Just wondering if any forum members other than myself are using a Linux operating system?.
I have been using Linux Mint for over three years and never had a virus or any net nasties.
Quote from: oldrailbug on September 22, 2011, 10:08:52 PM
Just wondering if any forum members other than myself are using a Linux operating system?.
I have been using Linux Mint for over three years and never had a virus or any net nasties.
I use ubuntu and the same as you never had a problem! at the start playing around with wine was like banging my head against a brick wall but now i understand it better its easy.
im really thinking about putting it onto my main pc. the only thing stopping me is my iphone not being able to sync :thumbsdown:
Quote from: oldrailbug on September 22, 2011, 10:08:52 PM
Just wondering if any forum members other than myself are using a Linux operating system?.
I used to work for Red Hat....
My TV runs Linux, my PC's run Linux, my phone runs Linux (Android). Don't yet have any DCC decoder chips powerful enough to run Linux on but you'd get a small Linux server into some of the emptier OO locos I think which might be a good laugh 8)
Alan
Our works pc's are a combination of XP and Red Hat, one problem I haven't managed to sort properly yet is, occasionally on a couple of machines, the mouse freezes in desktop and I cant do anything, I end up doing a Ctrl-Alt-F1 , logging in and doing a shutdown -h now to recover it, is there any easier way?
Nice to see others on the forum using Linux, Lawrence I cant help you with Red Hat as that is one of the few OS I have not tried.
I started off with Ubuntu in 2007 and tried all of the popular Linux OS but finally settled on the more refined version of Ubuntu which is Linux Mint, have been with Mint since version 6 and have tried the latest No11 but went back to No9 as it works best on my computer.
Cant imagine ever going back to Windows.
I've just built three ubuntu machines for school, using old pcs which would otherwise sit in a cupboard for a couple of years before heading off to landfill.
Theyre used for Internet browsing only, although one can play DVDs. I am trying to fit wireless receiver cards into them but not had much success yet. Any ideas anyone?
(I also have an ECoS which I believe operates on top of Linux)
Cheers
Kirky
Hi there Kirky, I just Googled "Wireless cards for Linux Ubuntu" and there seems to be quite a lot of information out there, hope you find what you are looking for.
Hi ORB
Yes, I realised after posting that I should probably do a google search for ubuntu wireless cards. So I did just that, and am now awaiting a wireless usb dongle to wing its way here from China (fingers crossed). Hopefully should be ok, it was less than a tenner including postage.
Cheers
K
One of the nice things about Linux is the amount of help there is out there also plenty of video tutorials on Youtube :thumbsup:
Quote from: EtchedPixels on September 22, 2011, 11:10:18 PM
I used to work for Red Hat....
Bumping an old thread, I know, but... wow, you're *that* Alan. Respect for "ac" kernels is due.
Back on topic, Linux on my servers, OS X on my desktop. I'm just a sucker for the Apple shinies...
Just updated the pC with the latest Linux Mint 12 RC, stunning stuff and what great news it is for the Mint gang to hit the front over Ubuntu :thumbsup: now the 3rd most popular OS out there.
My "main" computer is an Asus Eee which I bought partly to play with Linux (even if it is a relatively dated version of Xandros).
I have tinkered a lot with it and love it, though I am currently wrestling with trying to get JMRI to run on it. I foolishly followed some instruction I found on the JMRI site which only seem to work on older versions of JMRI. Now I have to work out what I need to remove to get 2.12 to run correctly...doh!
Cheers, Mike
Quote from: red_death on November 18, 2011, 01:46:18 PM
My "main" computer is an Asus Eee which I bought partly to play with Linux (even if it is a relatively dated version of Xandros).
I have tinkered a lot with it and love it, though I am currently wrestling with trying to get JMRI to run on it. I foolishly followed some instruction I found on the JMRI site which only seem to work on older versions of JMRI. Now I have to work out what I need to remove to get 2.12 to run correctly...doh!
Cheers, Mike
Hi Mike, I had an Asus Eee notebook as well but didn't like the Xandros OS so loaded Easy Peasy onto it, didn't like it much either and finished up putting Mint 8 on it which worked very well.
Quote from: red_death on November 18, 2011, 01:46:18 PM
I have tinkered a lot with it and love it, though I am currently wrestling with trying to get JMRI to run on it. I foolishly followed some instruction I found on the JMRI site which only seem to work on older versions of JMRI. Now I have to work out what I need to remove to get 2.12 to run correctly...doh!
Cheers, Mike
Did it make you add a some magic serial driver bits ? If so those are the bits you need to get rid of with a current JMRI. I run a fairly current one happily with Fedora Icedtea (ie the open Java version bundled with it rather than the branded version) just fine.
I have a few dislikes about JMRI but at some point I am going to finish writing the kernel DCC control stack so you can mix and match arbitary control apps including custom scripts. Until then I shall manage !
Dave - thanks. I know what you mean about Xandros, problem is I have spent the last year or so customising it to be just what I want/need! At times my lack of Linux knowledge leads me the wrong way, but I normally get there in the end.
Alan - I followed the instructions here http://jmri.org/install/EeePC.shtml I think that it is the symbolic link to rxtx as I then found that newer versions of JMRI come with a different version of rxtx and the two may conflict. I guess that I need to remove the symbolic link (will rm do it?), not sure if I will need to re-install JMRI.
Cheers, Mike
Removing the rxtx stuff should do the trick.
Hi Guys
I'm bumping this topic as I thought it was about time I had another go at trying to get to grips with this Linux malarkey.
Tried it a few years back but found it was not particularly user friendly so gave up in a huff. Now, since Windows seems to be losing its way, I thought I would give it another go.
So, has Linux got any better or do you still need to be a unix guru to be able to run it?
Thanks for any help
Regards
I've been feeding Linux machines to people for a while. Ubuntu seems to work the best for the non-technical.
The other branches of Linux that work well for end users of course are Android on all the phones/tablets, and the Chromebook might be worth a look depending how you feel about having most of your life backed up on the internet rather than spinning rust.
Alan
I might also have to have a look at this, does Linux have any emulators to help run some of my favourite Windows programs.
What Windows programs are you after?
You could run a virtual machine to fun Windows, or try WINE.
Another Linux distro that people seem to like if they are new to Linux is Mint.
Cheers, Mike
I have read that Mint is the distro to go for with Ubuntu a very close second.
But how idiot-proof are they?
Regards
Quote from: red_death on February 22, 2013, 02:53:58 PM
What Windows programs are you after?
You could run a virtual machine to fun Windows, or try WINE.
Another Linux distro that people seem to like if they are new to Linux is Mint.
Cheers, Mike
The following programs are ones that are not available on other platforms as far as I aware.
Ancestral Quest - my main genealogy program.
Various other genealogy programs that are Windows only.
A cross stitch pattern generator program, again Windows only.
Various astronomy programs that drive my Meade telescope.
Cubasis - music/midi editing program.
And of course, Railroad & Co's Train Controller.
There's probably a couple of others, but these are the ones I can't do without.
For word processors, spreadsheets etc I believe you can use Open Office or similar.
There is some emulation stuff but windows emulation is very ugly as a problem (there is no standard for windows to work from) so generally it's best not to bother - if you need to run a windows app run it in Windows, in a virtual machine if you want.
Caz: ktelescope will drive the Meade telescopes, lots of music apps. Musescore is IMHO the nicest of them. Rosegarden is a full on midi sequencer too and hydrogen is a pretty natty drum machine. Audacity has some pretty handy tools as well so I tend to use that for editing up loco sound samples.
There are also more specialist tools - Renoise for those who remember tracker based audio and music from the 8bit/16bit games world, sapphire, which is a compiler for sounds, and so on.
For tin whistle I tend to just use the tab font. That works out trivially for D and G as A-G and a-g are the low/high note tabs but if you are writing for Bb or C whistle you need to transpose them appropriately. Can't mark up the ornamentation that way but I do folk stuff so ornamentation should come from the player not the book right ::)
I've fed Ubuntu to various people I'd not consider "idiots" but certainly "computer clueless", and they actually seem to handle it better than Windows. Windows people get a bit disoriented at first, particularly over things like driver disks (there aren't any), and trying to find equivalents to Windows or habits they posess.
Alan
Quote from: whiteswan on February 22, 2013, 04:13:10 PM
Various astronomy programs that drive my Meade telescope.
Oh, another Meade owner :headbang:
Whacha got ?
Mike
Only a little 'un, the ETX 80, like something better but can't afford it with all these new locos keep being released. :(
Having tried a dozen or more Linux Distro's I always go back to Linux Mint, I find it far more user friendly than Ubuntu, Mint is based on Ubuntu but unlike Ubuntu it makes life easy when downloading popular free software like Picasa and Google Earth.
Having been a Mint user for nearly 5 years I believe it is computing without all the hassle that comes with Windows, the latest long term updates version is Mint 13 and is available in two different Desktop versions, Mate and Cinnemon, I have tried them both and find Cinnemon is the best by far.
I had the latest long term updates version of Ubuntu 12.04 on my computer for a couple of weeks but it is no where near as user friendly as Mint Cinnemon.
For people that like the Windows type layout Linux Zorin is a good one to try, I used Zorin for a while and found it easy to use but went back to Mint 13 because I didn't like the latest version of Gimp 2.8 that comes with Zorin.
Linux comes highly recommended by me as I have never had a virus in Linux, a Firewall is all that is needed for online safety, no need for anti this and anti that or defrag scans for this and scans for that, just happy trouble free computing the way it should be.
I use two Windows software programs in Mint through Wine which has just been updated with a modified version, Faststone Image Resizer and Image Viewer, both work fine but there is always free software in Linux that will pretty much do everything that can be done in Windows.
Thanks everyone for your help.
Now just got to download a distro and load it in and have a play around.
Don't go away any of you as I know I shall be back asking dumb questions.
Regards
Can I join in with bumping ? ! :)
Joe90 bumped this :-
Quote from: longbridge on September 22, 2011, 10:08:52 PM
Just wondering if any forum members other than myself are using a Linux operating system?.
I have been using Linux Mint for over three years and never had a virus or any net nasties.
So I woulld like to say that I have used Windows since W3 and W3.11 and before that various versions of DOS,,
I have been using the internet since www was a baby (in those days we were more familiar with telnet &ftp, our search 'engines' were Archie and Gopher,,,,(hands up, who remembers them ?!)
In all those years ! have
NEVER been infected with a virus or trojan from the internet, I have
NEVER relied upon virus software (Macaffe, avg, you name it, never, they are always behind), no scanners, no shields, just practice safe hex.
I have however been able to tell many correspondents that they are/have been infected.
I have never before been moved to defend Windoze! but it just is not true that Windowz means virii! You just need to be careful !! sorry to go agin the flow !
But anyway : to the other part of the orig thread:-
I have used Linux from time to time since the days that it could fit on a floppy, to now when I can run it from a LiveCD but its big failing was that (/they) it would never find drivers for my modems! (without, if you were lucky, having to build something obscure from some source stuff !!)
More recently :- I still can not find a built Linux driver for my 3G dongle !
So sorry Linux, Windows never did me any harm so ,,,,,,,
Quote from: Joe 90 on February 22, 2013, 02:08:49 PM
Hi Guys
I'm bumping this topic as I thought it was about time I had another go at trying to get to grips with this Linux malarkey. (*1)
So, has Linux got any better(*2)
*keep me informed with your progress !
*nope, still all over the place !
Quote from: Joe 90 on February 22, 2013, 08:15:35 PM
Don't go away any of you as I know I shall be back asking dumb questions.
I'll be watching with interest ! :)
OK! I'll go back to sleep ! :) :) :) :)
Dear Mr/Mrs R Chook, I am very happy that you are happy with Windows, I say its to each their own :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
What I will say though is its impossible to tell how good a Linux Operating System works from using a Live CD or DVD, like your clothes you just have to put them on :D
I would also like to point out that most Linux users made the switch to Linux because they were not happy with the Windows OS, you have certainly been lucky and its a credit to your safe operating practice, I take my hat off to you.
I have been computer savvy since the late 1980s so I don't consider myself a newby, frankly I would be content to use Android on a Tablet than make the switch to any other OS other than Linux.
Thank goodness we don't all think alike, I respect people that don't think the same as I and with respect to computer operating systems I only try to help.
Right............................I have loaded both Linux Mint 14 (Cinnamon) and Ubuntu 12.10 and I must say that although they look good , by gosh they are slow and jerky. Nothing like I would have expected them to be.
I'm running them on a Compaq D530, 1.5Gb memory and 40Gb HDD.
I have loaded the distros in individually, on clean installs, so that they are not conflicting with each other.
Also the display on the flatscreen monitor is out of focus and I don't seem to be able to adjust the resolution to what the screen is capable of in the settings. Do drivers need to be downloaded?
The chances are that there are one or two settings which probably need changing somewhere to get things to work properly but unfortunately the slow jerky responses are putting me off this trial.
Any ides/help would be grateful.
Regards
Hi All
Hadn't noticed this thread before, as you can probably tell by my username, I use Linux, exclusively, and have done for getting on 10 years, ever since RedHat 4, (No no the current incarnation of Redhat 4, but the pre-fedora days :-)
At work, I work pretty much solely on RHEL or RHEL based operating systems, (Centos), running a whole variety of systems, largely Oracle or Java based apps. Personally I've been though the RedHat, SuSe, Fedora round, but now generally settle for Ubuntu as my own personal desktop. I really can't imagine a need to ever go back to a Microsoft produced operating system.
There are so many open source, and free applications for the Linux desktop, it really does put Windows, and Apple for that matter to shame.
There are of course many proprietry apps that also run on Linux.
Also, as for games, well there are many, but you should also now look at Steam
http://steamcommunity.com/linux (http://steamcommunity.com/linux)
As valve are actively working and producing Linux ports of many of their games, with the general consensus from them being that those ported run better on Linux.
Anyhow, waffled on enough now, but you get the gist :-)
Cheers
Tony
Hi Joe forgive me but I don't understand why you would want to load both distros onto a computer with just a 40 gig HDD.
Linux Mint is a much refined version of Ubuntu, I find Ubuntu rather raw after using Mint, loading things like Picasa and Google Earth onto Mint is easy, in Ubuntu it is a pain in the you know what for a person just starting out.
I am using Mint 13 Cinnemon on both of my desktop PCs, one is an old office style IBM Lenovo with a Celeron 2.8 with 80 gig HDD, the other is also a IBM Lenovo with a Core 2 and 80 Gig HDD, both use Flat Screen Monitors.
There is no real reason why your computer should run slow and jerky in Linux as one of the great things about Linux is its speed.
Its your computer and you can do what you want with it but if it were me I would reload Linux Mint only, make sure you have your modem, printer and whatever else turned on while loading, if you have an external drive make sure it is turned off, Mint is loaded with drivers and it should find everything.
Adjustments to the Monitor is done in "System Tools" and "Display"
If you are using Mint 13 I can help you after it is set up so don't hesitate to give us a shout.
Forgot to mention Linux Mint is the 3rd most popular OS after Windows and Mac.
Hope this helps.
Quote from: RChook on February 23, 2013, 01:25:30 AM
I have been using the internet since www was a baby (in those days we were more familiar with telnet &ftp, our search 'engines' were Archie and Gopher,,,,(hands up, who remembers them ?!)
Argh, stop making me feel
old ... :'(
I hooked up @ home on my Amiga ... can't recall the ISP, but it was one that was started by a bunch of enthusiasts who sold access on ... think it was a tenner, & they were based in London ?
I thought it was great when I could get a 9600 modem ! Knocked spots off my 2400, that I'd been using for a few years ... US Robotics ruled :smiley-laughing:
Mike
Hi,
I've been watching this with great interest, and awe for the obvious knowledge of the posters.
As someone who basically turns on and clicks, with most other things being being a black art, how easy would it be to take my spare tower unit and load Mint on it ?
I assume you need to remove just about everything from the hardrive, so is there an idiots guide on how to do it without tears ?
cheers
alan
Hi
You don't even have to actually install it to try it, run it from the installation CD/DVD, although it will run slower than if actually installed, but it will give you some idea. Again, you won't neccessarily have to uninstall everything from your old tower, and you keep the option of either booting into Windows, or Linux.
As for installing, it really couldn't be simpler, unless you're unlucky, answer a few prompts, and you'll not only have the operating system installed (ala Windows) but an office suite, graphics packages and many many more all ready to go in well under an hour.
Cheers
Tony
Hi Tony,
many thanks for that. I finish nights in the morning so looks like a task for the four days off.
cheers
alan
Easy as that Alan, download Mint 13 Cinnemon from here
http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=105 (http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=105)
Burn the ISO to a DVD disc and pop it into the Drive, as Tony said answer a few prompts and walah Windows has vanished and you are running a Linux OS.
Any further help you will find it here.
Sorry, I was a bit late noticing this thread, but here is my tuppence worth :
I've used Ubuntu since, I think, 2009 and find it a simple,stable environment. I did try other Linux distros but found Ubuntu worked for me - YMMV.
As an ( ex ) IT professional, I think Linux ( any distro ) is the second best OS I've ever used in a PC/Laptop/Server environment ... the best ( IMO ) was OS/2 WARP ( giving my age away, again! ).
As for Windoze compatibility, I find that most applications I need work happily within WINE - but over the years I've managed to find native Linux apps to replace most Windoze apps!
Happy Linuxing,
Alex
Quote from: longbridge on February 23, 2013, 09:05:25 PM
Easy as that Alan, download Mint 13 Cinnemon from here
http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=105 (http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=105)
Burn the ISO to a DVD disc and pop it into the Drive, as Tony said answer a few prompts and walah Windows has vanished and you are running a Linux OS.
Any further help you will find it here.
:dunce: guess it's going to be a steeeeep learning curve. many thanks to all who have posted in this, even if some of it goes straight over my head ie distros :hmmm: :'(
cheers
alan
Quote from: class37025 on February 23, 2013, 09:50:40 PM
Quote from: longbridge on February 23, 2013, 09:05:25 PM
Easy as that Alan, download Mint 13 Cinnemon from here
http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=105 (http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=105)
Burn the ISO to a DVD disc and pop it into the Drive, as Tony said answer a few prompts and walah Windows has vanished and you are running a Linux OS.
Any further help you will find it here.
:dunce: guess it's going to be a steeeeep learning curve. many thanks to all who have posted in this, even if some of it goes straight over my head ie distros :hmmm: :'(
cheers
alan
Distro's Allan are distributions, there are over 100 different Linux Distributions/ operating systems, the one thing they have in common is that they use the Linux Kernel/System to make them work.
I guess it can be related to a bloke that likes hotting cars up, some go the whole hog and fit hot camshafts,. balanced flywheels and extra carbies to make it go faster, that is pretty much how it is with Linux, each developer has his own ideas as to how to make it work best.
Here is an incomplete list of Linux Distributions, note at the top of the RH column that Mint is at No1, having said that Ubuntu would be my second choice.
http://distrowatch.com/ (http://distrowatch.com/)
If you have been a Win XP user you will find Mint 13 is as good as it gets as a simple to operate system.
I myself have used various Linux distros including Kubuntu, Ubuntu, Fedora, PCLinuxOS, Zorin, Puppy and Pinguy plus a few variations, I loved them all but for simplicity I found Mint the most user friendly, that is why it is the No1 Distro at the moment.
Here is a link that pretty much covers what Linux is all about.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux)
:doh:
now I get it :thankyousign:
was using XP pro which I was comfortable with, new laptop came with win 7.
will try Mint 13 and see how I get on
cheers again
alan
Quote from: MikeDunn on February 23, 2013, 08:14:19 PM
I hooked up @ home on my Amiga ... can't recall the ISP, but it was one that was started by a bunch of enthusiasts who sold access on ... think it was a tenner, & they were based in London ?
Sounds like Demon Internet. Moderately shocking lash-up of Amiga software, was not the best thing in the world to support - I was working there '94-'97 or thereabouts. I *do* still miss my Amiga sometimes though :(
Quote from: MikeDunn on February 23, 2013, 08:14:19 PM
Argh, stop making me feel old ... :'(
hehee, sorry ! ;)
Quotebunch of enthusiasts who sold access on ... think it was a tenner, & they were based in London ?
I was going to suggest Demon, I see tim-p has beat me to it :)
QuoteI thought it was great when I could get a 9600 modem ! Knocked spots off my 2400
Ah those were the days, and then we got 56k ! and I downloaded my first 700M ISO (Knoppix I think it was) took me a few evenings to get it all tho' !!!
But I do wish that peeps would propose Linux on its merits and not by comparison with much maligned windoze and its supposed vulnerability to virii !
Quote from: RChook on February 24, 2013, 12:26:45 AM
[
But I do wish that peeps would propose Linux on its merits and not by comparison with much maligned windoze and its supposed vulnerability to virii !
I certainly don't intend to compare Linux to Windows, for Starters one costs lots of $$$$ and the other is free.
To be honest RChook, I only mention Linux to people when they are moaning about problems with Windows, Windows 95,98 and XP served me well for a lot of years, I tried Ubuntu six years ago and again one year later and liked it, Linux is my preference as an operating system and I have no wish to change to anything else, I do enjoy experimenting with Android on my Desktop though.
If a person asks me about Linux I will gladly tell them what I know but as far as trying to convert people I gave that up a long time ago, people are happy with Windows and I am happy for them, I think the one thing that puts people off Linux is the fact that it is free, for me personally being free is a bonus although I have contributed from time to time, what is more important is that it will do everything I ask of it as an operating system.
Hi
I do only recommend Linux on it's merits, although one of those is of course that it isn't Windows :-) Ha !!. No, but when explaining to people some of the merits, then you do have to mention other operating systems, just as you do when you mention Linux's downsides and problems.
Personally I enjoy the operating system, but then I would, I enjoy my work !! I also enjoy, when I go for a laptop, and they try and sell me extras, I just tell then it's OK, it won't even get started with Windows, I'll be wiping it straight away, most are lost for words, and many have a puzzled expression, and that's the experts in PC World / Currys !!
Oh yeah, and my 7 year old daughter at the time, walking round PC world at the time Windows 7 was released, saying quite loudly, "They're rubbish, they have windows on them !!", right where the MS marketing bods were demonstrating it.
To be honest, as an operating system, Windows 7 is pretty good, but not good enough for me to switch.
Cheers
Tony
Quote from: tim-pelican on February 23, 2013, 11:32:35 PM
Sounds like Demon Internet. Moderately shocking lash-up of Amiga software, was not the best thing in the world to support - I was working there '94-'97 or thereabouts. I *do* still miss my Amiga sometimes though :(
Ah yes, Demon :)
As you say, it wasn't a fantastic collection of s/ware - but it (usually !) worked :) I recall when I first used Mosaic ...
blimey, pictures on the web !!! Were we really so ... naive ?
Still got 2 of my Ami's in the garage ... SWMBO's A500+ (I had no choice - I sold my A500 to help pay for an A1500 (which in turn got sold to pay for the other one I have left) I needed - PC card got installed there; she got stroppy with me !), and my A4000 - now
there was a beast in the Amiga world :bounce:
Mike
Hi Longbridge :wave:
I think you misunderstood me in that I loaded Linux Mint first but found it slow and jerky then I downloaded the Ubuntu iso and burnt a disk off and loaded that as a clean install by formatting the disk first and that was just as bad. They weren't on there together. I reckon you are right in suggesting that there may be problem with the computer.
However I shall have a bit more time on Tuesday to have a play around and see what is happening.
As for Mike's Amigas. Didn't they run on the old 68000 processors which were far better and more powerful than the Intel 8088s that the IBM PCs at that time were using.
Thems were the grand old days of proper computing. ;)
Nowadays I have problems setting up a spreadsheet. :-\
Regards
Quote from: Joe 90 on February 24, 2013, 02:55:54 PM
Amigas. Didn't they run on the old 68000 processors which were far better and more powerful than the Intel 8088s that the IBM PCs at that time were using.
Aye ... 68000 was the original CPU, later they used higher ones, mainly the '020; the A4000 I have uses an '030 (I couldn't stretch to the '040 :(), as well as a <gasp> 340MB hard drive ... !
Mike
Joe 90
As for Mike's Amigas. Didn't they run on the old 68000 processors which were far better and more powerful than the Intel 8088s that the IBM PCs at that time were using.
The original PCs were 8086 chips, mine had a massive 5Mbyte hard drive. My Amiga had a colour display, the IBM was had an Orange and black screen with a Hercules graphics card.
Those were the days.
I'm finding this topic about Linux operating systems to be very helpful. I nearly went to Ubuntu but took the more expensive option of Mac. I do have a laptop with Windows on it that I use for Anyrail only - might see what it is like with Mint.
Pengy,
If you're happy with your AnyRail laptop, can I suggest that instead of ditching it you install a copy of VMWare Player and create a Linux VM to play with ?
If you don't like it, you still have your AnyRail system intact ...
You don't even need a copy of vmware if its a modern PC and Linux host - you can just make a virtual machine of it with the included KVM support on any modern distro. Problem you may find though is that the "virtual" computer won't talk to the train control stuff without fiddling.
Alan
Hi Joe, sorry about the confusion, any help you need with Mint just give us a yell, I hope you get it working OK as it is a great operating system.
Alan,
As Pengy has a Windows laptop, your comment doesn't make any sense to me ... ???
I'm not particularly PC proficient and a while ago there a topic along similar lines as this one.
I sent for the Ubunto disc to try at the time but found it very slow to load and I couldn't get anything to work on it.
I'm willing to have another go because I hate Windows,nothing is easy to get working and the Mac just installs things without any hassle.
I'll have a Google for Mint and perhaps try it.
Allan
I'm downloading 64 bit Mint iso now and will try and burn it to a disc, I'm not much good at things like that which is why I sent for a disc last time.
Allan
I seem to have burnt it to disc okay,but all I get is a window with folders in it,I haven't a clue what to do now to start it up.
Allan
No problem Allan. pop the iso disc into your drive then shut the computer down, restart the computer and when the splash screen appears ( the screen that usually comes on first with the computer brand ) and quickly press F12, some splash screens tell you to press a different F number to interrupt the start.
Just select your CD/DVD Drive and follow the prompts Mint will start to load but it may take a minute or two for something to appear, when the Mint screen appears click on the icon in the top left corner which says "install mint", its all easy from there so just follow the prompts, the only one to watch out for is the name of the network, sometimes it comes up in red saying the name must be I think 68 letters or less, if this occurs just highlight and remove whatever is in there and type allans - computer.
After loading you will see a shield on the bottom task bar that is to download the updates, click on it, put your password in and click OK, at present there is about 500 updates, nearly all of these are small and it wont take long to download them.
Before going on the www click on Menu, Admin and Firewall configuration, thats all the security you need to be concerned with.
Take a look around and you will be surprised at the great software that comes with the Mint install, to see whatever else you like click menu, admin and software manager, 36,000 items for you to choose from and nearly all are free.
Gimp Photo Editor comes with the install but I have also installed Pinta which is run by the same US college chaps that do Paint.NET in Windows, one of the few Windows software programs I missed when I made the switch .
Have fun and any help you require just yell out :thumbsup:
Hi Dave, just downloaded the latest x32 Mint and ran it from the CD. Tried most things, including editing some accounts that were on my primary drive. Worked fine. Had a problem updating a copy on some NAS though. Kept saying "do you want to overwrite etc and keep format the same" but didn't actually update the file. I will now try installing as a dual boot OS and have a propped play.
Quote from: Malc on February 25, 2013, 05:55:42 AM
Hi Dave, just downloaded the latest x32 Mint and ran it from the CD. Tried most things, including editing some accounts that were on my primary drive. Worked fine. Had a problem updating a copy on some NAS though. Kept saying "do you want to overwrite etc and keep format the same" but didn't actually update the file. I will now try installing as a dual boot OS and have a propped play.
Good for you Malc and by the sounds of it you liked it, once you install it and download the updates you see it becomes a totally different animal fast, safe and efficient.
Not getting into the Win vs Linux debate which is a total waste of time and breath, you will notice that the size of the Linux operating system with all updates only requires less than 6 gig of space on your HDD unlike my last episode with Win XP that had blown out to 14 gig with service packs and patches, being small is what makes Linux as good as it is.
If you need any help let me know.
After not knowing how to get the Mint disc going I went into the Windows7 side,put the disc in and Windows asked me if I wanted to burn the disc.
I clicked the yes button and windows the informed me that there was other stuff on the disc and would need to overwrite it so I clicked the continue button and windows started.After a short while windows stopped the burn with an error message,a load of meaningless numbers to me.
I hate having to try and install anything in windows,it's always an uphill battle.
I'll try again later and burn it to disc again on the Mac.
Allan
Alan I posted the instructions on how to set up the disc to install Mint on page 4 of this topic, if you burned the disc as an "iso" file you shouldn't have any problems.
First time I burned a Linux mint iso file disc I did it in Nero, by the way once you get Mint up and running download K3b its as good as Nero and costs nothing.
Oh Dear, I seem to have started a firestorm here with my foray into the world of Linux operating systems.
However Allan(Bikeracer), as an alternative to burning off your own boot disc you could have a look in WHSmiths' computing magazine department. Quite often they have Linux magazines that have operating systems(distros) already loaded on to the attached disk ready to load in. The other week in our store there was a magazine with 5 or more distros on the disk to try out which included MInt. However, as is my luck, when I went back to purchase it the other day they had sold out.
Regards
I will persevere and thanks Dave
Well I'll definitely stay with the Mac and Windows in bootcamp, no Linux for me.
I think the Mac keyboard may be a bit different as regards the F buttons.
Anyway I hit F12 as the Mac booted up,it just ejected the disc,tried again,same result.
Tried it in windows and it just locked the screen up on the screen that says starting windows,I had to physically switch the computer off.
Switched back on and I got a screen that said startup needed repairing,did that and the system restore it recommended.
Tried again,this time it locked up again and after several minutes I just had to switch off.
Switched back on and chose the start windows normally option,windows started and I'm back in the Mac now.
Sorry,but this is the second time I've tried Linux and it's been a miserable failure both times,so I'll not be bothering ever again,at least the disc is re-writable.
Thanks anyway,but I'm not very good at being a computer geek and it just seems that I don't have the know how to make it work,and don't really see the point in having three operating systems on one computer.
Allan
Allan
It sounds like you were trying to stick Linux onto your Mac?
You shouldn't be getting as far as loading OSX or Windows as you need the computer to load from the disc you have made. On a Windows PC you do that by changing the BIOS setting so that the computer loads from the CD/DVD drive before a hard drive. I assume that Macs have something similar, though you might have to mess with a boot manager.
I am afraid that isn't the fault of Linux, but the choice of system you have bought.
Mike
It doesn't matter Mike,I was just curious to try it,for me it's a no go it seems,I don't really want to be altering things that I know very little about.
The Windows partition isn't connected to the internet so I don't need all the extra software that needs to be installed in windows,neither am I pestered with the constant security patches etc.
If I could have installed XP on this computer I would have done,apparently it's possible to make Windows7 behave like XP but I don't know how to do it and find navigating the Windows7 GUI horrible to say the least.
Allan
Quote from: Bikeracer on February 24, 2013, 09:25:57 PM
I'm downloading 64 bit Mint iso now and will try and burn it to a disc,
Quote from: Bikeracer on February 25, 2013, 08:33:28 AM
After not knowing how to get the Mint disc going I went into the Windows7 side,put the disc in and Windows asked me if I wanted to burn the disc.
Can Win7 burn ISOs ? Or does it try to burn as a regular file system.
I dunno, I've not yet tried Win7 but earlier Wins could not and one needed special burner software to do ISOs :( so,, I dunno,, check !?
Quote from: longbridge on February 25, 2013, 06:21:02 AM
Not getting into the Win vs Linux debate which is a total waste of time and breath,
At last, something we can agree upon !! :laugh: :laugh3:
Nero has no trouble burning iso files to DVD, there are several free CD/DVD burning software px for Windows including this one
http://www.freeisoburner.com/ (http://www.freeisoburner.com/)
Burn an Linux iso file at a nice slow speed ans your half way there :thumbsup:
Burn to disc comes as part of the Mac OS
Allan
Alan, I was trying to understand why MintLinux did not work for you.
I thought you were using a Windows computer, so I dont understand the reference to Mac !
Assuming that you have not walked away from Linux again ? :)
Try this (I hope I am not trying to teach granny about eggs :) ) :-
You need a computer that will boot from the CD/DVD drive (most newer computers are defaulted to check the cd/dvd drive first before going on to the C: ).
You download a Mint (or any other Live Linux) .ISO file
You then burn the .ISO as an Image not as a regular file, not like an audio or whatever file.
The two types of burn are different, that is why I asked if Win7 can burn ISOs
I have done some googling and yes, Win7 has an option to burn an image,
did you use that option ?
You then switch off your computer, put the imaged dvd in the drive, switch back on and it should boot from the dvd. It should not start up in windows ie. it should not boot from the C: drive.
If it does boot into windows then that means either your dvd burn was a dud or that your drive is not bootable and you will then have to think of going into your bios settings to enable it, which will make you very nervous!!
If it has booted from the dvd then you should have a screen showing either a Linux desktop OR a screen showing various options of running the linux. (I dont know which of these is given by the latest Mint)
You obviously did not get that screen, I suspect a burn problem.
There is another method of trying Linux, it can be put on a flash memory stick and run from a bootable USB port. I think we will leave that till another day ;) for the Linux advocates to talk you through ;D
HTH
Thanks for the effort,but I'll leave well alone now.
Allan
Has anyone else tried Puppy Linux? I tried it on a cheapo Acer netbook a couple of years ago and really liked the speed and small size, but it simply couldn't remember its wireless settings from one session to the next, so I reluctantly gave up on it.
Just had a look at the Mint website, totally confused as to what version to go for, I'm currently running Win XP sp3 32bit on a Dell Latitude D630 laptop. How the hell do I know if my computer is PAE compatible and what is PAE? I thought Linux was supposed to be easy to use but looks like I've fallen before the race has even started. :dunce:
DE630 should be an Intel Core 2, so 64bit with PAE.
It's like the fun of figuring out if you can run 64bit windows. Just about anything non dinosaur era (except the Pemtium M 400MHz bus version - don't ask - I worked for Intel and I don't know why either !) has PAE.
Alan
Crikey I must have been a dill over five years ago, all I did was look up Linux Mint found one with a 32 number in front of it and shoved it on, it worked well enough for me to take my Win XP discs complete with a Driver Disc out into the back yard and do a sacrificial disc smashing with a hammer, best thing I ever did.
Whiteswan as Allan has already posted, if you run an Intel PC use a 32bit download, if you run an AMD Computer download a 64bit OS.
Mint 13 is a long term distro that is it will receive auto updates for a period of 5 years, there is still about 4 years to go, by that time another long term OS will have been released and you will know Linux like the back of your hand, my choice is the Cinnemon Desktop which is much like Win XP, I tried the Mate desktop and wasn't that impressed.
As I live in a block of 10 units/flats I am the geezer that goes around fixing tenants computers when they have problems, they all run Windows XP, Vista or 7, my goodness I am starting to forget how to use Window they are so darn complicated :help: it is so easy to flop back into my computer chair and use Linux :claphappy:
I was downloading the 64bit MATE initially and then read your post so stopped download and changed to 32bit MATE, now stopped again and download 32bit Cinnamon, hope I've got the right one now. :doh:
Quote from: whiteswan on February 26, 2013, 08:48:07 PM
I was downloading the 64bit MATE initially and then read your post so stopped download and changed to 32bit MATE, now stopped again and download 32bit Cinnamon, hope I've got the right one now. :doh:
Well done Caz you are on the right tram :thumbsup:
Well, here I am, connected using Linux and Mint via a DVD, cool or what. :)
Although running from the DVD is seems to run pretty fast, quite impressed. I notice there is an install option on the desktop, if I install, will this overwrite all my XP stuff or create a dual boot option?
Quote from: whiteswan on February 26, 2013, 10:28:22 PM
Well, here I am, connected using Linux and Mint via a DVD, cool or what. :)
Although running from the DVD is seems to run pretty fast, quite impressed. I notice there is an install option on the desktop, if I install, will this overwrite all my XP stuff or create a dual boot option?
You can do either. I would however strongly recommend making a backup before doing an additional OS install of any kind !
Quote from: keithfre on February 26, 2013, 04:14:15 PM
Has anyone else tried Puppy Linux?
Yep, and very good it was, long time ago, didnt realise that it was still supported, cant help on the Wireless settings tho' I am surprised that it didnt, there was a very active and supportive forum, if that is still around then a Q there might result,, .
If you like, as I did, small Linux's then you could play with DamnSmallLinux, that seems to be still supported. Knoppix was a big one that had good hardware support (but not for my modems :( ) and Feather was a small version of it but looks like it is undeveloped since about 2006
Meanwhile it seems that Mint has grown so big it will nolonger fit on a CD !
Quote from: whiteswan on February 26, 2013, 07:20:18 PMwhat is PAE?
Physical Address Extension - to enable the operating system to address RAM greater than 4Gb
Quote from: whiteswan on February 26, 2013, 10:28:22 PM
Well, here I am, connected using Linux and Mint via a DVD, cool or what. :)
Result !!! :claphappy: :claphappy: :claphappy:
QuoteAlthough running from the DVD is seems to run pretty fast, quite impressed.
Have a good inquisition of the documentation, there may be an option to run from RAM (if you have a big enough ram installed) which will be even faster than dvd but will not rubbish your Windows partition.
( I dunno for Mint, but that was an option in days of yore with ummm errr, knoppix or puppy or I forget which ! Anything written to your Linux in RAM got written back to your CD upon exit ready for your next reboot, - oh arr, click memory bank - needed re-writable media
I'm sure some of the more up to date cognocenti ereabouts can fill you in ! ;) }
QuoteI notice there is an install option on the desktop, if I install, will this overwrite all my XP stuff or create a dual boot option?
Pass, above my pay grade !
It used to be a great worry some years ago (involving resizing of partitions), but I expect "they" have made it all a bit more fool-proof now ;) ymmv !!
Its all here for installing Linux Mint onto your PC
How To Install Linux Mint 13 "Maya" (parallel to Windows, Mac OS X or other OS) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODRMlGLITvc#ws)
Thankfully Linux Mint is now installed from a DVD, in the old days Most Linux distros would fit on a CD but back then a user had to find and install Drivers for their hardware, install several software programs to bring it up to what most people expect from a Linux OS, totaly different today as all the hard work has been done for you with lots of drivers and useful software included with the install.
The Geek days of Linux and particularly Mint are long gone, the systems are very user friendly, I congratulate Clem and his team for the great work they did to make the Linux Mint experience a pleasure to use and install because of its easy to use Windows feel.
Quote from: RChook on February 26, 2013, 11:44:54 PM
cant help on the Wireless settings tho' I am surprised that it didnt, there was a very active and supportive forum
Yes, I did use the forum at the time, and the consensus seemed to be that Puppy had a problem there that was not likely to be fixed.
I had Puppy on an Asus ee notebook for about one day, kicked it off and loaded Easy Peasy, had that on for about a week and kicked it off as well, loaded Mint 8 on it and it worked like a charm so it stayed on.
Well, I even cooler now, installed Mint onto a 32GB USB drive, works a treat, thanks guys. Next task will be to install something like Wine to all me to run my old WinXP proggies , but that can wait awhile as I can now just reboot and take out the USB and I'm back to Win. :beers:
I use WINE for all my operating systems :pint: :goodbye:
Sorry Caz
:laughabovepost: :laughabovepost: :laughabovepost:
If i do, then I usually end up having a disaster with the computer as after two glasses of Rioja I get quite squiffy. :)
Just to show I've not started on the Rioja yet I've got my first Win program (my Genealogy program) running under Wine without any problem, on boy, am I pleased. :claphappy:
Tried my Adobe programmes, Acrobat 10 and CS5 but they don't seem to want to run, nor Railroad & Co's Traincontroller. :(
Caz if you like "Acrobat" you can run the same thing and download it for free in the Mint "Software Manager" only its called "Acroread", it runs without Wine.
There is also another PDF reader that is as quick as Lightning called "Foxit" another amazing freeby in Linux
Thanks, I've already downloaded that but what I use is Acrobat 10 itself, the program for creating, managing and editing pdf's and forms. I use this for my genealogical book publishing amongst other things.
Libreoffice and openoffice can simply export to PDF which covers some uses.
There are a few more Adobe like alternatives include PDF Studio (which does cover Linux as well as Mac and Windows) . It isn't cheap but does have a trial version and "isn't cheap" is all relative when you check Adobe pricing :o
pdfposter is quite handy for printing out model layout designs (it takes a PDF and turns it into a PDF of lots of pages producing a big version of the same content). A few other small apps that are handy including pdfshuffler and pdfchain.
pdfedit is another weapon for PDF hacking - it's a powerful tool but more useful for automation than anything else.
Alan