Hi All, In the past, I've seen, and even been a part of "Linux vs. Windows" discussions, almost always taking the adversarial side and favoring Windows. With the revelations of spying and privacy intrusion, I'm noticing more people talking about switching to Linux. But not for the right reasons. In the first Computers, the Command Line Interface was the only way to interact with the machine. There was no GUI. It was invented much later, and, IMHO, the GUI was what made the personal computer as popular as it is today. Regardless of the machine or OS, a Graphical interface makes it easy for people who do not type, or are not tech savvy, to use the functionality of the machine in the least painfull way possible. With that said, Why learn an OS that relies on a Command Line Interface? Why force yourself to remember the different commands and bits of information that comprise CLI based operating systems? I can think of a few good reasons. For one thing, Doing things that make you think are beneficial for Your mind. It's no different than going to a Gym. Your memory improves, as does your typing skills. Your ability to use logic and deductive reasoning to solve problems increases exponentially; something that is so important in society today. For younger people entering the job market, The more you know, the more valuable you become. And the more diverse your skill set is, the more opportunities will be available to you. And with the World changing as it is, and the economy being what it is, it never hurts to have an edge. It's easy to come up with excuses as to why You can't do it. Just like eating healthy, or going to a gym, We have to go out of our way to make time to cause ourselves stress and pain, so that our bodies will grow and heal. And we have to deprive ourselves of those sinful pleasures that eating unhealthy food provides, just so We can live long enough to watch our children grow up and enjoy life. Yeah...I know. It sucks, it's a P.I.T.A. but the benefits far outweigh the pain and deprivation. We know this. Linux is a learning experience. But like many other things, the benefits far outweigh the stress and discomfort of not learning Linux. I am beginning My journey to learn Linux. I will try to document my progress, and describe my own mistakes as best as I can. Perhaps others will be able to benefit from My mistakes. More to follow... :MJ P.S: Please feel free to comment on what I have said. I always wear My thick skin.
Since I started using computers long before the invention of the Graphical User Interface (GUI), I am quite comfortable with the command line. What I do not understand is why people think Linux still relies on the command line any more than Windows. In the beginning, both operating systems were text based but as time went on they migrated to the GUI. Most, (99% ?), of what I do in Linux is from the GUI. I will occasionally open a terminal if I think it will be quicker, but again, I also do that in Windows. If you do not want to use the command line, remember that there are many ways to accomplish a task and a GUI solution will probably exist also.
Firstly congratulations for your decision trying Linux.. MJ, tbh I did not understand the first time what you want to say... "Why learn an OS that relies on a Command Line Interface?" As a special difference.... Each OS relies on command lines from the historical aspect. Windows relied on the old DOS until 98SE and DOS 6.2.2. has more gaming performance than windows 3.11 I mean it depends what you are usually doing with the PC..when I modified BIOSES for instance I used CMD tools all the time. And when optimizing /creating unique installs one uses commands like dism.... I mean the only difference of Linux is that when installing packages/updating one needs probably commands, also to perform easy tasks quickly....the OS itself and the apps have GUI, so after you have setup Linux to your needs there is no difference to windows anymore.... Every enthusiast knows the important cmd commands regardless of the OS....UNIX based syntax is different that's all...one does not need to know them memorized, one just needs to have a good source to read... Which distro do you want to try first?
@Yen, Nimbus2000: Sometimes, I make a controversial statement because I want to draw out the other side of the argument. But I want to do it in a way that is as benign as possible. I posted this thread because I want to dispel the myths about Linux. The CLI is, by far, one of the most intimidating aspects of Linux for the novice. That same statement holds true for the DOS CMD prompt. We have been around for a long time, and We know this. (I've been called a "dinosaur" on a number of occasions ) The uninitiated do not. Now, when they look at this thread, they will know the truth, and they will see if from both perspectives. Perhaps that will motivate them to find out for themselves. @Yen: As an exercise in learning, I'm going to take a potentially difficult computer (HP Touchsmart 310-1125y) and find the best distro and GUI for it. This will take some time, and will probably result in some grumbling on My part. I intend to document My findings here at MDL. I hope that others will be able to use the information in their quest for the perfect distro for that particular machine. Skaendo has already offered His help. I hope that other seasoned Linux people will also chime in. :MJ
Hi MJ. Just want to say hello from Linux Mint cinnamon 17.2 64 bit the first time. Installation worked flawlessly. After installation it D/L'ed 66 updates. I am on FF which is included. I got the ISO, burned it on DVD. Unplugged any windows drives. (Wanted to avoid that it writes an bootloader to it/ screws something) and I want to use the boot menu of the BIOS itself. After installation was finished I plugged them in again. Ran DVD and installed Mint (no live OS) on a USB thumb drive (haven't got the new SSD yet) Anything at default. It is really EASY! And Mint matches windows better than Ubuntu. The main reason for usage of mint (online browsing) works out of the box at default. I am happy. Now it's testing time....looking for issues lol....file explorer works, also windows partitions are browseable. And the best is: NO single command line used so far. The updater is like WU...or even better. I just have installed the ghostery plugin here on FF as well...great...cya.
IMO, Linux is fun to mess about with in a VM, but not for much else The novelty of it wears off very quickly And if you game on your PC.... not a great selection of games working on Linux yet, and don't get me started on GPU drivers... lol Not to mention the absolute PITA it is to try and fix 'when' you break it Keep linux for servers, Windows for home use IMO I didn't build a £1-2k PC to be crippled by the OS
I have cleaned the thread already. We are not talking of a replacement! @MJ should I restore the posts? It’s your thread..
I decided to go for a 'real' install on a bootable USB pen drive after I tried the live DVD. Boot menu is the BIOS boot priority menu. When I have got a new SSD I'll just clone them partitions (root/swap) to it...
@Yen: Thank You, but no restore necessary. I'll delete My reply and keep things on keel. I have an 8GB pen drive that I will use for my installs. I will use rufus to make it bootable. Thanks again, John Sutherland for you tutorial.
ive used YUMI with persistence (slide slider for space to be used to enable)..saves settings and such in usb. however on more than 1 pc hardware it eventually crashed.. havent tested it in past yr.
But if you want to get your hands a little dirty and play with a terminal then I would go with Slackware. It's not very terminal intense, but some configuration and getting it set up does require some commands to be thrown at it along with some manual configuration. Once it's up and running, updating once a week or so is a simple command. But to Slackware's credit, you will find most software for it similar to Debian (or its derivatives), but you do have to watch for dependencies which isn't that hard if you know how to read. Unfortunately, there is no live media for Slackware.
The recommendation is 20 GB free space for mint! At least 9GB....to run it live it should be sufficient though. Have tried it more, no issues yet. I think Mint is the best one to start...after gotten familiar one can try another distro. IMHO it's nice for windows users, It's really fun...and absolutely comfortable.
I'm off to a good start. I'm just going to install it on the second machine. There's nothing of any value on it, so I'll just shrink the partition and split the drive in half. My primary is my recording studio machine. I'm not going to touch that one until My first album is released. (Perhaps in a month or two. Preparing for Copyright submission) Then, I'll install a 1TB SSD, and put the 500 GB SSD on the second machine.
I use the terminal on Windows a lot, I don't understand what's the problem with it. Both operating systems have far more options than it is possible to put in an UI, but the difference is that Windows is hiding them in the registry, which is one huge mess, and Linux just puts them in separate configuration files, so they can be searched very easily. As the registry in Windows grows by installing/uninstalling more programs, it becomes slow and it destroys the system performance. This is why Windows has to be reinstalled so often. The configuration file approach in Linux is different, your newly installed program's configuration files have absolutely nothing to do with the system performance, unless they are running, so the system is not going to slow down by installing more programs.