Topic: LINUX - PROS AND CONS?

[jivedave]

One small step for.....just landed with my Linux Knoppix? Mozilla powered craft - just stuck the CD in my DVD drive and set the boot device there and i'm here.

I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on the advantages or otherwise of Linux v windows??? Like what can and can't be accessed/run?

[John Gimber: Webmaster]

I've had some success with Ubuntu Linux - if you install it using WUBI it installs it as an "application" under windows, rather than requiring a whole partition of its own.  It manages this by setting up a 30Gb (or whatever) "virtual disk file" on your computer.

Next time you restart - voila, you can dual boot into Windows or Ubuntu.  If you don't like it - just uninstall Ubuntu and it disappears like any other app.  Very minimal disruption, plus you get to use Ubuntu at native hardware speed for almost everything (as opposed to the fairly rough emulated speed you get with vmware).

Anyways, it's easy to use, just works, and there's pretty much everything on there that most people need via the software centre.  Just bring that up, tell it what you want, and it downloads and installs.  For free.

You can use a product called WINE (windows API emulator) which lets you install and run windows apps on there too - including Office if compatibility is a real worry.

I find that when running Ubuntu it is a lot slicker and faster and responsive than Vista on the same computer.  It loads faster too.

The disk handing is a bit different - you don't get the standard C, D drives etc., as is the setting up of the folders - everything seems to be /home/blah - it'll take some getting used to, but on the whole is transparent if you just want to use it normally.

Updates are good too - as all the software comes from centrally maintained repositories, one update check (which happens daily) will download all OS and application updates in one go for just about every damn thing going.  No "check the antivirus, check java, check OS, check office..." - so much easier than Windows.

I would recommend this, it's free, fun, and just seems to work better than Windows - especially when using WUBI as that takes all requirement for technical know-how to set it up out of the picture.

Oh yes, it also needs far less computer power to run than Vista does, so you can install it on an old PC and outdo your Vista setup on a more powerful system.

John.

[jivedave]

Thanks JG - coincidentally i have a UBUNTU CD but i'd like to install Linux on a separate partition. I knew I had one spare and using the Windows administrator/computer manager option reveals 20Gb of free disk space. I want to isolate things to some extent as i'm a bit worried about one system corrupting the other's files.

I'm reading up about dual boot (already have win98 - i think i needed this to access some compacted files - so reluctant to ditch - and XP) to allow the selection of Linux.

I've got FAT32 and NTFS logical drives but am not sure what to use for Linux.

I think Linux might be worth the investment of time and effort as (it's like UNIX) it might help me in relation to understanding Posix Threads and TCPIP which I was looking at on my VMS machines.

I'm thinking about getting a second hand PC as mine is quite old and getting a bit 'flakey' but like just about everything else i'm trying to save money by gaining knowledege and fixing things myself.

[John Gimber: Webmaster]

Yes, a separate partition is possible.

If you use WUBI then it creates an EXT3 or EXT4 format partition in the "virtual disk" file for you.  (These seem to be the latest Linux OS formats - EXT4 offers speed enhancements, but is still new so occasional glitches rear their heads - but nothing too serious).

Windows can't access the Linux files, though Linux when running can access the Windows files if you really want to - though for the most part it stays completely self-contained within the one virtual disk file.

I've used Ubuntu for a year or two now, and have not come across problems with WUBI, but have come across problems with the external partition running linux.

One other option - if you are happy tinkering with disks, then completely remove the Windows disk and put in a cheap other hard drive into the computer instead.  Just swap them over when needed - that way there is absolutely no chance whatsoever of cross-contamination or damage to files.

If needed though, Ubuntu can read Windows filesystems.

And in a related note, you can get 'World's strongest' beer with 32% strength launched.  It's called "Tactical nuclear penguin" - appropriate for a discussion on Penguin linux!

[jivedave]

jeeze - with your new picture it's quite oblivious that you'll be voting with the 'toffs' JG

Making a bit more progress with the Linux - couldn't get access to my spare partition so i allocated 10Gb on my NTFS disk and downloaded UBUNTU 9.1 (i tink)(whist in XP)(used ext4 - no option) and have just managed to get my beloved youtube working after having some 'fun' with the first no picture (downloaded some adobe stuff and installed some plugins in a cavalier sort of way  - well if it went wrong it's not quite like the car brakes or steering) and no sound then just no sound - i copied some 'magic hocus pocus' unix like script into a 'terminal' window and installed 'Pulse' or somat like that which may have done nothing - then selected sound/video option and clicked/waved the magic mouse and bingo!

btw - after the download under MS windows - i rebooted into UBUNTU as that was listed as an option with XP and win98.

Another nice thing was being able to get a MS word doc from my XP 'disk' and open it with a 'SUN' word processor prog.

Not tonight but  when i've more time i'm going to try connecting to the VMS machine (FTP and Telnet worked nicely under XP) .

Looks like Linux - once one knows one's way around and is armed with some scripts - will provide a springboard for trying 'things' and acquiring system/programming knowledge. Going to see if a C++ compiler is available - free.

I understand that Linux is more secure (less vulnerable to malware)

[John Gimber: Webmaster]

If you set up your software repository to access the restricted stuff (i.e. the stuff you would normally have to pay for - or copyright stuff, like the full nvidia / ati drivers, mpg players, etc.) then a lot more of your system springs into action with no need for scripting.

Glad you're liking it though - you should be able to find a C / C++ compiler - take a look in the applications menu and there should be an option to add more software.  Go there and search for compilers / developer tools.  Your options will be presented.

Let me know how it goes!

John.

P.S. The photo was taken at this year's winter ball - we got it for free too, as we were the first ones in and they needed a sample portrait to test out the kit and a picture to put on the front desk to attract more business.  Yay!

[John Gimber: Webmaster]

Jivedave,

If you're still interested in playing with Linux I found an interesting site:

http://distrowatch.com/

Basically it covers all the various flavours of linux being released, so you can pick and choose your flavours.

Cheers

John.

[jivedave]

Yes, still plugging away with Linux (like right now) – Ubuntu 9.1 – and learning as I go.  Unfortunately or not, if you take problems to be a learning opportunity, I've had a few – such as when installing  updates. I had to reinstall Ubuntu from Windows XP after playing with my GRUB ( Grand Unified Bootloader) which didn't help much when it would not boot but provided another learning opportunity. Added to that my 8 y.o. PC is getting very poorly – didn't want to boot any system and so I took the covers off and used compressed air to clean it out for a start and then – after still refusing to boot I had a look at the motherboard bumpf and was going to play with some board switches (clutching at straws) . At that stage I pulled out the board battery – which I thought needed replacing but hadn't bothered to do and bingo booted. With XP and Ubuntu sharing the the same partitioned physical disk, with updates and a flakey machined I think i'm guaranteed corruption  problems.
  
As my VMS machines aren't much fun to be near – noisy and blowing out lots of air (no comments please) – I've been looking at getting a good PC set up with a nice monitor and using things like TELNET to sit at the PC and talk to the Alphas. I don't really want to spend a lot of time learning a about LINUX (though i'll look at the site) but obtained a book from the local library about LINUX/VMS interoperability (obviously, it's from the US). It was loaned from Cambridge Uni library (I guess there's a central one) but slightly disappointingly hadn't been well thumbed.  The book provided some useful info about both OS's and in particular bringing up X windows displays with the Alpha as an X server except that the way the X protocol is defined it might be the 'client'.

[jivedave]

Place your bets for the recovery (or failover - a new word for the vocab.) stakes : Linux, Windows, VMS, HP UX (Unix) or Nonstop: I wonder if anything can be inferred from the times presented in terms of HP's support for OS's

Staff may be expendable - data integrity must be maintained.



Here's a non-cosmetically enhanced piece