My wife is not a computer person and she has been using Linux exclusively for about 15 years now. I help every now and then.
An Ode to Linux Desktop Users Everywhere
51–60 of 135 posts
Re: An Ode to Linux Desktop Users Everywhere
#52Last fall I bought a Thinkpad T540s that came with Windows 10 + Lenovo Crapware and a sound driver that did not work out of the box. I installed Ubuntu on it and everything, including multiple displays, just worked. I didn't even have to recompile the kernel to get WiFi running.
This "Linux has too many issues on the desktop" thing got old already. To be precise, it is as old as Ubuntu 12.04. I have more than a handful of people that had PCs that "got too slow" and wanted to get a new PC or a Mac. I'd tell them to get an SSD. When they did, I'd go take a look at their computers, install the SSD myself and in less than an hour I'd guide them (not do it myself, guide ) how to install Ubuntu an…
> To be precise, it is as old as Ubuntu 12.04.
I see what you did there. :)
Re: An Ode to Linux Desktop Users Everywhere
#53I'm a very happy Xubuntu user. Have been for about 5 years, and even switched my partners laptop over to it a few months ago, after her win10 borked itself. Previously I used to dual boot windows and Slackware, but after 10 odd years on Slackware I wanted a Linux system I could just use and not spend every minute tweaking. I must be getting old. But I still have fond memories of plugging into Ethernet to get online w…
I'm using xubuntu for years now, but I have the feeling it got heavier every year.
Now I'm searching for a better alternative
Re: An Ode to Linux Desktop Users Everywhere
#54I'm so glad this one reached the top page in HN. It's our chance to talk about it. I've been using Linux on my personal and professional desktops since 2006. I really enjoyed when Ubuntu got its presence and relevance in the scene, and I didn't mind when they decided to adopt Unity. KDE has always been my preferred option until I read an article where Linus T. said he used Gnome. So by the time I moved to Gnome I als…
Maybe rEFInd[1] can help!
UEFI has some cool things, like you don't really need a bootloader if you don't mind switching kernels. Just tell the bios which partition you want to boot.
Re: An Ode to Linux Desktop Users Everywhere
#55I'm running OpenSuSE Leap 42.1 on my ThinkPad x131e (Intel).
I've also added the repositories that give me the latest Qt, KDE, and KDE Applications. The net result is that I've got a stable base and a rolling release of the desktop environment.
The only "issues" I've had are:
- Needed to add a repository to get the Broadcom wireless driver.
- Sometimes the network status applet gets "stuck" with the progress indicator spinning even though the network is actually connected. It's like part of the applet knows it's connected, but the icon state didn't get updated. A logout/login fixes this.
- Sometimes I have to toggle the Wifi on and off to get it to reconnect after a wake.
- Sometimes if I close the lid too quickly after shutdown it decides that it wants to reboot.
Honestly, these are the only real problems I have with the machine and they're very minor. For the most part, the machine performs exactly like you'd expect a small low-end laptop to perform.
Re: An Ode to Linux Desktop Users Everywhere
#56> How else can you stare at an empty screen and know that you have to blacklist your video card driver? Or sit in silence while tweaking alsamixer on the command line? Or write bash aliases to reload your network driver kernel module each time your laptop resumes from suspension?
The good old days! I've been a desktop Linux user for going on a decade. Yes, it used to be a mess. Something only someone with technical acumen, enormous amounts of free time, and an endless supply of patience would subject themselves to. It's amazing how much has changed. Maybe I was lucky. I transitioned from 'student with plenty of time to mess around with my computer' into 'adult who actually needs to get work done' at around the time that Linux desktops were becoming mature. I've been using Ubuntu for the last two years and rarely have problems. Granted, I'm not a typical computer user. I don't need everything dumbed down and made pretty. I need a stable and reliable system that I have complete control over. It doesn't hurt that any software I need is an 'apt-get install' away as well.
So thank you Linux, and thanks to all the developers that contribute to the ecosystem.
Re: An Ode to Linux Desktop Users Everywhere
#57Linux as a desktop has come a long way. Most things Just Work now. I actually enjoy the experience a great deal more than either Windows or Mac at this point, and I'm no Masochist.
Windows, Mac... plug a device in, install the driver through some lame wizard.
Linux... plug the device in, it Just Works.
Windows, Mac... software is out of date, go through dozens different wizards and CLI tools to update all your stuff.
Linux... run a yum/apt/pacman/whatever update, everything is good to roll. If your using NixOS you even get a complete system rollback, with configurations, feature without any disk snap shotting required.
No microscopic close button. No spying on my desktop activity. No expensive custom hardware required.
About the only downside is the lack of Adobe, which I personally don't use but I know it would continue to be a blocker for many. Dear Adobe, get your shit together.
Re: An Ode to Linux Desktop Users Everywhere
#58I bought a $250 chromebook and a new SSD just to run Ubuntu as my daily driver and it's been great! Of course I've written scripts to reload network-manager on wake, add the keyboard backlight driver back into the kernel after updates, and I can't let the battery dip below 2% or everything will be erased...
Re: An Ode to Linux Desktop Users Everywhere
#59> Because they ship your bug fixes. Sadly they often don't. Especially on the desktop most open source developers seem to be doing the work for free and it's totally understandable that they prefer playing around with new features rather than fixing bugs.
More and more these days it feels like the big DEs operate much like Microsoft, as the response all too often is "its not a bug, but a feature".
Re: An Ode to Linux Desktop Users Everywhere
#60I'm so glad this one reached the top page in HN. It's our chance to talk about it. I've been using Linux on my personal and professional desktops since 2006. I really enjoyed when Ubuntu got its presence and relevance in the scene, and I didn't mind when they decided to adopt Unity. KDE has always been my preferred option until I read an article where Linus T. said he used Gnome. So by the time I moved to Gnome I als…
Maybe rEFInd[1] can help! UEFI has some cool things, like you don't really need a bootloader if you don't mind switching kernels. Just tell the bios which partition you want to boot. [1] http://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/
>Just tell the bios which partition you want to boot.
That would work! Thanks a lot.