Posted on 02/11/2014 4:52:32 AM PST by ShadowAce
thanks for posting
This distro or that, this window manager or that (gnome, unity, xfce, KDE...) they all have their strengths and weaknesses, their own quirks. The nice thing is, with an 4GB thumb drive, a broadband internet connection, and an afternoon, you can try out several and see which strikes your fancy.
Thanks for the post.
Have been using some form of Linux since 1994-1995.
Started with UMSDOS version of slackware.
Migrated to Mandrake and used Redhat for a number of years. But I became unhappy with the software bloat under Gnome & Unity. Then I discovered XFCE and applied that on RedHat 8.0
WOW what a difference.
My last install was Xubuntu, which has XFCE as the native Window Manager. I like it, but am always interested in something better. I got caught in an upgrade problem and will in the future re-install the OS on this computer. Do you have any advice for an improved OS that uses a light Window Manager like XFCE?
Excellent timing. I need a new distro. The Ubuntu I’m running now on my secondary machine is a pain and my main machine is running Win7 and is ready for retirement - and I AIN’T going to Win8. I’ve used SUSE in the past and found it wanting though their current graphic looks interesting ;-)...
Ping for later
When Ubuntu switched to Unity, I too moved away.
Using Mint now and couldn’t be happier.
Mint was fast and easy to set up, complete, and my 6 y.o. grandson, who had never used linux before had absolutely no problems hitting the ground running with Mint.
/johnny
With your stated experience, it should be no problem for you.
I’m also writing this on Mint but with the Cinnamon desktop. I have several installations of Mint at home including Mint 13 which has support until 2017. I also use Ubuntu (what I started with) but I don’t really like the Unity desktop. I also run Debian for more limited purposes. I am not that proficient yet.
Thanks for posting.
No, I am sure I could easily load Fedora. I have thought about it, but the issue is more than just using XFCE. The bloat problems comes from what I think is a unclean marriage of underlying components that add to the complexity and suck performance.
I love good clean design and efficiency. Simple works. I am pretty simple. hee hee hee
PFL
.. so, for the op system challenged, if the old box is running Vista and only has 1 Meg of memory, ... how do you change systems???? Do you open a DOS prompt and somehow down load Mint? Do I open Vista and then download Mint and then how does one “switch” to the other operating system?
tia for any process steps anyone can share with the IT challenged crowd!
ymmv
There’s a lot to like about openSUSE these days. The package selection is very good thanks to the Open Build Service, the development approach is middle-of-the-road so that you don’t get stuff that’s too old (Debian) or too new (Fedora/Arch), and anybody with a modicum of Linux skills can build their own custom version of OpenSUSE with SUSE Studio.
A lot of distributions like to claim that they’re good for everyone to use. OpenSUSE really nails that: it’s easy enough for beginners but includes features for power users as well, mainly through their YaST control panel.
I, too, switched away from Ubuntu after Unity, and KDE on SUSE has been my home ever since.
The Mint site has pretty good instructions on how to do the install. Basically, you download the iso file. From this you burn a disk (DVD). You have two options, one is to try it out in Live mode, the other is to install it.
Pop the disk into your drive and boot from the disk (you may have to enter your BIOS to alter your boot priority). Mint will then run and you can get a feel for it.
If you want to install it beside your Vista, just click Install Mint on the desktop. The install is very easy, just follow a few instructions (language, etc.) It should give you the proper defaults.
After it’s installed, when you start up your computer you will see a screen asking you which OS you want to run.
For your small memory, you may want to either add some more or use one of the lighter weight desktops.
If you don’t want to mess with burning a disk, you can get Linux distros from companies like osdisc.com. They cost about $6 plus postage.
Try it, you’ll love it.
You would download a copy of your Linux distribution of choice, burn it to a CD (or DVD, if it’s too big to fit on a CD), and then boot directly from the CD.
Exactly how to boot from a CD can vary from computer to computer. Some computers are set up to boot from a CD automatically if a bootable CD is inserted; on other computers, you need to press a certain key right after starting up your computer so that you can select which device to boot from (I.E. a hard disk versus a CD). On my laptop, that key is F12.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to have Windows OR Linux on your computer - you can have both! Linux can be installed side-by-side with Windows. This is called “dual booting.” If you do that, every time your computer boots up, a graphical menu will appear that you can use to select whether you want to load Windows or Linux.
If dual booting sounds difficult, it isn’t. The Linux installer will handle that for you if that’s what you want.
I recently bought a new PC. Linux 8.1.
I love the new OS. However I also installed Linux on a spare hard drive, and that’s what I use.
(ubuntu)
Don’t toss out the new Windows however.
Best I’ve seen.
(oops)
Sorry, Microsoft 8.1.
With Linux.
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