What is your experience with Linux?

[Ghost]

Linux is the open source operating system created by Linus Torvalds. He created it himself, but soon found that he needed help developing. He admits that he is not good at GUI work & prefers to work on the core system. An open source community was created and over the years, it became more organized and efficient. The operating system can be found in phones, computers and other devices. It is used mostly for servers connected to the web and is more popular than Windows for web hosting.

It can be tricky to get the hang of a Linux server or personal device, but it is well worth it in many cases. For one, the OS simply runs smoothly. I have Linux Mint XFCE installed on this old Dell laptop right now. I have fairly low system specs and the laptop was using Windows XP before I got rid of it and put Mint on it. It took me a little bit of tinkering to install the Broadcom 43xx wireless driver (to get wifi enabled), but has been working "out of the box" since installation otherwise. I think it is cool that a laptop which was slow and boring with Windows XP can be fast, slick, and modern with a Linux distribution. Even my girlfriend was pretty impressed with how smooth everything ran when we used the old laptop to look up some things online.

My overall experience with Linux began years ago when I had some VPS and dedicated servers. I had to choose between having a WIndows installation or a Linux distro, and I chose to go with Ubuntu. This forced me to learn some server commands (for the command line interface) to install packages, update, and secure the server. That was a great learning experience, and it was worth the effort with how quickly the servers ran with the specs I had for them.

What about all of you? Have you used Linux for a personal computer/device, or a server for a website or another type of project? What was your experience like?

 

[Deleted member 44219]

A couple of Months ago, I began developing Interests in Operating-Systems. This lead me to developing an Interest in Linux. It looked cool and I loved that it was great for Programmmers and it was focused on Privacy and Security(Something that I'm too concerned about now).

But there was one problem. I didn't know if Linux was going to run on my Laptop(HP Envy x360 Convertible). So I tried an old Version of Lubuntu(16.04 I think) and tested it on a Virtual Machine. I'm not sure if it was the Virtual Machine but it was quite slow but I tried it anyway and it was alright. Another problem was Software and Hardware Compatibility. I have a Drawing Tablet and I play quite a few Games on my PC that there would be a high chance that they wouldn't work unless I found some special Software to help them run(Like WINE or a Driver for my Drawing Tablet). Despite testing Lubuntu(I was planning on testing Ubuntu but I could never have it work on the VM), I was still worrying that Linux wouldn't work on my Computer.

So I just decided, 'I'll stick to Windows' and I've pretty much forgotten about Linux now. But my experience....I'd say none.

 

[Ghost]

So I just decided, 'I'll stick to Windows' and I've pretty much forgotten about Linux now. But my experience....I'd say none.

I definitely recommend giving it a go again. The biggest issue with Linux is working with hardware, so you need to download some additional drivers for some installations. I highly recommend checking out some of the low spec distributions if its an older computer or smaller device. The Linux Mint version I'm using is 'Tessa' (their latest 19x release), but I'm using the XFCE version... it's known to run well on older or less capable devices. Running things like Wine or a distro in a VM will never be the same experience as having the actual OS installed or using Windows to run the exe. You could however install Linux on one half of your computer & Windows on the other to switch back and forth.

I'm definitely going to continue using Linux. I have another computer sitting around that I'm going to fix up with a Linux install to get it looking & feeling more modern... it currently uses Windows Vista.

 

[Deleted member 44219]

So I just decided, 'I'll stick to Windows' and I've pretty much forgotten about Linux now. But my experience....I'd say none.

I definitely recommend giving it a go again. The biggest issue with Linux is working with hardware, so you need to download some additional drivers for some installations. I highly recommend checking out some of the low spec distributions if its an older computer or smaller device. The Linux Mint version I'm using is 'Tessa' (their latest 19x release), but I'm using the XFCE version... it's known to run well on older or less capable devices. Running things like Wine or a distro in a VM will never be the same experience as having the actual OS installed or using Windows to run the exe. You could however install Linux on one half of your computer & Windows on the other to switch back and forth.

I'm definitely going to continue using Linux. I have another computer sitting around that I'm going to fix up with a Linux install to get it looking & feeling more modern... it currently uses Windows Vista.

What I’m thinking of doing is that once my current Computer gets old, I’ll install Linux on it and have Windows running on a newer computer.

But in the meantime, I’ll be sticking to Windows. It’s still a great OS but still has a lot of flaws.

 

[Azareal]

https://www.reddit.com/r/linusrants/
Linus is the best (the picture there is him giving the middle finger to Nvidia after their shenanigans with drivers) lol

 

[Ghost]

https://www.reddit.com/r/linusrants/
Linus is the best (the picture there is him giving the middle finger to Nvidia after their shenanigans with drivers) lol

Ah yes, I remember watching that lecture. NVIDIA was being very stubborn and fussy with their drivers & it could have had a huge effect on Linux. Luckily things are somewhat sorted out, but there are still loads of driver issues. Even Linus admits that even today there are delays because of hardware, and at times they've even had to develop parts of the kernel in secret (going against the idea of open source) just to comply with certain agreements with hardware companies. The code is obviously released eventually, but there is often secrecy before something is released to the public so that Linux can be up to speed. The problem is those hardware companies can give a company like Microsoft or Apple some proprietary code and trust them to not release it, but with Linux it's open source so they can't just hand that over. That forces Linux to develop for that hardware with their hands tied - unable to use the full resources of their open source environment.

 

[Deleted member 8254]

I am using Linux (Solus OS) for past 6 months and i am very happy with it. I didn't have any driver or hardware issue the only issue i still face is that i am not able to play HD videos in Amazon Prime 🙁

 

[overcast]

I have good experience with Linux. But I am not replacing my Windows machine for it now. Because I have lot of apps and client works that requires Windows.

 

[Ghost]

I am using Linux (Solus OS) for past 6 months and i am very happy with it. I didn't have any driver or hardware issue the only issue i still face is that i am not able to play HD videos in Amazon Prime 🙁

That's good that you didn't have any issues at first, but that sucks that HD won't work... I wonder why.
Are you missing a multimedia codec?

I have good experience with Linux. But I am not replacing my Windows machine for it now. Because I have lot of apps and client works that requires Windows.

You should consider installing Linux on an older computer if you have one, or as dual-boot. That lets you go into Linux or Windows (your choice) when you start your computer. I think it's a good idea for anyone interested in working with computers, the web, or IT.

 

[Deleted member 8254]

Are you missing a multimedia codec?

No i am not missing any codec, Amazon Prime and Netflix doesn't support HD videos in Linux for many GPU i think. Mine is GTX 1050 2GB version and i am using the latest drivers, browser still no HD play 🙁

 

[Azareal]

Generally speaking, Linux never crashes and always runs smoothly.
Windows on the other-hand... It's a miracle if it can run for more than a few days even with "hibernation mode" and what-not.

For servers, I've probably had MariaDB crash about once in three years, while Linux itself never really crashes. Even if the database goes down, it's a service, so it'll be kicked back up almost instantly. Pretty solid technology.

It might be too reliable, however as people can sometimes be really caught off-guard when something *does* fail though 😛 lol

 

[edenwax]

Yaaay Linux

Im actually taking a class in it as part of my program at school and its so wonderful to work with. I've had a Linux server set up for my Plex for just over a year now but now with everything Ive learned I wanna redo it all. CentOS Minimal to keep it light, maybe Arch if I feel like being a masochist.

There's something to be said about having control over your computer via command line. I used to prefer the GUI but now that I'm much more comfortable with the CLI Im starting to prefer it instead.

As for experience, I used to host my own website on a basic LAMP stack via DO droplet. I was super inexperienced with Linux at the time and struggled pretty bad. Now Im thinking of switching my sites over to a Linode VPS..

 

[Elli]

My VPS runs on Linux, but I don't interact with it much outside of cPanel. Of course, I haven't interacted with it hardly at all since setting it up. It's just there for basic hosting needs.

In high school, I took a class that had us build a computer and then install Windows Server, and I believe we dual-booted with Ubuntu. He taught us how to remote into it from another machine, and the basic Unix commands. Also how to make a Cat5 cable. I've forgotten most of the server stuff, but that was where I learned how to build computers and how to use the terminal.

That's about the extent of my experience with Linux, though. I just haven't had a real need for it.

 

[Buckfast]

My PC in the sitting room is running Ubuntu i really only use it to test my work once i am finished on the laptop.

 

[Darran]

I have several different computers, most run one version of Linux or another. I keep one Windows PC mostly for Adobe products and gaming. Am interested in the new announcement from Steam.

 

[two50v]

I just watched the NVIDIA thing and, what a character Linus is... LOL. Dying of laughter right here.

I appreciate all the free work done and the work done also by companies like Red Hat who I've heard are one of the best companies to work for in terms of OSS stuff. It's a shame the hardware manufacturers don't want to share their knowledge or make open source drivers for it.

+1 for Solus OS, pretty solid and good one to use for home computing. ^^

 

[Deleted member 44219]

I've began picking up Interest in Linux again. I'm looking at maybe picking up Mint or Fedora as my first Distro. Then once I do pick, I might see if I can Dual-Boot Linux alongside Windows.

But again, one thing I'm afraid of is Linux not working at all on my Computer(HP Envy x360 Convertible). And if I do Dual-Boot it, there is the possible chance of me accidentally wiping my Installation of Windows. I'd honestly love to fully do all of my Work in Linux but as I said, I'm scared in case it doesn't run on my Hardware, I install it by accident(Wiping away Windows) and things like my Games not being compatible with my Distro.

https://www.reddit.com/r/linusrants/
Linus is the best (the picture there is him giving the middle finger to Nvidia after their shenanigans with drivers) lol

I saw that Video a couple of Days ago. That was hilarious. I also keep going back and watching the Video of Linus on TED. Is it a good or bad thing that I look up to Linus? 😛

 

[Deleted member 8254]

I was using Solus but today moved to Windows 10, as i use Amazon Prime to watch videos. HD is still not supported in Linux so a minus point for me and my epson printer is not getting recognized. Once these two issues fixed i will be back to Solus.

 

[overcast]

You should consider installing Linux on an older computer if you have one, or as dual-boot. That lets you go into Linux or Windows (your choice) when you start your computer. I think it's a good idea for anyone interested in working with computers, the web, or IT.

I have plans for that. But currently have work which requires windows 10. So sticking with it. I may keep one old laptop or computer purely on the Linux.

 

[edenwax]

For anyone who's interested in learning how to use Linux, but doesn't want to risk losing their Windows installation - consider downloading something like VirtualBox and running a Linux VM. Linux works pretty well in a virtual machine and should be good enough to get a feel for it.