ផោមក្លិនស្អុយ wrote: ↑Sun Dec 12, 2021 1:27 pm
v12 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 12, 2021 12:40 pm
Guru Meditation wrote: ↑Sun Dec 12, 2021 12:04 pm
spitthedog wrote: ↑Sat Dec 11, 2021 6:51 pm
Is there a problem with Linux when it comes to certain software, though?
Tech stuff, etc.
Even if it's just the odd software that is buggy on it, that odd one might be the one i need, and there's always support for third party software with Windows?
Linux typically runs well even on really old devices, obviously if performance especially memory is limited that will make things unpleasant regardless of OS, general stuff is free like browsers or media players work fine. The limitations is first comersial software Lightroom etc is not offered, and secondly hardware support. Always google if your model is well supported it really sucks if wifi or BT foesnt come back after suspending so you have to reboot all the time. Sometimes it doesn’t support low power mood that will hurt battery run time quite a bit
Most hardware is supported nowadays, just out of the box, especially, when you use LinuxMint. The only moment hardware support might be an issue, is when you purchase a "state of the art, the latest hardware" type of device. Even then, it'll be a matter of just a couple of months, before that hardware is also supported.
I do have an old i7 Asus laptop, 12G memory, where the hardware wiring for >4G is a bit flaky. Even memtest does hang on this, though it nicely runs Linux (mint). In the logging, I can see, it just marks several memory areas as flaky and continues to run. Window install doesn't even start on this device.
Some dedicated software, like -indeed- Lighroom, does not run, though (usually free) alternatives are available and often of surprising quality, DAW, Video editing, DTP, etc, all have their Linux equivalents. Gaming like Roblox is a challenge, though, sometimes works, mostly not, after another game update.
Though, for ordinary office work, Linux is excellent nowadays. Way more stable and with a proper and understandable User Interface. So, not some constantly changing, half-baked GUI, where the designers have no clue, whether they are on a real computer or just a small touch device without peripherals.
I have a clunky dell laptop from work.
It is setup with a pirate windows license. It's a pain in the backside, and I'm sure it is running much slower than it should.
My IT guy's idea of fixing it is to delete everything and reinstall windows - which makes little difference.
Only reason I don't go for Linux is I would need to do it myself and I'm much too busy (drinking all day
) and am concerned that it will eat up hours of my time then.end up having to go back to windows when it doesn't work as I hoped.
How long, do you reckon, would it take to repurpose a Windows machine into Linux?
Then set up with Google suite and normal basic laptop progs?
Also how does it work with things like wireless printers? And general connectivity with other devices.
I'm fairly technically savvy but am incredibly impatient - and too busy to mess around!
A linux install: Roughly 1 hour, starting from a bootable USB, provided your system is something like an i3 with SATA3 hard disk and your internet connection is sufficiently fast, to retrieve the after-install updates in a reasonable time.
For wireless printers, just check upfront with the printer manufacturer and/or Internet. It usually works. Some 8 years ago, this was challenging, so now the quirks are solved.
Go for LinuxMint. I use the Mate flavor, lighter, and it does refrain from stupid "modern" things. Forget about Ubuntu, it more and more deviates from "free" and "workable".
Only go for Linux, when you want to do so yourself, otherwise you will blame somebody else, ehhh me. Things go a little different from Windows occasionally, so, you'll need to collect the experience to handle that.
When I create another new Virtual Machine, I am typically done in 15 minutes, i7 with SSD storage and fast Internet.
IF you have doubts, use VirtualBox in Windows and create a Linux VM and find out how it works.
On hardware where windows is uselessly slow, Linux will typically work properly. Of course, disk load times can not be avoided. 2GB main memory is the absolute Linux minimum nowadays, better 4 GB.
Of course, a Linux install typically overwrites the whole disk, so you need to backup your own work before.