My old laptop is on it's last legs as the screen is going (Broken wire by the looks of things) and will cost more than it's worth to fix.
Although I've "upgraded" to windows 10 and it's running OK, I've turned most of it off. As I can still work on this machine so long as I position the screen carefully I'm going to take my time sourcing a replacement. To save costs I'm looking at Linux.
Dell do a Linux Laptop for just £189.00. So, does anyone use Linux and associated free software?
What do you use in place of Outlook, Word, Excel etc? How does it compare?
Depends how computer-literate you are really - you need to be reasonably so.
As regards programs, Libre Office is the most-used open-source office program for Linux (it's available for Windows as well). It's OK, but not as good as the Microsoft equivalent. It doesn't have an Outlook equivalent, and although there are other options such as Thunderbird none of them are as good as Outlook - although that may not matter as a lot of Outlook's functionality is only relevant when using it on a network.
Didn't Aldi just release a Win10 laptop reasonably cheap ?
I need a robust laptop rather than cheap. Dell have stood the test with me. HP have weak hinges and I've broken two that way. I currently have a Compaq.
I used to work in MS-DOS (Most MS commands still work in Windows 10).
Having researched I am looking at Libre Office with Thunderbird.
Quote from: GrahamB on September 04, 2015, 09:42:35 AM
I need a robust laptop rather than cheap. Dell have stood the test with me. HP have weak hinges and I've broken two that way. I currently have a Compaq.
I used to work in MS-DOS (Most MS commands still work in Windows 10).
Having researched I am looking at Libre Office with Thunderbird.
A suggestion would be to look at the Dell outlet - this is cancelled / returned orders and they come with full warranties. There's an inconspicuous link towards the bottom of the Dell main site.
With laptops you tend to get what you pay for. I buy probably around 20-30 computers a year, a mixture of laptops and desktops, and mostly use Dell. The Latitude E-series business laptops are excellent and I rarely have any problems with them despite the heavy use in less than idea environments which some of them get. They aren't cheap, but I think they are worth what they cost.
Quote from: davidinyork on September 04, 2015, 09:46:35 AM
A suggestion would be to look at the Dell outlet - this is cancelled / returned orders and they come with full warranties. There's an inconspicuous link towards the bottom of the Dell main site.
Thanks for that. I've been looking at the website but hadn't noticed the link.
OK, you're after one to last a while ...
I can recommend a Dell but it ain't cheap - the Precision M4800. Quad-core (+ hyperthreading) i7 @ 2.8GHz, 8GB RAM, 15" HD screen, 500GB disk (can add others too) - basically, it's a desktop replacement ::) Full specs here (http://www.dell.com/uk/business/p/precision-m4800-workstation/pd?&ST=dell%20precision%20m4800&dgc=ST&cid=41142&lid=1069631&acd=239715600720560&ven1=sC3u4YkEC&ven2=p); built like a brick :poop: house :D No way it can be called pretty !
The only 'gotcha' is the power supply - make damn sure, if you buy a second one or if you get a docking station, that you get the 180W (or higher) supply ... using the docking station PSU will run the lappie in a reduced mode :( I've not got a second good one arranged yet, so end up using the dock's supply as my mobile one - but at least at home I'm running at max ::) It's a BIOS change they brought in :confused1:; am hoping they reverse it & allow the unit to run at max on the lower supply (albeit with a battery hit).
Quote from: MikeDunn on September 04, 2015, 10:01:11 AM
OK, you're after one to last a while ...
I can recommend a Dell but it ain't cheap - the Precision M4800. Quad-core (+ hyperthreading) i7 @ 2.8GHz, 8GB RAM, 15" HD screen, 500GB disk (can add others too) - basically, it's a desktop replacement ::) Full specs here (http://www.dell.com/uk/business/p/precision-m4800-workstation/pd?&ST=dell%20precision%20m4800&dgc=ST&cid=41142&lid=1069631&acd=239715600720560&ven1=sC3u4YkEC&ven2=p); built like a brick :poop: house :D No way it can be called pretty !
The only 'gotcha' is the power supply - make damn sure, if you buy a second one or if you get a docking station, that you get the 180W (or higher) supply ... using the docking station PSU will run the lappie in a reduced mode :( I've not got a second good one arranged yet, so end up using the dock's supply as my mobile one - but at least at home I'm running at max ::) It's a BIOS change they brought in :confused1:; am hoping they reverse it & allow the unit to run at max on the lower supply (albeit with a battery hit).
To be honest (and I have bought a few) those Precision laptops are beyond what anyone needs for general home use - we bought them for GIS work. The Latitude E series is a better bet for a good-quality laptop for standard computing tasks.
There are of course cheaper options from Dell, but in my experience they don't last as well. I bought some of their cheaper business laptops a few years ago but stopped buying them as it wasn't an economical decision - they kept needing repairs and I lost count of how many new keyboards and touchpads in particular I had to buy.
I get into enough trouble when I buy a new locomotive. Over £1000 for a laptop.......... I guess it would last forever as my fingers would all be broken. :(
Linux user since 2000 or so. LibreOffice + Thunderbird (and webmail) work for me. The only thing I use Windows for (running in VirtualBox) is SCARM. Can't help with laptops, I use a Mac (this one is over 4 years old and still going strong despite multiple trips around the world).
Quote from: davidinyork on September 04, 2015, 10:07:03 AM
those Precision laptops are beyond what anyone needs for general home use
I never said it was a home-use machine ::) Work bought me it ... and a month later I had to have a 32-bit build installed :veryangry2: :veryangry2: :veryangry2: :censored: Looking forwards to leaving my current client & returning to a decent build !
If the OP is after a proper replacement that will handle portability as well as the power of a desktop, the Precision will handle that in spades. It all depends on their actual requirements really. More info would help (hint hint :D)
Quote
The Latitude E series is a better bet for a good-quality laptop for standard computing tasks.
Yeah ... never a fan of the Dell 'Attitude' models :worried: Or especially their 'Insipids' at the lower end ... Rather have a Tosh !!! But this Precision is very good (apart from that BIOS issue I mentioned).
Quote from: MikeDunn on September 04, 2015, 10:16:17 AM
Yeah ... never a fan of the Dell 'Attitude' models :worried: Or especially their 'Insipids' at the lower end ... Rather have a Tosh !!! But this Precision is very good (apart from that BIOS issue I mentioned).
The Precision laptops are actually just higher-end models of the Latitude E series range - same build quality, same docking stations, etc.
Dell have rather confused the issue though by using the Latitude name for cheaper models as well - it's the ones with the model number beginning with an E which are the ones to get.
Quote from: davidinyork on September 04, 2015, 10:18:58 AM
Dell have rather confused the issue though by using the Latitude name for cheaper models as well - it's the ones with the model number beginning with an E which are the ones to get.
Agreed. My experience of their stuff goes back a looooong way; we never liked getting a Dell in to work on in those days - the Toshibas were great back then, and seem to have had a recent come-back after a long time in the wilderness. Must admit, Dell do decent rack-mount servers though :D
Quote from: MikeDunn on September 04, 2015, 10:23:42 AM
Must admit, Dell do decent rack-mount servers though :D
Yes, got some of them too! At least the recent models can comfortably be carried by one person. With the earlier ones it was more of a challenge and I always made sure I was wearing steel-toecapped boots if I had to shift one!
Last three laptops have all been Dell Inspiron models and never had a problem. More than adequate for home use including basic video editing in Windows Movie Maker :thumbsup:
Clare had a Toshiba when we first met - complete pain in the bum it was every time you wanted to change something or download a new program ::) She's since seen the light and bought a Dell ;)
Paul
Quote from: davidinyork on September 04, 2015, 10:26:18 AM
Quote from: MikeDunn on September 04, 2015, 10:23:42 AM
Must admit, Dell do decent rack-mount servers though :D
Yes, got some of them too! At least the recent models can comfortably be carried by one person. With the earlier ones it was more of a challenge and I always made sure I was wearing steel-toecapped boots if I had to shift one!
Yeah, shifted a few of those in my last job, not fun. (Could never stand Dell desktops, at least the out-of-warranty ones I used to have to maintain on a shoestring budget, due to their weird non-standard parts).
I have a Lattitude E6500, which has been great for the last 5 years. Been kicked around all over Europe. The battery is failing now, but apart from that, it's been fine. The previous Dell had a new screen, keyboard and power board, all done on site under the 3 year warranty. As David says, I've used Dell 2u and 1u servers for ages, much better than the Compaq/HP ones we used before.
Anyway, getting back to the software question.
Going back to the software question, I am not a Linux power user, but found Zorin to be very good. I use the default tools, including the Open Office software. It reads and writes the MS format files and works quite well. I did find some of the commands in the spreadsheet program to be different to Excel, but still works OK.
Quote from: Malc on September 04, 2015, 03:54:30 PM
Going back to the software question, I am not a Linux power user, but found Zorin to be very good. I use the default tools, including the Open Office software. It reads and writes the MS format files and works quite well. I did find some of the commands in the spreadsheet program to be different to Excel, but still works OK.
For the novice (particularly one used to Windows) the best Linux distribution at the moment is probably Mint.
Quote from: davidinyork on September 04, 2015, 03:57:32 PM
For the novice (particularly one used to Windows) the best Linux distribution at the moment is probably Mint.
Coming from Windoze, I've tried a live version (on a USB stick) of LXLE and was fairly impressed with the ease of setup and use. I was even able to get my Brother wireless laser printer working on it fairly easily.
I too use Linux, but I'm in IT professionally, so I might be considered a power user. Generally speaking, there is a program to do everything you can in windows, it will just do it differently. if you simply need receiving and sending emails through a normal email provider, then Thunderbird is probably the way to go. libre office is definitely the best thing for office work, again, it depends what you need it to do.
Most things nowadays are moving online, google has a whole suite of software based online. they call it google apps which is email, word processing, spreadhsheets, calendar, drive space etc.
Then it wouldn't matter what device you are on, because you can access it anywhere with an internet connection.
Caveat, I am a google fan, I have an android phone use google for work emails and private, so everything syncs everywhere for me which is super convenient, but not for everyone. so take my praise with a pinch of salt. That said, my 50something mother uses a chromebook (a laptop built by google effectively) and she can get around on it quite well. she does facebook, yahoo mail, and watches tv catch up programs, so clearly it isn't impossible.
Aside from office and email. what else are you likely to do? SCARM (or anyrail if you prefer) both work on linux through another program. so whilst it's not as straight forward as simply installing it, it can be done. and we would gladly help you through!
The biggest 'problem' with linux is, as far as you're concerned, there are lots of different versions... ubuntu, mint, fedora, suse...the list is pretty huge... but if you're brave enough there is tonnes of help around to help you get used to them.
Thank you mickster04.
I really can't get on with Google. One area of concern is that I need to share files via Dropbox with others. They are all on MS office. We don't do anything terribly clever but it does need to work.
dropbox has a native application for use with linux :D
https://www.dropbox.com/install?os=lnx (https://www.dropbox.com/install?os=lnx)
[EDIT] you'll also find that most windows formats are readable in linux. the biggest exception is powerpoint, which has issues with the animations, and graphics in documents, which sometimes have difficulty when alpha (transparency) is used...
Quote from: mickster04 on September 07, 2015, 10:40:40 AM
dropbox has a native application for use with linux :D
https://www.dropbox.com/install?os=lnx (https://www.dropbox.com/install?os=lnx)
[EDIT] you'll also find that most windows formats are readable in linux. the biggest exception is powerpoint, which has issues with the animations, and graphics in documents, which sometimes have difficulty when alpha (transparency) is used...
Ouch. I use Powerpoint a fair bit.
well you could install MS Office into linux.
theres a thing called WINE https://www.winehq.org/ (https://www.winehq.org/) which lets you install and run windows applications.
seeing as you have a license for MS office, seems a shame to waste it.
Quote from: mickster04 on September 07, 2015, 11:38:33 AM
well you could install MS Office into linux.
theres a thing called WINE https://www.winehq.org/ (https://www.winehq.org/) which lets you install and run windows applications.
seeing as you have a license for MS office, seems a shame to waste it.
It gets complicated if you start doing that sort of thing...
easier if you use https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ (https://www.playonlinux.com/en/)
Quote from: davidinyork on September 07, 2015, 11:43:57 AM
Quote from: mickster04 on September 07, 2015, 11:38:33 AM
well you could install MS Office into linux.
theres a thing called WINE https://www.winehq.org/ (https://www.winehq.org/) which lets you install and run windows applications.
seeing as you have a license for MS office, seems a shame to waste it.
It gets complicated if you start doing that sort of thing...
I would have thought that if you are committed to using Windows apps (like office) then you'll be better off sticking to Windows OS rather than using Wine just so you can use Linux. Why not have a double boot option so you can use either Linux or Windows? :beers:
Not wishing to encourage or discourage anyone from using Windows or Linux, but if you have an existing Windows licence from your existing laptop then can you not just buy a new computer with nothing (or Linux) on and then install Windows with your existing licence?
Cheers, Mike
Strictly speaking - no. You don't own the license, you have merely been licensed to use the OS on the PC it came with.
Not that this stops anyone ::)
Quote from: red_death on September 07, 2015, 01:40:10 PM
Not wishing to encourage or discourage anyone from using Windows or Linux, but if you have an existing Windows licence from your existing laptop then can you not just buy a new computer with nothing (or Linux) on and then install Windows with your existing licence?
Cheers, Mike
Probably not - most Windows licenses are OEM and are tied to the computer.
Quote from: red_death on September 07, 2015, 01:40:10 PM
Not wishing to encourage or discourage anyone from using Windows or Linux, but if you have an existing Windows licence from your existing laptop then can you not just buy a new computer with nothing (or Linux) on and then install Windows with your existing licence?
Cheers, Mike
That's true Mike but you just need to phone Microsoft to change your product activation to different computer.
I tried a dual boot with Windows and Linux just to get a feel for how Linux compared with Windows and how Office compatible products shaped up. No contest I'm afraid. Removed Linux completely after a week or two. Wasn't worth the hassle but it was an interesting experiment. :beers:
Quote from: austinbob on September 07, 2015, 02:03:45 PM
That's true Mike but you just need to phone Microsoft to change your product activation to different computer.
That can only be done with a full retail version of Windows (which very few home users are going to have) - if it's an OEM version which came with the computer, as is most likely, then it cannot be transferred legally to another computer whatever the circumstances.
The only possible exception to what David (rightly) says (and no, I'm not sure it exists) is if you'd gone to a different (non-MS) OS and were returning to the original OS on the original PC ... that may be what Bob is referring to ?
Quote from: red_death on September 07, 2015, 01:40:10 PM
then can you not just buy a new computer with nothing on
Last time I tried to do that they told me they had to install an operating system in order to test the hardware.
Quote from: MikeDunn on September 07, 2015, 02:12:43 PM
The only possible exception to what David (rightly) says (and no, I'm not sure it exists) is if you'd gone to a different (non-MS) OS and were returning to the original OS on the original PC ... that may be what Bob is referring to ?
If you were doing that it will most likely activate anyway without problems as it's the same computer as it was originally installed on. The exact workings of Windows activation are (no doubt intentionally) fairly opaque but it seems to register details of the computer, probably including something unique such as the processor serial number, with Microsoft.
Quote from: keithfre on September 07, 2015, 02:14:54 PM
Quote from: red_death on September 07, 2015, 01:40:10 PM
then can you not just buy a new computer with nothing on
Last time I tried to do that they told me they had to install an operating system in order to test the hardware.
Most of the big manufacturers won't sell computers without an OS installed - a local shop might do (or might supply one with a particular flavour of Linux if asked).
Quote from: keithfre on September 07, 2015, 02:14:54 PM
Last time I tried to do that they told me they had to install an operating system in order to test the hardware.
How can I put this ? Oh I know ...
Cobblers !!!They are fully able to put an OS onto a USB stick & prove it that way ::) That they don't (or won't ...) implies some kind of deal with MS ... "oh we've
had to put Windows on, so we'll sell you a copy in that case :angel:"
Quote from: davidinyork on September 07, 2015, 02:17:02 PM
If you were doing that it will most likely activate anyway
You'd hope so, but there's no guarantee; I've seen some that wouldn't & needed the call to MS :( But as it was the same license on the same hardware they permitted those instances - but that was some years back now.
Quote from: MikeDunn on September 07, 2015, 02:22:29 PM
Quote from: keithfre on September 07, 2015, 02:14:54 PM
Last time I tried to do that they told me they had to install an operating system in order to test the hardware.
How can I put this ? Oh I know ...
Cobblers !!!
They are fully able to put an OS onto a USB stick & prove it that way ::) That they don't (or won't ...) implies some kind of deal with MS ... "oh we've had to put Windows on, so we'll sell you a copy in that case :angel:"
Quote from: davidinyork on September 07, 2015, 02:17:02 PM
If you were doing that it will most likely activate anyway
You'd hope so, but there's no guarantee; I've seen some that wouldn't & needed the call to MS :( But as it was the same license on the same hardware they permitted those instances - but that was some years back now.
Seems better at identifying the hardware now (XP could be a bit flakey) - certainly had no problems with multiple reinstalls of W10 on the same hardware recently.
As regards the OS issue, yes it's just an excuse but even if you challenge it they aren't going to change their stance!
Oh agreed ::)
So yes, there are people here that use linux. yes there are many ways to skin a cat. and yes you can just use windows if you prefer....
"Depends how computer-literate you are really - you need to be reasonably so."
This is so not the case any longer, and for that matter hasn't been so for a loooong time. I answer to the original question, yes, I use Linux, have done so for 17 years, and exclusively for at least 13 years.
A modern linux installation is just so easy to install, setup & use. I have absolutely no issues using, LibreOffice for my wok documents, including database access to various backends (MySQL, Oracle, Postgres), works perfectly with Sharepoint & Alfresco.
For heavy duty graphic editing, I tend to use gimp, but there are many others.
For music editing I use, Audacity, again, plenty of other alternatives
For multimedia playback, VLC is hard to beat
For mp3 organising and playing exaile, or clemetine work well for me.
I have no trouble watching netflix, tv catchup etc.
For backups, I use nice and simple grsync, but again, there are many alternatives.
Dropbox & owncloud work perfectly.
Web browsing, firefox and chrome are my browsers of choice.
Teamviewer works really well, obviously so does vncviewer
Emails, I prefer Thunderbird, using the Lightning addon for calendering, provider for google calendar (to link my google calendar), and gcontactsync, for my google contacts, in a more work based environment, there are also plugins to get the equivalent out of MS Exchange.
Add to this, not one of the above is a paid for app, it's all free, add to that, that's there is so much more you can install and run, for free, on linux, including video editors, database servers, file sharing, web servers, application servers..
The list is almost endless, and it says something, that for our 999 command & control system, it would never be trusted to a windows environment, yep, you guessed it, linux hosted.
But, for a striaght forward PC/Laptop setup, there isn't much more to installing a very functional system, than clicking next a few times !
Cheers
Tony
Quote from: linuxyeti on October 04, 2015, 04:29:08 PM
"Depends how computer-literate you are really - you need to be reasonably so."
This is so not the case any longer, and for that matter hasn't been so for a loooong time.
I certainly don't agree. Yes, it might all work without problems but equally it might not - especially things like wifi drivers, and external USB devices. If it doesn't, getting it to work will require considerably more IT knowledge than is the case with Windows.
Never had a single issue with external usb drives, whether full blown hard drives, memory sticks, also, no prbolems that I recall with sd and micro sd cards.
As for wifi drivers, I might agree with you, say 5 or 6 years ago, but not had a single issue with multiple laptops, and Desktop PC's at all, likewise, same goes with scanners, and wifi printing, secure printing, all basically plug in / connect to and work without any complicated setup.
It's not just me, my 70 year old father, has been only using Linux for at least 8 years, my daughter has only ever had linux PC's / laptops, and has no issue with her homework from school, she's now 13, so, yes that includes ICT in secondary school.
My partner, likewise, has only used Linux, when at home.
Of course, one of the really good things about Linux, simply download a 'Live' version, and run it from either a usb stick, or dvd, and not even have to install it.
Cheers
Tony
I agree with David ... If you're coming from an MS environment, Linux is a "strange & exotic beastie" to get on with.
I've been playing with it on my RasPis (both Wheezy and more recently Jessie), and while Wheezy has been straight-forwards (in the main ...), Jessie has proven to be more difficult (typical woman, eh :P), with various bits that work fine in Wheezy just not working at all in Jessie.
So yes, it does depend on how IT literate you are; within a Wintel environment, I'd claim a high level of literacy; in Linux, a far lesser level (albeit I do know how to find the answers to the issues I see). The fact you disagree says more about your familiarity with Linux than it does about the issues those not having that familiarity face. The basics on connecting items like SD cards, etc are simple : what is less transparent are things like configuring a right-click on a touch-screen ...
Hi There
Now, for using Raspberry Pi's, you're not really comparing like with like there, they are cool little pieces of kit in there own way, and try running windows on 1, yes I know there is a version of Windows 10, that runs on a Pi, but it's vastly different to what you get on a laptop/pc or even a tablet.
As, I think, somone has already mentioned, there are many forums that can answer practically any question. I had a quick look for your example, and there are simple solutions going back at least 2 years.
Also, my parents cam to Linux from a windows environment, and had no issues, granted, my mum was more interested in playing space invaders !! ha, and nor has my partner. As, i think has been mentioned before, if you're coming direct from a Windows environment, then Linux Mint is probably a good starting point. Not my distribution of choice, but, it is a popular and well regarded distribution.
Quote from: linuxyeti on October 04, 2015, 05:03:37 PM
yes I know there is a version of Windows 10, that runs on a Pi, but it's vastly different to what you get on a laptop/pc or even a tablet.
Windows 10 IOT - let's just
not go there, hmmm ? ::) I might give it a try later this year ... but ... maybe I won't ::)
Quote from: linuxyeti
Now, for using Raspberry Pi's, you're not really comparing like with like there
Why do you say that ? They are full-blown Linux computers. You connect USB devices (mouse, keyboard), plug in an Ethernet cable (or WiFi dongle), connect to an HDMI monitor & run Linux. How are we
not comparing like with like ? Sure, it's not an Intel PC, but so what ? It still runs things like LibreOffice :P
Quote from: linuxyeti
I had a quick look for your example, and there are simple solutions going back at least 2 years.
I never said there wasn't; I said it was
less transparent. And as far as Jessie is concerned, that transparency seems quite opaque ... (I already mentioned Wheezy was relatively straight-forwards, which is undoubtedly the answer you found - and
doesn't work in Jessie)
Re Mint - on the RasPi it's not (to my knowledge) available or supported; hence Wheezy & Jessie (for those wondering - they are 'flavours' of Debian Linux). In the GUI, a Windows person will be able to navigate around easily (that's the point of the GUIs looking like Windows, after all :P), but if you come from that environment, getting things to function in the underlying Linux OS is a strange adventure. The OS is distinctly different from DOS (or what passes for DOS these days); even installing a new app is strange ("sudo apt-get install <your-app-here> - what's that all about ? Why can't I just click the program & have it install automagically ?") if you've not learned any Linux yet.
It's like car mechanics : if you know what you're doing, it's easy. If you don't - well, there's an expensive repair bill waiting to happen as soon as you delve under the hood. Linux is
not a simple OS to most people ... and
especially at the start of their adventure. This is the point David & I are making. A pretty GUI only takes you so far ...
Hi
Like for like, I meant hardware that will run both Windows & Linux.
Also, modern Linux distributions, can now be run gui only, whether it's straight forward adding new applications, new users, network setup, to more involved processes, such as vpn setup, nic bonding, firewall configuration and so on, very little indeed needs the command line.
No need for a sudo apt-get install, or yum install or dnf install etc, simply use one of the installed software management tools.
Quote
Wheezy & Jessie (for those wondering - they are 'flavours' of Debian Linux)
Debian Linux, not a particularly user friendly Linux, it's good as a base, and built upon, such as Ubuntu did, and Mint do.
Quote
Why can't I just click the program & have it install automagically
You can, so long as it's in the correct format, the default software management tool will provide you with the option to install etc, no different to a click and install windows app, so long as it's executable.
Quote
The OS is distinctly different from DOS (or what passes for DOS these days)
Actually, dos doesn't really exist on Windows anymore, it's now powershell, much more similar to one the the linux shell programs, there even including ssh !!!! and Microsoft are also aping Linux going forward, with constant updates/upgrades, there won't be a Windows 11 ... etc.
Have to say that if anyone has never used Linux you don't know what you are missing, I have been using Linux for over 8 years and never had a problem.
Linux is not for geeks its for people to enjoy trouble free computing safe internet surfing at no cost, no need for anti spyware, antivirus, or anti anything, just use a firewall.
Windows users should consider Linux Mint or Zorin , they would have little or no trouble learning how to use these distributions as they are much like Windows XP or 7.
I used Linux Mint for 8 years but it has become so much like Windows that I now use Ubuntu GNOME,
I did get a new laptop last year that had Windows 8 loaded on it, it did my head in for a few hours with all of its updates, anti this and anti thats, after one evening I had Linux up and running fully updated and all of my favourite free software loaded, there is almost nothing in Windows that cant be done in Linux.
Have to say if Linux ceased to exist I would bump computers and return to posting letters or sending Carrier Pigeon's.
Quote from: longbridge on March 12, 2016, 08:43:47 PM
there is almost nothing in Windows that cant be done in Linux.
Depends what you need to do - there is actually quite a lot of specialist and semi-specialist software which is only available for Windows.
It might in some cases be possible to run this under emulation or using some software like Wine, but it won't always work, and even if it does then getting it to work is likely to require a good knowledge of computers.
Quote from: davidinyork on March 12, 2016, 08:57:26 PM
Quote from: longbridge on March 12, 2016, 08:43:47 PM
there is almost nothing in Windows that cant be done in Linux.
Depends what you need to do - there is actually quite a lot of specialist and semi-specialist software which is only available for Windows.
It might in some cases be possible to run this under emulation or using some software like Wine, but it won't always work, and even if it does then getting it to work is likely to require a good knowledge of computers.
I agree 100% that is why I said "almost Nothing" but having said that there are also things that can be done in Linux that cant be done in Windows,
Quote from: davidinyork on March 12, 2016, 08:57:26 PM
Depends what you need to do - there is actually quite a lot of specialist and semi-specialist software which is only available for Windows.
It might in some cases be possible to run this under emulation or using some software like Wine, but it won't always work, and even if it does then getting it to work is likely to require a good knowledge of computers.
And there is also a whole swathe of software that won't work on Windows, and is only available for Linux. What you do find though, is those 'specialist' sofware are fading towards obsolescence, because the direction of travel in IT is ever greater adoption of platform independant and/or opensource technologies. Also, even Microsoft have finally come to the realisation, that Windows will never be the be all and end all, and to survive that have to have apps that run on other operating systems that aren't Microsoft based, hence, the soon to be ported to Linux Microsoft SQL Server. From a home user perspective, doesn't really mean anything, but in the grand scehme of datacentres etc, that's quite a seismic shift change. Not to mention, Microsoft's own version of Linux for running software network switches.
However, for day to day software, I have been using Linux for a long time now, and don't find myself short of any software I need, whether it be video editing, photo editing, office software, web browsing, accessing Netflix etc.