Ubuntu

Should i get this OS? tell me about it.

If you're happy with your existing OS I wouldn't worry. Am I right in remembering you have Windows 7 - If so you can give it a play without risking your Windows install here: http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/windows-installer

ooooh thanks. i'll try it.

I'm posting from it right now, but I dual boot. I keep trying different distributions on my Linux partitions but right now I needed Ubuntu for compatibility with my colleague's code.

One nice plus, besides the free and open source nature of the thing obviously, is the package management. On almost any Linux distribution, as long as you install stuff from repositories you can keep it all up to date with one command, way better than having to keep versions of your software up to date manually, so I like that a lot.

Other than that, it doesn't have a single great desktop environment but several 'okay' ones. It's worth exploring the options to see what works for you, I keep changing my mind personally.

The OS is rock solid at its core but if you like your distribution to have more or less the latest version of software you will see apps crash (more than in Windows, for me). The alternative is to use a distribution with very thoroughly tested (i.e., old) packages, but then they might not have that one feature that you really like and have been waiting for that's in the latest version and whatnot.

MS Office compatibility sucks, you could go for something like Crossover Office I guess but emulating Windows and paying for the office suite kind of defeats the purpose. LibreOffice can read and edit most Office file formats but the compatibility is far from 100%, expect weird bugs when collaborating with MS Office users.

Same with some other apps, unless you use WINE and run your Windows apps it might take a while for you to adjust your workflow (e.g., I use VLC, puddletag and SoX just to be able to get my most used features from foobar2000 in Windows alone, and even then the three of them together are still not as good as foobar2000). WINE supposedly works pretty well but I've never thoroughly tried it since my Linux installs tend to be short-lived.

Oh and if you want to make tracks that's another thing, I'll have some free time to dabble in that soon and was thinking about starting an EKT thread to see if anyone uses Linux. I haven't even gotten to the bottom of configuring the sound in Linux, let alone music making software. I hear Ableton works well with WINE (that's how Macs run it apparently), but I don't know of anyone using a free and open source DAW.

The thing about Ubuntu is that it's a very flexible distribution..
While I find the default "Unity" install of Ubuntu intolerable, i'm a huge fan of the Xubuntu flavor. It's Ubuntu using the XFCE desktop environment which looks and functions a bit different than old fashioned Ubuntu. At the terminal everything is still the same, Ubuntu at the core.

I take Xubuntu and strip it of everything installed I don't need. I run Compiz to minimally animate the OS and add features very similar to "Expose" in OSX. I modify my theme heavily as well and change icon sets. I also prefer a dock application similar to the bar in OSX, of which I use Docky.

Ultimately what I end up with is totally unlike both Xubuntu and the default Ubuntu. I think my customized install is gorgeous and very functional, and find Linux in general to be very fast. Not so sure most people would spend the day or so configuring everything and learning how to customize themes. It's worth it though if you care about aesthetic as most Linux installs tend to be ugly.

For over a year the only laptop in our house was Ubuntu based, my friend installed it for free. It accomplished everything we needed well. Fun OS, easy to navigate. I even played around with WINE and some commands a bit.

Using streaming options was a headache so I didn't try, maybe that's been improved. I second the dual boot option.

Ubuntu is for vaginas. If you're going to use GNU/Linux then use Slackware. Really, anything other than Ubuntu would be for the best, but if you do end up with Ubuntu, make sure it's Xubuntu. XFCE > Gnome/KDE/Whatever the fuck is the current "desktop environment".

  On 11/14/2013 at 6:47 AM, Oscar said:

Ubuntu is for vaginas.

lol

only in a MadameChaos thread of course

of course

  On 11/14/2013 at 6:47 AM, Oscar said:

Ubuntu is for vaginas. If you're going to use GNU/Linux then use Slackware. Really, anything other than Ubuntu would be for the best, but if you do end up with Ubuntu, make sure it's Xubuntu. XFCE > Gnome/KDE/Whatever the fuck is the current "desktop environment".

what a badass.

anyway, I remember Ubuntu being probably the friendliest distro I'd ever seen. that was quite a while ago though, so I don't know what's changed since then. if it's your first time playing around with this kind of thing, and you're going to dual-boot etc, then friendly is what you want. there's plenty of time to try alternate distros and be a computer badass later.

  On 11/14/2013 at 6:52 AM, joshuatx said:

 

  On 11/14/2013 at 6:47 AM, Oscar said:

Ubuntu is for vaginas.

 

lol

 

only in a MadameChaos thread of course

 

of course

 

I didn't read the username, I meant no offense.

i'm not offended but my vagina is very pleased there is an OS made especially for it. i'll have to explain to it later. *rolls eyes*

Linux Mint is the hot stuff for user-friendly Linux these days. It's basically Ubuntu with a few ease-of-use tweaks and a more familiar, Windows-esque desktop environment.

I'm no tech wiz but I myself have been using it for about 2 years now, coming from Ubuntu for 2 years before that.

I highly recommend the "Cinnamon" edition.

http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php

In fact, I'm downloading a pre-release edition of Mint 16 right now!

If you don't have any external hardware (USB sound cards etc.) and if don't really use the 'puter much else than web browsing and the occasional bit or word processing and image editing I'd say definitely give Ubuntu a shout.

The only reason(s) I didn't stick with Ubuntu (and that was the distribution I went for), is that I have an external soundcard and despite months of getting it to work I had no luck, do audio and video editing frequently, and I use loads of esoteric windows gubbins that WINE would probably melt if I tried to use. Plus I was happy with the Windows OS so didn't really see the need to switch.

Is there a way i can install that while keeping my Windows in case I don't get on with it?

Aye that top link I gave you (wubi) gives you a menu when you turn on the machine where you can choose to boot either to Windows or Ubuntu. Then if you get bored and don't want it anymore you just load up Windows, go to Control Panel -> Add/Remove programs (or whatever it's called now) and hit uninstall on Ubuntu (just as if it's a normal Windows application) and it'll remove everything (including the menu where you choose which OS you want to boot from). It's nicely painless :)

https://fixubuntu.com/

  Quote

 

Why do we need this?

If you're an Ubuntu user and you're using the default settings, each time you start typing in Dash (to open an application or search for a file on your computer), your search terms get sent to a variety of third parties, some of which advertise to you.

Ubuntu should protect user privacy by default. Since it doesn't, you can use the code to the left to disable the parts of Ubuntu which are invasive to your privacy.

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20131107/17583725174/disappointing-to-see-canonical-act-like-trademark-bully-over-ubuntu.shtml

@mc: yes, dual-boot

@pete: I think I would only ever dual-boot, actually. as cool/interesting as *n?x systems are, I wouldn't switch to them as my main OS. they're good to have to learn about OSes and shit. you get way more educational value out of it than Windows, which isn't designed with that in mind at all.

I get my Linux fix from my Raspberry Pi - though to be honest, not sure it's use has been educational

Current view of the Pi in action:

  On 11/14/2013 at 11:48 AM, mcbpete said:

Aye that top link I gave you (wubi) gives you a menu when you turn on the machine where you can choose to boot either to Windows or Ubuntu. Then if you get bored and don't want it anymore you just load up Windows, go to Control Panel -> Add/Remove programs (or whatever it's called now) and hit uninstall on Ubuntu (just as if it's a normal Windows application) and it'll remove everything (including the menu where you choose which OS you want to boot from). It's nicely painless :)

does this work for Linux Mint also?

You'd use the Windows Installer that comes with Linux Mint (wubi is the installer for Ubuntu) but I guess the process would be exactly the same, I just haven't tried it.

  On 11/14/2013 at 7:34 AM, Oscar said:

 

  On 11/14/2013 at 6:52 AM, joshuatx said:

 

  On 11/14/2013 at 6:47 AM, Oscar said:

Ubuntu is for vaginas.

 

lol

 

only in a MadameChaos thread of course

 

of course

 

 

I didn't read the username, I meant no offense.

 

I know, it just amused me. Your information was actually quite helpful. Far more than mine as a complete linux OS noob.

Thanks for the advice guys, I just need to speed my PC up so I can run editing programmes more smoothly. Right now the render takes forever.

what's the actual point of this os ? what advantages does it have compared to a proper, pirated win7 ?

the main thing people are talking about in ubuntu threads are compatibility issues compared to windows which is kinda lol.

yea lol rly tbh.

I would be interested in using Linux if it would offer me anything besides having to deal with problems.
When i feel like indulging in CLI usage (which is frequently) I use homebrew on OSX....

If you're interested in using different Linux distros inside Windows then I recommend getting Virtualbox. Extremely user friendly and you have the list of versions you've installed to use whenever you want.

https://www.virtualbox.org/