Why not the best? Why not Linux Mint?

ComputerWorld ^ | 3 April 2018 | Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

[ShadowAce]

I’ve been running Linux on the desktop for decades. When I was starting with it, Linux was, comparatively, harder to use than the GUI-based operating systems then available from Apple and Microsoft. That was then. This is now.

Today, Linux, especially such distributions as openSUSE, Ubuntu and, my favorite, Linux Mint, are just as easy to use as macOS and Windows. And they don’t have the security bugs.

What’s that? You don’t mind dealing with a few bugs? Well, on the latest Patch Tuesday, as Woody Leonhard put it, an “enormous number of patches spewed out of Microsoft this month, with two ponderous cumulative updates.” Every month, we see a new flood of critical Windows updates. Maybe updating Windows is your idea of a good time. It’s not mine.

As for Apple, a “shameful” security flaw was discovered in macOS last fall, and the malware rate for the OS went up 270% last year. If you still think Macs are secure, you haven’t been paying attention.

No, if you want a desktop operating system with a real proven security record, you want Linux. As David Taylor reported recently, “The clear consensus among experts is that Linux is the most secure operating system.”

OK, so you’re sold on the security factor, but you still don’t want to commit to an OS that doesn’t run your favorite applications? Nowadays, the alternatives that are available are excellent. For everyday work, you can substitute LibreOffice or even Microsoft Office Online for Microsoft Office, use Gmail instead of Outlook, and you’re good to go.

I know, I know: “Using Linux is just too hard!” Please.

The Linux desktop hasn’t been hard to use for ages. You can go weeks — months — without touching a shell.

[CodeToad]

Their mobilitis totally screwed up their server OS as well. They still haven’t fixed the bugs in the Surface. I have one and it is extremely buggy.

[zeugma]

That said - I do need to revisit the Virtual Box situation 0- I would benefit from having an XP system with a few legacy programs I’d like to access. Most notably the previously mentioned Ulead PhotoImpact - which I still like to use for webmastery stuff.

To me, the biggest benefit of a VM is that you've rendered the entire platform into just a few files. Once it's been virtualized, you can back up the entire platform easily. I've actually seriously considered running my default desktop as a large VM, so that if anything wanky happens with my hardware, it's a matter of fixing the HW, then restoring the VM, and moving on. No OS installation needed at all again. I haven't gone that route yet, though I have VMs that are dedicated as specifically used with my work. When/if I leave my current job, I'll wipe the VM, and build another for the next. That way there is no question of proprietary data hanging around from one contract to the next.

[Dalberg-Acton]

I have Firefox and Thunderbird installed on Linux Mint. They work just fine.

[Wuli]

“They can, but it would be much easier to download and install LibreOffice. It is more than 97% compatible with MS Office, and my co-workers at work do not even know I’m using it instead of MS Office.”

It’s just that I am “getting old” when it comes to computers at home (former IT director and consultant that I am) and not wanting to have to get over a learning curve to do something I am already doing quite well with, just to be using something “better”, when, as I know very well, “better” often applies to the smallest % of users, as most users seldom exploit most of what their applications are capable of. I am no longer looking for the “perfect” environment or applications as much as what just does the job and as good ease of use. Getting that is hard when you are fairly satisfied with what you got.

Why did I even enter this topic?

For the first time ever I lost use of one of my computers (running windows 7 home premium). It took 2 1/2 hours to get it back to the status it had two weeks ago (and there really had been no changes since then). The first notice was when it said it could not totally rebuild the “desktop” and delivered a skimpy “desktop” lacking most of what I always had in it. I then tried to use Firefox (to “google” some help) and was told my Firefox could not be found after which my firefox icons were immediately removed (one on the “desktop” and one in the task tray). Decided next to restart windows and at the point of signing on was told the user profiles could not be found.

I then went through various stages of hardware diagnostics (EVERYTHING passed its tests - bios, memory, harddrive, ect - via the diagnostics available via alternate startup and hardware diagnostic tool kit on CD), then getting into “safe mode”, “recovery” and a “restore point” before I had my system back. The system logs had nothing of any danger event on the last previous day of use. Even shut down went fine. Nothing in the logs was wrong until my failures at startup yesterday.

In addition, on another PC I am holding windows 10 updates at bay by setting it’s wifi connection in the house to “metered”, which forces windows to ask if its ok to run an update. I do that because the last win 10 update I allowed knocked out some of my older applications and all the tricks for allowing the work no longer worked either.

Then again, am I ready for a whole new computing environment? I just don’t know.

[Wuli]

Thanks.

[Wuli]

Thsnks.

[Wuli]

Thanks.

[Wuli]

Thanks.

[Varmint Al]

Old Splash Screen

I have a dozen friends using Linux Mint KDE 64 Bit. They are very happy with it. The updates are easy and the system is solid. All were ex-Windows users and it was easy for them to convert over to Linux.

It is an easy install and much easier than any Windows install I have done. Only a personal password is required and NO authentication is required.

The beauty of Linux Mint is that I can install the complete OS with all the important applications on one hard drive and then duplicate that hard drive for other computers. All of the necessary drivers are built in the Kernel. Linux Mint finds the wireless hardware almost automatically and is a snap to setup. (Try that with Windows and the included wireless setup CD)

Also going from Linux Mint KDE 18 to 18.3 is as easy as one click of the Update Manager. The Update Manager automatically checks for updates and does NOT bug you with Pop Ups. The manager icon merely puts a blue dot in its icon's center when an update is avaliable.

I am sure happy I cut the ties with Microsoft 4 years ago.

Here is a link if you are interested in trying Linux Mint 18.3 "Sylvia" KDE version. You can download the .iso file and burn it to a CD. Then you can try Linux Mint from the CD. If you like it, you can install it stand alone or alongside Windows.

PS I have installed Linux Mint on about 10 different laptops including 4 Dell 620 Latitudes and it works great.

Update: Linux Mint 18.3 "Sylvia" KDE version has all the bells and whistles "out of the box" and is completely customizable.

Good Hunting... from Varmint Al

[ShadowAce]

You can download a Live image and burn it to a CD/DVD. Boot to that and play around some. No need to wipe your current Windows install until you find something you like.

[ShadowAce]

...not wanting to have to get over a learning curve to do something I am already doing quite well ...

You'll be surprised to see how shallow/short the learning curve is with LibreOffice.

Test it out--it runs on Windows, too.

[zeugma]

Microsoft has gone hysterically insane with updates. They need to write solid code instead of demanding constant daily, even hourly, updates to crappy code.

The real problem with microsoft's updates is not so much the volume, as the insanely primitive way they are applied.

Take some media and install Win 10 from scratch. Then download/apply/reboot, download/apply/reboot, download/apply/reboot, download/apply/reboot, download/apply/reboot.

Install Linux Mint 18.1, which was released in a similar time frame. Download/apply/reboot. You're ready to go.

This is because Mint, like other Linux distributions use a modern package management system. Windows is stuck somewhere back in the 90s with their package management.

[GG-1]

Also

http://distrowatch.org/

Good for keeping up with the Linux Distribution scene and downloads

[catnipman]

“If I am not mistaken Macs also run Unix.”

a VERY heavily modified Unix ...

[Bikkuri]

Sadly, I will have to dump Mint soon since they are dumping KDE :(

I am still looking for a good replacement :p

[Bikkuri]

I’m creating Win10 custom install images on VBox now ;^)

[Wuli]

Thanks.

[Bikkuri]

Just finished my first test run of the image.. Photoshop CS6, Ice Dragon, SMPlayer. WinAmp, and the rest of the goodies I included in the image all installed along with windblows without a hitch :^D

Success ;^)

[Bikkuri]

OH.. forgot to mention, with NO bloatware, a modified hosts, and all of the spy junk OFF the system.. no ads anywhere to be seen ;^)

Took me about 14 hours to straighten all of that out, to be clean enough for a good clean install.

[Bikkuri]

KDE Dolphin has a preview option (and you can resize too)..