I've been running Linux Mint on the same Samsung laptop for the last 4
years without a single unfortunate incident... and low level
maintenance. With Gimp, Open Office (sometimes annoying), Inkscape,
Kdenlive, Audacity, VLC, Filezilla.
Good wireless connectivity. Some trouble with print drives (that's it)
Linux Ra Ra Rah!
Ruth
On 23/05/17 19:15, Edward Picot wrote:
Helen,
Good for you! I agree that Linux is much less deterring than we are
generally led to believe. I started by putting it on an old spare
computer a few years ago, and since then I've been buying cheap
laptops and over-writing the existing Windows operating system with
Linux, which always gives me a bit of a transgressive thrill. Apart
from anything else you save a fortune in anti-virus fees. I started
out with Mandriva Linux - which was probably an odd choice, but I came
across a disc for it somewhere - but I now use Ubuntu. Unfortunately
Ubuntu 16, which is the one I'm currently using, has some
well-documented wireless connectivity problems, so I have to connect
to my router via an ethernet cable, not that that's the end of the
world. There are some rather lengthy fixes out there, but I haven't
got round to trying them yet.
The range and quality of software available for Linux never ceases to
amaze me. Libre Office, the Gimp, Audacity, Kdenlive and Inkscape are
all wonderful. As for Blender, it's mind-bending to be able to get
your hands on a piece of software that powerful for nothing, although
it's extremely challenging to learn (I've only scratched the surface).
The only thing I genuinely miss is Flash - but Flash in its Adobe
incarnation is now so expensive that I wouldn't be able to afford it
anyway.
Edward
On 22/05/17 09:47, helen varley jamieson wrote:
hi everyone,
more than a year ago i wrote to this list asking for advice about
buying a linux laptop. it took me a while, but i'm now happily
working with ubuntu mate on a no-brand machine :)
i spent quite a lot of time looking at second-hand & B-ware
(ex-display) machines, & also at new models (lenovo, dell, hp, acer,
asus, etc etc ... ) & got quite overwhelmed by the choice &
variables. nothing was exactly what i wanted, & i couldn't decide on
what to compromise. i had a couple of things that were definite - not
bigger than 14", must have ethernet port, prefereably separate audio
in & out; so that narrowed things down quite a bit, but still i
wasn't finding anything that felt right.
then i found a uk company that sells no-brand laptops with linux
pre-installed (https://www.entroware.com). i could choose the hard
drive, RAM, keyboard layout, etc & it arrived 5 days after i ordered
it. i took it out of the box, turned it on, & started using it. the
trickiest thing i've had to do so far was use the command line to get
it to talk nicely to my printer - & i managed that without incident.
i'm still adjusting to the non-mac keyboard shortcuts - it's easier
to take a screenshot but more difficult to do an umlaut (ΓΌ), & there
are a couple of things i still need to work out. & one loss is that
there are no linux drivers for my wireless webcam, so i'm back to a
tethered webcam for now. but it is soooo much faster than my old mac,
& i've found most of the software that i need.
so if anyone else out there is also considering making the switch to
linux, i say - just do it! :)
h : )
--
helen varley jamieson
he...@creative-catalyst.com <mailto:he...@creative-catalyst.com>
http://www.creative-catalyst.com
http://www.upstage.org.nz
*We have a situation, Coventry!
<http://www.wehaveasituation.net/?p=1402>*
24 November 2016
_______________________________________________
NetBehaviour mailing list
NetBehaviour@netbehaviour.org
http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
_______________________________________________
NetBehaviour mailing list
NetBehaviour@netbehaviour.org
http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
--
Co-founder Co-director
Furtherfield
www.furtherfield.org
+44 (0) 77370 02879
Bitcoin Address 197BBaXa6M9PtHhhNTQkuHh1pVJA8RrJ2i
Furtherfield is the UK's leading organisation for art shows, labs, &
debates
around critical questions in art and technology, since 1997
Furtherfield is a Not-for-Profit Company limited by Guarantee
registered in England and Wales under the Company No.7005205.
Registered business address: Ballard Newman, Apex House, Grand Arcade,
Tally Ho Corner, London N12 0EH.
_______________________________________________
NetBehaviour mailing list
NetBehaviour@netbehaviour.org
http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour