dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
uniqs
15

Mike
Mod
join:2000-09-17
Pittsburgh, PA
·Verizon FiOS

Mike to systemq

Mod

to systemq

Re: Ready to dump Windows, is Mac or Linux better for me?

Linux will be ok but a lot can go horribly wrong quickly. It is still not "old personable" yet.

OS X however is. The downside is the upfront cost.

For photoshop you'd have to trade the license to OS X or emulate PS on linux.

Find a college student and buy a mac through them. There is a pretty good discount. Maybe throw the college kid a few bucks for their time and such.
praetoralpha
join:2005-08-06
Pittsburgh, PA

praetoralpha

Member

said by Mike:

Linux will be ok but a lot can go horribly wrong quickly. It is still not "old personable" yet.

I disagree. In over two years since I installed Linux on my parent's desktop, fewer things have gone wrong than ever did with Windows.

Exodus
Your Daddy
Premium Member
join:2001-11-26
Earth

Exodus

Premium Member

said by praetoralpha:

said by Mike:

Linux will be ok but a lot can go horribly wrong quickly. It is still not "old personable" yet.

I disagree. In over two years since I installed Linux on my parent's desktop, fewer things have gone wrong than ever did with Windows.

I thought the same thing for quite a while. After running Red Hat, SuSE, Oracle Linux, and a handful of other flavors at work, I thought it was just too complex at work.

I installed Linux Mint at home and it's a completely different OS. Under the hood, everything is the same. But they've made such drastic improvements to the UI that it seemed cleaner and easier to use than Windows was. For the basic user, there is no actual need to fire up a terminal to do anything.

The only reason keeping me from running Linux on my PC at home is gaming. I was able to get WoW to work flawlessly via WINE. I could have probably gotten SC2 to work as well, but I just don't think I could have gotten many of the other games to work.

Valve and a handful of other companies are changing direction in a course that favors Linux. It wouldn't take long for a generation of games to be working on both platforms. If M$ screws people over any further, I could see Linux become a gaming platform.

El Quintron
Cancel Culture Ambassador
Premium Member
join:2008-04-28
Tronna

1 recommendation

El Quintron

Premium Member

said by Exodus:

Valve and a handful of other companies are changing direction in a course that favors Linux. It wouldn't take long for a generation of games to be working on both platforms. If M$ screws people over any further, I could see Linux become a gaming platform.

Considering PC gamers tend to be fairly technically savvy, if Valve et al. can make Linux a viable gaming platform then a lot of gamers would make the switch.

I'm already running Linux for almost everything but gaming, and I'm sure a lot of other gamers are doing the same.

Boricua
Premium Member
join:2002-01-26
Sacramuerto

Boricua to Exodus

Premium Member

to Exodus
said by Exodus:

I thought the same thing for quite a while. After running Red Hat, SuSE, Oracle Linux, and a handful of other flavors at work, I thought it was just too complex at work.

I installed Linux Mint at home and it's a completely different OS. Under the hood, everything is the same. But they've made such drastic improvements to the UI that it seemed cleaner and easier to use than Windows was. For the basic user, there is no actual need to fire up a terminal to do anything.

The only reason keeping me from running Linux on my PC at home is gaming. I was able to get WoW to work flawlessly via WINE. I could have probably gotten SC2 to work as well, but I just don't think I could have gotten many of the other games to work.

Valve and a handful of other companies are changing direction in a course that favors Linux. It wouldn't take long for a generation of games to be working on both platforms. If M$ screws people over any further, I could see Linux become a gaming platform.

I just finished installing Linux Mint on a desktop at work that I am going to surplus. I agree with your assessment. I will probably install it on old desktops that have been collecting dust at home. Install this and give them away and have less clutter .

systemq
@dslextreme.com

systemq

Anon

Is it possible to install Ubuntu and then Linux Mint without messing up my current system? In other words just to preview it? I only have one hard drive and don't want to mess around with partitioning.

Also what is the difference between 32 bit and 64? Why does Ubuntu recommend 32 on their page? I have a 64 bit system right now with Windows.

Also does Linux install secured out of the box or does it require add-ons? Do I need any virus scanner for Linux? I'm running Microsoft Security Essentials now.

Thanks again for all the feedback.

joetaxpayer
I'M Here Till Thursday
join:2001-09-07
Sudbury, MA
552.8 23.8

1 edit

joetaxpayer

Member

It starts by burning a disc with the Ubuntu image. At start up you have an option to run from the disc to try it. At installation, you have an option to install as a second boot partition.

My suggestion was based on your saying you were getting a new PC, before trashing any old PC, I'd load Linux and see if it's worth keeping.

If your processor is 64 bit, that should work fine, they suggest 32 bit just to be safe.

systemq
@dslextreme.com

systemq

Anon

I found a Windows installer for Ubuntu and used that. It installed easily and now there is dual boot Windows 7 and Ubuntu when I restart. I'm typing this on Ubuntu now.

I'll give it a chance but so far I'm not really liking it. It's slower than Windows 7, I click something and takes forever to trigger. The screen doesn't look as sharp as Windows. Text looks funky, scroll bar tiny.

Several times Firefox froze and flickered while typing this. I'
ll play around with it some more in the next few days since I have the option to boot into it. Maybe I need to chance some settings.

joetaxpayer
I'M Here Till Thursday
join:2001-09-07
Sudbury, MA
552.8 23.8

joetaxpayer

Member

There are many things that can affect performance, at least you tried it.

I wanted it to run the browsers more than anything, and found it runs both Firefox and Chrome with no issue. No pausing, and in the year or so I've used it, not blue-screened even once. With this stuff, it's always YMMV, I suppose.
me1212
join:2008-11-20
Lees Summit, MO

me1212 to systemq

Member

to systemq
Try linux mint. I put it on my dads old laptop and its noticeably faster than w7.

systemq
@dslextreme.com

systemq to joetaxpayer

Anon

to joetaxpayer
After shutting down my computer. Then restarting it, guess what. Everything looks sharp and everything opens fast! I guess Ubuntu was doing something in the background to optimize it. Maybe that's the mystery why Linux isn't as mainstream if people abandon it after the first boot.

I still don't like Firefox, text looks strange and tiny along with the scroll bar, but I suppose it's something I can get used to after staring at a Windows program for years. But the operating system is totally fine. Really can't complain about it. If the word/excel/photoshop alternatives mentioned in this thread suits my needs, I think this is a fine alternative to Windows without spending so much money on a Mac. Actually the top area kind of looks like a Mac from the display models I remember seeing at Best Buy.

Am I safe using Ubuntu as is? I have firewall enabled on my router and have Security Essentials in Windows. Is there a MSE alternative? Also anything I should be aware of security wise? I don't want this experience to be ruined by getting hacked and identity stolen.

Thanks again for all the help.

Mike
Mod
join:2000-09-17
Pittsburgh, PA

Mike

Mod

No you'll be fine.

joetaxpayer
I'M Here Till Thursday
join:2001-09-07
Sudbury, MA
552.8 23.8

joetaxpayer to systemq

Member

to systemq
The guy in my office who turned me on to Linux would be very proud.

The Ubuntu software download area will let you easily load SW. This is not your dad's Linux, you can be a user and not have to get your hands dirty or talk through command lines.

Glad it's working for you.

Maven
Premium Member
join:2002-03-12
Canada

Maven to systemq

Premium Member

to systemq
What are your specs? If you're using an AMD/ATI video card, just stick with Windows. You might not like Win8's full screen start screen, but it's much easier to just install a third party alternative like Classic Shell than installing Linux and trying to make it work.

My experience with Linux has been digging through articles and forums to make things work properly. It doesn't matter which distro you're running to be honest, in the end you're at the mercy of the drivers and the available software.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Linux works great for some people... But from my perspective, I don't see the point for the average home user. Someone called it the tinkerer's OS, and that description fits the bill, at least for the home user.

systemq
@dslextreme.com

systemq to systemq

Anon

to systemq
Unfortunately, it seems that Ubuntu / Linux will not work for me.

I opened up some XLS workbooks, and it does not work properly. Simple functions like indirect() do not work. Another workbook had a macro that gave errors and froze Calc with runtime errors. Writer opens my DOCX files, but does not appear identical in layout. They're not really compatible at all, especially Excel/Calc.

I also tried GIMP. While it's no Photoshop, it doesn't seem too difficult to apply Photoshop principles using that program. Also kinda odd that it's not one window. I'm sure someone can get adjusted to it, so GIMP is just okay.

And when I said that everything is fast a few posts back, I need to take that back. It is fast if you have one application open but it sucks with multitasking.

So I really can't switch to Linux unfortunately. I installed it on another computer with an i7 processor, 8 GB RAM. And it's still not up to par with Windows.

I need to seriously consider if it's worth my investment to get a Mac. Otherwise I guess I need to deal with Windows again and hopefully the Win/Office business model does not change much. Damn you Microsoft, I can never leave even though I try. LOL

Appreciate all the feedback given, they were very useful and informative, and hey, at least I tried Linux for the first time in my life.

runnoft
Premium Member
join:2003-10-14
Nags Head, NC

1 recommendation

runnoft

Premium Member

If you haven't tried a Mac, you really need to do this before buying one and for longer than 10 minutes in an Apple store. Find a friend or coworker with one.

I'm a Windows user and haven't tried a Mac for about 10 years, but at that time I put serious time into learning that particular Mac OS which was new at that time. I found it annoying way beyond what I expected. With Windows, there are typically half a dozen ways to accomplish the same task in the OS, and the user gets to choose. With Mac, it was Jobs' way or the highway. Some very simple and routine tasks that could be accomplished with one quick right-click menu choice in Windows would take three or four unintuitive steps in the Mac. The Apple OS also made it deliberately difficult or impossible to poke around under the hood in ways that Windows users take for granted. Now all this may have changed in the last decade. But back then, I personally thought the "user friendly" image of the Mac was more legend than fact. They designed the thing for idiot-proof lockdown security and very limited command choices for ease of technical support in the Mac versus lots of user customizability for Windows.

Also if you already have Photoshop and Office, you need to take into consideration the cost of switching your software to the Mac. If you have one of those new $@##! Adobe subscriptions for Photoshop, you may be able to transfer it to a Mac--I don't know one way or the other--check it out. But if you have disc-based or download-based non-subscription Photoshop software, it is probably not transferable (again: check this out--I am not an expert on this), and if it is not transferable, you would have to $tart over and re-buy Photo$hop. IIRC, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom can be moved to a Mac without rebuying, but not recent versions of Adobe Photoshop. Office would have to be repurchased in the Office-for-Mac version. Remember that the interface and command sequence is somewhat different and will require some relearning moving Photoshop and Office to the Mac.

Also remember to check the websites for all your peripheral devices to see which ones have Mac drivers to avoid other hardware rebuy$. Keep in mind that if you want to make hardware changes under the hood of a Mac as with video cards a few years down the road, if you do that sort of thing, your choices may be much more limited, even proprietary (you may be restricted to Apple models for some devices), and therefore more expensive.

Exodus
Your Daddy
Premium Member
join:2001-11-26
Earth

Exodus to systemq

Premium Member

to systemq
I'm pretty sure you could run WINE to install Office or use something like Virtualbox to have a virtual Windows instance. I guess that defeats the purpose, but if you're looking to replace the whole OS experience, that's the way to get around the bulk of your issues.

I ran Mint for a while with a Win7 VM on VirtualBox. From there, I could install and run anything. The only reason why I dumped Linux was because of the 3D gaming requirements. Most of the games I wanted to play could run, but I'm in a lull right now trying to find a new game to capture my interest, so things like Mech Warrrior Online wasn't going to work at all.