Hi Roy, and Welcome Back! It's really good to have you back in the fray.I always find your comments well thought-out, insightful and most helpful to someone like myself who is still learning their way round Linux. I also read your blog post and feel that it should be compulsory reading for anyone about to try Linux. Why don't you post the link? Not too modest, surely!?
I probably should have given Dave a fuller reason for retaining XP - which would have been that he may have to spend quite some time finding an alternative for his accounting apps and may not be able to replace them with an equivalent or better program. I am absolutely delighted to be able to use Mint (Elyssa) for 95% of my computer work, which includes all of my online work and, like you, don't relish firing up Windows. However, I feel that I have largely "tamed" Windows. I generally only use it in offline mode, to run Photoshop, which I have been unable to run satisfactorily under Wine. Also, like you, to find ways to help friends sort out their Windows problems. Occasionally, when I have time to spare, I will go online to download updates. I don't download music , so have no issues over DRM. My definition of junk would be when something is no longer of use - I still have a use for XP, albeit on a very limited basis. I totally agree with your closing comment about not needing to rush things. I think that the feeling that I still had a safety net behind me was what helped me through the first weeks of running Linux. Frank Linux Canuck wrote: > > Frank wrote: I would suggest that you retain your XP installation. > After all, you have paid for it (either directly or indirectly) so why > ditch it? > > I just wrote about this as part of my blog called "I Don't Like Linux > Because ...". This was number eight of ten reasons which I rebut > inline. I call this one the lamest of all excuses. There are many good > reasons to ditch it. It is a security risk and it supports DRM and > other methods of limiting your activities. It is about taking > ownership over your computer and putting an operating system that does > what you want and not what someone else thinks is in your best > interest. Besides people throw out lots of things that they have paid > for. It is called junk. > > Sorry about the shameless self promotion. Read at your peril. I am > wordy and opinionated. Enough said. > > Frank wrote: As for partitioning, without knowing your future storage > needs, I would suggest that you keep half of your drive for XP > (defragment it first before you start) and then split the other half > between root (/) , a separate home partition (/home) andsomething like > 512Mb as swap. > > Other than this, you give good advice. It is a good idea to have a > separate home partition. However, my experience is that the root > partition does not to be too large and it is easier to run out of room > on your home partition. The root partition does not need to be bigger > than 30 GBs and can be 8 GB or smaller, depending on how much extra he > plans on installing. I have never run out of root space with 30 GBs > and I install everything that I can. Fifty GBs is a good starting size > for home, IMO. That still gives hime nearly 240 GBs for Windows. He > can resize partitions later provided he unmounts them first. > > I suggested WUBI only to avoid partitioning and as an easy way of > trying Ubuntu. When he is more committed then he can partition. I use > virtual machines and like that approach for running his accounting > software, but it is not easy for a newbie and his hardware may not run > fast, depending on what he is using it for. Two GBs or RAM sounds like > a lot, but when you are multitasking and using two OSes it can tax the > processor and the memeory. Dual core is better. I am not saying it > can't work for him, but rather, it should wait until he has the time > and is comfortable with Linux. He will have his hands full learning > the ropes of his new OS. If he is dual booting anyway, he does not > need to rush things. > > Roy > > Linux: Fast, friendly, flexible and .... free! > Support Open source. > <*,)}}+< > Only dead fish go with the flow! > > ________________________________ > From: Frank Newman <[email protected] > <mailto:liverpoolscousermarch%40yahoo.co.uk>> > To: [email protected] <mailto:LINUX_Newbies%40yahoogroups.com> > Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2009 5:44:48 PM > Subject: Re: [LINUX_Newbies] Looking for a recommendation re: Linux on > a Dell Inspiron 1501 laptop > > Hi Dave, > Let me start by stating that I am still a newbie to Linux myself, having > run several distros over the last twelve months and that I am not a Linux > purist. I feel that it shouldn't need days of research and fiddling > just to > get the basics of an OS up and running and that most things should work > "out of the box". After that, I am happy to get under the hood to > tweak the > system to my requirements. I'm sure that some long-term users will > disagree > with me! > > That said, your choice of Linux Mint is, IMHO, an excellent one. Mint > comes > with most of the facilities, codecs etc. that you need to get started > but is also > flexible enough to customise to your liking. It has a really good look > and feel > and was the distro which made me want to stick with Linux and use it as my > OS of choice. > > I would suggest that you retain your XP installation. After all, you > have paid > for it (either directly or indirectly) so why ditch it? Setting up a > dual boot is > simple in Mint and it will play nicely with your Windows partition. Some > Windows programs will run fine under Wine, but others are less > satisfactory > so you may find that your accounting programs are better in XP. Once > you are > up and running in Linux, you can start to investigate alternatives (at > no expense!) > to your Windows programs - many of these are as good as, or better > than, the > Windows versions. > > As for partitioning, without knowing your future storage needs, I would > suggest > that you keep half of your drive for XP (defragment it first before you > start) and > then split the other half between root (/) , a separate home partition > (/home) and > something like 512Mb as swap. > > Good luck and I hope you enjoy Mint. > > Frank > > MuskokaCowboy wrote: > > > > Hi Guys: > > > > I have been lurking for a few months and am now considering installing > > Linux on my Dell laptop. I am not a total newbie to Linux. I installed > > Mandrake Linux on an old computer a couple of years ago and played > > around with it for a while. > > > > My laptop has a AMD Sempron 2.0 GHz processor, 2 GB of ram and a 320 > > GB hard drive with XP installed. I have a home wireless network. > > > > I mainly use this computer for web browsing, email and bittorrent and > > I often use VNC viewer to remotely control my desktop computer which > > is also running XP. I do occassonally (maybe 2 days per month) need to > > run Windows business programs on this computer (Quickbooks, Simply > > Accounting etc.). > > > > Based on the messages that I have read I am thinking of installing > > Linux Mint but would consider any other recommendations. I am > > wondering if I should run a dual boot system for the times when I need > > Windows or should I just go with Linux and use something like Wine for > > those times when I need to run Windows apps. I am also looking for > > help on how I should partition the hard drive. > > > > Thanks for your help in advance and also thanks for running this group > > to help people like myself. > > > > Dave > > > > > > __________________________________________________________ > Get the name you've always wanted @ymail.com or @rocketmail.com! Go to > http://ca.promos.yahoo.com/jacko/ <http://ca.promos.yahoo.com/jacko/> > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ To unsubscribe from this list, please email [email protected] & you will be removed.Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LINUX_Newbies/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LINUX_Newbies/join (Yahoo! 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