Giving Linux a test drive.....
Feb. 12th, 2008 11:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
poltr1While I'm waiting for my project to rebuild, I think I'll mention my latest computer project: looking at Linux.
I've known about Linux for years. I have a copy of a book from the Linux Documentation Project that I bought in 1994. I also have some early distributions -- Slackware 2.3, and a couple of InfoMagic collections from 1995 and 1996. And somewhere, I have a copy of Mandrake 8.1 and Ubuntu 7.04. But I didn't do much with them, except collect them. I once had Mandrake running on a test system, but I kept forgetting my screen saver password, and so it didn't get a lot of use.
In the past few days, I downloaded the ISO images of the desktop versions of Ubuntu Linux 7.10 and Kubuntu Linux 7.10 and burned the images onto CDs. (Ubuntu uses GNOME as its user interface; Kubuntu uses KDE.) I can boot with either of these CDs and Linux will come up. I can also install from these discs if I desire, but I'd rather not mess with my production desktop.
The verdict so far: I'm liking GNOME better than KDE. While KDE has a lot of features similar to Windows, I can't help but feel a little lost in the navigation. Plus GNOME has some nifty games like Mah-Jongg Solitaire.
I've often said that if Linux was to take market share away from Windows, it would have to have a decent, robust, and intuitive user interface, and plenty of comparable applications. I think we're getting there, although it may be a few more years. Dell is offering PCs with Ubuntu pre-installed, and stores like Sears and Wal-Mart are selling PCs with Linspire pre-installed.
If I do get that hand-me-down PC from my workplace, I'll definitely consider installing Ubuntu on it, since I have to supply the hard drive and OS. If I find that XP Professional CD, I'll set it up as a dual-boot system.
Is there a market for older versions of Linux? Or am I stuck with what I got because it's been obsoleted? Am I the only one around here who collects old software?
I've known about Linux for years. I have a copy of a book from the Linux Documentation Project that I bought in 1994. I also have some early distributions -- Slackware 2.3, and a couple of InfoMagic collections from 1995 and 1996. And somewhere, I have a copy of Mandrake 8.1 and Ubuntu 7.04. But I didn't do much with them, except collect them. I once had Mandrake running on a test system, but I kept forgetting my screen saver password, and so it didn't get a lot of use.
In the past few days, I downloaded the ISO images of the desktop versions of Ubuntu Linux 7.10 and Kubuntu Linux 7.10 and burned the images onto CDs. (Ubuntu uses GNOME as its user interface; Kubuntu uses KDE.) I can boot with either of these CDs and Linux will come up. I can also install from these discs if I desire, but I'd rather not mess with my production desktop.
The verdict so far: I'm liking GNOME better than KDE. While KDE has a lot of features similar to Windows, I can't help but feel a little lost in the navigation. Plus GNOME has some nifty games like Mah-Jongg Solitaire.
I've often said that if Linux was to take market share away from Windows, it would have to have a decent, robust, and intuitive user interface, and plenty of comparable applications. I think we're getting there, although it may be a few more years. Dell is offering PCs with Ubuntu pre-installed, and stores like Sears and Wal-Mart are selling PCs with Linspire pre-installed.
If I do get that hand-me-down PC from my workplace, I'll definitely consider installing Ubuntu on it, since I have to supply the hard drive and OS. If I find that XP Professional CD, I'll set it up as a dual-boot system.
Is there a market for older versions of Linux? Or am I stuck with what I got because it's been obsoleted? Am I the only one around here who collects old software?
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no subject
Date: 2008-02-12 07:08 pm (UTC)I have also used xUbuntu on an old Dell laptop. it uses Xfce for its desktop, which is a bit lighter-weight than either of the other two, and theoretically will be friendlier to older, less powerful hardware.
But the differences between the two major desktops are largely cosmetic, so pick which ever one you like best.