anyone here run linux?

[AssembleThis]

Hi Going2Hell!

Wow! Really you still have a floppy drive, that works? I'm amazed. That pretty much died before tape drives. Oh I'll admit I still have a floppy laying around here somewhere but I haven't thought about using one for over 10 years that goes ditto for the tape drives. Cool that you have one that works, maybe it will be a collectors item like the first computer, I had one 64k memory. Dang what was that thing called?
Sure sign of being old can't remember anything lolol.

Dave
AssembleThis

 

[Going2Hell]

No no no, in the BIOS settings that control boot order; there is an option for floppy controllers. I found that disabling this option, eventhough I have no floppy; will also disable my USB boot ability. The Pavillion laptop has 1.25GB RAM, 2.8GHz Intel Mystery chip with built in 128M Radeon Mobility M200. The oonly reason I keep it around is because of the full size number pad and a 17" widescreen. Not bad for Circa 2007 HP Crap.

I also have a TB backup from Seagate located 10 miles from my house. Currently that TB is full of movies though.

My new computer is a 1 month old Lenovo with an I5 processor and 10Gb DDR3. I also went with a 32" LED TV, a bit blocky in the resolution department. Although it is nice being able to sit back and read instead of leaning in to see what is on the screen.

 

[gaffo]

Looking for a good linux distro. I have ubuntu running, but can't deal with it except in emergencies. Also have mint running here, and can use it, but with near constant aggravation.

Spending way too much time installing & testing, and before I try fedora or slackware, I'd like some opinions from folks not trying to get famous by pushing their own distro : )

My *nix days were mostly in the 70s & 80s, but I can still script the shell & write in perl. Looking for something as windows-like in the gui as possible.

"best one" today IMO is Mint, and SuSe ------------ and no I don't bother with either anymore. Last 3 mints (12,13, and 14) offered no sound support, last Suse offer no sound and no wifi support - I immediately removed the HD from my caddie and re-inserted by Windoze7 disk.

I played the "recompile the Linux Kernal on my Winchip for Zip drive support 16 yrs ago.

I have no interest in do the same thing for basic sound/wifi support - I'm too old and tired for that crap anymore. I just expect ****e to "Work" today. and it don't I remove it.

 

[gaffo]

I need easy root access, and a windows-like gui (my current ubuntu has window controls in upper left corner & makes it hard to run it on a machine that sits side by side with my windows machine with me going back & forth all the time.

KDE is the "best" GUI - very "Windows"-like.

better than windows actually.

not that that does me any good - with sound and network function.

 

[gaffo]

- I'm much too old to invest 10 hours a week just in getting sys setting right

Amen - my feelings exactly! I started with Linux Slackware 2 in 1996.

low lever stuff indeed. I assumed Linux would become less "time investment needed" as its and my years past.............but 18 yrs later I'm a lot older and Linux is no more user friendly than it was back in 1996!

sad - for both of us (me and Linux)

 

[gaffo]

. You're right about s/w tho - had to push a .jar file over to a win9x machine yesterday to edit the way my browser ran because nothing on linux would open it (either an error in the file or an attempt by mozilla to prevent folks from having what they want) - finding many needed item failing to run on wine with no linux equiv.

Knew there would be some s/w problems like that, but still hoping I can at least find a decent GUI out there somewhere.

Best Browser was Opera 12 and earlier (Presto version - most w3c(that the aconym?) complient.

I still use this now 2 yr old browser on Windows7 - maybe you can find the older Presto Linux version of Opera somewhere? (not the new "sellout" Chromewanabee "Opera". It was a sad day, when Opera which I've used since 1998 "gave up" and become just another Chrome clone last year.

---------------------------now just hoping "Otter" happens and I'll stick with my old Opera until Otter can take over the Presto crown.

 

[gaffo]

Hi Going2Hell!

Very funny. But Firefox is the only browser I will use. Using Explorer is like putting a bulls eye on your computer and waiting for the kill shot lololol.

Dave
AssembleThis

Opera WAS the only decent browser - its previous version (12) - which I use still.

FireFox was suppose to have been a full re-write of Mozilla (which was a mix of itself and a lot of Netscape code in it) to make a "new and lean" browser.

you kidding - Firefox's memory bug for what 10 yrs now? (is that finally fixed?) has had her a 400 lbs waddler from day one.

bloat bloat bloat.

Even EI is leaner (and that hurts for me to say since I loathe M$)..see? I'm using the yrs old arcane $$ there! and the "doze" too.

.......................Chrome is lean - until you open a new Tab (then it relaunches a full new session! -so ten tabs = 10 x memory!!!!!!! Chrome gets REAL FAT real fast with tabs opening.


only - the now end of life Presto version of Opera is lean. the Opera of 1996 - through 2012

 

[gaffo]

suse sounds interesting - used to use novell a lot in the old days & always liked their stuff

if you like Novell - you may not like SuSe.

SuSe started out as a German Linux Company (beloved by most Linux guys in the 90's) - by 2002 or 2003 SuSe "got an offer they couldn't refuse" and Novell bought them out.

6 yrs later (after many SuSe likers had become SuSe not like so muchers - due to Novell's management of SuSe) Novell goes bankrupt!

Now SuSe is alone and herself again - and looks to be like her "old self" - doing things right again (unlike when she was under the thumb of Novell).

 

[gaffo]

Hi Going2Hell!

Wow! Really you still have a floppy drive, that works? I'm amazed.

I have a floppy drive on my Sandybridge i5-2500k chip; Asrock microATX PC - 2 yrs old.

Last new motherboard with floppy support via ribbon. I like floppies and wanted to have one on my new PC. the drive is one of the last Sony's also (2009? or so -bought 3 then - 2 still in boxes.

I bought 2 new VCRs last year also (last ones offered Toshiba/Magnivox (both really Funai mechanically) and they are in boxes awaiting the death of my current 2009 VCR.

and yes I do have a turn-table (but hate records with a passion! - crackle/dust/skips -just horrid platform - give me CDs anyday! (actually my platform of choice for audio is 320-v-Bit Mp3's burned on 5-cent CDs.