Linux Instead of Windows

[Andre S. Veteran]

Vista never gave me a BSOD. And a new UI is one thing, but to learn it you have to enjoy using it enough to actually learn it. The time I have spent using it was just plain confusing and facepalm worthy.

You're only discussing your personal experience, which is anecdotal evidence. That doesn't change the fact that Vista had important stability and compatibility problems, and that these were actual show-stoppers whereas a new UI is not.

I also don't see the logic in learning an entirely new operating system with a completely different UI and a different set of supported applications if learning how to use the Start Screen in Windows 8 is already too much. Everything but the Start Screen is the same in Windows 8. Windows 8 is still a much more familiar operating system to Windows users than Ubuntu or any other classic Linux distribution is.

I definitely feel that the more companies start pushing mobile/touch and leaving the desktop space.. the more we will see linux based OS's filling the void.

Android, perhaps. Ubuntu, not any more than on desktop.

[firey]

I also don't see the logic in learning an entirely new operating system with a completely different UI and a different set of supported applications if learning how to use the Start Screen in Windows 8 is already too much. Everything but the Start Screen is the same in Windows 8. Windows 8 is still a much more familiar operating system to Windows users than Ubuntu or any other classic Linux distribution is.

Hm.. I am running arch. I have cinnamon installed so it gives me pretty much the XP/Vista/7 feel. Application wise.. MonoDevelop instead of Visual Studio. Gedit instead of Notepad++. It's really not that much different, with the standard style desktop. Feels more like a native Windows style OS than 8 does.. and it's a completely different platform. And on one of the distros considered to be for advanced users to use.

[RudeBoi]

Thanks for this great post. It sounds like I should try Ubuntu, especially since my Linux mint seems to be all messed up.

I haven't read the whole thread, but did you update your repo database before trying to install the Nvidia proprietary driver?

sudo apt-get update

An upgrade probably wouldn't hurt either:

sudo apt-get upgrade

[Chicane-UK Veteran]

Ubuntu is a great place to start if you're a total newbie to Linux :)

[Andre S. Veteran]

Hm.. I am running arch. I have cinnamon installed so it gives me pretty much the XP/Vista/7 feel. Application wise.. MonoDevelop instead of Visual Studio. Gedit instead of Notepad++. It's really not that much different, with the standard style desktop.

It's certainly more different than using the same applications in an operating system that's essentially the same save for replacing the Start Menu with the Start Screen. You're not making sense and you're only talking about your own, anecdotal experience. It's pointless.

[Colin McGregor]

I used to dual boot Gentoo and Windows 7. But after installing Windows 8 I don't use Gentoo anymore so I removed it as use the drive for backup stuff.

[Yogurtmaster]

Well, I got Chrome installed but not my latest nVidia drivers. I download them and can't just double click to install them. I found some instructions online about using command line to install from a repo but all that did is mess up the system and now it won't do anything other than 640 X 480. Why would vNvdia even have Linux drivers for download if you can't install them?

I'll try Ubuntu when I get home, maybe it'll be better..

Well, if you are using VMware then there is no need to install them as the Nvidia drivers will not work with virtual machines.

VMware has it's own display drivers that works off your own drivers on Windows.

Try this......

1) Press CTRL + ALT + ENTER key all at the same time while you are running VMWare to go to full screen.

2) Go to the menu button at the bottom (like the Windows start button)

3) At the search box, enter in "monitors" (without the quotes)

4) Change your resolution to a much higher resolution

5) Then go back in to monitors to see if it offers even higher resolutions and select the one you want.

I have Linux Mint 14 64-bit running on my Vmware 8.03 on Windows 7 64-bit Ultimate. I can run both at the same time and even drag and drop between them.

[Yogurtmaster]

Vista never gave me a BSOD. And a new UI is one thing, but to learn it you have to enjoy using it enough to actually learn it. The time I have spent using it was just plain confusing and facepalm worthy. I used to use non-official drivers on vista, and it worked a-ok. I am not comparing 8 to vista. I think MS dropped the UI Ball with 8, and I am not alone in feeling that way, and I definitely feel that the more companies start pushing mobile/touch and leaving the desktop space.. the more we will see linux based OS's filling the void.

I would use Linux over 8 any day. Granted I'd use 7 over Linux any day.

I feel the opposite. I like Windows 8 and yeah it's not perfect but it works fine for me. I think too many people are making too much out of it. People don't like change and this whole Post PC world is just dumb. It's not post PC at all, it is a mobile world in which tablets will be PC's. Phones will be just less functional computer that dock wirelessly to a full computer that happens to be mobile.

Nothing has actually changed, it's people's perceptions that have changed and nothing else.

Linux is okay on my VM, but I would never want to use it as my only OS.

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

Linux is okay on my VM, but I would never want to use it as my only OS.

And yet some people do... You don't like Linux, some people don't like Windows 8. Choice.

[patseguin Global Moderator]

I installed Ubuntu last night and followed instructions to install nVidia drivers from a repo. When I rebooted, I was able to log in but my whole UI was gone. It's things like this that make me afraid of Linux. I can't seem to accomplish a simple task such as installing video drivers.

[cork1958]

I still play around with Puppy but rarely any other Linux any more. I've gotten to hate dual booting, so I mainly stay in Windows since I need it for my work.

I have Zenwalk, http://www.zenwalk.org/ installed exclusively on one machine just to stay up to speed on Linux a little. Never much liked dual booting and don't like VM'ing at all. Zenwalk pretty much has support for everything out of the box such as flash and Windows codecs and unrar installed by default, so no need to go hunting that junk down.

24GB's of memory?! Ridiculous!! :woot:

[Shaun N.]

As someone that has gone through some redhat training I would love to have my main OS be Linux, but as a PC gamer I have come to settle with Windows

[Yogurtmaster]

And yet some people do... You don't like Linux, some people don't like Windows 8. Choice.

I didn't say I didn't like it. I just feel it doesn't really have software that can compete with Windows.

My killer app for Linux for me personally is Asterisk, everything else has already been ported to Windows in the first place (but not the other way around).

I installed Ubuntu last night and followed instructions to install nVidia drivers from a repo. When I rebooted, I was able to log in but my whole UI was gone. It's things like this that make me afraid of Linux. I can't seem to accomplish a simple task such as installing video drivers.

Are you running on a real computer or on a virtual machine?

[ViperAFK]

I installed Ubuntu last night and followed instructions to install nVidia drivers from a repo. When I rebooted, I was able to log in but my whole UI was gone. It's things like this that make me afraid of Linux. I can't seem to accomplish a simple task such as installing video drivers.

Is this installed as a virtual machine, or is it a normal install? I just saw you mentioned you were using one earlier in the thread...

If its a normal install, have you tried just using the inbuilt additional drivers tool yet (Search for "software sources in dash and choose the additional drivers tab)? You shouldn't need to add extra repos or anything. Its just a few clicks to install the nvidia driver, it isn't hard. Going there and clicking activate should "just work". If it doesn't work that sounds like a problem with nvidia's driver and not linux in general...

If its a vm you may not even want to install those drivers... I'm not too experienced with vm's but doesn't hardware accel for a guest usually depend on the windows drivers + guest additions for the vm?

[patseguin Global Moderator]

I'm using a VM right now. I want to fully understand everything before committing my machine to Linux. I think I see what you mean though. Since I am in a VM, I may not want the nVidia drivers? Maybe the VM makes the hardware a standard VGA controller? I never thought of that...

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

I'm using a VM right now. I want to fully understand everything before committing my machine to Linux. I think I see what you mean though. Since I am in a VM, I may not want the nVidia drivers? Maybe the VM makes the hardware a standard VGA controller? I never thought of that...

Yes, that is what we have been telling you. In a VM, you are not using you GFX, you are using an emulated one.

Try a Boot-CD and try it before you install Ubuntu.

[Andre S. Veteran]

Since I am in a VM, I may not want the nVidia drivers?

That's what you've been told at least 5 times now on this thread by multiple different people! YOUR VM DOESN'T HAVE AN NVIDIA VIDEO CARD! You should install the set of drivers that comes with it, for VBox that's called guest additions, for VMWare it's something else.

[Karl L.]

If you're virtualizing Ubuntu using VirtualBox, you can install guest additions directly from the repository (since the VirtualBox is open-source).

sudo apt-get install virtualbox-guest-dkms
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[Glen Lalo]

Linux Mint for me is the best linux os ever made. Light and powerful. But when I boot win 7 I see the difference between a free os and paid os.

[patseguin Global Moderator]

Both Mint and I Ubuntu seem equally polished to me and I would gladly install either after more VMware testing now that I understand better.

[evieluvsrainbows]

Yeah most people will want Linux Mint 14. It's the best Linux distro out there for beginners. And I use Linux but I also use Windows as well. I like Linux a lot but I also like Windows a lot as well.

[Yogurtmaster]

I am using CentOS for my asterisk development (command line only)

I am using Mint 14 64-bit for my web server for playing with vTiger which is a Customer Relationship Management software for my business (Yes, I know it's a desktop instead of pure command-line, but I like both options)

I was using Kubuntu but really didn't like it, so I am now using Lubuntu for just general Linux stuff.

Arch Linux was too hardcore for me, I am sure it's great if you know what you are doing (I don't).

[atlef]

Just wanted to say, stay in there. It seems you are taking a good route to getting to grips with GNU/Linux by trying it in a virtual environment.

Good Luck.

atlef.

[AussieAnon]

I keep swapping between Windows 8 Pro and Mint Linux 14. .Once Steam gets a public release on Linux, I don't see much point sticking with Windows anymore. OpenGL performs faster than DirectX aparently and once Valve has completely optimized the code, games should hopefully run as smooth as on Windows. The latest NVidia 310 drivers improve performance 2x so this is a massive step in the right direction for gaming on Linux too.

[torrentthief]

There is sort of a shift to linux with gaming because of Steam.. Hopefully more people will start using Linux.. Just my 2 cents

The popular gaming engine Unity 4.0 can now create games for linux too, i'm sure more engines will add support over the coming year then we will see a nice increase in linux games.