KDE Plasma vs. Linux Mint

[Nick H. Supervisor]

Ok, if my understanding is correct then this should be an easy answer...

I'm currently using Linux Mint, which is based on Ubuntu's LTS. It runs perfectly fine, and the latest version (21.2 Veronica) is serving me well. But I can be a fickle man, and now and again I would like to change my desktop look to switch things up a bit - a dock rather than a bar, for example.

What I can't figure out at the moment is, which makes more sense for me to do:

• Install the KDE-Plasma-Desktop on my current Linux Mint setup
• Just install KDE Plasma as my distribution

As far as I know, there is nothing in Linux Mint that I can't do on another distribution - KDE for example.

But I have seen that KDE is apparently considered less stable than Linux Mint. I'm ok with hiccups that have workarounds, but I would prefer not to spend most of the time on the computer troubleshooting things.

I'm pretty sure I'll just take the plunge and install KDE Plasma tomorrow, but if any of you can think of a reason not to do so I'd like to hear your reasoning.

As a Linux newbie, many thanks for any insights that you might have.

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

Well, if you're already using Mint, why not load KDE on it?

I would (and am soon) considering running Debian Testing on KDE. Right now, I'm on Arch (based off of) with KDE.

I tried Debian Testing on my old laptop, and it does really run as good as Mint. Maybe better?

To get the Testing branch up, install the stable version, and after install finished, change the repos from "bookworm" to "testing".

Any reason why you would want to keep with Mint? I find it to be a little "too easy"? Maybe the hand holding is a little tight? I love messing around with stuff..

My 0.02..

[Nick H. Supervisor]

On 22/07/2023 at 23:19, Mindovermaster said:

Well, if you're already using Mint, why not load KDE on it?

Yeah, I know this is a possibility. The two considerations I had though were the additional HDD space that it would use - which I guess would be relatively negligible - as well as Plasma's stability on Mint. While I can load KDE on to Mint, it almost seems like if I want to use Plasma I may as well do a complete switch?

 

Quote

Any reason why you would want to keep with Mint? I find it to be a little "too easy"? Maybe the hand holding is a little tight? I love messing around with stuff..

I don't have any particular allegiance to Mint. I'm not sure that there's such a thing as "too easy," I like that it works out of the box while still allowing me a certain level of customizability.

[ThaCrip]

On 23/07/2023 at 03:03, Nick H. said:

I don't have any particular allegiance to Mint. I'm not sure that there's such a thing as "too easy," I like that it works out of the box while still allowing me a certain level of customizability.

That's why I like Mint is it's been around longer than most (each major version is also supported nearly 5 years where as others can be only 2-3 years), based on Ubuntu (which is a safe bet), and it's basic interface/functionality stays pretty much the same as time passes. so I see that "Too easy" as a good thing, not a bad thing.

so while some might call Mint "boring" (which I suspect is inline with the "Too easy" comment) I think that's also it's strength in that things largely stay the same as time passes (probably why I think it's got one of the bigger user bases in the Linux desktop world to my knowledge as it tends to stick with what works without stuff being changed too much purely for the sake of change). it has minor tweaks to the interface with each major version/minor version but it's core interface does not change and I like that personally as it's basic interface function is familiar to anyone who's used a computer since pretty much the mid-1990's with Windows 95. hell, I think those 'minor tweaks' to the interface here and there are enough to keep it fresh enough for me as they come every 6 months basically (even these are strictly optional though).

while 'Cinnamon' is Mint's flagship DE (desktop environment) I think Xfce is a safer choice over Cinnamon across a wider range of hardware and has very similar basic interface function (Cinnamon just looks a little fancier than Xfce is all). I always thought MATE was the odd-ball DE for Mint as while it's interface is not much different, it's a bit off if you ask me (like it's basic start menu etc) unlike Cinnamon/Xfce which are just-right and not to mention Xfce must be lighter than both Cinnamon/MATE given those have, in short, video playback issues on at least 2 out of the 3 computers I have (with Celluloid+MPV with hardware acceleration in use on Celluloid etc) where as Xfce works as expected. so while some might say 'Xfce' looks a bit "dated" I think it looks good enough and keeps the interface simple which is never a bad thing if you ask me as I don't mind some level of interface tweaks, but once you venture too far outside of the norm, it starts to become a bad thing if you ask me as you just don't screw with the time-tested interface everyone is familiar with as it already works well.

because while there is no standard on desktop Linux, I think Debian/Ubuntu (both use '.deb' files which seem to be common enough online for Linux standards) base is as close as it will get to a 'standard'. basically I see Mint as a better Ubuntu basically since it's more striped down/basic and keeps a interface that just about anyone is familiar with.

TIP: for those using Xfce on Mint... I suggest using 'dark mode' as that clearly suits the general default look of Mint better than the default Xfce interface does with it being brighter/gray instead of 'dark' like how the start bar on Mint is etc and I would argue darker interfaces are easier one ones eyes to (which can be a small bonus for anyone with a little age on them). but once you use 'dark mode' on Xfce, it makes it even closer to Cinnamon look since Cinnamon's basic interface is dark by default.

[Max Norris]

On 23/07/2023 at 03:03, Nick H. said:

Yeah, I know this is a possibility. The two considerations I had though were the additional HDD space that it would use - which I guess would be relatively negligible - as well as Plasma's stability on Mint. While I can load KDE on to Mint, it almost seems like if I want to use Plasma I may as well do a complete switch?

Just my own opinion, and I'm a bit anal when it comes to "software tidiness", but not a fan of having multiple full blown DE's installed. You'll have two file managers, two editors, etc etc, can get messy, sets off my clean launcher OCD real fast.  Also, since Mint is using the 22.04 base, your KDE is going to be a bit stale, Plasma's been getting a lot of updates at a rapid pace that really improve the quality of life, never mind possible compatibility issues with new hardware. (I have one gaming laptop that refuses to boot anything based on kernel 5.19, hard locks every time, can't even boot the live media.) 

That said, Plasma is an amazing desktop and shockingly light(ish) for what it's doing, depending on which distro is managing it. It's absurdly flexible and Plasma 5 is very stable now. 6 is around the corner too. Since you're using an Ubuntu base, Kubuntu is pretty decent, but personally not a fan of the lifecycle, more of a rolling release person myself. There's Neon, which is also based on 22.04 but again, stale repos. I've been having excellent results with Manjaro on a couple systems here. Not quite as bleeding edge as Arch as they want to test stuff thoroughly before releasing to the masses, personally haven't run into any breakage but of course your hardware isn't the same as mine. YMMV and all that. It does do things a little differently than the 'Buntus but pretty easy to pick up. Pamac for example is a great package manager, will even pull and build from the AUR seamlessly without any additional prompting from you if you want. And for help you got the Arch wiki which is very good. I toyed with the Plasma Fedora spin but I've run into a few weird issues with that one. OpenSUSE Tumbleweed I really wanted to like but I hate their package manager, maybe doing something wrong but I'm constantly dealing with package dependency/breakage issues every time with it. 

I like Cinnamon but (again, opinion) feels dated to me, Plasma can be set up any way you like and can be as visually plain or wild as you like. Nautilus hands down is the best file manager out there. Cinnamon's extensions and applets don't even come close to what Plasma can do. Win11's got acrylic, Plasma is like "hold my beer" and really does the blur thing beautifully and consistently if you're into that. The compositor has lots of fun options to bling it up that are actually useful, not quite Compiz level but an excellent setup. Store.kde.org is nicely integrated into the settings app for easy-mode customization. The repos are quite large, and stuff that isn't in it is almost always found in the user maintained AUR.  Also like that Plasma has browsers extensions to integrate the browser closer to the OS; for example I can search my bookmarks and history in the launcher, the taskbar will show what's playing in the browser, etc etc. Love the apps too.  Except Kontact... that one needs a serious rewrite already, you may want to skip installing that one. Not a big Evolution fan either but Evolution does the Outlook thing way better, but rather just use TBird anyway. KDE-Connect is pretty slick, not quite as nice as Windows' Phone Link but pretty close and not limited to certain devices. 

Ok I'm gushing, best bet is to fire up a VM or play with a live ISO. 

[Nick H. Supervisor]

On 23/07/2023 at 09:12, Max Norris said:

Ok I'm gushing...

No, no! Feel free to keep going!

That was really helpful, thanks! Like you said, having multiple DE's seems a bit pointless to me which is why I was considering doing a full switch. I was looking at Kubuntu, but after reading your thoughts I'll also download Manjaro and take a look.

 

[Nick H. Supervisor]

Ok, I've had a quick look around Manjaro and Kubuntu. Both of them look much sleeker than Mint's Cinnamon, and the amount of options is pretty incredible!

The only slight snag I noticed right away is that using their screen edges you cannot set a corner to run a script. At the moment I have one corner to activate the screensaver, and another corner to change my wallpaper (I posted about it here a few years ago). But then I realised that I would need to rewrite that script anyway because it changes Cinnamon settings.

I also see what you mean about their widgets. The main ones that I display at the moment are HDD space, RAM usage and network monitoring. All of which seem to be available and they look 100x nicer than what I've found for Mint.

Right, time to backup my data and then I think I'll take the plunge with Manjaro! Many thanks again for the suggestion, @Max Norris!

Edit: On second thoughts, Kubuntu might be better for me for the moment. I know the terminal commands better. When I get my new laptop I'll use the current one to install and mess around with Manjaro. For now I need something that I can get up and running quickly.

[Max Norris]

On 23/07/2023 at 06:06, Nick H. said:

The only slight snag I noticed right away is that using their screen edges you cannot set a corner to run a script. At the moment I have one corner to activate the screensaver, and another corner to change my wallpaper (I posted about it here a few years ago). But then I realised that I would need to rewrite that script anyway because it changes Cinnamon settings.

You can do the hands on way via a KWin script and DBus, or go the easier route with an addon, (at work so can't try it myself) for example: https://store.kde.org/p/1732688 Plasma is reeeeeealy flexible.

If you prefer the 'Buntu way, note that Kubuntu 22.04's KDE Backports PPA is pretty much stuck at Plasma 5.24 due to some breakage with later versions of the distro. Not horribly out of date but if you follow their dev blog they add a lot of nice stuff frequently.  (https://pointieststick.com/ note that a lot of it is about Plasma 6.0 now)  May want to go with the 6 month release cycle (22.10+) or try KDE Neon if you prefer the LTS base of 22.04. Neon is by the Plasma developers and is very current and uses 22.04 as its base. Two flavors, one is stable with the latest public release, the other is testing and is a nightly-bleeding-edge which you'd probably want to avoid, that one does break.

 

Edited July 23, 2023 by Max Norris
About to put this work keyboard thru a paper shredder

[FlakyJeenyiz]

Hi Max, disgruntled WinBloz user here (gee, another one? lol), dipping my noob toe in the Linux pond once again with latest Mint-Cinn on decade old laptop, determined (this time) to find an (easy) distro I like and FLUSH_M$ once and for all...

I'm also curious about the distros/etc you've mentioned here, just a couple (relatively, hopefully) quick questions :  are they SUPER easy to use, incl finding/installing/etc software (old-school programmer here, PRE-winBloz, stressing the "OLD", lol), WINE-type utilization (if needed for win progs), extremely secure (more than Win10), stable+fast on ancient hardware (decade old Tosh laptop with i3, 6g ram, intel 3000 integ vid, + older lap 2008 dell enterprise e6500 core2duo w/Nvidia), etc... ?

[sysadminafterdark]

Recommendation: If you want the most polished KDE experience, give OpenSuse Tumbleweed a try.

[Nick H. Supervisor]

On 24/07/2023 at 21:32, FlakyJeenyiz said:

Hi Max, disgruntled WinBloz user here (gee, another one? lol), dipping my noob toe in the Linux pond once again with latest Mint-Cinn on decade old laptop, determined (this time) to find an (easy) distro I like and FLUSH_M$ once and for all...

I'm also curious about the distros/etc you've mentioned here, just a couple (relatively, hopefully) quick questions :  are they SUPER easy to use, incl finding/installing/etc software (old-school programmer here, PRE-winBloz, stressing the "OLD", lol), WINE-type utilization (if needed for win progs), extremely secure (more than Win10), stable+fast on ancient hardware (decade old Tosh laptop with i3, 6g ram, intel 3000 integ vid, + older lap 2008 dell enterprise e6500 core2duo w/Nvidia), etc... ?

If you're looking for a quick switch, Linux Mint is definitely something I would recommend. It styles much the same as Windows, and you can do all of your day-to-day tasks using a GUI rather than accessing the terminal. I've had friends that weren't even slightly tech-savvy, and I've repurposed their machines with Mint without them really being able to notice a difference.

But I've got to say, my experience with Kubuntu over the past 24 hours has been fine. Out of the box it works, so it would be fine for anyone coming from Windows. But it does have more options to customize things how you like it if you feel a bit adventurous. And because of my experience with Linux Mint, the console commands - which you really don't need, I just like being geeky now and again - are the same as Linux Mint.

If you're looking to get started with Linux and you want an out-of-the-box experience like Windows, my only suggestion would be to avoid something like Arch of those variations. Or at least, feel free to try them but don't use them on your primary machine until you know what you're doing. After trying Manjaro yesterday I realised I would be spending a while getting my computer to a usable state, and what I needed was something that could be up and running quick while allowing me to play around a bit further down the line.

[Max Norris]

On 24/07/2023 at 16:32, FlakyJeenyiz said:

Hi Max, disgruntled WinBloz user here (gee, another one? lol), dipping my noob toe in the Linux pond once again with latest Mint-Cinn on decade old laptop, determined (this time) to find an (easy) distro I like and FLUSH_M$ once and for all...

I'm also curious about the distros/etc you've mentioned here, just a couple (relatively, hopefully) quick questions :  are they SUPER easy to use, incl finding/installing/etc software (old-school programmer here, PRE-winBloz, stressing the "OLD", lol), WINE-type utilization (if needed for win progs), extremely secure (more than Win10), stable+fast on ancient hardware (decade old Tosh laptop with i3, 6g ram, intel 3000 integ vid, + older lap 2008 dell enterprise e6500 core2duo w/Nvidia), etc... ?

Well for super easy, there's two parts to that.  First is the desktop environment; Cinnamon or Plasma would be your best bet for "Windows like." They're not Windows but it has a similar workflow, unlike for example Gnome, which will more often than not have you shouting "what the actual f___??!?" when you're first trying to figure out how things work. (It's not bad, but you're definitely not in Kansas anymore.) Then you got the distro (the guts) running things under the hood. Some are easier than others. For me, I like Arch. No hand-holding and no rules. You can set it up exactly like you want, and if it doesn't work, that's on you. It's also bleeding edge, and sometimes you get cut by a bug that slipped through. Definitely not for first timers. Or third. There's derivatives like Manjaro, which uses Arch under the hood but tries to hide some of the complexities, and also freezes updates till they've tested it. Can still once in a long while break. I'm a fan but would probably skip it for a while. 

For the first timer, I'd go with either one that's based on Ubuntu or Fedora. Fedora's great but it's primarily a Gnome distro (see "what the fudge" above), so I'd probably go with one of the Ubuntu flavors. Ubuntu itself is Gnome, but Kubuntu runs KDE Plasma (Windows on steroids), or Mint Cinnamon (a sane/conservative version of a Windows-like desktop), or with the older hardware I'd even give Mint Mate a try. Based on Gnome 2 but they have it set up to be very similar to Cinnamon in appearance (Windows-like) out of the box, and hey you get to play with the 8th Wonder of the World known as Compiz Fusion. Mess with that a few hours and you'll think to yourself "I have NO idea what's going on but DAMN this looks good" while you're moving wobbly windows around all over the place and spinning your desktop cube like a top.  Another lightweight one to look at is XFCE (Xubuntu) if you want to shave some more resources.  There's lighter still but it you've left Windows-like in the rear-view mirror by then.

Security is mostly because of a) you're downloading programs from a central repository versus hunting down stuff and hoping it's legit, and b) Linux is much less targeted on the desktop for malware or other shenannigans (it's all about the money and that's in Windows-land). You still got to pay attention; you can still be a victim of a phishing attempt if you really really believe that some guy across the planet left you a ton of cash in an inheritance. No OS will protect you from yourself. Linux can and does get malware, but it's way way way less common, and more often than not due to user dumbassery.

Your best bet, before you commit, most distros let you monkey with them on a live USB, or install it to a VM. Get a good feel for what fits your needs before biting the bullet.  And before you chomp down on that bullet, make a backup for when that "oh my god what did I do?" feeling kicks in.  It's normal. It can take a few tries before it finally sticks, especially since you're like me and pre-date Windows.  (TRS-80 Model 1 and IBM System III were my first. Ouch I just outed myself as a fossil there.) It's hard to kick the habit of something you've been using for a couple decades. At lease you're comfortable with a terminal, don't really need to use it much anymore in Linux for day to day stuff, but you can do pretty much everything in a terminal, it's crazy powerful. Take ZSH with Oh-My-ZSH and Powerlevel10K for a spin sometime, had a nerdgasm when I first tried it, haven't touched Bash since.

 

[FlakyJeenyiz]

On 24/07/2023 at 18:53, Max Norris said:

Well for super easy, there's two parts to that.  First is the desktop environment; Cinnamon or Plasma would be your best bet for "Windows like." They're not Windows but it has a similar workflow, unlike for example Gnome, which will more often than not have you shouting "what the actual f___??!?" when you're first trying to figure out how things work. (It's not bad, but you're definitely not in Kansas anymore.) Then you got the distro (the guts) running things under the hood. Some are easier than others. For me, I like Arch. No hand-holding and no rules. You can set it up exactly like you want, and if it doesn't work, that's on you. It's also bleeding edge, and sometimes you get cut by a bug that slipped through. Definitely not for first timers. Or third. There's derivatives like Manjaro, which uses Arch under the hood but tries to hide some of the complexities, and also freezes updates till they've tested it. Can still once in a long while break. I'm a fan but would probably skip it for a while. 

For the first timer, I'd go with either one that's based on Ubuntu or Fedora. Fedora's great but it's primarily a Gnome distro (see "what the fudge" above), so I'd probably go with one of the Ubuntu flavors. Ubuntu itself is Gnome, but Kubuntu runs KDE Plasma (Windows on steroids), or Mint Cinnamon (a sane/conservative version of a Windows-like desktop), or with the older hardware I'd even give Mint Mate a try. Based on Gnome 2 but they have it set up to be very similar to Cinnamon in appearance (Windows-like) out of the box, and hey you get to play with the 8th Wonder of the World known as Compiz Fusion. Mess with that a few hours and you'll think to yourself "I have NO idea what's going on but DAMN this looks good" while you're moving wobbly windows around all over the place and spinning your desktop cube like a top.  Another lightweight one to look at is XFCE (Xubuntu) if you want to shave some more resources.  There's lighter still but it you've left Windows-like in the rear-view mirror by then.

Security is mostly because of a) you're downloading programs from a central repository versus hunting down stuff and hoping it's legit, and b) Linux is much less targeted on the desktop for malware or other shenannigans (it's all about the money and that's in Windows-land). You still got to pay attention; you can still be a victim of a phishing attempt if you really really believe that some guy across the planet left you a ton of cash in an inheritance. No OS will protect you from yourself. Linux can and does get malware, but it's way way way less common, and more often than not due to user dumbassery.

Your best bet, before you commit, most distros let you monkey with them on a live USB, or install it to a VM. Get a good feel for what fits your needs before biting the bullet.  And before you chomp down on that bullet, make a backup for when that "oh my god what did I do?" feeling kicks in.  It's normal. It can take a few tries before it finally sticks, especially since you're like me and pre-date Windows.  (TRS-80 Model 1 and IBM System III were my first. Ouch I just outed myself as a fossil there.) It's hard to kick the habit of something you've been using for a couple decades. At lease you're comfortable with a terminal, don't really need to use it much anymore in Linux for day to day stuff, but you can do pretty much everything in a terminal, it's crazy powerful. Take ZSH with Oh-My-ZSH and Powerlevel10K for a spin sometime, had a nerdgasm when I first tried it, haven't touched Bash since.

 

Wow, TRS-80 model 1?  Got me beat, gramps, lol: TRS-80 Color Computer (1983, 1st model/edition, all flat ugly grey plastic, plugged into tiny old tv antennae), and yeah, I liked messin-around with Power/etc too (back when iq was still 159, not 1.59 now after big stroke in 2011 at 43 + many TIA's, sigh), self-taught assembly/machine language (6809e) with "EdAsm" cartridge at age 15, ...  then I discovered dating/partying, so... there went THAT fantastically-timed $opportunity$...  (most unfortunately, lol, sigh again; Gates never would've reached his 1st $billion otherwise, it'dve been all M-I-N-E ! lol... instead of this tiny shoebox with a door apartment in a not-great-neighborhood in Michigan costing me $900/mo for the pleasure/excitement of possessed plumbing + Flakier-than-me electrical)...

- Ok, back on topic (lousy ADHD, gr!) :

Thx for the quick/detailed replies, Max+Nick, really appreciate it, should prove quite helpful...  Currently playing with Mint-Cinn on live-USB while I clear/sort out HD space, make backups, etc.  Initially, will play with full install(s) on separate HD for safety, then dual/multi-boot w/w10 (hopefully, JUST for rare occasions).   

- Btw, could use advice about linux replacement for voicemeeter (w10) for adjustable simultaneous multi-output audio (headphones + tv on same source but diff adjustable levels/tweaks; watching stuff with other ppl who have better hearing than me (lousy lifelong loud tinnitus, +age) ... ) ?

... and about "security" : yes, I'm normally very careful, except for one thing:  far too poor for pay-models of entertainment, so I must daily hunt around several, shall we say, "less savory" websites than I'd otherwise ever peruse...  In w10, I have several protections tweaked quite well for this purpose, never see popups/ads/etc, and Avast rarely complains even in UberPnoid mode;  - will this be a new concern in linux, and if so what should I use for protection(s), pls? 

 

[Max Norris]

On 24/07/2023 at 21:39, FlakyJeenyiz said:

Wow, TRS-80 model 1?  Got me beat, gramps, lol: TRS-80 Color Computer (1983, 1st model/edition, all flat ugly grey plastic, plugged into tiny old tv antennae), and yeah, I liked messin-around with Power/etc too (back when iq was still 159, not 1.59 now after big stroke in 2011 at 43 + many TIA's, sigh), self-taught assembly/machine language (6809e) with "EdAsm" cartridge at age 15, ...  then I discovered dating/partying, so... there went THAT fantastically-timed $opportunity$...  (most unfortunately, lol, sigh again; Gates never would've reached his 1st $billion otherwise, it'dve been all M-I-N-E ! lol... instead of this tiny shoebox with a door apartment in a not-great-neighborhood in Michigan costing me $900/mo for the pleasure/excitement of possessed plumbing + Flakier-than-me electrical)...

- Ok, back on topic (lousy ADHD, gr!) :

Thx for the quick/detailed replies, Max+Nick, really appreciate it, should prove quite helpful...  Currently playing with Mint-Cinn on live-USB while I clear/sort out HD space, make backups, etc.  Initially, will play with full install(s) on separate HD for safety, then dual/multi-boot w/w10 (hopefully, JUST for rare occasions).   

- Btw, could use advice about linux replacement for voicemeeter (w10) for adjustable simultaneous multi-output audio (headphones + tv on same source but diff adjustable levels/tweaks; watching stuff with other ppl who have better hearing than me (lousy lifelong loud tinnitus, +age) ... ) ?

... and about "security" : yes, I'm normally very careful, except for one thing:  far too poor for pay-models of entertainment, so I must daily hunt around several, shall we say, "less savory" websites than I'd otherwise ever peruse...  In w10, I have several protections tweaked quite well for this purpose, never see popups/ads/etc, and Avast rarely complains even in UberPnoid mode;  - will this be a new concern in linux, and if so what should I use for protection(s), pls? 

 

I had the CoCo 1 and 3 too, fun little machine when everyone was toying with the C64 and such. That little CPU running multi-user/tasking OS-9 was amazing for the time, later switched over to Microsoft Xenix on a Model 16, and eventually Linux some years later.

Anywho. I'm not familiar with VoiceMeter, but PulseMeter looks to be a similar sort of thing I think. PulseAudio is the newer sound server commonly used by Linux desktops. Never used PulseMeter but see a few people comparing it to VoiceMeter, so may be worth a look. You'll need Python for this it looks like, easy install. If you're using one of the 'Buntus, Python 3 should already be installed, if I recall you'll need to install python3-pip, and there may some other dependencies you'll need to get. Pip is Python's package manager, essentially something like "pip install pulsemeter" and you're off to the races. 

https://github.com/theRealCarneiro/pulsemeeter

As far as the security goes, I'm guessing torrenting? For Linux it'll be similar. Common sense mixed with a hardened web browser. Some of those sites push a lot of bad ads, a blocker is a must. If it's just videos there isn't much difference between the OS's there, and the 'Buntus (including derivatives like Mint) will typically already have the codecs and such you need pre-installed. Common sense is the biggest one.  No you don't need to install this codec to watch. No you don't want to run that shell script. Any warez site telling you to run something stating with the word "sudo" is an oh-hell-no. By default a Linux user can at worst only trash their personal files, not the system itself. If your user account is allowed to use the sudo tool, which lets you run a program as a super-user, all bets are off. Always use care with that one. For example, some time back the install script from a program called Bumblebee had a typo. It was supposed to nuke a directory, something like /usr/lib/nvidia-current/. The developer accidentally had a space in it.  "rm -rf /usr /lib/nvidia-current/". One little space. An ocean of tears as Linux happily nuked your /usr directory rendering the system unusable, it's like deleting /Windows/System32.  Moral of the story is to be damn careful with sudo.  You will frequently need to use it, unavoidable in a terminal for system administration, just use care.  https://www.netmeister.org/blog/MrMEEE/backup.html

 

[FlakyJeenyiz]

On 25/07/2023 at 04:43, Max Norris said:

I had the CoCo 1 and 3 too, fun little machine when everyone was toying with the C64 and such. That little CPU running multi-user/tasking OS-9 was amazing for the time, later switched over to Microsoft Xenix on a Model 16, and eventually Linux some years later.

Anywho. I'm not familiar with VoiceMeter, but PulseMeter looks to be a similar sort of thing I think. PulseAudio is the newer sound server commonly used by Linux desktops. Never used PulseMeter but see a few people comparing it to VoiceMeter, so may be worth a look. You'll need Python for this it looks like, easy install. If you're using one of the 'Buntus, Python 3 should already be installed, if I recall you'll need to install python3-pip, and there may some other dependencies you'll need to get. Pip is Python's package manager, essentially something like "pip install pulsemeter" and you're off to the races. 

https://github.com/theRealCarneiro/pulsemeeter

As far as the security goes, I'm guessing torrenting? For Linux it'll be similar. Common sense mixed with a hardened web browser. Some of those sites push a lot of bad ads, a blocker is a must. If it's just videos there isn't much difference between the OS's there, and the 'Buntus (including derivatives like Mint) will typically already have the codecs and such you need pre-installed. Common sense is the biggest one.  No you don't need to install this codec to watch. No you don't want to run that shell script. Any warez site telling you to run something stating with the word "sudo" is an oh-hell-no. By default a Linux user can at worst only trash their personal files, not the system itself. If your user account is allowed to use the sudo tool, which lets you run a program as a super-user, all bets are off. Always use care with that one. For example, some time back the install script from a program called Bumblebee had a typo. It was supposed to nuke a directory, something like /usr/lib/nvidia-current/. The developer accidentally had a space in it.  "rm -rf /usr /lib/nvidia-current/". One little space. An ocean of tears as Linux happily nuked your /usr directory rendering the system unusable, it's like deleting /Windows/System32.  Moral of the story is to be damn careful with sudo.  You will frequently need to use it, unavoidable in a terminal for system administration, just use care.  https://www.netmeister.org/blog/MrMEEE/backup.html

 

- Ah yes, OS9, multi-windows (sessions running concurrently, switch between w/a keystroke), and the Model 16...  and the Tandy 1000, RadioShack's 1st IBM PC-compatible...    (shaking the Rust'n'Dust loose in what's left of my neurons, fun stuff! thx...)

And the C64 I never liked much at all, it's 65C02 cpu w "sprites", I'd joke it's so underpowered/featured/annoying/etc compared to my 6809e bc "C02" (carbon dioxide), I had some kinda joke about that, can't remember it now...   (where's that WD-40 for my brain, Rust's stickin a bit...)

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Re:  "security" :  nope, not Torrents, too Targeted/trackable/etc by TheMan these days;  I just play vids at sites and use extensions/etc to save em to HD for later.   This free unlimited obama-net (extended to Unlimited during covid) might not last much longer so I've been frantically accumulating quite a collection of stuff to watch later for yrs now, JIC...   And thx for the warnings about hacker tricks, but no worries, I used to be "one of them" (harmlessly, tho) way back b4 it got too risky (and only while I was < 18); was quite creative, too;  as a kid in Radio Shack back when all we/they had were audio tape players/recorders to save programs onto cassette tapes, I found a way to copy games in the background on their demo machine in the store while playing the game(s), took a while and often required a bit of reverse-eng afterwards to find/mod the (usually meager) anti-copy code hidden in the game itself (they were on Cartridge ROM's, so they'd often try to overwrite themselves to foil any copying/loading into RAM, + other tricks)...  "Dungeons of Daggorath" was a fav...

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Re: "pulseMeter/Audio" : Yup, I was looking at PulseAudio, seems like it might do the trick, tho not yet sure just how customizable it is, PulseMeter may have more, we'll see...

>;]