Linux v windows

System

Hi

"Oh, and I haven't yet found a way to use my lappy's built-in cam but it hasn't worked since W7 days and I don't need it anyway."

When I had a problem with mine, I just said CHEESE (or typed zypper in cheese; or sudo apt-get install cheese.


Cheese for Linux




From GNOME Project: Cheese for Linux uses your webcam to take photos and videos, applies fancy special effects, and lets you share the fun with others. Under the hood, Cheese uses GStreamer to apply fancy effects to photos and videos. With Cheese it is easy to take photos of you, your friends, pets, or whatever you want and share them with others.

Also it may be detectable with command line

lshw
lsusb

fenlander_uk

I tried Cheese but it runs for a few seconds then freezes. Freezes instantly if you try to select 'video'.

EdwardB

Cacran wrote: »

I would like to know opinions on using Linux. I have always had windows. I like the fact that Linux can be legally installed in all our laptops. I have heard that it is very stable and less likely to get viruses. Just want some opinions, please?

I think a lot of people are thinking that way, a large part of the NHS runs on WinXp because of better licence agreements that key software depends on, so they pay MS a wad to keep supporting it.

Have a go on building Ubuntu on a second partition or VMWare and see how you get on.

Linux is a technical climb, there are two aspects, one is too many options, 20 different front ends so you can have a pretty desktop, the biggest pain is when things have to be done at a command level and there are 43,000 options that need to be typed in.

Ubuntu tries to minimise that by offering what they think is a standard build suitable as an alternative to Windows.

Debian is a good one I have used.

You can get the delightful Win10 (Vomits) in most new OEM PC's, so what costs do you have right now?

Sorry it seems the thought police found me guilty before even making a charge, just to clarify I was not suggesting anything illegal. It is actually on MS site and there are plenty of sites explaining how it can be done legally. I do not want any yellow cards or whatever petty minded BS that the nit pickers who report posts to the busy Forum Team Volunteers so enought said. Of course the nit pickers pick something complex so the FT can't be sure.

Do NOT PM me either, apparently that is against the rules too, I searched the rules top right but did not find a specific rule for that but hey ho off we go. 1984

Mr_Toad

I think he's talking about the fact that you can still download and install Win10 for free if you use assistive technology.

All that is required is to tick the yes box, there are no questions about what assistive tech you use.

All this has been posted on here before.

As a Myasthenia Gravis sufferer I use Dragon Naturally Speaking to control mine when I'm tired and my fingers won't co-operate.

esuhl

Mr_Toad wrote: »

I think he's talking about the fact that you can still download and install Win10 for free if you use assistive technology.

All that is required is to tick the yes box, there are no questions about what assistive tech you use.

Right, but how can installing software legally be against forum rules?

I doubt there's a special clause in MSE's Ts&Cs that prohibits the discussion of perfectly legal software installations... except where that software is primarily used illegally (which doesn't apply to Windows 10).

EdwardB

bluesnake wrote: »

I feel that every one should have a live distro of linux on a usb stick.

Well good idea for techs but average joe and jenny will not have a clue, better to have recovery USB sticks of course they would need to turn off the security in BIOS to allow the USB stick to boot which kinda defeats the object of the security.

bluesnake wrote: »

For the simple fact that your hdd dies, you can surf all day with the live distro, recover files from drives, it can test hardware without you having to wipe your PC, you can even install an a/v package live and remove viruses from you windows pc from places that windows has difficulty to to get to.

With Docker (virtualisation for applications) coming along, all the apps should be able run on windows or linux.

Should being the operative word, a bit like Apple when they have a their own OS and people have to run an emulator that is very hit and miss.

bluesnake wrote: »

Think MS will keep it base product O/S free just to keep the market share, in effect linux and android made windows free.

You are right but for the wrong reason. They created the Free Until Date to create Scarcity, it will become free again once they have all their OEM agreements in place and a reasonable period has passed of people paying. To be honest it can still be obtained free from Microsoft you just need to know how.

I tried to post here about this before and people thought I was referring to illegal versions or something so the thought police reported me!

The REASON is that Windows 10 is now to the OS what Google Chrome was to a Browser, it is one huge great spying machine and it pays Microsoft a commision as an affilaite.

EdwardB

Undervalued wrote: »

If you don't have to interact with users of main stream commercial software then I would largely agree.

The problem is when you do. Take Open Office, or one of its derivations for example. Stand alone it works great. It will generally open and save MS Office documents OK until you get to something more involved. Slightly more complex templates produced in MS Office can sometimes give very unexpected results!

The GIMP is another example. Very powerful Photoshop alternative, in most respects, but you try working on a PSD file along with somebody who is using Adobe.

It is a shame really as in so many respects it out performs Windows and will give a new lease of life to a computer that was only just about creaking along.

If you want the power of Unix with a very polished user interface and the ability to run all the major commercial packages then you use a Mac. However you pay handsomely for the privilege!

I have to agree with you, I have done this migration in a biz and home environment, software like GIMP is dire compared to Photoshop, it is fine if you grow up on it because you know no better.

The file compatibility issues are there too.

Office is better for file compatibility but come on, most people use docx.

What is a shame is when a Linux tech says something like, No it does not matter (it does to you) just poke memory location H73FAAE and pull the API out of the Kernel distro offset location!

As if the important thing is that you are running linux not using your app or being able to do the very task you bought the computer for.

bluesnake

EdwardB, Now that some linux editions have a windows like gui, the shift for the average user that just types a few pages, surfs etc. is a small jump rather than a large leap. I would say interface-wise less of a jump than windows 8, to those previously on windows 7. The learning curve to change one or two bios settings is not above that many peoples abilities any more, especially if they use google.

Emulation has been hit and miss, but it is getting better. if someone 20 years ago told me that you can run multiple servers, each with their own different operating system on a laptop, I would have thought 'padded cell'. Wine was also another solution that either worked, but often did not. Vive la Docker, or docker v5

EdwardB

bluesnake wrote: »

EdwardB, Now that some linux editions have a windows like gui, the shift for the average user that just types a few pages, surfs etc. is a small jump rather than a large leap. I would say interface-wise less of a jump than windows 8, to those previously on windows 7. The learning curve to change one or two bios settings is not above that many peoples abilities any more, especially if they use google.

Emulation has been hit and miss, but it is getting better. if someone 20 years ago told me that you can run multiple servers, each with their own different operating system on a laptop, I would have thought 'padded cell'. Wine was also another solution that either worked, but often did not. Vive la Docker, or docker v5

Well I am with you to an extent, I refuse to upgrade my main machines from Win7, I have enterprise versions and OEM versions, I installed Dual Boot on the Latter but I hate Win10, more because it is a spy platform than anything and the way it resets file associations or even security preferences when I stop it spying or refuse to use its apps which are all money generators or aff links.

The logical thing is to create a clone of Win7, I think one distro did that a few years ago, Hiren used to have a Mini WinXP.

The trick is to make it more than surface deep, to create a device manager that looks and feels the same.

I am as technical as anyone but those BIOS settings vary by manufacturer, some are in BIOS some are half BIOS half hard disk. The two options are never on the same page in BIOS and their behaviour affects GPT partitions. I had a laptop I was asked to fix and it was a nightmare back and forth, on another it was not so bad.

Emulation getting better is no consolation if a critical app you use does not run, any biz in a vertical depends on bespoke software so could be a show stopper for them.

I am not that surprised we can see VM's, over 35 years ago we have the VM OS on IBM Mainframes, now considering Moores law it was always going to happen, even our mobile phones are getting more powerful now. Only thing stopping you trying to run a VM of Win7 on them is the screen size, I can't even stand using safari on mine. Was able to use VMware 10 years ago so even from that point forward moores law applies. What has been more impressive is the lower power requirements made possible by thin wafer.

esuhl

bluesnake wrote: »

EdwardB, Now that some linux editions have a windows like gui, the shift for the average user that just types a few pages, surfs etc. is a small jump rather than a large leap. I would say interface-wise less of a jump than windows 8, to those previously on windows 7. The learning curve to change one or two bios settings is not above that many peoples abilities any more, especially if they use google.

On the one hand, I think it's great that GNU/Linux now has some distros that are trying to "appeal to the masses" (i.e. Windows users who aren't interested in computers other than to get stuff done). Using a Linux system can be just as "easy" as using Windows.

The problem is maintenance of the system. Unix/Linux is originates from multi-user mainframe systems where there was a dedicated "systems administrator" to maintain the computer, while users just got on with things.

I don't know if that's relevant, but (much as I love Unix/GNU/Linux), I think that the de-centralised open-source model naturally means that "system administrators" need to be more aware of what's going on "under the bonnet" in order to maintain their system properly.

GNU/Linux is a lot more flexible/customisable than Windows. Instead of there being one way to do things, there are often many.

I use Arch Linux myself and it's amazing. But I'd tell my non-techie friends to just stick with Windows. Everyone know it; it's well-supported. And they'd probably find GNU/Linux a nightmare.