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How and why I transitioned to Linux, and how you can too

larrysanger.org

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Re: How and why I transitioned to Linux, and how you can too

#221

Post by lsanger »

AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote: post #34
Theodores wrote: post #23

I find it amusing that so people who are quite capable feel compelled to hold onto the hand-rails for so long and won't just dive in to Linux. I was guilty of hanging on to the dual boot for a few years but never ended up using the Windows side or any of those programs that I thought were so fundamentally important to my life. I am not sure why people can't just give Ubuntu a go on a brand new machine rather than may…

> I find it amusing that so people who are quite capable feel compelled to hold onto the hand-rails for so long and won't just dive in to Linux. Well it doesn't help that Linux desktop is backed by one of the most condescending cultures that ever stalked the internet. Have you considered that maybe, just maybe, the way Linux works just doesn't jive with a lot of people? Like, everything has a middleman involved. Driv…

> Well it doesn't help that Linux desktop is backed by one of the most condescending cultures that ever stalked the internet.

Ouch.

Re: How and why I transitioned to Linux, and how you can too

#222

Post by Animats »

shmerl wrote: post #209
Animats wrote: post #83

I've used Linux on the desktop for over a decade. Currently, Ubuntu 16.04 LTS on x64. It still sucks for the average user. The GUI is lipstick on a pig. As soon as anything goes wrong, it's back to the command line. You look up the problem, and there will be a dozen articles about it, all contradicting each other. Look up what it takes to create a desktop icon for something. (Hint: the top result in Google won't work…

From your comment, it sounds like you are completely unfamiliar with how distros releases are organized. Learn about it, if you want to use Linux. Ubuntu LTS is not a desktop oriented option, so surely it's quite behind in desktop usability. Especially when you aren't even using the latest one, but one version behind the latest LTS. That's really old. Get some up to date modern distro, select KDE and enjoy. TL;DR: do…

LTS is Long Term Support, so I don't have to deal with every new bug. Upgrading always produces problems with ROS for the first year or so.

Re: How and why I transitioned to Linux, and how you can too

#223

Post by lsanger »

sys_64738 wrote: post #7

Nothing he says Is dependent on the Linux kernel so he could have run WSL under Windows 10. For Linux builds of GUI apps he could use a free X server. I wonder if this can be applied to the majority of people. If the app is available for Windows then use the Windows version (e.g. Chrome at least until Edge uses Chrome engine) otherwise use the app under WSL. Microsoft has made it easy to run GNU tools under Windows s…

Oy, you really did not understand why I moved, even though I explained it quite clearly.

Re: How and why I transitioned to Linux, and how you can too

#224

Post by Havoc »

lsanger wrote: post #215
Havoc wrote: post #136

The fact that he gets the name of MS's office suite wrong tells me perhaps he isn't all that bound to MS turf in the first place...

I'm not, really. Before they moved to the crowd (I refused to follow them there), I used to be an Office expert. I knew the software inside and out. I still use Word 2007. But no, I never did install Office 36 5 (I see my mistake now!).

haha maybe I shouldn't have judged based on a typo

Re: How and why I transitioned to Linux, and how you can too

#225

Post by true_tuna »

Animats wrote: post #83

I've used Linux on the desktop for over a decade. Currently, Ubuntu 16.04 LTS on x64. It still sucks for the average user. The GUI is lipstick on a pig. As soon as anything goes wrong, it's back to the command line. You look up the problem, and there will be a dozen articles about it, all contradicting each other. Look up what it takes to create a desktop icon for something. (Hint: the top result in Google won't work…

Counterpoint: I switched from Mac to Linux two years ago. I am comfortable with the command line, but it’s also great to just do what you wanna do. Clone a disk? Use dd. Forgot the command? Ten helpful tips in the first page of google results. (Actually I quit google too so DuckDuckGo). I’m not as happy with the polish, but 90% there and none of this “remind me again later” bull shit.

Re: How and why I transitioned to Linux, and how you can too

#226

Post by shmerl »

Animats wrote: post #222
shmerl wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From your comment, it sounds like you are completely unfamiliar with how distros releases are organized. Learn about it, if you want to use Linux. Ubuntu LTS is not a desktop oriented option, so surely it's quite behind in desktop usability. Especially when you aren't even using the latest one, but one version behind the latest LTS. That's really old. Get some up to date modern distro, select KDE and enjoy. TL;DR: do…

LTS is Long Term Support, so I don't have to deal with every new bug. Upgrading always produces problems with ROS for the first year or so.

LTS is targeted for servers for a good reason. Desktop is going to be very much behind if you use it. Sure, some might be OK with it, but then they shouldn't complain about this very point. Otherwise it sounds like they didn't make an educated choice when using LTS.

Re: How and why I transitioned to Linux, and how you can too

#227

Post by giancarlostoro »

Something1234 wrote: post #63
ikfmpwdsoz wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, for anyine who wants to do further research it's called Proton. Valve has tried several times in the past to make gaming on Linux more attractive, but this has by far been their most successful attempt.

A lot of games don't even start on my Antergos setup. I refuse to run ubuntu, because I don't like it (mostly package naming, and a lot of the time I feel like it's poorly configured at least when I was starting out). I personally have had a negative experience whenever I use a Debian derivative.

I was able to install Steam on openSUSE if you don't mind openSUSE, it's a good alternative option.

Re: How and why I transitioned to Linux, and how you can too

#228

Post by ThrowawayR2 »

Alan_Dillman wrote: post #129
Krasnol wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But don't feel put off by this, we actually have a lot of fun in the terminal. I believe you. I grew up on a C64 and later DOS and really, I don't miss it. It's nice to have the console just in case but I don't want it to become something I have to use again. It always was that "waste of time" you're describing there and I've never seen it the other way around. I can do that swishing with one hand. One finger even…

"One finger even or my nose if I have to. A double click does it. A GUI where I can see all the options, select them, apply and run. So...human." Blech. Do you remember when games like Leisure Suit Larry went from text input to "click the right pixel"? All sorts of exploration and hilarity was lost. You can see all the options because there aren't as many.

> Do you remember when games like Leisure Suit Larry went from text input to "click the right pixel"? All sorts of exploration and hilarity was lost.

Perhaps so but it also got rid of the tiresome "Guess which exact words or phrasing the developer wanted" aspect of the early Sierra games as well so that you could focus on the actual puzzles. (King's Quest, I'm looking at you.) Not entirely a bad thing.

Re: How and why I transitioned to Linux, and how you can too

#229

Post by ryebreadistasty »

leowoo91 wrote: post #122
ryebreadistasty wrote: post #57

Linux is fucking trash and lemme tell you why: First is SMP. Multi-core on Linux is absolute trash and Linus is fuckin' dumb for thinking that multi-core isn't useful and is overrated. A way better setup is having a master/slave setup, all applications run on core 0, and when they want multi-core they make a slave task on another core directly. Linus said that the only thing parallel is good for is graphics but that'…

- Linux kernel has SMP and good multi-core support, just for you to know. - Linux kernel is not just for desktop, and being used in near real-time systems as well as mobile. It is the 'distribution' that makes the difference to their audience. - Multi-user environments are very real in workplaces. At least one additional employee account is needed for using a system without modifying it. - There is no obligation to u…

>Linux kernel has SMP and good multi-core support, just for you to know.

SMP is garbage and multi-core IS trash, whether you like it or not.

>Linux kernel is not just for desktop, and being used in near real-time systems as well as mobile. It is the 'distribution' that makes the difference to their audience.

yeah i mean for servers it's ok, on mobile it's a JVM anyway so it wouldn't matter what you swapped the kernel with.

>Multi-user environments are very real in workplaces. At least one additional employee account is needed for using a system without modifying it.

yeah not on the consumer desktop though, families don't need multi-user systems, laptops don't need them either.

>There is no obligation to understand car design to drive them. But, what if one day you wanted to check the engine? That is at least you can't do with proprietary systems.

maybe not but understanding a car design is possible and within reason, understanding 15 million lines of code on the other hand is not. also I don't recall when I said you could understand proprietary systems either?

Re: How and why I transitioned to Linux, and how you can too

#230

Post by flukus »

shmerl wrote: post #226
Animats wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

LTS is Long Term Support, so I don't have to deal with every new bug. Upgrading always produces problems with ROS for the first year or so.

LTS is targeted for servers for a good reason. Desktop is going to be very much behind if you use it. Sure, some might be OK with it, but then they shouldn't complain about this very point. Otherwise it sounds like they didn't make an educated choice when using LTS.

The server editions are targeted at servers, the desktop LTS edition is targeted at desktops, specifically the desktops of people that don't want things breaking randomly, who don't need the latest and greatest and who don't like updating every 6 months.
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