Linux Mint

[hector]

Do any of you use the Linux operating system?

I am currently on Windows 10,but am on a metered internet system with a 30gb limit each month...
Windows 10 has updates every single day, and quite frankly it is beginning to piss me right off..

I have heard things about Linux Mint, so was just wondering if it is worth using it....

Thoughts please..

[Ratscoot]

Do any of you use the Linux operating system?

I am currently on Windows 10,but am on a metered internet system with a 30gb limit each month...
Windows 10 has updates every single day, and quite frankly it is beginning to piss me right off..

I have heard things about Linux Mint, so was just wondering if it is worth using it....

Thoughts please..

I prefer Galaxy but got to say at Christmas you can’t beat an After Eight

[1964white]

Trebor mints for me

[hector]

It's hard to soar with the eagles when you are surrounded by turkeys...

[hector]

Now that the plebery have had their fun..... I'll wait for the edumacated ones to comment....

[Sara]

Apple.

[whiteswan]

Now that the plebery have had their fun..... I'll wait for the edumacated ones to comment....

Mr Swan will help you with this hector......am I allowed to let him post on here? If so, I'll hand over to him

[HarryofOz]

Oh I thought this was a thread about yet another player we hadn't signed.

[hector]

Good grief...... the only sensible answer is from the Mukky Dukky..

Yes please Dukky, let him help me.....

[1964white]

Now that the plebery have had their fun..... I'll wait for the edumacated ones to comment....

The calvary is on the way, trust me Hector

[whiteswan]

Hector....here is Mr Swans advice. He worked for BT for 35 years in the development lab and was chief tester for broadband. It was only released to the public on Mr Swans say so, when he couldn't break it any more.....handing over.....

Hi, I stopped using Windows for personal use around 10 years ago, and once I left BT, have had no real use for it. With Mint, you get a system that installs pretty much everything that you needed in one go, from all the system stuff, to the programs you are most likely to need. If you do not have a business need to be on windows, mint will do the job. Rather than using MS Office, you get Libre Office, for free (none of the Office 360 annual charges) and is fully compatible with MS Office documents. There is also the Chromium browser, which is the Linux equivalent of Google Chrome, and a Skype app, etc, etc, all free! The desktop itself is very much in the Win XP mould - just has the stuff you want and not all the totally unnecessary crap that Win10 has, gobbling up memory and processor. As for installing / trying it, you can download a version on to a CD rom, or memory stick, and just boot from it, although that tends to be a really slow introduction. When you install, you can set the machine to "dual boot", so you then choose between Mint or Windows, which us probably best to start with, if you have plenty of disk space. Personally, I added a SSD to my machine, installed Mint on there, and then store files on the regular HDD, so everything boots in the twinkling of an eye. If you have an old PC kicking about, worth putting Mint on to there and having a play, as it will run faster than Win10 on a new pc. The down side is that some stuff is still "a bit geeky", requiring command line changes, but there are tons of free resources out there to help.

Or you could pay £1,000 and go down the Apple route... (which is founded on UNIX, so essentially the same :-) )

[whiteswan]

Mr Swan again... just thought, a couple of years ago, a friend was complaining continuously about her pc being slow, I put Mint on, and she has not had any problems since - I don't even think she knows she is not using Windows! Simply has a box with a screen that does browsing, email, documents, spreadsheets, Skype, messenger, etc

[rich_leeds64]

Mr Swan again... just thought, a couple of years ago, a friend was complaining continuously about her pc being slow, I put Mint on, and she has not had any problems since - I don't even think she knows she is not using Windows! Simply has a box with a screen that does browsing, email, documents, spreadsheets, Skype, messenger, etc

I’ve been at BT for 31.5 years and counting, I take it that Mr Swan worked at Martlesham with all the brains in the R&D department

[hector]

Thank you Mr Ducky, I have downloaded the iso and stuck it on a memory stick, in the next few days I will install it to as a secondary op system until I get used to it, as I still have to write my work reports using word,and more importantly my invoice to work is in excel, so will give it a go in tandem, and I am sure that Linux now has programs to do the same job as windows programs, like the very useful snipping tool, and the windows 10 mail client.

Thank you for the advice,.

[whiteswan]

Good grief...... the only sensible answer is from the Mukky Dukky..

Cheeky

QWhack!

[whiteswan]

Thank you Mr Ducky, I have downloaded the iso and stuck it on a memory stick, in the next few days I will install it to as a secondary op system until I get used to it, as I still have to write my work reports using word,and more importantly my invoice to work is in excel, so will give it a go in tandem, and I am sure that Linux now has programs to do the same job as windows programs, like the very useful snipping tool, and the windows 10 mail client.

Thank you for the advice,.

You're welcome. If you get stuck, contact the duck, and I'll come quacking...

Libreoffice defaults to the "Open Document Format", but it can also save as .docx / .xlsx / .etc. I sometimes find that formatting can go a bit weird from Word to Writer (Libre's equivalent to Word), but the Excel equivalent (Calc) have never had a problem, and I use some quite meaty formulas from time to time. One thing that is nice, is the programs simply have a button that does "export as pdf", so really useful for sending out an invoice, as the recipient can not then edit it... Make sure you run Libreoffice v6, as it has a nicer look and feel than v5.

For email client, use Mozilla Thunderbird - miles better than anything MS has ever come up with (and runs on Windows as well). Really good if you have more than one email account (I am using 9 different ones) mixing gmail accounts and ISP type accounts, as it has a "Unified inbox" where all incoming emails are in the same place, rather spread across multiple boxes.

KSnapshot does the "snipping", just start it, draw a box around what you want to copy off the screen, and click, then paste into a doc, or save as any of the normal image types.

As with anything, it will be frustrating at times, but well worth persevering with: Much like supporting LUFC

[whiteswan]

I’ve been at BT for 31.5 years and counting, I take it that Mr Swan worked at Martlesham with all the brains in the R&D department

Yes I did - I ran the Broadband test lab there for 9 years - from whiteboard concept to 13m customers, which was quite satisfying. Then went to be lead network designer for Barclays, then designer for the worldwide network of a global agri-chemical and seed producer (apart from Japan for some reason, that was never explained to me... ) I now climb trees.

[BGwhite]

I'm sure within 16 years most people will get the hang of it

Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk

[whiteswan]

You're welcome. If you get stuck, contact the duck, and I'll come quacking...

he thinks he's so funny

Guess who's sleeping in the spare room tonight!

[whiteswan]

I'm sure within 16 years most people will get the hang of it

Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk