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PSA: if you run linux, time to update


Hapless Bills Fan

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16 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I'd love to know more about Linux but how do you run all the software you use that runs on Windows?

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27 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

I'd love to know more about Linux but how do you run all the software you use that runs on Windows?

 

Typically, you don't. 

 

Web-based software usually works seamlessly.  For a lot of us duffers, 90% of what we do online is probably reached through a web browser these days, and Linux has several excellent web browsers.  There are native Linux versions of much software that accomplish the same functionality for routine stuff like Microsoft Office (word processor, spreadsheet etc)

 

For other stuff: T here is software that offers a "compatibility layer" that allows Windows applications to run on Linux (Wine).  This is spotty IMO.

You can use software that creates a Windows "Virtual Machine" (just as you can run a Linux "Virtual Machine" on Windows.  Better luck with this IME.

 

That gets me probably 98% of what I personally run on Windows, but some of it is clunky.  If I were trying to consult with a team using Microsoft Teams or something I'd just use a Windows machine.

 

Fair warning: this probably makes it sound too much like I know TF I'm doing.  I used to use Unix and SunOS/Solaris machines a lot at wor.  We run Linux Mint on an old laptop because it extended its life (gave us a faster, more useful system for the same hardware) and a Linux virtual machine on our home Windows desktop, but I'm really closer to the "Valley of Despair" than the "Slope of Enlightenment" and rely on my friends in the field to set me straight. 

image.thumb.png.08e23179ca70511fd27399d3c0a02edd.png

 

 

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4 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Typically, you don't. 

 

Web-based software usually works seamlessly.  For a lot of us duffers, 90% of what we do online is probably reached through a web browser these days, and Linux has several excellent web browsers.  There are native Linux versions of much software that accomplish the same functionality for routine stuff like Microsoft Office (word processor, spreadsheet etc)

 

For other stuff: T here is software that offers a "compatibility layer" that allows Windows applications to run on Linux (Wine).  This is spotty IMO.

You can use software that creates a Windows "Virtual Machine" (just as you can run a Linux "Virtual Machine" on Windows.  Better luck with this IME.

 

That gets me probably 98% of what I personally run on Windows, but some of it is clunky.  If I were trying to consult with a team using Microsoft Teams or something I'd just use a Windows machine.

 

Fair warning: this probably makes it sound too much like I know TF I'm doing.  I used to use Unix and SunOS/Solaris machines a lot at wor.  We run Linux Mint on an old laptop because it extended its life (gave us a faster, more useful system for the same hardware) and a Linux virtual machine on our home Windows desktop, but I'm really closer to the "Valley of Despair" than the "Slope of Enlightenment" and rely on my friends in the field to set me straight. 

image.thumb.png.08e23179ca70511fd27399d3c0a02edd.png

 

 

 

Thanks. I run a lot of audio software like Audacity (which I think has a Linux version) and Adobe Audition. (No idea if they do Linux. Probably not.)

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9 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

Thanks. I run a lot of audio software like Audacity (which I think has a Linux version) and Adobe Audition. (No idea if they do Linux. Probably not.)

 

This site lists opensource alternatives to various Adobe programs.  They present Ardour as an alternative to Audition.

https://itsfoss.com/adobe-alternatives-linux/

 

No personal experience.

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On 2/3/2022 at 9:47 AM, PromoTheRobot said:

 

I'd love to know more about Linux but how do you run all the software you use that runs on Windows?

Here's what I do: https://www.virtualbox.org/ .  Run VirtualBox on your PC (in my case it's a Mac), and install your Linux of choice as a virtual machine.  I prefer Ubuntu these days 'cause CentOS has an uncertain future.  Usually I go with the LTS version of Ubuntu.

 

By doing things this way, your PC stays the same and you can play with Linux alongside whatever you're doing.  And if you don't like Linux you can simply delete the virtual machine and/or uninstall VirtualBox if you don't want to go down that road again.

On 2/2/2022 at 5:24 PM, Hapless Bills Fan said:

Between this and log4j, it's been a banner month for computing.

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On 2/3/2022 at 3:16 PM, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

This site lists opensource alternatives to various Adobe programs.  They present Ardour as an alternative to Audition.

https://itsfoss.com/adobe-alternatives-linux/

 

No personal experience.

Ardour is good, as is Reaper.  Full disclosure: I've been using Linux since The Very Beginning, and after decades of contortions to make everything work and to use Linux as a workstation -- again, this is just MO -- I run my hardware/OS of choice as my primary system (mainly for applications that I need) then rely on virtualization to use Linux.  Or I spin up a system or systems in AWS or GCP as I need it/them (my company gives us accounts to do this, given our roles, but cloud computing has its own cost).

 

While there is a *ton* of benefit to running Linux, lifting and shifting to Linux from another OS is a non-trivial process -- and learning UNIX/Linux basics is definitely possible, but also has its own set of challenges.  That's why I recommend the virtualization route (posted elsewhere in this thread) to anybody who's interested in giving Linux a try.

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