, and the right installer, it could be really great.

 

It's often easier to set-up dual boot than remove. Many Linux distros will set up dual boot automatically if requested. But, beware, it's not so easy to revert back to single boot if you don't like it. You'll also need to have a clear understanding of whether you want your documents accessible to both OS's, and if so probably move to a separate partition or another drive altogether. 100% agree that it's not for the beginner's first install.

 

Mark

[Brian Yarvin]

Mark, I've never been able to undo a dual boot without wiping the entire drive clean first. Be careful, and as always, keep your data and operating systems on different drives!

 

[M.Chapman]

6 hours ago, Brian Yarvin said:

Mark, I've never been able to undo a dual boot without wiping the entire drive clean first. Be careful, and as always, keep your data and operating systems on different drives!

 

When I used Windows 7 I think I had some kind of tool (BootManager.exe or similar?) that allowed me to take a copy of the master boot record and restore it if needed. But when Windows 10 came along I seem to recall it became much trickier to recover. Good advice - I always created a D drive and moved the default locations for My Documents etc. from C to D.

 

Mark

[Brian Yarvin]

Mark, I actually think that the idea of keeping your data and apps on different drives is far more important than what OS you use.

[Bryan]

Not sure how relevant this is but Windows decided that it was time that I updated my copy of 10. It took hours, but, unlike earlier efforts, seems to have worked first time.

 

No visual differences apparent - I have banished most Win 10 features from my desktop.

[RWatkins]

I've been using Linux (Ubuntu) for many years. I use Darktable in place of Lightroom but never got used to GIMP so I run PS (CS2) using Wine, which is a software layer that allows Windows software to run natively on a Linux desktop. It's not perfect but it stops me having to pay Microsoft anything.

Edited August 10, 2019 by RWatkins

[John Mitchell]

I found this advertorial interesting. People have obviously found out how to make money selling Linux operating systems.

[M.Chapman]

59 minutes ago, John Mitchell said:

I found this advertorial interesting. People have obviously found out how to make money selling Linux operating systems.

 

Quite a scam and highly misleading. If you try to run Linux from a USB2 slot (i.e. an older PC) it will be much slower than running from HDD. Even their own FAQ says.

 

We have done extensive testing of USB memory devices and have selected the ones we use to optimize performance. Your performance will vary depending on your configuration of memory, processor, video card, bus speed, etc. Sometimes the USB might seem slower than running from a hard drive, particularly in intensive disk type operations. But other times after items have been “cached” into memory, you will see better performance.

 

Mark

Edited August 10, 2019 by M.Chapman

[M.Chapman]

1 hour ago, RWatkins said:

I've been using Linux (Ubuntu) for many years. I use Darktable in place of Lightroom but never got used to GIMP so I run PS (CS2) using Wine, which is a software layer that allows Windows software to run natively on a Linux desktop. It's not perfect but it stops me having to pay Microsoft anything.

 

Did you need any tricks to get PS running on Wine? I've never been very successful with Wine or Crossover (also based on Wine).

 

Mark

[John Mitchell]

3 minutes ago, M.Chapman said:

 

Quite a scam and highly misleading.

 

Mark

 

It certainly sounds like a "scam-vertorial" to me". I wonder how legal it is to be producing and selling products like these.

Edited August 10, 2019 by John Mitchell

[M.Chapman]

5 minutes ago, John Mitchell said:

 

It certainly sounds like a "scam-vertorial" to me". I wonder how legal it is to be producing and selling products like these.

 

See https://www.rtcx.net/xtra-pc-scam

 

However, what Boot USB Linux distros can be very good for are retrieving files from broken Windows systems

 

Mark

Edited August 10, 2019 by M.Chapman

[Brian Yarvin]

I don't really understand why that link was dragged into the discussion. After all hundreds of thousands of people all over the world earn their livings maintaining and supporting Linux systems. And thousands more teach those who offer that support. And hundreds more write textbooks and manuals for those who do the support and those who teach it. Earning a living and having a business are the very reason so many people learn Linux in the first place. 

 

The Linux code and its packages may be free in themselves, but they are the foundation of a major industry.

[M.Chapman]

11 hours ago, Brian Yarvin said:

I don't really understand why that link was dragged into the discussion.

 

Sorry Brian, which link do you mean? The one I posted, or the one John posted?

 

Mark

Edited August 11, 2019 by M.Chapman

[RWatkins]

16 hours ago, M.Chapman said:

 

Did you need any tricks to get PS running on Wine? I've never been very successful with Wine or Crossover (also based on Wine).

 

Mark

 

I installed it some time ago and don't recall having any major issues. I haven't tried anything newer than CS2 however. 

I'm about to do a fresh install onto an nvme drive in the next few weeks so I will let you know how it goes.

[Brian Yarvin]

7 hours ago, M.Chapman said:

 

Sorry Brian, which link do you mean? The one I posted, or the one John posted?

 

Mark

Mark, I was referring to John's "advotorial" link.

[John Mitchell]

4 hours ago, Brian Yarvin said:

Mark, I was referring to John's "advotorial" link.

 

I was somewhat surprised to see Linux being exploited that way. Linux appears to be a sincere enterprise that a lot of people put much effort into.

 

 

[Brian Yarvin]

John, I am lost when it comes to definitions of "sincere." Linux is the collective product of the efforts of tens of thousands of people and can be a very useful tool for all sorts of computer-driven work. For some people, it can be a way to escape from the closed systems of Apple or Microsoft, but for others, it may be the only way to accomplish a completely different task. 

 

I am trying my best not to project values onto systems like Linux (or stock photography!) and it's going well so far. Sometimes, I fail though. However, whatever Linux may be, it's been good to me.

[John Mitchell]

52 minutes ago, Brian Yarvin said:

John, I am lost when it comes to definitions of "sincere." Linux is the collective product of the efforts of tens of thousands of people and can be a very useful tool for all sorts of computer-driven work. For some people, it can be a way to escape from the closed systems of Apple or Microsoft, but for others, it may be the only way to accomplish a completely different task. 

 

I am trying my best not to project values onto systems like Linux (or stock photography!) and it's going well so far. Sometimes, I fail though. However, whatever Linux may be, it's been good to me.

 

I'm open to other adjectives, Brian. I wasn't being critical of Linux in any way. I get it BTW.