My Linux experience.

cat, #29 - interesting and informative stuff. BTW, you mentioned 'when Mint 18 comes out'

 

How does that work ? In the form of an update, or a new install, and if a new install, does one get to automatically keep existing work files,email, etc ?

Years ago I read that they actually originally wanted Windows XP to be windows as a service and the last windows. That's why it's called XP it's supposed to be the Windows Experience.

 

But yeah it was super obvious to me what windows 10 was going to be like when windows 8 came out. Windows 8 is half like windows 7, half Metro, so I figured windows 10 would be fully like Metro (it's actually not quite that bad but, bad enough in other ways lol). It's also clear imo what the future of Windows is going to be like. More locked down, more cloud, less like windows 7 and more like Xbox 360, etc etc. Subscriptions, streaming games... ultimately a totally new kind of service and device that isn't really anything like a PC from the 2000's.

 

 

Speaking about linux, for me the worst thing about linux currently is lack of native support for netflix in firefox. After that the next worst thing is, games not supporting it - but, I'm not too bothered by that. The next worst thing is some tiny minor stuff that is basically quibbling. That's how good it is.

 

Speaking about linux, for me the worst thing about linux currently is lack of native support for netflix in firefox.

 

Chrome has good native support for Netflix on Linux.

I know but I avoid google products when possible.

Avoid Google? why would you ever do that Lol.  Chrome and Firefox both have great features, and that's what I mostly stick with, because...well...there's just not enough time in life.  I find that Firefox is faster in Windows 7, but Chrome is in Linux and my XP machine.  I do avoid gmail! that is just an abomination.  And Bookmarks in Firefox is as bad as gmail, well, not quite Lol.

What do you mean about bookmarks in firefox?

 

I avoid google (when feasible) because I can't trust them and I don't like their practices - in fact I *can* trust them to be doing things I don't want. They have features and a modus operandi that serves themselves as the main priority, not the user. And you may say lots of things do that, well, yeah, I try to avoid a lot of things lol.

Thank you for your input, Wiz!      Tax season ended up being easier than I expected.  Almost done, one week left.  I'm so shocked I can't see straight.  Spent the MONTHS I thought I should be spending working, on Windows.  Only to find out that Uncle Sammy this year made the forms so much easier to use, I didn't need those months. 

 

Makes you look upwards with thanks.

 

And I'm a Gibsonite too, through and through, loved Conspiracy Theory and almost anything he does (acting or directing or producing).  See his version of Hamlet.  Really different, really good.

 

If I live long enough I'll make my own Linux sticks for clients, ergo my interest in your other project, though most of what y'all discuss is above my comprehension.. still, it's all very helpful.

 

There's seriously no other alternative, now.  Everyone I know needs Linux to husband/protect/better use Windows 7 and prior.  The day someone figures out how to configure those sticks more easily for us Windows junkies, that's when so much money will pour into the Linux community, you can't spend it fast enough.  I know just how it needs to be done, but at age 62 now, I don't know if I'll live long enough to start it myself.

 

Famous people like Mel the Marvelous, need Linux the most.  It's absolutely insane how their privacy is invaded.

 

@cat1092, and by inference, @jargos

 

Isn't it great to be free?

 

Cat

 

 

... reminds me of Mel Gibson's last word in Braveheart - "Freeeddoommmm!!!" - but it's true and I am glad we did not have to die to learn this. Instead there was Linux.

 

@brainout

 

was just about to respond and your Post slipped in. Hi brainy. Your input is always interesting, girl, and particularly relevant as one whom works with puters for an income - hope that tax stuff is going OK.

 

 

... Only two complaints, the jargon in the folder labels drives me nuts and the permissions....

 

Got answers for at least one of those, likely both - just define folder labels bizzo a little more. May take me a few days, busy with Mageia 5, and men can't multitask, as you are aware.

 

We can deal with both elsewhere - any probs with Linux I for one like to see addressed and hopefully solved.

 

Speaking of Mel Gibson -

 

@jargos

 

Another one of his films I liked was "The Conspiracy Theory" - sounds like you are coming along fine with your own, and I endorse that.

 

Wizard

I wonder if a horse that has blinkers on ... when they are removed, thinks "Wow, now I can see!!". Embrace Linux.

Edited by brainout, 08 October 2015 - 01:16 AM.

 

I avoid google (when feasible) because I can't trust them and I don't like their practices - in fact I *can* trust them to be doing things I don't want. They have features and a modus operandi that serves themselves as the main priority, not the user. And you may say lots of things do that, well, yeah, I try to avoid a lot of things lol.

Well said.

 

Another way to avoid google is https://duckduckgo.com/

 

 

DuckDuckGo does not collect or share personal information. That is our privacy policy in a nutshell. The rest of this page tries to explain why you should care.

 

https://duckduckgo.com/privacy

Edited by NickAu, 08 October 2015 - 01:25 AM.

 

 

I hear what you say about 'someone needs to sell configured sticks'. Could be a gold mine for some bright spark who had the hunger and ability.

 

They're sold on eBay all day long. 

 

Some has more than one Linux OS on these also, depending on the size of the Flash drive. The only issue with these are they're not full installs & while can still be used for installs & have a bootable OS in one's pocket, one's very limited in updates with a 4GiB persistence file. That's not a Linux imposed restriction, rather the way the file system works. That's still enough room to upgrade the browser & needed Level 1 updates. 

 

Cat

Yeah I use duckduckgo for search, and it's great. You can use dgg.gg to get to it! And it has a built in dark theme if you want. Oh yeah...

Edited by sparklestar, 08 October 2015 - 02:02 AM.

@cat1092

 

 

Otherwise would have never known of Linux & been another of Microsoft's sheep. 

 

Cat

 

 

I say Bah (baa ... baa...)

 

 

 

I hear what you say about 'someone needs to sell configured sticks'. Could be a gold mine for some bright spark who had the hunger and ability. I sure would have bought one, though I'm also glad of the learning curve I've gone through in doing it myself.

 

Peach OSI - a Linux Distro I have running as one of two so far on my wife's old laptop (60GB HDD, 512 MB RAM) has as its architect one Jim Carpenter. Jim's daughter sells USB sticks with not just Peach on them, but a couple of others as well, and Utilities. Don't know how her business is going, but it's interesting. Jim was very helpful to me when I was temporarily locked out of his site by a software glitch which effectively blacklisted my IP address.

 

Kudos again, JA for this Topic - because the subject matter is broad, it makes it difficult for us to be off-topic, lol, as long as YOU, as OP, do not get crowded out of your own Topic.

 

Most of us have PLENTY to say, extolling the virtues of Linux.

 

Wizard ... sets stopwatch timer

cat, #29 - interesting and informative stuff. BTW, you mentioned 'when Mint 18 comes out'

 

How does that work ? In the form of an update, or a new install, and if a new install, does one get to automatically keep existing work files,email, etc ?

 

It's really no big deal. All you do is keep your /home partition intact during install by selecting the partition as /home, but do not check the Format box. You select Swap in the same way. That way, the only partition that gets formatted is the root or main partition, it should be checked for formatting. When complete, all of your photos, docs, downloads, whatever, will remain in the /home partition. Though you will have to update the OS & reinstall some software (any extras such as Google Chrome), as well as re-enable the ufw Firewall. 

 

What this really amounts to is a 'fresh upgrade', though after a couple of full releases, you'll want to copy over everything you want to an external & perform a full install, formatting all partitions, then copy your wanted folders back over to where these were. 

 

 

 

I avoid google (when feasible) because I can't trust them and I don't like their practices - in fact I *can* trust them to be doing things I don't want. They have features and a modus operandi that serves themselves as the main priority, not the user. And you may say lots of things do that, well, yeah, I try to avoid a lot of things lol.

 

Google is the best digital desktop assistant one can want, and no it doesn't need a ton of information about You (like Cortana does with Windows 10) to find answers for most anything. If it weren't for Google, I'd have never learned much of what I have. Have tried Bing, ixquick, Duck Duck Go, and a long time ago, Yahoo (when I didn't know better ) & Google beats them all hands down. 

 

If one doesn't want ads, then use Adblock Plus or NoScript for Firefox users, and one will be served with less ads. One doesn't 'need' a GMail account to benefit from Google, though I have one, and as a GMail user can make 100% Free calls to anyone in the US & Canada anytime I wish to. Sure beats using one's anytime cell minutes, and since everyone shares the same en masse phone number, that's another privacy feature. 

 

Years back, I was as anti-Google as any, then when I opened my eyes & looked at what all I was missing out on, have seen the light. Even Google Earth Pro (last year was $400) is now free to Windows users, though they're working on this & Google Drive for Linux. Change comes slow, yet I've seen a lot of progress in what will be 7 years in the early part of next year. Too, if one wants the latest Flash plugin for Linux, Google Chrome has it, Firefox is stuck at 6 Full versions & multiple point releases behind, though this is the fault of Adobe & not Mozilla. 

 

Cat

Hi Sparklestar

Firefox Bookmarks are saved in the Bookmarks/show all Bookmarks/Import and Backup folder, I think on a weekly basis, so if you decide to restore them you can, there is quite a few restore points usually and you cannot delete them unless you re-name the Mozilla folder and re-install Firefox, I am not sure but I think it works on a replacement system and after the maximum have been saved then the next one will replace the oldest, maybe someone else can be more specific.
What I do is when I find a site I wish to Bookmark but remain personal, I do Bookmark it and then copy it to a LO writer doc. from where you can access it and also open it, then I remove the bookmark before Firefox saves it.

Hope that helps!

I avoid Google also and just use Ixquick and DuckDuckGo , but do use Gmail and am searching for a suitable replacement.

Edited by rozzer, 08 October 2015 - 02:11 AM.

In my case I have no use for most of the stuff you just mentioned. Also, when I started using duckduckgo, any time it didn't find what I needed I would use Google. Well, dgg must be getting better and better because I haven't needed to do that for a long long time.

 

Were you anti-google because you didn't think they had cool useful convenient products? And then you opened your eyes and realized they do? Or was it because you didn't like the privacy issues but then you "opened your eyes" and stopped caring about that? lol  Because I always knew they had cool useful convenient products. [yes I am ribbing you]

 

Peach OSI - a Linux Distro I have running as one of two so far on my wife's old laptop (60GB HDD, 512 MB RAM) has as its architect one Jim Carpenter. Jim's daughter sells USB sticks with not just Peach on them, but a couple of others as well, and Utilities. Don't know how her business is going, but it's interesting. Jim was very helpful to me when I was temporarily locked out of his site by a software glitch which effectively blacklisted my IP address.

 

 

Peach OSI could be a fantastic distro & climb way up the charts......if only they implemented an open forum & not delay & censor every post. Forum staff costs nothing, there are many wanting experience as Administrators, Moderators & other support staff. It's the distro's own maintainer killing off the OS with his actions. 

 

I downloaded & installed the OS on a very modest desktop in the Optiplex 740, ran great, and was loaded with software. Would have never known it was an Xfce based distro had I not clicked onto the Controls, and seen Xfce mentioned. 

 

Peach could be a Top 25 distro, if only the owner would have a fully open forum & let the appointed Staff run it, rather than post & wait 24 hours (if ever) for it to be seen. The one who runs the distro never answered my PM to him in regards to this, where I offered my services & suggested to him that many more likely would if allowed, seems to be satisfied with letting the rest of the Linux community do his job for him. 

 

Cat