This is the type of response I see that turns people away from using Linux. Not true at all.
The beginning of this post is very misleading to the point of being real BS. I use Ubuntu or variant (eg Xubuntu) for audio work (nothing exotic in terms of software). Anything I really need I can download from the Software Center, a GUI interface program installer/manager. It's similar to an app store type of interface. A 2 year old can use it!
There is absolutely no reason to build from source unless you are a developer or using non-mainstream software and if someone is not "computer savvy" it's very unlikely they will be using that kind of program/software.
So you are considering a switch to Linux... Will everything translate over to Linux from your Windows machine and work exactly the same, and perfectly? Probably NOT! But this is just the same as the fact that if you move to a new home, not everything will be the same, e.g. different rooms, the kitchen will be different, neighborhood different, etc., etc. Each will have its pluses and minuses, but you can live comfortably in both houses after a small adaptation period of a few months time. It's pretty much the same for a transition from Windows to Linux.
I would like to know what exactly you had in mind
Most Linux distros are quite easy to install, while some like Gentoo or Arch are quite a bit more involved.
You should check out distrowatch.com for reviews and comparisons of the various distributions.
It is possible to test Linux out without making changes to your PC - you can either use a live distribution or else install it to a usb stick.
In either case you will need to make a bootable usb stick - there is a free tool called unetbootin that makes the process quite easy.
My favorite live distro is called Puppy Linux, and it is really light and fast.
You should check out distrowatch.com for reviews and comparisons of the various distributions.
It is possible to test Linux out without making changes to your PC - you can either use a live distribution or else install it to a usb stick.
In either case you will need to make a bootable usb stick - there is a free tool called unetbootin that makes the process quite easy.
My favorite live distro is called Puppy Linux, and it is really light and fast.
Personally, I say just stick with Windows. There are always folks who say Linux is easy to use but once you install it and start using it you will find yourself frustrated if there's a problem, even with the 'easy' distros. I have used Linux multiple times through the years. The novelty wears off quickly. I think Linux is best used if you have a very specific purpose in my mind. And you will almost certainly need to be familiar with at least some of the command language.
Oh, and I see Linux Mint was hacked two years ago. So there goes the 'more secure than Windows' argument...
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Charlie,
I bought s/hand a small Asus pre loaded by an IT man with Linux. He didn't install my printer or a scanning programme and even though I paid a pro to try and find a scanner programme she couldn't.
Charlie as i said in my initial post I need to buy a new PC, I don't use Windows it my wife does it was pre-installed on her notebook. Our first PC was an XP one, it was simple to use, then we bought a b/s Vista one.
I have never had any malware problems and like the no-nonsense way that Linux Manjaro functions BUT if I've tried to find ways to do certain things I get lost in the language and just get frustrated.
wushuliu - It pisses me off but I think you have nailed it in one paragraph - reluctantly I say thank you.
If I can find someone locally that really is up to speed with a simplified form of Linux and knows how to impart the knowledge I will jump at the chance.
Seriously there must be hundreds of millions who would happily pay into a non religious/non political charity fund to have a simple, easily understood set of basic programmes with no advertising, no personal data selling - it would create a huge fund that could do tremendous amount of good re. wildlife, environment etc. - and really **** off the likes of Microsoft.
Charlie Laub also has it right in his second sentence - the opportunity is there if anyone is up for it.
I bought s/hand a small Asus pre loaded by an IT man with Linux. He didn't install my printer or a scanning programme and even though I paid a pro to try and find a scanner programme she couldn't.
Charlie as i said in my initial post I need to buy a new PC, I don't use Windows it my wife does it was pre-installed on her notebook. Our first PC was an XP one, it was simple to use, then we bought a b/s Vista one.
I have never had any malware problems and like the no-nonsense way that Linux Manjaro functions BUT if I've tried to find ways to do certain things I get lost in the language and just get frustrated.
wushuliu - It pisses me off but I think you have nailed it in one paragraph - reluctantly I say thank you.
If I can find someone locally that really is up to speed with a simplified form of Linux and knows how to impart the knowledge I will jump at the chance.
Seriously there must be hundreds of millions who would happily pay into a non religious/non political charity fund to have a simple, easily understood set of basic programmes with no advertising, no personal data selling - it would create a huge fund that could do tremendous amount of good re. wildlife, environment etc. - and really **** off the likes of Microsoft.
Charlie Laub also has it right in his second sentence - the opportunity is there if anyone is up for it.
I moved from Windows to Linux in about 2005 and ran all of our household machines on it. Used Virtual machines when applications really needed windows. But. When Windows 10 arrived I tried it out and progressively moved everything over to that. It's effectively a rolling release, all devices have drivers available, mostly without resort to downloads or manufacturer provided cds. It's been exceptionally stable and trouble free.
This is not quite true. I partially do use Win10 at home, and can tell from some quite nasty experiences of premature, MS-made obsolescence. E.g. W10 IEC958 support for a Lenovo T61 on a docking station suddenly vanished from a release to another. Byebye, no workaround. And so did official support for an otherwise perfectly functional, by the time expensive epson scanner. Workaround was to install another driver, not primarly meant for this scanner series I own. Thank you, Microsoft, for non-support, and thank you anonymous guys in the net providing this temporary solution. This way, Windows slowly and imperatively urges you to update, aka litter and rebuy your hardware. Which makes Windows not a straigtforward ecological OS ... This is one strong reason to prefer Linux where ever it is possible to do so. Another reason to use Linux is for for audio, with it's fantastic lean audio processing which is provided by the ALSA layer.
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I can certainly echo Daihedz's complaint. I have a rather expensive dedicated film scanner, and can not use it on Windows, a very nice Turtle Beach Santa Cruz sound card that can not be used on either Windows or Linux.... Plus, troubleshooting the very strange network setup if you have to do it manually took Microsoft Support about 2 hours to help me through on my wife's new laptop.
Certainly there is the chance that old hardware will no longer be supported, but that is because the old hardware item is no long supported by its manufacturer... ie they have stopped updating the driver, its not a Windows fault. I have such a device - a QA400 audio analyser - and need to boot into Windows 7 to use it as the driver has not been updated for Windows 10. It works better like this than on Linux where it has zero support at all, not even an app. ;-)
Obsolescence is a painful side effect of progress.
I find Linux, Ubuntu or Mint, a breath of fresh air compared with Windows. I use Windows 10 regularly.
Linux is...
Faster
Smaller
Far more flexible
Far more file type compatible
Vast range of really useful apps
Easy to install and use
Far more secure
Doesn't spy on you
Never forces you to wait while it updates
Free
Tons of online support
Gives you control of your computer
The result of many people whose aim is to make computing a better experience
There are just a couple of reasons I allow Windows in my house,
My brokerage software, PC games and I prefer MS Office over Libreoffice.
Linux is...
Faster
Smaller
Far more flexible
Far more file type compatible
Vast range of really useful apps
Easy to install and use
Far more secure
Doesn't spy on you
Never forces you to wait while it updates
Free
Tons of online support
Gives you control of your computer
The result of many people whose aim is to make computing a better experience
There are just a couple of reasons I allow Windows in my house,
My brokerage software, PC games and I prefer MS Office over Libreoffice.
Linux comes in many distributions. Ubuntu is hugely popular and professionaly supported. Mint is a derivative of Ubuntu and is friendlier and has nicer GUIs.
Many distros are specialised and quirky and best avoided for the novice. Fedora is for hardened geeks. SuSe is more for for professional users. Puppy is idiosyncratic and eccentric. There are dozens more. There are some specialised for home entertainment servers. There is a special version for the Raspberry Pi. The variety is fascinating.
Mint has 3 GUI options: Cinnamon, Mate and Xfce. The GUI is what taxes your hardware so on older, slower PCs you may want a more basic GUI like Xfce. But Linux is so much faster than Windows that Cinnamon should work as well as W10 anyhow.
Why not install to usb stick and try it out?
Many distros are specialised and quirky and best avoided for the novice. Fedora is for hardened geeks. SuSe is more for for professional users. Puppy is idiosyncratic and eccentric. There are dozens more. There are some specialised for home entertainment servers. There is a special version for the Raspberry Pi. The variety is fascinating.
Mint has 3 GUI options: Cinnamon, Mate and Xfce. The GUI is what taxes your hardware so on older, slower PCs you may want a more basic GUI like Xfce. But Linux is so much faster than Windows that Cinnamon should work as well as W10 anyhow.
Why not install to usb stick and try it out?
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Linux is far more powerful than Windows. It is open source and accessible so nothing is hidden behind a veil of corporate secrecy or pricey add-ons. You don't have to use its power if you don't want to. But when you do, you can learn how to do very sophisticated and useful things very easily, because it is all openly available. Linux unlocks the powers of a PC which Microsoft hides from you or charges you an arm and a leg to access.
Windows used to trump Linux on driver support. I used to have trouble with some printers and network printers. Not these days. Some software is not supported on Linux and that's why I use Windows too. Linux laughs in the face of "proprietary" and so supports just about every file type and format you can think of...this means you can use all music formats and covert among them and watch DVDs without concern over country codes and use all encryption types and photo and video formats and read and write PDFs and the list just goes on. I find Linux liberating in this regard.
If you want to upgrade your hardware then you just do it without any licensing/activation hassle. Linux comes with drivers so you just move your disk to a new machine. Windows does not like this and sometimes requires a reinstall which is a PITA and requires manual app reinstallation. Microsoft wants your activated Windows to stay with the PC it was installed to so that you have to buy another license. No such restrictions with Linux.
Windows used to trump Linux on driver support. I used to have trouble with some printers and network printers. Not these days. Some software is not supported on Linux and that's why I use Windows too. Linux laughs in the face of "proprietary" and so supports just about every file type and format you can think of...this means you can use all music formats and covert among them and watch DVDs without concern over country codes and use all encryption types and photo and video formats and read and write PDFs and the list just goes on. I find Linux liberating in this regard.
If you want to upgrade your hardware then you just do it without any licensing/activation hassle. Linux comes with drivers so you just move your disk to a new machine. Windows does not like this and sometimes requires a reinstall which is a PITA and requires manual app reinstallation. Microsoft wants your activated Windows to stay with the PC it was installed to so that you have to buy another license. No such restrictions with Linux.
Traderbam,
I've decided that I will shell out for the gear nec. to transfer my LPs to Digital (SSD) - I want 3 copies - the thought of committing my music collected over 45 years to one source only is frankly crazy - theft/fire, a plane dropping out of the sky (don't laugh it happens).With 3 copies in 3 different locations, I'm covered.
If i can't get close to the analogue sound that I have now i will ditch the idea and sell the ADC etc. I mention this because of your comments about freedom of programmes with Linux.
Here's the thing - for what it costs I can afford to have a small silent PC just for my music. Once I have decided which system suits me, by trial and error then this PC will be disconnected from the net - I don't need downloads, Spotisfy etc. etc. I have all the music i need in LPs - a thousand to choose from, probably 400 and a hundred or so CDs.
I would commit to Linux for everyday use if i can find someone who is savvy with Linux. Financially the day is fast approaching when all info on bank, investment, tax (this is so in France as of this year) utilities accounts will only be supplied digitally.
I'm buying a small silent PC - Azulle Byte 3 which comes pre programmed with Windows 10 Pro.
I like your idea about trying Linux on a USB stick. If i suck and see by using Linux on a music only PC any naffing/ruck up will not affect my financial affairs. If I feel comfortable with a simple version of Linux I will then use this on my everyday PC - this makes sense to me.
400 or so LPs,probably around 80 CDs no media visuals or track details , SSD, probably using FLAC - how much storage do I need and ideas about a good small silent PC, any small monitor will do.
And once again thanks for all the input, hopefully others will have found this thread useful as well.
I've decided that I will shell out for the gear nec. to transfer my LPs to Digital (SSD) - I want 3 copies - the thought of committing my music collected over 45 years to one source only is frankly crazy - theft/fire, a plane dropping out of the sky (don't laugh it happens).With 3 copies in 3 different locations, I'm covered.
If i can't get close to the analogue sound that I have now i will ditch the idea and sell the ADC etc. I mention this because of your comments about freedom of programmes with Linux.
Here's the thing - for what it costs I can afford to have a small silent PC just for my music. Once I have decided which system suits me, by trial and error then this PC will be disconnected from the net - I don't need downloads, Spotisfy etc. etc. I have all the music i need in LPs - a thousand to choose from, probably 400 and a hundred or so CDs.
I would commit to Linux for everyday use if i can find someone who is savvy with Linux. Financially the day is fast approaching when all info on bank, investment, tax (this is so in France as of this year) utilities accounts will only be supplied digitally.
I'm buying a small silent PC - Azulle Byte 3 which comes pre programmed with Windows 10 Pro.
I like your idea about trying Linux on a USB stick. If i suck and see by using Linux on a music only PC any naffing/ruck up will not affect my financial affairs. If I feel comfortable with a simple version of Linux I will then use this on my everyday PC - this makes sense to me.
400 or so LPs,probably around 80 CDs no media visuals or track details , SSD, probably using FLAC - how much storage do I need and ideas about a good small silent PC, any small monitor will do.
And once again thanks for all the input, hopefully others will have found this thread useful as well.
Metoo!! Love the Linux way of life since 1996, do a install off Archlinux with Antergos dist. and you will have a good and stable system with a "rolling" release cycle and the software all the time. And "Wine" can help you with those windows progz. you can not live without
P.s. Check here to see your possibility DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD.
P.s. Check here to see your possibility DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD.
Install or not to install Linux on your desktop is depend upon what is it used for - just plain office machine (e-mail, web, spreadsheets), CAD, video editing, IT system administration, etc.
I use several machines:
PC dual boot (SuSE Leap 15 desktop, Win 10 for CAD),
office Mac,
system admin Linux SuSE Tumblweed PC,
old Lenovo laptop with Linux SuSE Tumblweed and Win 8.1 under VirtualBox for casual trips,
CNC Linux PC with Debian Linux.
(all Linux desktops run MATE, not KDE or Gnome 3.x)
Apart from these, also have as part of our infrastructure a Debian Linux for router host and Internet server, OpenWRT Linux for WiFi access points, CentOS Linux for oVirt/KVM virtualization cluster, plus a bunch Mac & Windows desktops.
So I'm a multi-platform man.
If you can be happy with office software available on Linux like LibreOffice, Thunderbird, Firefox (Chrome), digiKam (photo archive management), VLC (SMPlayer) for video playback, and few others then why not.
For CAD like AutoCAD, ArchiCAD, OrCAD, SolidWorks - unfortunately Linux is no way to go, Windows can be launched under virtualization yet its slow for that purpose. For casual use, or not so power hungry programs (e.g. accounting) its OK.
Although I prefer SuSE with MATE desktop, for your purpose Ubuntu or Mint could be somewhat more convinient due to simplified end-user software install.
Remember to buy computers with SSD, its much much faster then mechanical hard drive(s).
Basic launch timing tests (on my very old laptop upgraded with SSD) available here:
YouTube
Some useful notes (albeit geeky) on installing Linux on laptop recorded in my blog:
http://www.vacuum-tube.eu/wp/?p=612
In short - use ext4 partitions (root & home) with "noatime" options and BFQ scheduler to increase responsiveness of the desktop.
/swap - 8 - 16 GB
/ (root) : ext4 - 40 GB (for OS)
/home : ext4 - rest of HD (for your data)
with that setup system upgrade can be plain simple - just wipe out root partition and install fresh system (be careful not to erase /home with all your stuff).
And one more thing - on Linux you can have different desktops shells, most notably KDE, Gnome and MATE, each having its own pros and cons.
All of them share feature you may find insanely great - multiple desktops, so you won't have an unmanageable clutter of countless windows anymore. MacOS added similar feature some time ago, yet it is awkward to say at least.
I use several machines:
PC dual boot (SuSE Leap 15 desktop, Win 10 for CAD),
office Mac,
system admin Linux SuSE Tumblweed PC,
old Lenovo laptop with Linux SuSE Tumblweed and Win 8.1 under VirtualBox for casual trips,
CNC Linux PC with Debian Linux.
(all Linux desktops run MATE, not KDE or Gnome 3.x)
Apart from these, also have as part of our infrastructure a Debian Linux for router host and Internet server, OpenWRT Linux for WiFi access points, CentOS Linux for oVirt/KVM virtualization cluster, plus a bunch Mac & Windows desktops.
So I'm a multi-platform man.
If you can be happy with office software available on Linux like LibreOffice, Thunderbird, Firefox (Chrome), digiKam (photo archive management), VLC (SMPlayer) for video playback, and few others then why not.
For CAD like AutoCAD, ArchiCAD, OrCAD, SolidWorks - unfortunately Linux is no way to go, Windows can be launched under virtualization yet its slow for that purpose. For casual use, or not so power hungry programs (e.g. accounting) its OK.
Although I prefer SuSE with MATE desktop, for your purpose Ubuntu or Mint could be somewhat more convinient due to simplified end-user software install.
Remember to buy computers with SSD, its much much faster then mechanical hard drive(s).
Basic launch timing tests (on my very old laptop upgraded with SSD) available here:
YouTube
Some useful notes (albeit geeky) on installing Linux on laptop recorded in my blog:
http://www.vacuum-tube.eu/wp/?p=612
In short - use ext4 partitions (root & home) with "noatime" options and BFQ scheduler to increase responsiveness of the desktop.
/swap - 8 - 16 GB
/ (root) : ext4 - 40 GB (for OS)
/home : ext4 - rest of HD (for your data)
with that setup system upgrade can be plain simple - just wipe out root partition and install fresh system (be careful not to erase /home with all your stuff).
And one more thing - on Linux you can have different desktops shells, most notably KDE, Gnome and MATE, each having its own pros and cons.
All of them share feature you may find insanely great - multiple desktops, so you won't have an unmanageable clutter of countless windows anymore. MacOS added similar feature some time ago, yet it is awkward to say at least.
This is how one of my desktops looks like - Lenovo laptop with Linux SuSE Tumblweed connected to external DELL UltraWide display.
I would suggest to use external UltraWide display to home or office (in signle-display mode, laptop LCD turned off), its very very convenient.
PS. When buying laptop, choose one either with Intel video or nVidia. Drivers for Intel video are built into Linux kernel, nVidia drivers must be installed separately. I had bad experience with ATI graphics with Linux in the past, can't tell for sure now.
I would suggest to use external UltraWide display to home or office (in signle-display mode, laptop LCD turned off), its very very convenient.
PS. When buying laptop, choose one either with Intel video or nVidia. Drivers for Intel video are built into Linux kernel, nVidia drivers must be installed separately. I had bad experience with ATI graphics with Linux in the past, can't tell for sure now.
Attachments
I use NextCloud to synchronize data between multiple PCs in nearly real-time fashion. It requires separate PC, dedicated NAS box, or third-party subscription service.
For your purpose backup software like backintime could be enough.
Counting average FLAC size 25MB, 400 + 80 albums, 10 tracks each:
25*480*10/1000 ~ 120 GB
Financial services may require Windows which you can launch under VirtualBox (free).
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