[BLUG] Linux

Wed Nov 23 21:33:28 EST 2011

Oh, for the record ignore any media more than 6 months old. Ubuntu has a
new release every six months and other distros frequently try to release
about that frequently, too. (I think GNOME has an official twice-a-year
release.)

Linux isn't like Windows. Linux has new releases a lot faster. You can
upgrade from Ubuntu 8.04 LTS to 11.04 but with the amount of data to copy
it will be faster to download and burn a new ISO.

http://ftp.ussg.indiana.edu/linux is an Indiana University mirror for a lot
of Linux projects. It includes "mepis" and "ubuntu-releases" for ISO images
for SimplyMEPIS and Ubuntu/Kubuntu. (It includes others, but since those
have been mentioned I thought I would point them out.)

Ubuntu actually has multiple flavors. Regular Ubuntu is GNOME. Kubuntu is
KDE. Xubuntu is XFCE. Though that's only the initial interface -- they have
a common package repository and one install can later also install the
other interfaces. I actually prefer Kubuntu to Ubuntu.

When you're starting out it is good to keep at least one machine stable --
that way you can hit the web for answers. It sounds like that won't be a
problem for you. ;)

Cheers and good luck,
Steven Black
On Nov 23, 2011 7:38 PM, "Paul W. Proctor" <proctor710 at comcast.net> wrote:

> Hi,
> Got several spare machines with about 2ghz processors. All I really want to
> do with them is internet access and email. All experimental machines,
> backup
> not an issue. Got a bunch of spare time, on SSDI. I have a couple of 2 yr
> old Ubuntu disks somewhere.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Steven Black" <yam655 at gmail.com>
> To: "Bloomington LINUX Users Group" <blug at cs.indiana.edu>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2011 12:12 PM
> Subject: Re: [BLUG] Linux
>
>
> > My middle school niece switched to Linux. It can be quite easy -- and
> > I mean far easier than Windows. I installed it for her once, and let
> > her do all the administration with it -- next thing I know she's
> > installed it on replacement laptops and on friends' laptops. She had
> > no prior experience with Linux and hadn't read anything about it
> > before I installed it for her. I was tired of repairing problems with
> > viruses. I said I would fix it one last time and she would never have
> > a problem with viruses again: I installed Ubuntu.
> >
> > Hardware compatibility isn't a given. This is known to bite people
> > when they initially convert.
> >
> > Also, make sure you back up anything on the computer that you want to
> > keep. You should be keeping backups as a normal part of your computer
> > life, but unfortunately this isn't a given.
> >
> > Any time you use any tool to repartition a hard drive expect the
> > possibility that something could go wrong and you could lose all data
> > on that drive. If you have multiple drives and are not absolutely sure
> > which is which when you repartition you need to expect to lose all
> > data on the drive you were not planning to use.
> >
> > What do you need to do with the computer and how fast do you need it
> > to be usable? How much time do you have to play with Linux before you
> > need to be productive with it?
> >
> > For a simple "is my hardware compatible with Linux" test there are
> > "Live" CDs. Personally, I'm a fan of Ubuntu. Their desktop
> > installation CDs are also "live" CDs. You can boot up Ubuntu and
> > verify the hardware is supported before you install upon it. At this
> > point, I think most Linux distributions have Live media when they're
> > not the same as their desktop installation media. Some distributions
> > may require DVDs but most have just one required installation CD and
> > the rest of the packages can be downloaded from the Internet. (Debian
> > is available on 52 CDs, 8 DVDs, or 2 BD. You can get a bootable system
> > that can go online to download more packages with just the first CD.
> > Many packages are alternatives to other packages.)
> >
> > The gentlest installation of Linux has got to be Wubi -- the Ubuntu
> > Windows Installer.
> > http://www.ubuntu.com/download/ubuntu/windows-installer -- It is
> > actually easier to try out Linux with Wubi than it is to try it out
> > with a Live CD. It installs Linux like a Windows application -- no
> > repartitioning needed (though you need to reboot to boot in to Linux)
> > -- and this means it can be uninstalled just as easily. There are some
> > caveats with using Wubi -- disk access isn't as fast -- but
> > performance is more realistic than a Live CD and it is super fast and
> > easy. Since Wubi installs Linux in to space allocated within your
> > Windows partition there's no risk of loss of data stored in your
> > Windows partition.
> >
> > If you know the hardware will work with Linux, there is no reason to
> > stick with the first distribution of Linux that you try. There are a
> > lot of different flavors. Some distributions are easier to use than
> > others, and most have slightly different hardware requirements. Linux
> > will run on a wide variety of hardware. Most Linux distributions have
> > similar hardware requirements to modern version of Windows. Some Linux
> > distributions specifically focus on lighter hardware requirements for
> > older hardware.
> >
> > Personally, I started using Linux when my system had few enough
> > resources I only used a GUI if I wanted to see pictures on a webpage.
> > Everything else was done through the console. This meant that system
> > was still doing all kinds of stuff when it would have been unsuitable
> > for anything in Windows. If you're comfortable with something very
> > light-weight, I think the modern hardware requirements are a
> > Pentium-class processor or better. The GUI (and Live) CDs won't work,
> > but Ubuntu has an "alternate" CD that should work. Even when you need
> > to install in text-mode you should be able to use one of the
> > lighter-weight window managers. ([Off-topic] Though you need not throw
> > away even older hardware. FreeDOS released a 1.0 release -- compatible
> > with MS DOS 6.0 -- and ships with a lot of software.)
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Steven Black
> >
> > On Wed, Nov 23, 2011 at 9:44 AM, Mark Warner <mhwarner at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> Do you have a spare machine you can load it on? My suggestion is to just
> >> load up a flavor of desktop Linux (my personal preference is
> >> SimplyMEPIS) and have at it. Be prepared to have numerous WTF! moments
> >> and to totally trash the system out and having to reinstall. Eventually
> >> it will all come together, and you'll wonder why you waited so long.
> >>
> >> JMO. YMMV.
> >>
> >> Paul W. Proctor wrote:
> >>> Hi,
> >>> I am ready to take the plunge with Linux! Been a diehard Windows user
> >>> for decades.
> >>> I would like to know when the next Linux Fest is. I would like to
> attend
> >>> one near IU.
> >>> I would also be open to any advice for a newbie.
> >>> I AM READY TO CONVERT.
> >>> Thanks,
> >>> Paul Proctor
> >>> proctor710 at comcast.net <mailto:proctor710 at comcast.net>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Mark Warner
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> BLUG mailing list
> >> BLUG at linuxfan.com
> >> http://mailman.cs.indiana.edu/mailman/listinfo/blug
> >>
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
> >
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>
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