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colinrmitchell

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I run FreeBSD on my main desktop at home, as well as my home server which does web, email, music, video, and file serving. I also run FreeBSD on several old desktops hooked to TVs for watching videos and listening to music stored on the server, as well as playing DVDs.

I use Xfce4 as the desktop environment with Xmonad as the window manager.

I run Xubuntu on my and my girlfriend's laptops since there is not yet a driver for the wireless cards for FreeBSD.

I used Linux for a couple of years but found it buggy, with updates breaking things from time to time. The FreeBSD kernel and built-in userland seems much more stable. Some of the third-party programs can be buggy, but generally they seem to be more stable than the programs in, say, the Ubuntu repositories.

I also find the set-up and configuration of FreeBSD to be a little more simple and intuitive than Linux. I like how simple it is to configure, build and install software from source in FreeBSD, which tends to make things work the first time more often than installing from binaries.

I've installed Xubuntu on my father's personal laptop and he seems to be doing fine with it, despite being an ignorant old man. Linux isn't for everybody; some things must be done manually. If you like to learn and tweak, though, it could turn out to be a lot of fun.

Also, the only game I play is Doom, so the lack of blockbluster games doesn't bother me.
 


shane96ranger

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I run FreeBSD on my main desktop at home, as well as my home server which does web, email, music, video, and file serving. I also run FreeBSD on several old desktops hooked to TVs for watching videos and listening to music stored on the server, as well as playing DVDs.

I use Xfce4 as the desktop environment with Xmonad as the window manager.

I run Xubuntu on my and my girlfriend's laptops since there is not yet a driver for the wireless cards for FreeBSD.

I used Linux for a couple of years but found it buggy, with updates breaking things from time to time. The FreeBSD kernel and built-in userland seems much more stable. Some of the third-party programs can be buggy, but generally they seem to be more stable than the programs in, say, the Ubuntu repositories.

I also find the set-up and configuration of FreeBSD to be a little more simple and intuitive than Linux. I like how simple it is to configure, build and install software from source in FreeBSD, which tends to make things work the first time more often than installing from binaries.

I've installed Xubuntu on my father's personal laptop and he seems to be doing fine with it, despite being an ignorant old man. Linux isn't for everybody; some things must be done manually. If you like to learn and tweak, though, it could turn out to be a lot of fun.

Also, the only game I play is Doom, so the lack of blockbluster games doesn't bother me.
FreeBSD.... I used to have a version of that about 11-12 years ago. I thought it ran rather nicely (rock solid stability).

IIRC, BSD stands for Berkley Software Development, right?
 

Black_Splash

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I've ran Ubuntu before but my wife doesn't like it. I gotta keep here happy. But, we both have Android phones which is built on Linux.
 

colinrmitchell

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FreeBSD.... I used to have a version of that about 11-12 years ago. I thought it ran rather nicely (rock solid stability).

IIRC, BSD stands for Berkley Software Development, right?
I think that the 'D' stand for 'Distribution'?

Yes, it does seem to run faster and more stable than Linux, but I don't have any benchmarks or hard evidence, so it could just be my ego. :icon_twisted:

It is also much less n00b-friendly (I wouldn't go straight from Windows to FreeBSD as a casual user of hobbyist). It took me over a weekend to figure out how to install a graphical user environment. However, there is something called PC-BSD which has a base of FreeBSD with a graphical installer, and lets you pick your desktop environment and other packages that you want at install-time. Make getting a useable dekstop system much easier.

I installed it on an old Pentium 4 with 512MB of RAM, and it plays DVDs and music great in the living room. No use throwing out good hardware, right?

FreeBSD also has a Linux emulation layer, so if you can't get software source to compile under FreeBSD, you can run the native Linux binaries.

For example, I run a game called Skulltag, which is an enhancement based on the source code of the game Doom. They only have Windows and Linux binaries, and do not release the source code (apparently, to prevent online cheating). I can run the native Linux binaries for the game in FreeBSD, and I swear that it runs faster than it did under Ubuntu.
 

hoosier1104

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Who is upgrading to 12.04 LTS? I have downloaded the iso file already but I have to go to work.
 

swynx

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i gave a persuasive speech on why to run ubuntu last semester in college, most of the class had never heard of it, and they were truly amazed by all the cool tricks it could do. most of them cared about the eye candy stuff. but some of the ppl thought the way things were done was pretty cool. it has its advantages over windows, but also defaults.

for me its easier to run windows 7 and ubuntu dual boot. i play some games on my computer, its just easier to play them on windows, and do mostly everything internet related on ubuntu, that way i dont get viruses. blah blah. and windows 7 is a ram hog, ubuntu is not.

for ppl like my mom who go click happy and just do the sims online or whatever she does on tagged or facebook, ubuntu is great. she cant download half the crap out there, and she knows it so she doesnt even try.

i had 11.04/11.10 on my comp and kept having wireless issues, and graphics card issues (ati card) as did alot of people. so i took it off, 12.04 is supposed to be alot better with all the problems resolved. i myself did not like the new dock setup in 11.xx and there continueing it in 12.xx so i think ill make a disk for 12.xx as i do for every new ubuntu release. probably try it, but i probably wont like it.

on 11.xx i had to have so many docklets and desklets open just to make it feel right that it was crowded. all in all i love ubuntu and if installing stuff was simpler like windows and more compatible it would be great.
 

backwoods

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I dual boot mint/win7 on my work machine. Gotta have win7 for CAD, there is no good linux cad software as of yet.

Working with AOSP is just a ton easier in linux distros than in windows. I run puppee on my netbook. Took a while to get it where I wanted, but now it works great.

I run/maintain a dozen servers at different offices for a couple companies. Some run linux based, some are windows based. A couple locations are a mix. Keeps me busy!
 

83Ranger4wd

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Im running ubuntu on my toshiba satellite, got it for free because it would not boot vista anymore lol.
Use it everyday, just for browsing the internet though.
 

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I tri boot winxp win7 x64 and Ubuntu x64. XP is for 1 program I still use from 2003, win 7 is for games. And Ubuntu is for everything else. I have a couple of p4 think centre computers serving up stuff network stuff running Ubuntu also.
I dual boot my net book for the same reasons xp and xUbuntu.
 

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"Ubuntu" is an African word that means "Can't figure out how to configure Debian".

I run NetBSD-Unix on my server (HP Proliant DL360 gen 3), and Debian on my radio-interface box (Linux does AX25 ham radio stuff better than Unix).

Neither of them have the graphics capability to be a daily desktop though, so I have another machine running Win XP.

Spott
 

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I love mint. By far my favourite Linux distro.

Don't currently run it on my laptop. Never got around to installing it yet.

Old one its all I ran. Wiped out all traces of windows the second I got it home lol. That was back when they came with vista....
 

97RangerXLT

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*puts defibrillator paddles away*

Now that this thread has been revived..

I am taking an online course on intro to Linux through edX that is offered by the Linux Foundation.

I have played with several variations of Linux in the past 17 years or so, Mandrake 8.0 was the first one that I played with, I had it set up for a dual boot with windows 98 back in 1998 or 1999. I have also played with several different versions of Ubuntu over the years, a little bit with SuSE, Mint, Freespire and a few others.

Mandrake was the hardest as I had to do a lot of manual tweaking to get it to dual boot with windows. all of the others were pretty much load the disk and follow instructions. I never did another dual boot, as I always had a second computer to play with. I did put one of the versions of Ubuntu on a USB stick and can boot from the USB stick. that was kind of nice since right now my second computer is about 10 years old.. so with the usb stick I can boot up and run on my main computer which is only 5 years old :) (yeah yeah, need to upgrade...)

The one thing that I did not do much of was command line stuff or nuts and bolts tweaks with linux. This is what I am hoping to learn from this class, and this should help my current job as I need to do some command line stuff.

With this Online class, I am dragging the 10 year old computer out of mothballs and will wipe it and load CentOS 7 Linux on it for use as a lab machine.

AJ
 

veefer800canuck

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You don't NEED to "pirate keys" on most Dell computers unless you are tryng to run a higher operating system than it was built for...

a Dell Built with XP (and version) will accept ANY Dell XP reinstallation disc and never ask you for a key and will activate automatically.

a Dell built for Vista will similarly accept any edition of Vista off of a DELL Reinstallation disc but will also accept Dell XP reinstalls.

[snip]
Thread detour from the Linux stuff, but I have used Dell OEM XP CDs and also Win7 OEM DVDs to clean install on other brand computers, IBM, Compaq, Emachines, scratch built computers etc, and gotten it authorized.

Some/most Dells will automatically activate, but for those that don't, and the other brand computers, I simply input the original installation key from the PC that the disc was paired with, and when it is rejected, call the Microsoft 1-800 number, go through the automated activation process via voice prompt system, enter a string of digits as directed by the system, and Voila! Activation successful.

Of course, when the auto system asks "how many computers is this operating system currently installed on?" You have to give the CORRECT answer.

And that correct answer is always ONE.
 

97RangerXLT

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*puts defibrillator paddles away*

Now that this thread has been revived..

I am taking an online course on intro to Linux through edX that is offered by the Linux Foundation.

I have played with several variations of Linux in the past 17 years or so, Mandrake 8.0 was the first one that I played with, I had it set up for a dual boot with windows 98 back in 1998 or 1999. I have also played with several different versions of Ubuntu over the years, a little bit with SuSE, Mint, Freespire and a few others.

Mandrake was the hardest as I had to do a lot of manual tweaking to get it to dual boot with windows. all of the others were pretty much load the disk and follow instructions. I never did another dual boot, as I always had a second computer to play with. I did put one of the versions of Ubuntu on a USB stick and can boot from the USB stick. that was kind of nice since right now my second computer is about 10 years old.. so with the usb stick I can boot up and run on my main computer which is only 5 years old :) (yeah yeah, need to upgrade...)

The one thing that I did not do much of was command line stuff or nuts and bolts tweaks with linux. This is what I am hoping to learn from this class, and this should help my current job as I need to do some command line stuff.

With this Online class, I am dragging the 10 year old computer out of mothballs and will wipe it and load CentOS 7 Linux on it for use as a lab machine.

AJ
Well now, I have finished the class and it has definitely helped my understanding of the Informatica servers at my job. There is a lot of stuff covered from command line to BASH shell scripting to security to networking.

I highly recommend it if you are wanting a deeper understanding of Linux. They are offering another session of the class starting on Jan 5th, see the link below if you are interested in signing up.

https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-linux-linuxfoundationx-lfs101x-2#.VJJYKyvF8fU

AJ
 

alwaysFlOoReD

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Thanks for link.
 

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