Any Linux users here ?

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I have been a Mac user for most of my computer driven life. I started out with Mac OS 7.1 and progressed from there. In fact I still have my olde Macintosh Colour Classic which I start up from time to time.



In any event, being the computer junkie that I am, I decided to take the plunge and try out Linux.



So I went an bought myself a really cheap Compaq Deskpro En running a P3 866. For the equivilant of $35 US I got a computer with plenty of ram, a nice 80 GGb hard-drive, keyboard and minitor. After trying out a couple of different Linux flavors such as Mepis, Ubuntu, Kubuntu etc, I settled on Fedora Core 6.



I have to say, in some ways it is not as good as OSX, but in other ways it is faster and more responsive. It is also a damn sight more servicable and useful than anything coming out of Redmont. As such, I use it as backup machine that works very nicely. From my perspective, one of the great selling points about Linux is that it gives many older computers a second lease on life, which I think is far better than putting them into Landfill where they can release toxic materials into groundwater etc. So an ecological thumbs up from that perspective.



I will never give away using OSX...(its much too good to do that ), but that said, after my little foray into the Fedora~Linux world, I am certainly impressed by what the Linux community is doing.



So my question is how many other Mac users out there use an alternate OS such as Linux or some Unix flavoured Os or Solaris 10 etc ?



Cheers



Aquafire.



BTW. Here is a picture I posted on another forum of my Linux set up. Which as you can see, can be made to look a bit like OSX.



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 28
    backtomacbacktomac Posts: 4,579member
    I'm interested in Linux. What is a good way to get started? What are the easiest distros to work with?
  • Reply 2 of 28
    aquafireaquafire Posts: 2,758member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by backtomac View Post


    I'm interested in Linux. What is a good way to get started? What are the easiest distros to work with?



    I personally would recommend you use Fedora which has a very good community backup.



    http://www.fedoraforum.org/



    Fedora 7 has just been released and this is a first snapshot of it using the Gnome windowing system ( roughly equivilant to Finder in Mac)



    http://www.phoronix.net/image.php?id...ora_7t2_02_lrg



    Other than that, you might want to consider using Ubuntu or Kubuntu which are both freely available from here.



    https://shipit.ubuntu.com/login



    They will post CD's to you for Free of Charge. Yep ...free as in Beer...



    Thats how I got my distros. They didn't even balk when I asked them to send out half a dozen copies of both Kubuntu and Ubuntu. (Kubuntu uses a KDE window enviroment while Ubuntu uses a Gnome enviroment) For Mac users I'd recommend using Gnome as opposed to KDE which looks and feels more like a Windows enviroment.



    Other than that, and for those who want a shock, take a look at this Distro...



    It is called Dreamlinux and it is causing some waves.



    http://www.dreamlinux.com.br/english/index.html



    Notice any similarities to another well known OS ?



    So you can see, there is plenty of interesting choices. In the end, some Linux distros are resource hungry, other not. So what you pick depends a bit on what machine you have at your disposal. Other than that, it is a matter of personal choice.



    Perhaps like me, the more you use Linux, the more you will enjoy it and find it strangely familiar to OSX while being different.



    Other than that, give yourself time to learn and have fun.



    Cheers



    Aquafire
  • Reply 3 of 28
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    I have an Athlon 2000 that runs Suse 9.3. Suse is easy to install, but like all Linuxes that I've used, it can be a real pain in the ass to customize and maintain. I haven't used a GNU UI that is better than a 3/10, at best. Too much information is obscurred -- there's rarely any middle-ground between automated tools and shell scripting -- so I have to spend a lot of time poking around the internet for info, and then plenty of trial and error. While some people might enjoy the experience, I'd rather be working (on whatever) than tinkering with GNU/Linux.



    Anyway, I believe there's a place in the world for Linux, and it's convenient to have a linux desktop if you're developing embedded linux projects, but with Mac OS X, the usefulness of Linux on the desktop has become more niche than ever.
  • Reply 4 of 28
    I've been using Debian off and on, and ran RedHat before anyone had even heard of Linux.



    I asked my dad about using Unix in the early 90s, and he remembers running Xwindows on the robots he coded for when he worked in aerospace (Xwinows was a multi-user OS based on the n*x shell.... hmmmm *NAME SIMILARITY*).



    Current Linux distros have a lot going for them. In the past couple of years, many have started to try and cater to the "common user" (as has Mac OS), by being easy-to-use, all-in-one packages. The latest Ubuntu distribution (Fiesty Fawn, I think its named?) come packaged with FireFox and OpenOffice for ease-of-use. All of the current Linux code is open-source and free, which is probably the coolest thing about it. For people like me, who don't have a ton of money to throw around, it turns a pirate into an open-source user. Unix-based OSes also have many more options for people who like to tweak and hack their systems than Windows or MacOS. The inner workings aren't as intuitive, but you can do an infinite ammount of customization. Linux also interfaces fairly well with Windows apps.



    The one issue i've had with Linux is hardware compatibility. This isn't so much a problem with the distros themselves, but rather problems with hardware drivers. For example: ATi doesnt put a whole lot of effort into their Linuux drivers, and thus, their cards don't jive well with linux. Theres actually a lot of hardware that doesnt work very well, or that doesnt work at all. Many OEM machines, particularily notebooks, have issues even installing Linux.



    Basically, if you have a spare x86 machine hanging around, i'd try it. It's not like it's going to cost anything...
  • Reply 5 of 28
    aquafireaquafire Posts: 2,758member
    I should have added a link for the Fedora download.



    http://rhold.fedoraproject.org/Download/



    As you can see, there is even a Fedora 6 version for PPC.



    But I haven't tried it.



    Cheers



    Aquafire
  • Reply 6 of 28
    I've been using Xubuntu for about a year now.



    I'm totally Windows free and it is *great*.
  • Reply 7 of 28
    aquafireaquafire Posts: 2,758member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by theapplegenius View Post


    I've been using Xubuntu for about a year now.



    I'm totally Windows free and it is *great*.





    Yes, I'd be glad to be rid of Windows. Unfortunately, I have to send images and files to different companies, galleries and journalists. So, not knowing what OS they are using, I have to maintain a Windows box just to make sure all the files are compatible and readable.



    Nice to know your using XFCE windowing system as part of Xubuntu.



    Turns out Fedora 7 has XFCE, Gnome and KDE built in.



    In anycase, looks like the XFCE crowd are going to give the KDE vs Gnome argument a bit of a shake up...



    Cheers



    Aquafire
  • Reply 8 of 28
    Xfce is so crazy fast. It's amazing.
  • Reply 9 of 28
    aquafireaquafire Posts: 2,758member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by theapplegenius View Post


    Xfce is so crazy fast. It's amazing.





    Hey there T-A-G.



    In all likelyhood, I will eventually migrate to XFCE, simply because it is mean and lean and (as you note) "Crazy fast". Heck, I bet it will even make my olde Compaq machine feel like it has a Pentium 4 : Dual Core iunder its' hood.. hehehe



    But I won't make my mind up until I have downloaded the latest Fedora offering which has all three X-Windowing systems on the bootable distro : Gnome, KDE and XFCE, and had a chance to play with all three.



    So for me, Linux is like a set of Hillbilly couzins from the Ozarks...or Oodnawwoopwoop.



    Cheers



    Aquafire
  • Reply 10 of 28
    Go for it. Linux is all about choice. I personally hate Fedora, but good luck with that.
  • Reply 11 of 28
    sc_marktsc_markt Posts: 1,401member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aquafire View Post




    So my question is how many other Mac users out there use an alternate OS such as Linux or some Unix flavoured Os or Solaris 10 etc ?



    Can the Intel macs run Solaris?



    - Mark
  • Reply 12 of 28
    xwinxxwinx Posts: 18member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sc_markt View Post


    Can the Intel macs run Solaris?



    - Mark



    yes.

    http://blogs.sun.com/setje/entry/solaris_on_the_imac



    I'm a recent linux -> osx software developer convert. OSX for my desktop, linux for my servers.
  • Reply 13 of 28
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aquafire View Post


    I have been a Mac user for most of my computer driven life. I started out with Mac OS 7.1 and progressed from there. In fact I still have my olde Macintosh Colour Classic which I start up from time to time.



    In any event, being the computer junkie that I am, I decided to take the plunge and try out Linux.



    So I went an bought myself a really cheap Compaq Deskpro En running a P3 866. For the equivilant of $35 US I got a computer with plenty of ram, a nice 80 GGb hard-drive, keyboard and minitor. After trying out a couple of different Linux flavors such as Mepis, Ubuntu, Kubuntu etc, I settled on Fedora Core 6.



    I have to say, in some ways it is not as good as OSX, but in other ways it is faster and more responsive. It is also a damn sight more servicable and useful than anything coming out of Redmont. As such, I use it as backup machine that works very nicely. From my perspective, one of the great selling points about Linux is that it gives many older computers a second lease on life, which I think is far better than putting them into Landfill where they can release toxic materials into groundwater etc. So an ecological thumbs up from that perspective.



    I will never give away using OSX...(its much too good to do that ), but that said, after my little foray into the Fedora~Linux world, I am certainly impressed by what the Linux community is doing.



    So my question is how many other Mac users out there use an alternate OS such as Linux or some Unix flavoured Os or Solaris 10 etc ?



    Cheers



    Aquafire.



    BTW. Here is a picture I posted on another forum of my Linux set up. Which as you can see, can be made to look a bit like OSX.







    I run Debian Sid (Debian 4+) daily. Having both OS X and Linux reminds me how much I don't miss any form of Windows. I regret getting rid of my NeXT Hardware years back, but we all make impulsive decisions.
  • Reply 14 of 28
    tekmatetekmate Posts: 134member
    I use multiple OSes myself. I have OS X, 2000 and XP, Debian, Xandros, Mepis, Yellow Dog Linux, and Zeta.
  • Reply 15 of 28
    aquafireaquafire Posts: 2,758member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TekMate View Post


    I use multiple OSes myself. I have OS X, 2000 and XP, Debian, Xandros, Mepis, Yellow Dog Linux, and Zeta.



    Yes, likewise, I have about a dozen different flavours of Linux, plus FreeBSD, OpenBSD Unix etc as well as every Mac OS since 7.1 and Windows OS's.



    Its easy to get addicted, tinkering and fooling around with them.



    And it doesn't help my cause when I keep buying perfectly working and really cheap computers for $5.00 or $10.00 or even fishing them out of dumpsters...for free.



    Aquafire
  • Reply 16 of 28
    aquafireaquafire Posts: 2,758member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post


    I regret getting rid of my NeXT Hardware years back, but we all make impulsive decisions.



    It's one of the OS's that I never got to play with. Nor have I had any luck tracking one down. For some reason or other I have never being able to find a copy of NeXT to run on my machines.



    Shame really.



    Oh well, one can't have everything one wants in life....\



    Aquafire
  • Reply 17 of 28
    aplnubaplnub Posts: 2,605member
    Been there and done that. While Linux has its place I will always be dazzled by the work that goes into mainting and creating these OS's. Too bad everyone can't just agree on 4 or 5 versions and go from there. That may be the only way they will ever overtake mainstream OS's. I don't see MS or Apple developing software packages to export to the other platform anytime soon so I doubt they do that with Linux Distro's.
  • Reply 18 of 28
    tekmatetekmate Posts: 134member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aquafire View Post




    And it doesn't help my cause when I keep buying perfectly working and really cheap computers for $5.00 or $10.00 or even fishing them out of dumpsters...for free.



    Aquafire



    I hear you I just found a perfectly good computer somebody must have upgraded because there was nothing wrong with this one it works great.
  • Reply 19 of 28
    aquafireaquafire Posts: 2,758member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aplnub View Post


    Been there and done that. While Linux has its place I will always be dazzled by the work that goes into mainting and creating these OS's. Too bad everyone can't just agree on 4 or 5 versions and go from there. That may be the only way they will ever overtake mainstream OS's.



    True, and it can be a bit frustrating to see all these people continually re~inventing the wheel. But that's not the reason I use it. I use it because it actually carries out some tasks very quickly (even compared to OSX). Nor will I ever dump OSX. Lets face it, OS-X is far too good.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aplnub View Post


    I don't see MS or Apple developing software packages to export to the other platform anytime soon so I doubt they do that with Linux Distro's.



    Agreed, but that's because most Linux users want their machines running free software.



    Neither Apple nor MS would be bothered making a financial investment to an operating system that is technically a competitor, as well as one that basically gives them zip return on their IT development.



    Still, there are some companies willing to offer otherwise expensive software for free to the Linux community.



    Case in point, take a squiz at this site.



    http://lightcrafts.com/linux/



    I have downloaded and used it on my Linux box.



    I have to say, it's a very nice bit of kit...



    Aquafire
  • Reply 20 of 28
    tekmatetekmate Posts: 134member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aquafire;

    Case in point, take a squiz at this site.



    [url



    http://lightcrafts.com/linux/[/url]



    I have downloaded and used it on my Linux box.



    I have to say, it's a very nice bit of kit...



    Aquafire





    For an image browser that does light editing the requirements are outrageous:

    2.0 GHz x86 compatible processor(s) with SSE support; 1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended)
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