Another linux convert
Discussion
A friend of mine was having all sorts of problems with his old Windows 10 laptop.
He's not the slightest bit techy. On a computer he uses a web browser to access email, Facebook etc and writes the occasional letter or spreadsheet using some office software.
Something like Chrome might have done, but he also has a large collection of documents and photographs he wants access to locally (not on the cloud).
We agreed to try him with Linux Mint.
Linux installed, all his old documents available and a webrowser set up with the regular shortcuts he wants.
So far he's as happy as the proverbial pig.
That's another computer saved from landfill!
He's not the slightest bit techy. On a computer he uses a web browser to access email, Facebook etc and writes the occasional letter or spreadsheet using some office software.
Something like Chrome might have done, but he also has a large collection of documents and photographs he wants access to locally (not on the cloud).
We agreed to try him with Linux Mint.
Linux installed, all his old documents available and a webrowser set up with the regular shortcuts he wants.
So far he's as happy as the proverbial pig.
That's another computer saved from landfill!
The IT industry is terrible for sustainability, more profit in forcing obsolescence to sell more boxes and then greenwashing it.
Good to hear the kit is reused, can get a lot of life out of stuff with Linux on. My tip for a laptop would be to investigate whether something like TLP can manage the battery charging, that can give years extra before the battery loses capacity, especially if it’s plugged into the mains a lot, charging and sitting at 100% is really bad for them. May not work on all models though.
Good to hear the kit is reused, can get a lot of life out of stuff with Linux on. My tip for a laptop would be to investigate whether something like TLP can manage the battery charging, that can give years extra before the battery loses capacity, especially if it’s plugged into the mains a lot, charging and sitting at 100% is really bad for them. May not work on all models though.
The only reason I use windows these days is for Fusion 360 which i have still not found a properly workable solution for running it in Linux.
Running linux for the last 5 years has also given me the excuse to not fixed other people broken windows machines, "sorry I don't use windows so can't help"
Running linux for the last 5 years has also given me the excuse to not fixed other people broken windows machines, "sorry I don't use windows so can't help"
I'm typing this from a 2013 Dell latitude e5440 with an i7 vpro running ubuntu 20 but with xfce4 instead of gnome or KDE. Its very nippy, and I can record music using Ardour without any xruns. Its on its 3rd battery, 2nd SDD, has had replacement memory, and a new keyboard recently. There is currently a problem with the display where I have to press it in the right hand corner of the bezel occasionally as the screen glitches or fades to white. I am thinking i probably need to upgrade the hardware soon, but i reckon 12 years is good going. I'd get another dell - this was from the outlet store.
Have ditched Windows from any kit I can and the continued ens
ttification of Windows 11 makes me glad I did.
Have Linux Mint working fine on a Lenovo Thinkpad X300 I've had since 2008 when Windows 10 started getting too bloaty and slow a few years ago. No need for Windows if just wanting to do basic stuff like internet and documents.
Have a similarly old netbook that's still on Windows XP as I couldn't find a linux distro that worked on it out of the box and couldn't be bothered faffing around with linux command line bks, my geek level is set to "can't be arsed". Think it was either the Intel Atom or 10" unusual resolution screen not being supported, so they either wouldn't boot or if they did the screen wasn't right.
ttification of Windows 11 makes me glad I did.Have Linux Mint working fine on a Lenovo Thinkpad X300 I've had since 2008 when Windows 10 started getting too bloaty and slow a few years ago. No need for Windows if just wanting to do basic stuff like internet and documents.
Have a similarly old netbook that's still on Windows XP as I couldn't find a linux distro that worked on it out of the box and couldn't be bothered faffing around with linux command line b
ks, my geek level is set to "can't be arsed". Think it was either the Intel Atom or 10" unusual resolution screen not being supported, so they either wouldn't boot or if they did the screen wasn't right.Virtual PAH said:
Have a similarly old netbook that's still on Windows XP as I couldn't find a linux distro that worked on it out of the box and couldn't be bothered faffing around with linux command line bks, my geek level is set to "can't be arsed". Think it was either the Intel Atom or 10" unusual resolution screen not being supported, so they either wouldn't boot or if they did the screen wasn't right.
I wouldn't bother. I have a similar age netbook (Samsung NC10) with the same chip and RAM limitations. I couldn't find even a cut down linux distro which could make effective use of it beyond then just being a simple terminal box. The Atom chip is 32-bit which means most modern distros and browsers cough all over it and even when you do get something to run, basic stuff like youtube just fails miserably.ks, my geek level is set to "can't be arsed". Think it was either the Intel Atom or 10" unusual resolution screen not being supported, so they either wouldn't boot or if they did the screen wasn't right.I've been messing about with Linux USBs the last few days, and I'm coming around to the idea of doing a dual boot system, as I'm also sick of how ste windows is.
I've tried Zorin, Mint, Bazzite, and the latest Pop OS. So far I'd say Mint was my favourite just about. Even though it's quite old school it's quite nice looking and pleasant to use, very reminiscent of Windows 7, but more polished than any version of windows that I can remember.
Zorin seemed pretty good too in fairness, but I probably need to try them all again to see what's my favourite. I never really tried Bazzite as much as I wanted as the live iso doesn't seem to recognise my monitor, and Pop OS seemed very fast but not keen on the UI.
For most users it's a toss up between debloating Win11, disabling telemetry, and modifying to make it better to use or go with Linux which values your privacy out of the box and potentially better stability and performance at a cost of compatibility. Pick your poison, but I think dual boot is a good option for me now, and I have to say I'd like to ditch windows.
The little taste I've had had shown me Linux has come on and is a viable option.
te windows is. I've tried Zorin, Mint, Bazzite, and the latest Pop OS. So far I'd say Mint was my favourite just about. Even though it's quite old school it's quite nice looking and pleasant to use, very reminiscent of Windows 7, but more polished than any version of windows that I can remember.
Zorin seemed pretty good too in fairness, but I probably need to try them all again to see what's my favourite. I never really tried Bazzite as much as I wanted as the live iso doesn't seem to recognise my monitor, and Pop OS seemed very fast but not keen on the UI.
For most users it's a toss up between debloating Win11, disabling telemetry, and modifying to make it better to use or go with Linux which values your privacy out of the box and potentially better stability and performance at a cost of compatibility. Pick your poison, but I think dual boot is a good option for me now, and I have to say I'd like to ditch windows.
The little taste I've had had shown me Linux has come on and is a viable option.
Once you get used to Linux and open source in general it’s great imo. I recently moved from over a decade in android mobiles to an iPhone and I can’t get over how there is very little for free in the AppStore and people actually pay for a calculator ? On subscription! The one that comes with iOS is utter ste.
Linux apt get install and boom, new software. Wonderful. Of course you can donate to projects if you wish or contribute in other ways. It’s liberating.
te. Linux apt get install and boom, new software. Wonderful. Of course you can donate to projects if you wish or contribute in other ways. It’s liberating.
I tried the Lubuntu/Ubuntu distros on my 15 year old hp laptop and they were definately more resource hungry
than Manjaro. Been using that for years and it very quick and stable on ancient hardware.
Did try Zorin and that was bloody impressive for a first timer and very polished but was not as lean as Manjaro.
Am looking at Endeavour and Garuda ( which i think is marketed as a more gamer friendly platform)
What amazes me about linux is how all the distros manage to survive, i would have thought market forces
would have killed some off but the choice is still staggering for all use cases be it enterprise or basement nerd
than Manjaro. Been using that for years and it very quick and stable on ancient hardware.
Did try Zorin and that was bloody impressive for a first timer and very polished but was not as lean as Manjaro.
Am looking at Endeavour and Garuda ( which i think is marketed as a more gamer friendly platform)
What amazes me about linux is how all the distros manage to survive, i would have thought market forces
would have killed some off but the choice is still staggering for all use cases be it enterprise or basement nerd
Hedobot said:
I tried the Lubuntu/Ubuntu distros on my 15 year old hp laptop and they were definately more resource hungry
than Manjaro. Been using that for years and it very quick and stable on ancient hardware.
Did try Zorin and that was bloody impressive for a first timer and very polished but was not as lean as Manjaro.
Am looking at Endeavour and Garuda ( which i think is marketed as a more gamer friendly platform)
What amazes me about linux is how all the distros manage to survive, i would have thought market forces
would have killed some off but the choice is still staggering for all use cases be it enterprise or basement nerd
If you have 8GB in your 15 year old laptop you might find Windows 11 runs better. I tried nine different distros on my 2011 first generation i3 laptop and none of the distros could play HD videos (youtube and downlowded) without stuttering or glitches. I also tried different web browsers, media players and different graphics drivers, but it didn't help. I think it may be the case that whilst the distros were lighter on resources than Win11, they don't have such well optimised drivers for some hardware.than Manjaro. Been using that for years and it very quick and stable on ancient hardware.
Did try Zorin and that was bloody impressive for a first timer and very polished but was not as lean as Manjaro.
Am looking at Endeavour and Garuda ( which i think is marketed as a more gamer friendly platform)
What amazes me about linux is how all the distros manage to survive, i would have thought market forces
would have killed some off but the choice is still staggering for all use cases be it enterprise or basement nerd
AlexC1981 said:
If you have 8GB in your 15 year old laptop you might find Windows 11 runs better. I tried nine different distros on my 2011 first generation i3 laptop and none of the distros could play HD videos (youtube and downlowded) without stuttering or glitches. I also tried different web browsers, media players and different graphics drivers, but it didn't help. I think it may be the case that whilst the distros were lighter on resources than Win11, they don't have such well optimised drivers for some hardware.
It has 8GB on an ancient dual core i3 and is brilliant with Manjaro. Win 11 wont be going anywhere near it
just passing on my findings in case it was useful.AlexC1981 said:
If you have 8GB in your 15 year old laptop you might find Windows 11 runs better. I tried nine different distros on my 2011 first generation i3 laptop and none of the distros could play HD videos (youtube and downlowded) without stuttering or glitches. I also tried different web browsers, media players and different graphics drivers, but it didn't help. I think it may be the case that whilst the distros were lighter on resources than Win11, they don't have such well optimised drivers for some hardware.
I've been trying out a few and noticed the slow video on mint especially, pop OS was the only one that seemed fast. But I don't know if that was a driver thing as I know mint needs the Nvidia driver to be installed on mine but I can only test with a reboot and therefore only by installing it fully which I may try but yes I've noticed this issue. It would be a non starter for me if it can't be resolved but surely it can?Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff