The Linux Thread

Hi RabM,

No I haven't tried that - currently running the GitHub v3.0 - other versions that appear to be available for GNU/Linux at present appear to be 2.2.6. So as things are working ok now I don't want to mess any more, based on the adage - "Don't fix what ain't broke" (or is Ubuntu 1 spying on me? )

Only just seen that there's a linux thread on here. Pretty cool.

Been experimenting for the past couple of years in moving away from the proprietary muck being dished out by Microsoft and Apple. Which, being into music production, hasn't been the easiest of transitions. But the security issues present in both Windows (particularly 10 and its unblockable telemetry and POS updates) and Mac OS (since El Crapitan and the dodgy keylogging stuff as well as the RAM malware stuff) have finally pushed me over the edge. If I buy a computer, I expect to own it, and have control over my system. [/rant]

Personally I've found plain old vanilla Debian and Opensuse to be very accessible and very useful and both have very good software repositories.

I'm currently in the process of building a pretty beefy workstation for myself that I plan to use to experiment with Qubes OS for virtualisation, as well as playing about further with Debian, maybe Arch if I'm feeling brave.

---------- Post added 17-10-2017 at 20:34 ----------

Also, Bash is soooooo much better than CMD in Windows or Terminal in MacOS. Absolutely love it, Apt is brilliant. Never been so comfortable in the command line as with linux - and this is coming from a numpty musician type!

Only just seen that there's a linux thread on here. Pretty cool.

 

Been experimenting for the past couple of years in moving away from the proprietary muck being dished out by Microsoft and Apple. Which, being into music production, hasn't been the easiest of transitions. But the security issues present in both Windows (particularly 10 and its unblockable telemetry and POS updates) and Mac OS (since El Crapitan and the dodgy keylogging stuff as well as the RAM malware stuff) have finally pushed me over the edge. If I buy a computer, I expect to own it, and have control over my system. [/rant]

 

Personally I've found plain old vanilla Debian and Opensuse to be very accessible and very useful and both have very good software repositories.

 

I'm currently in the process of building a pretty beefy workstation for myself that I plan to use to experiment with Qubes OS for virtualisation, as well as playing about further with Debian, maybe Arch if I'm feeling brave.

 

---------- Post added 17-10-2017 at 20:34 ----------

 

Also, Bash is soooooo much better than CMD in Windows or Terminal in MacOS. Absolutely love it, Apt is brilliant. Never been so comfortable in the command line as with linux - and this is coming from a numpty musician type!

Not a musician but I was always impressed with the sadly now out of date AV Linux 6.0 from Bandshed - that even had the ability (provided you had an HP Printer) to print out music scores in live mode! Current version details here: http://bandshed.net/forum/index.php?topic=3960.0

Nice one mate, I'll have a look at making a live USB and give it a once-over. Usually prefer a more barebones installation myself, rather than coming with a load of software I'll not use, but I'll give it a fair crack, see what's what.

Well I was taken aback at the weekend! Why? I was curious to learn someone had put a defunct GNU /Linux OS on their machine so browsed https://archiveos.org/ and discovered that Linspire (remember Lindows it's predecessor) has been resurrected by http://www.pc-opensystems.com.

Screenshot of the free version, Free-spirited, I took in Virtual Box here:

https://zoringroup.com/forum/download/file.php?id=5755&mode=view

Interesting to note that they provided a Meltdown and Spectre fix on 14.01.2018

---------- Post added 12-02-2018 at 20:46 ----------

Well for those wanting a safe version of Windows XP (a.k.a. GNU/Linux stylng) Q4OS might meet your requirements but it even took me a while to find my way around in Virtual Box:

https://zoringroup.com/forum/download/file.php?id=5771&mode=view

https://zoringroup.com/forum/download/file.php?id=5772&mode=view

https://zoringroup.com/forum/download/file.php?id=5773&mode=view

https://zoringroup.com/forum/download/file.php?id=5774&mode=view

Just thought I would share an interesting discovery in respect of a cross-platform scanning utility, VueScan (https://www.hamrick.com/). I was attempting to see if there was a GNU/Linux driver from the Canon website for an LiDE 220 - no, they don't provide one.

I installed the demo of VueScan, attached said LiDE220 and got an error back that VueScan could not access 'lsusb' entries and may need to be run as 'root'. So did that and 'voila!' it worked!

Just thought I would share an interesting discovery in respect of a cross-platform scanning utility, VueScan (https://www.hamrick.com/). I was attempting to see if there was a GNU/Linux driver from the Canon website for an LiDE 220 - no, they don't provide one.

I installed the demo of VueScan, attached said LiDE220 and got an error back that VueScan could not access 'lsusb' entries and may need to be run as 'root'. So did that and 'voila!' it worked!

Interesting, although the LiDE 220 is supported under SANE anyway so should "just work" without this.

Interesting, although the LiDE 220 is supported under SANE anyway so should "just work" without this.

Hi Alex,

Wasn't aware of that. I think Zorin only comes with 'Simple Scan' which certainly did not work with my TS-8151 - had to download the GNU/Linux version of Canon's scangear.

OK, there's a new OS on the block which is a fork of the latest Mint (19, codenamed 'Tara'); Feren OS

What is striking about this OS from many others is its very well though out welcome screen, covering Introduction, Features, Getting Started, Installation Help, Online Store link, Community link, Get involved link, and Donate link. Default browser is Vivaldi and even running live from the Cover DVD of the latest Linux Format Magazine. It has nice clean looks but be warned this is only in 64-bit format. They are in the process of producing a lightweight alternative using xfce Desktop Environment for older kit but suspect it will be a PAE (Physical Address Extension) - but I hope I'm wrong as old Intel kit that does not support PAE will run worse than a three legged dog. One of the nice touches is also the fact that there is a 'Themes' shortcut on the desktop, not buried in a right-context menu of Panel preferences like Mint. There's a plethora of backgrounds to choose from. It comes with a Web Browser Manager like Zorin, but it has 5 options, compared to Zorin's 4. It has a 'hidden' icons chevron on the panel, similar to what you find in Windows. It's superb - I hope that the next major release of Zorin due this Autumn (Fall) will include a Welcome screen - something I have mentioned about in previous iterations.

Here is a screenshot of the default desktop:

https://zoringroup.com/forum/download/file.php?id=5940&mode=view

If you can't afford to buy this months edition of Linux Format you can get it from here:

https://ferenos.weebly.com

The last thing to mention is it is a British product - Go FerenOS!

They are in the process of producing a lightweight alternative using xfce Desktop Environment for older kit but suspect it will be a PAE (Physical Address Extension) - but I hope I'm wrong as old Intel kit that does not support PAE will run worse than a three legged dog.

How old a CPU are we talking about here?

I first used PAE over a decade ago, trying to get 32-bit Windows XP and Server 2003 to use all 4GB RAM instead of ‘just’ 3.25GB

An Intel Centrino as in a Dell D600 Latitude. You can force PAE on non-PAE kit but it will struggle.

forcepae -- forcepae

at boot time and watch it slooowly work.

An Intel Centrino as in a Dell D600 Latitude.

Ah, that brings back some pleasant memories

The tri-metal chassis, the low-power 1.4Ghz M processor (as capable as a desktop P4) the Radeon mobility video card and space for two internal batteries . . . a bit pricey at £1200 at the start, but they dropped over time to around £800.

I’ll be surprised if any are still running after nearly a decade and a half in the field though, despite Dell’s sturdy build quality & support. The hinges, oh the hinges

I ran GTA San Andreas on its successor, the D610 as a test. It ran well enough, until all hell broke loose onscreen then the frame rate dropped to that of a slideshow, as it would on many PCs at the time.

Good on the GTA developers to allow higher resolutions and texture settings that computers at the were capable of; it’s still a pleasant blast on modern hardware after all these years.