Advice for user trying to get into Linux.

elsmandino

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Hello,

As a long time user of Windows, I have always tried to dip my toe in the Linux world but for some reason always seem to end up going back to Windows.

I am sure that if I force myself to start using Linux wherever possible (probably Ubuntu), I will probably get familiar enough with it to start seeing it as a real alternative to Windows.

As far as I can see, I have two main options:

1. Set up a dual boot system and only switch to Windows when there is a program that I have to use Windows for; or

2. Run Windows within Linux using something like Virtualbox.

The advantage of the second option seems to be that I can carry on using Linux for most tasks but at the same time use a Windows only program.

The drawback, of course, is that I will need to make sure I have enough RAM to run two operating systems at the same time.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
 
My first foray with Linux was with Mint, and as a dual boot. Now after 10 months, I have all but discarded Windows. If you are comfortable with Virtualization, then maybe you should do that to try different distros before installing to disk, but I skipped that step and have Linux Mint 15 running well on just a small 24GB partition of one of my laptops alongside Vista, and wiped Windows completely from the other and multiboot five different Linux distros on it.
I had never even looked at Linux a year ago. Now, not being a gamer, I cannot see any use for Windows, or the associated cost.
If you are presently running Windows 7, then I would keep it as a fallback until you are confident enough to make the full break, it's their best effort.
And I recommend Linux Mint Cinnamon as the first foray, it's sufficiently "Windows like" enough to be an easy start.
Take a look at this video:


Welcome to Linux based OS, you will be pleasantly surprised, I think.
 
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Thanks very much for your advice.

I am also a non-gamer and your comments are exactly the reason why I think I should try and find out what I am missing.

I have not even heard of the Mint Cinnamon Distro - what is the difference between this and Ubuntu (which is the one that most people have at least heard of)?
 
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Linux Mint Cinnamon is based on Ubuntu, but is very different in appearance, more of a classic look and feel to it. You can download it here:Editions for Linux Mint 15 "Olivia" - Linux Mint
along with other desktop variants.
Coming from Windows it is a good starting point until you find your feet. Mint 15 will only be supported until next January, Mint 17 will have five years support (from May 2014), and Mint 13 is the current long term support (LTS) release, until April 2017. But give 15 a try, see how you like it.
You will learn so much once you start. And you will, undoubtedly, "distro hop" until you settle on one you really like, I am still in that phase, but am settling towards Debian 7 and Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE). I had Ubuntu 12.04 for a while, but wiped it again, nothing wrong with it, but doesn't suit me personally.
There are so many variants, it's hard to pick just one.
Which ever you go for, join the help forum associated with it for loads of free and (mostly) friendly help.
Windows will soon become a faint memory......
 
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Fantastic - I am going to give it a whirl tonight.

I note from that donwload page that there are various versions of Mint Cinnamon - I take it that I should go with the Codec version to be safe.

What about 32-bit vs 64-bit though?

I know all about the issues of this decision on Windows (and I use the 64-bit version on all my PCs) but how does this translate to Linux systems?
 
Go for the 64 bit if your processor is 64 bit, with codecs! Actually 64 bit is only beneficial if you have 4GB ram or more.
 
I did have a good read up on Mint and it does indeed seem a great distro.

One other thing that I find tricky is understanding how to partition in Linux.

I have got a 1TB hard drive that I am going to use for the install and running a rig with 12GB of RAM and an Athlon II x 240e - not a particularly punchy CPU but should fly under Linux.

Am I correct in thinking that I need at least three partitions:

1. A Root partition for Mint itself - about 30GB.
2. A Swap partition - about 14GB.
3. A Home partition - partitioned as ext3 - for all my documents and Mint settings - the rest of the Hard Drive.

If I do decide to then install Windows 7 via VMWare (which I have since read is the better choice than Virtualbox), do I need another partition? Or will VMWare automatically add an additional NTFS partition for the Windows installation?

Apologies if I am overcomplicating things - want to go into this fully prepared.

Thanks
 
If you have plenty of free space, then the Mint installer should guide you through almost automatically and set up the partitions for you.
 
Fantastic - thanks for your help on this.

Much appreciated.

A
 
I briefly dabbled with Mint: thought it was great as a comprehensive basic installation. I stopped because I was interested in PVR features and didn't have time to invest.
 
Hi there,

Unforunately, PVR functionality is always the reason that I shall always have to keep dealing with Windows to a certain extent - I am running Mediaportal with Argus TV as a backend.

Of all the PVR programs I have tried, this combination appears to be the best and as long as they are both only available on Windows, I shall have stick with it.

Hopefully, Mint shall help to smooth the transition away from Windows though.

Just out of interest - when you say that needed PVR features, did you mean that you revered back to Windows or did you try a distro that did have PRV support - e.g. Mythbuntu?
 
Hi there,

Unforunately, PVR functionality is always the reason that I shall always have to keep dealing with Windows to a certain extent

I'm with you 100% there! Why on earth they haven't ported MP to linux I'll never know. I was looking for a free PVR functionality and the only product that came close was MP but who wants to pay £60 for the W7?
 
I'm with you 100% there! Why on earth they haven't ported MP to linux I'll never know. I was looking for a free PVR functionality and the only product that came close was MP but who wants to pay £60 for the W7?

It probably hasn't been ported to Linux because there's no money in it, who knows?
 
I'm with you 100% there! Why on earth they haven't ported MP to linux I'll never know. I was looking for a free PVR functionality and the only product that came close was MP but who wants to pay £60 for the W7?

That is a very good point - I always think of Mediaportal as being free but if you factor in the fact that I am only keeping it for Mediaportal now, you are essentially paying for it.
 
It is just a really advanced piece of HTPC software. It ultimately makes a PC into a very advanced version of a Sky Plus box, but with masses of extra stuff.

As you say, you won't miss won't want you don't know about - to be honest, I have probably wasted as many hours tinkering with it than I have actually watching recorded TV.
 
That's why I don't know of it then. I stopped my Sky subs way back when they were still broadcasting in analogue ("sparklies" on the screen in heavy rain) and on Astra 1 satellite. Sky+ hadn't even been released back then.
 
Well from your signature, you've ditched Windows for Linux and Sky for Freesat. How are you viewing Freesat on Linux?
 
I use a Freesat+ receiver and a tv for Freesat and (almost entirely) Linux computers for computing. Incidentally, the Humax Freesat+ receiver is basically a Unix computer with a satellite receiver anyway.
I also can watch recordings streamed from the Humax Freesat+ receiver through my home network (and from the internet if I could master it) by using Firefox in Windows (I still have a Windows partition, rarely if ever used) or xbmc in Linux (Raspberry Pi or laptops).
All thanks to a dedicated group of contributors on the AVForums' Freesat forum (thanks to Raydon and others)
 
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