Linux Tool Or Toy

[turnorburn]

What started out Laptops and Linux installations has turned into this Linux Tool or Toy. How many of you are interested in an operating system that's free, how many of you are interested in learning about computers and computer language, how many of you are interested in your privacy, and how many of you are interested in being safe online, because that's Linux. I've learned how to install Linux to what they call a pen drive flash drive thumb drive call it what you want but for under $10.00 you can run Linux a complete operating system for a time when you need it. Lots of questions some answers, if your interested i can show you what i know..

Lord willing.

tob

 

[Vince]

I'd like to try that flash drive deal of yours. I have installed Linux on a few computers and regarded it as nothing but a toy, because all it did was give me a few low-end games. But I know people who use it for schoolwork and web-surfing, and they think it's great. I also understand that it can sometimes start up a troubled computer.

 

[ardchoille]

I have used Linux as my sole operating system since 2001. I started with debian, did some distro-hopping and am now on Ubuntu. I regularly use Unetbootin to image any distro onto a USB thrumb drive so I can boot into it without touching the system hard drive. Though, these days I use my iPhone and iPad more than anything else.

 

[TOG]

Linux isn't a very good toy, unless your a geek. It doesn't have the newest games. If you want a toy, use Windows. But for most actual work, Linux is as good or better than Windows. Although there are some Windows-only programs, most of them can be replaced with their equivalents on Linux, unless something (such as your employer) requires you to use the Windows programs. I have used Linux exclusively at home for about the past 5 or 6 years.

The TOG
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[ardchoille]

Linux isn't a very good toy, unless your a geek. It doesn't have the newest games. If you want a toy, use Windows. But for most actual work, Linux is as good or better than Windows. Although there are some Windows-only programs, most of them can be replaced with their equivalents on Linux, unless something (such as your employer) requires you to use the Windows programs. I have used Linux exclusively at home for about the past 5 or 6 years.

The TOG
​

Agreed. I haven't really needed anything besides Linux for many years.. and OpenOffice can accomplish quite a bit.

 

[TOG]

It all depends on what you're doing. Some things require Windows and others require a Mac. If you're doing those things, then you need those systems. For most things, though, the OS is actually irrelevant. In most cases, you should choose the OS you are most comfortable using and that gives you the least problems. Linux is not without its problems, but I have found that it's easier to deal with those problems than with those that I had with Windows, so I use Linux.

The TOG
​

 

[Vince]

Now we have to figure out how to get Turnorburn back here.

 

[IAmLovedByTheLord]

I have been a linux for a while now. If you don't know much about linux and you want to learn about how operating systems (and computers in general) work then linux is a good choice. I would recommend a fedora distribution since it is so closely related to red hat and is pretty popular. It aslo has a lot less bugs then the newer distros pre loaded with all kinds of crazy tools. But if you have an old 'pooped out' computer then puppy linux is definitely the way to go because it is so lightweight and runs awesome on really old computers.

It's especially good to start moving towards linux with all this in the news about Windows 8 being backdoored and what not. Plus malicious programmers go for windows users more than linux because they are the majority so you can almost always browse websites safely without getting any viruses. If anyone wants to know more feel free to PM me or reply to this post and I will be happy to help! I am a little bit of a computer geek. ;P

 

[IAmLovedByTheLord]

Thanks! And sure thing!

So Linux is virus free (or more virus free than Windows)?

In short, yes it is much more virus free then windows. If you are running linux and not doing anything to crazy or extreme (going on hacker websites that are loaded with viruses for example) then you shouldn't ever have to worry about them on Linux.

This fits on a flash drive also? How big of a flash drive? I have a few, one is 4 Gigs.

Yea how it works is that when you download the operating system file you can either burn it on a disk or use a program called unetboot to load it on your flash drive. The program is a little hard to understand at first but there are a lot of good tutorials out there on it (you probably won't even need one though). But how the flash drive thing works is that you boot from the flash drive when you start up your computer just like you would a CD (I can elaborate if you want me to) and Linux is running off of the flash drive instead of your hard drive. So anything you do will be saved on the flashdrive if you choose to save anything (4 gig eats up a lot). But if you wanted to really get serious about trying you could pick up an external hard drive and load linux on that. (Something like this would be good http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136632) I would alwways recommend new egg and never best for hardware stuff because they rip you off.

I run maintenance every morning with ASC or I'll be running slow instead of click click click.

To be honest I am not entirely sure what you mean. :3 If you mean you run windows maintenance on your ASC computer every morning than yea you wouldn't have to do that with linux.

 

[IAmLovedByTheLord]

The funny thing about learning linux is that it is crazy overwhelming and complicated when you haven't tried anything like it before but once you learn it you not only feel accomplished but it opens your eyes to a whole new world of computers. If you want I can make a ground level extensive tutorial on getting started with linux. You don't have to feel obligated to do any of these things I am telling you of coarse I enjoy being able to flex and show off my computer knowledge and helping other people at least learn there is more out there in terms of computing than what just we are use to if nothing else. :D

 

[tim-from-pa]

Since I took a Sabbatical here for awhile, I guess some people have to figure a way to draw me back, and mentioning Linux will do it. But I'm just passin' by for a quick stop. In the short time I was gone, it's very good to see 2 Linux threads started as someone has to carry that torch. I wonder why everyone left it to me all this time and now that I'm gone for awhile.... all of a sudden Linux threads? ;)

See y'all later.

PS> and oh, Linux is a tool, a far more powerful operating system. We only used Linux in our testing department at Agere (former Bell Labs). If y'all want more apps, then use it more and they will be created as the popularity goes up. It's not a "toy" just because the apps are not there.