Man I love linux!


Recommended Posts

lol its funny when people say how good with linux they are then say they are using something like ubuntu as if it requires any work or skill at all. i wouldnt say i love linux but i definitly enjoy dualbooting.

It requires skill. You gotta use Bash.

i really like my linux console, i am still learning how to do stuff, but i am still learning how to do most things, i find alot of the time its trial and error, but i laugh when my family members, who use windows on their computers, have major virus and spyware problem, i laugh and brag about how smooth my computer runs

the only time i have ever had a problem with my computer is when i tried to add another hard drive, i screwed my computer up so bad i had to reinstall everything lol

i know i need to upgrade my distro because i am running on mandrake 10.0 and it is starting to show its age.

the only problems i ever have is when i try to do something with hardware, i usually end up posting on here when i have a hardware issue

I am in between linux, windows and unix (freebsd) but i am having problems ... some apps are only windows and getting them to work on the *nix environment is hard, i would love to get unix to work, man i would praise the system in anciant egiptian but i think it depends what you wanna do ... freebsd is for servers only dedicated machines mostly, linux is for in between cause you can find some progs here nad there and u can make it as it best fits your need, where as windows is for peopel that don't care and don't want to know anything, they want to be fed with a tiny spoon and thaz it( i still use windows) ... mac is good too, so i guess it depends on your needs and now enlightened you want to become ... is sad though that i am craving unix yet school is a biach taking my time (i still make time for it though progress is slow but rewarding)

I've kinda gone of linux really. Windows does everything I want it to do hassle free. Linux does most things I want to do with a bit of know-how. It probably took me a month to get my linux box set up how I like it, and even now the surround sound doesn't work properly and ATI's drivers are crap (granted that's ATIs fault not linux's). Linux was great to learn a new OS, learn how things work and stuff. But practically, just doesn't cut the cake for me. I used to use the linux is more secure than windows argument all the time, but, in reality if the user has a bit of common sense then windows is just as secure as linux. Sure windows has loads more exploits, but only idiots get exploited. I haven't been effected by any major windows virus or exploit. The only times I've gotten virii is from my own stupid mistakes.

Gaming is 100x better on windows that linux. The ATI drivers are rubbish, native linux games out there is minimal, so I need to use WINE or Cedega and even then not all games work. Granted it's not linux's fault that ATI can't be arsed to pull their finger out of what they sit on and make some decent drivers, and it's not linux's fault that game developers aren't making games for linux. We can play the blame game all day, but the bottom line is, linux gaming is crap, regardless of who's fault it is.

I have to say though, the customisability of linux is great. Tweaking fluxbox has been fun, much more interesting than spending major buckage on a bunch of 3rd party apps to hack away at windows' .dlls and the like. That's another good thing about linux, most software is free.

IMO linux is good, but what's the point of using it if you already have windows that does everything you want it to do? If it ain't broke don't fix it.

I moved one From using Windows ME for 5 years, then Windows 2000 for about 6 months. After I got a PC that could run Linux, I put on Ubuntu, then moved to Arch Linux.

I have never been happier. The system runs like a dream, It doesn't get viruses, spyware or any crapware, and everyhting for the most part is free. From when I started with Ubuntu, I swore I'll never use Windows again. I've been using Linux for a month now, and haven't looked back once. (Although my work laptop runs Windows 2000, and my other PC runs Windows ME, but I rarely use them, and its only to fix them for the family, or to go to work with)

As for gaming? I couldn't care less. I haven't played a PC game in ages. (I prefer my Playstation 2, and soon to have PS3)

I've kinda gone of linux really. Windows does everything I want it to do hassle free. Linux does most things I want to do with a bit of know-how. It probably took me a month to get my linux box set up how I like it, and even now the surround sound doesn't work properly and ATI's drivers are crap (granted that's ATIs fault not linux's).

A month? even being a Linux noob it rarely took more than a DAY for me to set it up how I like it, including finding programs I wanted and installing and learning the basic functions of them. It isn't as hard as people seem to think (at least if you're using a distro based on Debian because the apt system is freakin' sweet) and now it takes me a few minutes to set it how I want.

I used to use the linux is more secure than windows argument all the time, but, in reality if the user has a bit of common sense then windows is just as secure as linux. Sure windows has loads more exploits, but only idiots get exploited. I haven't been effected by any major windows virus or exploit. The only times I've gotten virii is from my own stupid mistakes.

And no not only idiots get viruses on Windows. I am overly cautious with most things and still managed to get exploited a lot. Albeit in the early days I probably made enough people angry to want to attack my computer everytime they see it online, I became smart using a lot of crap to protect myself and no matter what I did, I had problems with viruses, spyware and other crap even with all the best software to prevent it (and even a router/firewall didn't help).

I have found Linux to be perfect for web servers. For desktops, not quite. I own too many games, and it's not compatible with my sound blaster audigy 2 sound card.

rockwolf,

the Audigy 2 is perfectly supported. I use one myself. There must have been a configuration problem or something...

sry i forgot to mention its the Notebook (pcmcia) version, RedHat wont even boot if I have it in the slot. if you or anyone else has had luck with this let me know, but to the best of my knowledge it aint gonna work.

EDIT: Fedora Core 4 (still used to calling it RedHat lol)

Edited by rockwolf

Ah, the infamous PCMCIA Audigy... ;-)

Yep, that one doesn't work, or more precisely, it _does_ work for a few days now, using pre-release ALSA drivers. Support is available for kernel 2.6.15 and ALSA 1.0.11-rc2 and later, but it's still beta (it wasn't really tested, but recent kernel and ALSA releases at least boot up with that card and recognize it just fine).

Linux gives me gas!

:x

Just kidding. Actually, if you put Linux on a good piece of hardware it is downright zippy... and that is what I love the most. Cause honestly, about all I use a computer for is browsing the internet and the zippier the better. I don't worry about games compatibility or 3D compatibility. Thats not to say I don't like my desktop to look good however - and Gnome's customizeability serves me quite well for that. Gotta say my favorite distro is Novell Linux Desktop 9.

I really enjoy using linux, as it increases my productivity quite a bit, and it feels a lot more customizable (*usually, see below issues)-- Getting my windows box to look pretty always feels *naughty*, with all the dll hacking, etc.

However, I still use WinXP for a few simple reasons- And this isn't meant to troll, so I'm sorry if anyone gets defensive; I'm just trying to voice my reasons for not using linux.

1) All my music is on my secondary NTFS drive. 70+ gb of files on a drive that has limited support (ntfs writing is "unsupported" or "beta" in most kernels i've used up through 2.6.11r7) and just doesn't *feel* natively attached. The simple answer is, of course, "Repartition and copy everything over", but my simple reply is "Why should I have to?" NTFS is, in my opinion, superior to everything but Reiser4, which is beta (or alpha?), and when you think about how convenient linux makes it to switch in all other cases, repartitioning is an aweful pain in the ass. Plus, it'd break my ability to dual boot and still have access in WinXP :no:

2) I like .net 2.0 for programming, and hate working with Mono.

3) The schism betwixt GTK and QT is frustrating. Sure, there's GTK-to-QT, or whatever it's called, but it's never worked fully properly in my 30+ distro installs. I want to run gnome, or kde- just one of them, mind you, and I want to use Amarok and gaim side by side without graphical inconsitencies, even if I'm using a "third party" skin. And when I finally manage to get them both looking the same through hours of configuration, I don't want certain features of Amarok to be broken (which, strangely, always happens to me. Some config windows just cease to function in GTK/QT apps when using the other WM)

4) Not all of my hardware works. The "Official" response on both Gentoo and Ubuntu forums to my question, "How can I change the defaulted sound card from AC'97 on-board to USB Extigy?" has always been (and I've asked often), "Disable the AC'97 in your bios." Ridiculous, because I happen to have practical applications for both. (One runs the surround sound that's all over my room for media-center action, and one runs the speakers closer to the computer for music, in case you're interested). I have a mouse with two mousewheels, a back button, and a forward button. At best, I can get one mouse wheel to work... and yes, I've followed every "how to use back/forward buttons!" tutorial out there.

cat /dev/input/mice

will often show *no output whatsoever* on the back/forward button presses, meaning they're not even mappable. I have similar issues with my logitech keyboard, my usb-wireless-screenlock, my ASIO recording sound card, etc, etc, etc... And don't try telling me to "look harder" for fixes, because it's nothing I've taken lightly.

5) Ugly alternative apps. IMHO, Aim 5.8.x is prettier and more friendly than any other replacement app, windows or linux-- It beats gaim, trillian, miranda, everything in my eyes. Photoshop is better than GIMP, Winamp > *, even notepad is more simplistic and *better feeling* than gedit, nano, vim, emacs, and any other editor with or without gui.

6) As it's been stated, it feels like most linux guis are just click-to-exec interfaces. In WinXP, things *feel like they happen* when you click. Executing a program/shortcut feels like it's just starting the program, rather than linux's "Somehow, somewhere, I know a console is scrolling". I can't well articulate the feeling, but linux just feels like everything is a poor coverup for the command line (not that there's anything wrong with the command line).

In all fairness, if linux could just *feel* cleaner and more efficient, like windows feels to me (even if not to others), I'd be glad to drop the rest of my qualms and take it up. Windows gives me just as many troubles, they're just things that I've found easy workarounds for (where no such workarounds exist for my linux issues). If gedit could feel natural, gimp could step it up, and gaim wasn't so damned fugly, I'd gladly repartition my music and make the leap.

As for the spyware/viruses arguement, I'm proud to boast 24 months of two side-by-side winxp machines which average 3-4gb combined bandwidth per day (on the internet, not LAN), mostly web browsing, IMAP and AIM traffic, and neither have had a single virus in the entirety of their lifetime. And I don't use any firewall, antivirus, spy scanner, popup blocker or any protection, save my router.

Hey linked, quite a few misconceptions there:

1) It's not Linux' fault that MS keeps the NTFS specs closed. Plus, perfect support is next to impossible, as NTFS lacks a few features every UNIX filesystem has. Anyway, it _is_ possible to read and even write NTFS partitions from Linux (using Captive, ParagonNTFS, or the 2.6.15 builtin NTFS driver). Problem is, those are only convenience hacks, native NTFS support is completely uninteresting, as NTFS doesn't even come close to any Linux/ UNIX FS since EXT3 (yep, check some benchmarks - NTFS is by far the slowest and crappiest 'real' filesystem). And Reiser4 is pretty much ready, some distros use it as default, and it's a completely different animal. Probably the most innovative, fastest and overall advanced filesystem ever created...

2) .NET 2? You mean VisualStudio I assume, as Mono uses the same API...?

3) I've never seen an OS as inconsistent as Windows. Don't try to tell me that iTunes side by side with Trillian looks even remotely consistent... And really, I don't understand your other issues, using Linux for years now - GTK and KDE applications side by side every day. It is true, however, that KDE did a much better job integrating non-KDE applications, so if you use anything else, your claims might be valid.

4) That's BS, and whoever gave you that info knows next to nothing. I had three soundcards working at the same time (onboard, Audigy2, Terratec EWX). The mouse should have worked had you used /dev/input/event0 and X.org's evdev driver instead. /dev/input/mouse is a PS/2 mouse, and the PS/2 standard has only a single wheel. The keyboard and ASIO issues are pretty easy to fix as well...

5) Don't know about AIM, but Kopete suits my needs just fine. I don't know what you expect from an IM client, though. Photoshop is crap, Gimp is crap, maybe Photoshop is better crap. There are other alternatives for Linux, however (most people allways suggest Gimp as a PS-replacement and don't even know there are alternatives). But it's also perfectly possible to use Photoshop on Linux, with native performance (but faster disk access), using cxoffice. amaroK beats Winamp by a large margin IMHO, but it's a completely different beast. If you want a skinnable interface and other eyecandy/ toys instead of a great collection manager, iPod and iRiver integration, CD burning, cover and lyrics downloader, Wikipedia support, scripting etc... And Notebook is a joke. Of course it's more simplistic, it has no features _at all_. vim or Emacs are editors for coders (some guys prefer to call Emacs an operating system). I prefer KWrite for easy tasks and Kate for coding, though.

6) Many Linux applications are frontends for command line applications. So what? This is, in fact superior, as it allows some really great tweaks impossible on Windows. And it makes the whole OS more modular and easier to modify, as well as easier to debug. But I have to admit, I don't really get your point...

Sorry if this thread is useless to you but I have to say yet again I'm so pleased with Linux. I just downloaded almost 400 upgrades (yeah it's been a while) in less than 6 minutes. Upgrading the whole computer at once rocks so much

I think u're office worker ;)

Well sir, this IS trolling. If you do not have anything useful to add to this thread, then move on to a forum of other non-Linux loving people.

Fortunately, most of the members who use this forum are mature, thoughtful people. If you fit in, then fine. If not, keep on moving. :yes:

Barney

Sorry, did u tell smth usefull? ;)

Hey linked, quite a few misconceptions there:

<snip>

In linked's defense, some of the points he raised (the 'preference' items, like #5) are valid reasons to like or not like an OS.

There are things I don't like about Windows that would sound very similar to his points (my Canon IX-4015 scanner is not supported hardware in Windows any more, etc.). These are among the reasons that I prefer Linux to Windows, and are valid reasons for me, even if they don't apply to the computing population-at-large.

Sorry, did u tell smth usefull? ;)
Sorry, did you have a point?

I love linux :D

Now that my web site is hosted on Linux (and not Windows) that is on less thing I need Windows for.

I still need certain things to develop before I can fully move to Linux :(

One thing that does annoy me (this happens on Fedora and Ubuntu, don't know about other distributions) is dependency's. Sometimes I have tried to uninstall a desktop tool that I know isn't used by anything and it will say the whole X system has to be removed.

On Ubuntu I some test command line things. When I went to uninstall them it told me it would have to remove ubuntu-base as well :pinch:

Hey Mark!

Well, of course, all issues linked raised would be valid, if they were actually true. That's what I wanted to show. I don't say it's linked's fault - it most probably isn't, he just tried to read up on stuff and asked other guys and got wrong infos. And he bases his opinion on quite a few wrong informations, and a few valid ones (even though he didn't even mention some of them). What I say is not targeted at you personally, so no offense - it's a problem with many guys on many Linux forums all over the web. In fact, you do the stuff I'll mention below right, that's why you are/ were a great mod.

I'll try to give an example: One of the most common problems I see every day is, if someone asks if Photoshop works on Linux, most people jump in and suggest Gimp - in a way that leads to the assumption that Gimp would be the only way to go. But Gimp is no Photoshop replacement, or more precisely, not yet. It misses lots of functions (CMYK & HDR, just to name two common problems), the performance isn't that great, and the interface and workflow are really bad. As soon as the guy mentions that Gimp doesn't do it for him, he either gets flamed, the issue gets dismissed, or he's told to give up - not always, but it's common. I had the exact same problem a few years ago, when I tried to switch my company to Linux (we did webdesign and webserver applications back then). I checked the net, tried Gimp, asked a few people, tried Gimp again, but it didn't help. Gimp was not what we needed. Switching to Linux and the Gimp was too expensive, as we would have lost productivity. It took me more than a month, browsing lots of obscure websites, checking many Windows applications with Wine, until I finally found two possible replacements to evaluate: Cinepaint, Photogenics (both for Linux) and Newtek Aura via Wine. Cinepaint wasn't that stable back then, Photogenics didn't even run, and Aura had a very different workflow (compared to Photoshop) - but after a month of evaluating Aura (on Windows), my lead designer fell in love, and we were good to make the switch. Pure luck, really...

But you can't expect anyone who's interested in Linux to scan the web several hours each day for more than a month to find replacements for Windows applications, dismissing everything he was told on Linux forums (use Gimp, it's as good as Photoshop, it's the only way to go, yadda yadda...). Especially home users. So, if someone asks for Photoshop on Linux, why not simply tell him that Photoshop _does_ work perfectly, all he needs is cxoffice, which is quite cheap at $80 (compared to a Windows license, let alone a Photoshop license)? Because that's the only true and helpfull answer. Nobody cares if it's Photoshop _for_ Linux, all he wants is Photoshop _on_ Linux, hassle free and with the same performance as on Windows.

If the guy gets flamed, or gets completely wrong/ unrelated answers (no Photoshop, or, like linked said, he was told he needs to disable his onboard soundchip to use his Extigy), he'll get a wrong/ bad impression, goes back to Windows, and will tell his friends that he KNOWS Linux sucks, because Linux-users told him. He spreads BS, not even knowing it is BS!

The valid point is that we, as a community (if we consider ourselves part of a 'Linux community'), need to help potential switchers by being objective and informed, don't dismiss valid issues raised, and don't try to persuade people. It's OK to give personal opinions, but a simple question should lead to a simple answer. Don't say something doesn't work if you're not certain. Don't tell people that ask for specific feature/ application X to use (almost) completely unrelated feature/ application Y instead.

Get my point?

That's why someone needs to compile a new list of alternatives on Linux. I started one last week but it would take so many people to help out with it because there are so many differnet programs that not everyone uses. Should we start a thread similar to the free alternatives in Windows but for Linux programs instead and everyone can suggest a program to be added as seen fit mods can do so? I think it would help a lot. If you don't understand what I mean, it'd be the same as the Free Linux Games thread pinned at the top but with categories for each type of application; chat, office suites, etc.

Edit: I have started a list with Distros and Window Managers and will attach to this post (hopefully). It is just a short list to get started. I will (and others too) can add programs/distros etc

Official_Linux_Applications.doc

Edited by Kreuger

GNU/Linux to me (like the BSD's) is great for many, many things, vastly superior to all other commercial OS's, but one thing it's not is a desktop OS for general life (Music/Office/Calendar/E-mail/Chatting). Of course, you can dispute this, but IMO Mac OSX reigns here ;-)

GNU/Linux to me (like the BSD's) is great for many, many things, vastly superior to all other commercial OS's, but one thing it's not is a desktop OS for general life (Music/Office/Calendar/E-mail/Chatting). Of course, you can dispute this, but IMO Mac OSX reigns here ;-)

Mac OSX does a pretty damn good job at making the Unix envirement easy. With OSX you get the best of both worlds. The ease of use of Windows with the security & stability of Unix/BSD.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • (I know it's just an image and also not the point at all, but it really bugs me that the two halves of the necklace don't really fit together... 😅)
    • It is the same everywhere. Gitlab's boss recently had a lengthily blog post about the future of AI in the company and in general. The usual drum beating. When I saw it I checked their stock prices - close to 50% down.
    • Cloud Security Fundamentals eBook —was $131.95, now free to download by Steven Parker Claim your complimentary copy (worth $131.95) of "Cloud Security Fundamentals: Building the Foundations for Secure Cloud Platforms" for free, before the offer ends on July 1. Description In Cloud Security Fundamentals: Building the Foundations for Secure Cloud Platforms, cybersecurity leader and educator, Jason Edwards, delivers a comprehensive guide to safeguarding data, applications, and infrastructure in the cloud. The author offers a complete walkthrough of cloud security, moving from foundational concepts to advanced, forward-looking practices. The book is filled with practical examples, hands-on guidance, and lessons drawn from real-world cloud security incidents and breaches. It equips readers with the tools and knowledge they need to defend against threats in cloud environments and how to understand coming developments in cloud technology that will impact organizations in all industries. Inside the book: A thorough introduction to cloud-native and advanced security practices for contemporary firms A chapter on relevant cloud security certifications and professional growth advice Practical discussions of foundational concepts in cloud security, including IAM, Zero Trust, and DevSecOps Complete treatments of advanced cloud security themes, like leadership strategies, operational best practices, and techniques for dealing with common and emerging threats Perfect for cloud security professionals, IT managers, and DevOps professionals, Cloud Security Fundamentals will also benefit system administrators, compliance and risk officers, consultants, auditors, and technology students in a variety of fields who require a foundational understanding of cloud security concepts. How to download for free Please ensure you read the terms and conditions to claim this offer. Complete and verifiable information is required in order to receive this free offer. If you have previously made use of these offers, you will not need to re-register. Was $131.95, but is now FREE | Below link offer expires on July 1. Cloud Security Fundamentals: Building the Foundations for Secure Cloud Platforms The below offers are also available for free in exchange for your (work) email: The Vibe Coding Playbook: Building Your Tech Business with AI ($35 Value) FREE - Expires 6/23 The Persuasion Engine: How Any Business Can Use AI-Powered Neuromarketing to Understand and Win Customers ($28 Value) FREE - Expires 6/24 How to Do More with Less: Future-Proofing Yourself in an AI-driven Economy ($28 Value) FREE - Expires 6/30 Cloud Security Fundamentals: Building the Foundations for Secure Cloud Platforms ($131.95 Value) FREE - Expires 7/1 The Complete Free AI Learning: Master ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini & More ($21 Value) FREE How to Build an AI Design Workflow with Gamma ($21 Value) FREE The Ultimate Linux Newbie Guide – Featured Free content Python Notes for Professionals – Featured Free content Learn Linux in 5 Days – Featured Free content Quick Reference Guide for Cybersecurity – Featured Free content We post these because we earn commission on each lead so as not to rely solely on advertising, which many of our readers block. It all helps toward paying staff reporters, servers and hosting costs. Other ways to support Neowin The above deal not doing it for you, but still want to help? Check out the links below. Check out our partner software in the Neowin Store Buy a T-shirt at Neowin's Threadsquad Subscribe to Neowin - for $14 a year, or $28 a year for an ad-free experience Disclosure: An account at Neowin Deals is required to participate in any deals powered by our affiliate, StackCommerce. For a full description of StackCommerce's privacy guidelines, go here. Neowin benefits from shared revenue of each sale made through the branded deals site.
    • TerraMaster F4-425 Pro review: an octa-core Intel NAS that ships with AI (OpenClaw) by Steven Parker It has been a while since I reviewed a TerraMaster NAS, but the company reached out to me asking if I was willing to test the F4-425 Pro, which goes on sale today. It is an upgrade on the F4-425 Plus, which I reviewed back in October 2025 What you need to know is that it basically follows the design principles of the four-bay F4-425 series, with its all-metal exterior. Here are the most important specifications: TerraMaster F4-425 Pro CPU Intel Core N350 (8x E Cores/Threads, Max burst up to 3.9 GHz) Intel Core N305 (4x E Cores/Threads, Max burst up to 3.8 GHz) TDP: 7W / 9W (Base) Graphics Intel UHD Graphics 32 EUs (1.35 GHz) Intel UHD Graphics 24 EUs (1.25 GHz) Memory 1x slot 16 GB DDR5 4800MT/s non ECC SODIMM (Max 32 GB) 1x slot 8 GB DDR5 4800MT/s non ECC SODIMM (Max 32 GB) Disk Capacity 120 TB (30 TB x 4) Supported RAID Types TRAID, TRAID +, RAID0, RAID1, RAID5, RAID 6, RAID 10 Network 2x RJ-45 5 GbE Internal storage 3x M.2 2280 NVMe Slot (PCIe 3.0 x1) Bootloader 2Gbit 256 GB NAND Flash card (MX30LF2G28AD) USB port (internal) USB Ports 1x Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) 3x Type-A 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) HDMI 1x (HDMI) Hardware Transcoding Engine H.264, H.265, MPEG-4, VC-1 Maximum resolution: 4K (4096 x 2160); Maximum FPS: 60 Size (H/W/D) 219 x 181 x 150 mm Weight 2.9 kg System Fan 150 x181 x 219 mm Power 90W, 100V - 240V AC, 50/60 Hz, Single frequency Power consumption (HDDs) 45W (4x 4TB ST4000VN008 in read/write state) 14W (4x 4TB ST4000VN008 in hibernation) Noise Level: 20.9 dB(A) Using 4 SATA HDDs/SSDs in standby mode; Test environment noise: 17.3dB(A); Test distance: 1m Warranty 2 Years OS TOS 7.0.0706 (Beta) MSRP £639.99, $699.99, €739.99 / £739.99, $799.99, €839.99 As you can see above, there are two variants of the F4-425 Pro releasing today. The lesser variant has the slightly weaker N305 CPU and iGP, and 8 GB less RAM, although it also costs $100 less than the top variant we are testing today. In addition, these new F4-425 Pros are shipped with the as-yet-unreleased TOS 7 beta. So what is TOS 7 exactly? During the device initialization, you are warned not to use it in a production environment, which we'll get into later. My contact told me that TOS 7 exits beta today, June 23 with version 7.0.0746. The clear difference with the F4-425 Plus is that it contains the more powerful N350 Intel CPU released in the first quarter of 2025, with support for DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.1, LPDDR5 (4800), DDR5 and DDR4, and a max TDP of just 7W. It also supports AV1 decoding, as well as H.264, VP8, VP9, H.265 (8 bit), and H.265 (10 bit). The different capabilities in the Alder Lake-N (and Twin Lake) series are listed below. Processor E-cores L3-cache Turbo clock GPU GPU-clock TDP Intel N355 8 6 MB 3.9 GHz 32 EUs 1.35 GHz 9 W Intel Core 3 N350 3.9 GHz 1.35 GHz 7 W Intel Core i3-N305 3.8 GHz 1.25 GHz 9 W Intel Core i3-N300 3.8 GHz 1.25 GHz Intel N250 4 3.8 GHz 1.25 GHz 6 W Intel Processor N200 3.7 GHz 0.75 GHz Intel N150 3.6 GHz 24 EUs 1 GHz Intel N97 1.2 GHz 12 W Intel Processor N100 3.4 GHz 0.75 GHz 6 W The CPU is part of the Alder Lake-N series that sits just below the top N355 offering, albeit with an impressive TDP (less than the N355 and N305) for the features it offers. It is designed for low- powered systems and entry-level laptops. As before, we are seeing another NAS with an acceptable, if not great, amount of RAM. It should be noted that the F4-425 Pro only has one SODIMM slot, so if you are planning to upgrade the already 16GB included in this NAS, it will have to be on one module of Single Rank DDR5. As a reminder, up until a couple of years ago, it was commonplace to only get 2 or 4GB max on a flagship Synology or QNAP home NAS. Ever since the likes of TerraMaster and more have entered the market with ample RAM sizes included in their NAS offerings, it has gone a long way in forcing the hands of the traditional makers to up their game a bit. Before we dive in, you can view the different SKUs released so far since the 2025 series launched for Home and SMB users, with the most important specifications listed along with the MSRP listed below: SKU CPU Cores Memory Link Price F2-425 Intel N5095 4 4 GB DDR4 2.5 GbE x1 $249.99 F4-425 Intel N5095 4 4 GB DDR4 2.5 GbE x1 $369.99 F2-425 Plus Intel Core N150 4 8 GB DDR5 5 GbE x 2 $399.99 F4-425 Plus Intel Core N150 4 16 GB DDR5 5 GbE x 2 $569.99 F4-425 Pro Intel Core N305 8 8 GB DDR5 5 GbE x 2 $699.99 F4-425 Pro Intel Core N350 8 16 GB DDR5 5 GbE x 2 $799.99 The F2 in the product name means two 3.5-inch HDD bays, where F4 is four 2.5-inch bays. First impressions Like with the F8 SSD Plus packaging, the F4-425 Pro is using the upgraded box materials, which certainly look better than a plain cream colored box with TERRAMASTER stamped on the sides. The box gives off a premium feel and certainly adds a positive vibe to first impressions. In the box F4-425 Pro TNAS device Power adapter LAN cable (CAT 6) Quick guide [full online guide] Limited warranty notice Screws (for HDD bays) Stickers 2x rubber feet (spares) Design As has become kind of common with TerraMaster, certainly in the last three years, the 2025 F2- and F4-series have received a makeover that really adds to the premium feel of the NAS. Gone are the plastic shells, now replaced with an aluminum outer shell, with the front and back retaining the textured black plastic we saw on the 2024 models. Some key differences from the 2024 series include placing the power button back on the front, along with the addition of a Type A USB port. It's not much bigger or heavier either; in fact, it weighs 500 grams less than the F4-424 Pro. It's slightly shorter in height and depth (length), but only by a few millimeters. The front and back do retain a similar style to the 2024 series. On the front, you just have your four bays along with LED indicators for the HDDs and power. The welcomed change is having a USB port on the front for quick access, should you need to back up a USB drive, for example. Around the back, from top to bottom, you have a reset pin hole, an HDMI port, two 5 GbE Ethernet ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type A ports with a Type-C port below them, and a connector for the barrel port power source. Again, there's no Kensington Security Slot present, which is a bit of a shame considering it's a data storage device. Left side Right side On the left and right of the F4-425 Plus, it is completely smooth aluminum with a TERRAMASTER logo printed on both sides. On the bottom, there are some holes to assist ventilation. Unlike with the F4-425 Plus, the rubber feet did come unstuck during the teardown, which was also an issue on the 2023 series. It seems like other customers have lodged complaints about them, as TerraMaster now includes two spare rubber feet in the box, in case any of the preinstalled ones are lost; however, this seems more like a papering over the cracks solution rather than actually fixing the issue with better quality rubber stand-offs. There are also four screws that must be removed in order to access the internals. Teardown Upon removing the four screws, you can slide the device out of its shell to reveal the three NVMe M.2 slots (PCIe 3.0 X1) and single SODIMM slot connector, which is populated with a single 16GB DDR5 4800MT/s module. I added a couple of MP44Q M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSDs (2 x 4TB) that can be availed on Amazon for $492.99 that TEAMGROUP supplied us with, along with a 250GB 970 Evo Plus that my colleague Chris White sent me by accident and let me keep a few years ago. As I have said in previous reviews, TerraMaster support staff actually encourage installing whatever you want on their devices, and happily, the USB port for the bootloader is now easily accessible should you want to use it for your own flavor of NAS OS, such as TrueNAS, Unraid, or maybe Xpenology. Yes, because TerraMaster has now switched to a 256 GB NAND Flash card (3rd photo above) for the TOS bootloader. This is also replaceable, but you can also simply add a USB bootloader, access the BIOS, and tell the F4-425 Pro to boot from that instead of the Flash card. Unlike earlier iterations of TerraMaster NAS, you don't have to tear this down any further than the four screws on the outer shell in order to be able to access and manage the memory, NVMe slots, and USB bootloader. However, if you need to access the NAND Flash card or CMOS battery, then eight more screws (four on each side) need to be removed in order to take off the rear panel with the 120mm fan, and then the motherboard can be lifted off and removed from the SATA connector PCB. There's also no risk of threading the screw holes, because the four that hold the shell in place are metal on metal, while the screws that hold the rear panel on do screw into plastic. Either way, like last time when I reviewed the F4-425 plus, I was just happier to see larger screws being used. Overall, it follows some great improvements in build quality from the 2024 series and earlier. Setup BIOS The F4-425 Pro includes an Aptio BIOS from American Megatrends [1, 2], and you can setup pretty much everything here including the boot order, which is locked to the UEFI OS, however above that choice you can enable or disable booting to the USB bootloader so this would still allow you to switch to a USB stick with an alternative bootloader and boot from it, or disable it to instead always start from the first disk with an OS installed on it. Initial Setup Setup is roughly the same as the F4-425 Plus, along with the new TOS 7 setup dialogs, so there will be no surprises here. Upon connecting to the LAN and booting up, the F4-425 Pro can be reached by navigating to http://tnas.local. If that doesn't work, you can use the local address assigned via DHCP, which you can find using the TNAS PC desktop application, which is essentially a TerraMaster NAS finder. The setup process is pretty straightforward, through a wizard, and in full below: TOS 7 Initialization As you can see, TOS 7 received a new coat of paint, and the initialization requires fewer interactions. Happily, TOS no longer decides to throw all disks into the same Storage Pool; 2.5-inch HDDs are allocated into Storage Pool 1. This is because two of the HDDs are allocated to hold system files. Previously (with TOS 5 and 6), if you pre-installed HDDs and SSDs, they were all placed into Storage Pool 1, even if you did not select the SSDs for inclusion during the onboarding. TOS 7 Setup On first boot, there is a tutorial and some steps to take to harden the TNAS (or not), which includes an immediate update from TOS 7.0.0616 to 7.0.0706, of which the changelog screenshot is also included in the above gallery. It must be noted that the Security Advisor still contains (in my opinion) a pretty major bug in that if you enable SPC and then do the required rebooting, the Security Advisor still says that SPC is disabled. TerraMaster provided the following statement about it: It is disappointing that TOS 7 has been in beta since December, and this OOBE issue is still there. Shutdown option has moved Instead of a Taskbar option to manage the NAS, all of these options have been moved to a "Start panel", initially I didn't see it and my contact had to show me how to power off the F4-425 Pro. To logout, reboot or power off you can find those controls at the top right of the Panel. It is also possible to power off through the TNAS mobile app beta. Storage setup Above, you can see the steps I took to create the Storage Pools and Volumes. I made a second Storage Pool using TRAID on two 4TB MP44Q SSDs (which, in this instance, is similar to RAID 5), and finally, I added the 250GB 970 Evo Plus drive as Hyper Cache on Storage Pool 1 in Balanced mode. Registering If you decide not to lock down the F4-425 Pro in Security Isolation Mode (blocking all external connections), then you could set up a TNAS device ID through the Remote Access setting in the Control Panel (which must be unique). This works in combination with an online TerraMaster account. TOS 7 TNAS Online Creating a TerraMaster account and linking the device online activates the warranty when you provide proof of purchase and the serial number, but it also gives you access through the TNAS mobile app, which allows you to complete certain operationsб including powering off and restarting the NAS remotely. A TNAS mobile update is required to gain access through TOS 7, and this is provided on the TerraMaster website, as it is not yet on Google Play. The app is evolving all the time and has made leaps and bounds since I first started reviewing TerraMaster devices almost three years ago. It is not quite there yet if you are comparing the likes of Synology, which, sadly, a lot of users online do all the time. OpenClaw setup One of the main selling points of the new F4-425 Pro is the inclusion of OpenClaw, with TerraMaster claiming that it is "powered by the world's first AI-native TOS 7 OS, supporting local-first smart workflows and independent data control." However, I immediately ran into problems trying to enable OpenClaw. After waiting 20 minutes at the "Enabling" message of the OpenClaw app following installation, I decided to do some searching online and discovered that it couldn't complete the installation process due to SPC being enabled, which is something TOS 7 immediately recommends to be enabled on first boot. SPC for NAS (TOS 7) is basically the same principle as UAC in Windows; it blocks executables from being launched by non-Super Users. After reaching out to my contact about these issues, I received the following response: Anyway, this only became clear when I closed the OpenClaw app screen and clicked on the OpenClaw icon in the taskbar; that is when I saw the message about disabling SPC. I think, due to the fact that this is a requirement, this should be a prompt during the installation process, not when closing the App Market and then trying to launch OpenClaw. There's also no 'Getting started' guide for people like me who have never used OpenClaw. I tried to add an LLM and discovered the tutorial led nowhere. That's when I started looking around the official TerraMaster forums, and I found a guide that helpfully explains that you won't get anywhere with OpenClaw unless you have a paid plan, which is disappointing because I imagined there would be an option to use a local LLM as I do in SubtitleEdit with Whisper-XXL. In addition, with the marketing imagery on the official site, it says that the OpenClaw feature is "all processed 100% locally for absolute privacy." which led me to believe that I could install a local LLM, not one that required paid tokens. In any case, TerraMaster does not provide guidance for this new feature, which was also a selling point of the F4-425 Pro! My contact also provided clarification about the above points I raised with TerraMaster Since it is not in the scope of the review to add paid services, I'll leave that to the people who are more qualified with OpenClaw. F4-425 Pro Surveillance App TOS also comes with a Surveillance app, which is not installed by default; it can be found in the App Market recommended section. In addition, after installing, it doesn't drop a shortcut on the Desktop or top taskbar, but you can "Send to Desktop" from the App Market listing for the app for a quick way to open it. Adding my Reolink POE doorbell camera was painless. TerraMaster doesn't appear to have a repository of preconfigured cameras; instead, the camera must be added using ONVIF or RTSP. No mobile Surveillance app TerraMaster still doesn't have a dedicated Surveillance app, although from searching online, Surveillance can be used and managed through the TNAS mobile app. I tried this with the updated TNAS mobile app beta in combination with TOS 7 and got a message that Surveillance was "Only accessible through web browser," so I reckon this must be limited to the stable versions of TOS 6 and the mobile app. More quirks In addition, whenever I minimized the Live View window in the browser Surveillance app, the feed appeared to switch to the Low-bandwidth stream, and there was no way to get the High-quality stream back. To get the High-quality stream back, I had to close Live View and then reopen it. Benchmarking A pretty cool feature of the TOS 7 is that it allows you to install directly to the NVMe M.2 SSD. In order to do that, you would have to leave out any HDDs during initialization, and even then, the system partitions are always written to two HDDs when they are eventually added. With three NVMe slots, this also gives an interesting scenario where you could build a TRAID storage Pool for installing all your apps and Docker on, and keep the third for SSD cache on the HDD pool. Limitless options! SATA PCIe 3.0 X1 A CrystalDiskMark test on a mapped network drive from within a Windows 11 25H2 PC (image above) connected over a 5 GbE hub was well within acceptable ranges. Although the read result on SATA was a little less than with the F4-425 Plus, for some reason, while writes were generally better. SATA PCIe 3.0 X1 I also ran the NAS Performance tester, which tests the link speed performance. As you can see, it pretty much maxes out the 5GbE connection. Of course, you can also opt to bond the two 5 GbE connections for a bit more umph, but I didn't do that. TOS 7, which, as of testing, is still in Beta, comes with an App Center that has a bunch of handy programs you can install right off the bat, such as Emby, Plex, Docker, as well as in-house Backup and Surveillance solutions. As you can imagine, any media streaming services you would want to host off the F4-425 Pro will work great, thanks to the Intel Core N350 CPU and its 16 GB of DDR5 memory. Accessing from mobile is only possible if Security Isolation Mode is disabled, which can put your NAS at risk from external sources, so there was no way to access it from the TNAS Mobile app. It's also quiet. I had this sat next to my computer on my work desk for the past week, and I did wonder if the noise I was accustomed to with NAS devices would annoy me, but all I could hear was a soft whirring of the rear fan (which was a little annoying) when the disks were not actively copying or reading data. Conclusion So what have I learned? Unfortunately, this release raises a few important questions and concerns that I feel haven't been adequately addressed. What I didn't like Our variant shipped with TOS 7 beta, and it's advised not to use it in a production environment. I feel that's a bit limiting on an $800 device. The mobile app is also still in beta and does not support some of the first-party apps, like Surveillance, and it still has quite a few bugs. I am a bit confused about the OpenClaw marketing along with the F4-425 Pro. I feel like that if it's going to be a main selling point, then offer official guidance on how to get started with it. TerraMaster recommends enabling SPC, but then markets the NAS for use with OpenClaw, which requires disabling SPC to be able to use it, opening up genuine security concerns for the NAS; and that's before you get into the security concerns of OpenClaw itself. Of course, the above issues won't be a problem if you decide to install something else on it, or even go back to the stable TOS 6. I wish TerraMaster had just given TOS 7 as opt-in rather than shipping with it. TOS 7 has been available as a preview since December 2025 (so well before my last TerraMaster review), and according to a thread on Reddit where a user shared a screenshot from the TerraMaster Facebook page, it is scheduled to launch today, June 23, but there's nothing about that in the TerraMaster news blog. My contact confirmed over email that TOS 7 exits beta today. The rubber feet also deserve a mention as they continue to be a problem, with them coming unstuck the moment you shift the F4-425 Pro anywhere on your desk. What I liked What it comes down to, though, aside from what I already mentioned, you are still getting a quality, affordable device here, so recommending it will depend on the individual's use case. If you're just looking for a relatively small NAS device to manage virtual machines on, backup your files, and take care of your home theater streaming, then it is a great device that will certainly futureproof you for some time. It provides good performance, takes up little space, and is, on the whole, very quiet. Four bays afford proper redundancy using TRAID or RAID 5, and you can even expand on storage capacity by adding the 2-bay D5, or 4-bay D8 Hybrid DAS over a USB 3.2 (10Gbps) link. Considering the 2024 releases were more about power, with the likes of an Intel Core i5-1235U high-end laptop CPU under the hood, I asked my contact last time if we could expect more of the same in higher-end models and was told: It makes a lot of sense to use Intel's N350 chip inside a NAS; it is more than capable of doing what the F4-425 Pro is intended for, media streaming and backup. The only downside is still the clear lack of community and even staff support on the official forums. In the past, I have had topics go unanswered for days, or there would be generic-type "we've noted this and passed it onto our developer team" type responses. Along with the other things I mentioned, it all ends up costing it a couple of points. If you are comfortable with the command line, Docker, and setting up TrueNAS or Unraid, you'll be fine. You can do great things with this hardware. In TOS, the apps are a bit lacking, and things don't always work as expected.\ AI NAS?! What has become clear to me this year is that we are going to start seeing all kinds of "AI NAS" come to market, and while that might be good for us consumers, be diligent and research these claims. Although the F4-425 Pro technically comes with AI, it is really using a cloud service that is externally sourced off-device through the third party OpenClaw app. My colleague did review a newcomer to the NAS space earlier this year, and it includes a local AI assistant inside the Zettlab D4 NAS, and they do not even use AI in the product name, check out Chris' review here. Where to buy and a discount coupon However, it does not change the fact that this is truly a great entry-level home media-class NAS that you can buy right now. TerraMaster is having a 20% off launch discount, plus you can also still apply our unique 10% off coupon on checkout, which only works on the official website. So here is a breakdown of the pricing that is only valid on the official TerraMaster website. TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N350) + 20% discount + 10% coupon = $575.99 TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N305) + 20% discount + 10% coupon = $503.99 TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N350) + 20% discount + 10% coupon = £525.59 TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N305) + 20% discount + 10% coupon = £460.79 Use NEOWIN coupon code during checkout for 10% discount Over on Amazon US and UK, the F4-425 Pro also gets a 20% launch discount, but here, the above 10% coupon cannot be applied. TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N350) for $639.99 at Amazon US (was $799.99) TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N305) for $559.99 at Amazon US (was $699.99) TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N350) for £583.99 at Amazon UK (was £729.99) TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N305) for £511.99 at Amazon UK (was £639.99) As an Amazon Associate, when you purchase through links on our site, we earn from qualifying purchases.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Rookie
      DaviKar went up a rank
      Rookie
    • Dedicated
      HidekoYamamoto94 earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • One Month Later
      timbobit earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Month Later
      nates earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Almohandis earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      461
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      161
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      112
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      85
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      70
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!