Take that Chrome and your little Windows too!

Some of you may have caught my thread recently about discovering that Google had come to the habit of not simply sync'ing data in real time across platforms that are there to sync...but storing data server side in one of the massive server farms they have built around the world. Well, I had hoped to dump 'The Goog' that night, but..as anyone who may have tried to do such a thing in the modern age has discovered? It ain't that easy. Not that easy at all.... Google is everywhere!

So, since I've also been more than a bit annoyed by Microsoft's apparent stated attitude that we'll take the new interface concept they came up with and like it or else....I chose 'or else' and have managed to solve two major problems at once! I couldn't be happier and Christmas came a few days early with a very unexpected surprise.

What I've now found to work where it never has before is Linux. I've got everything MS wiped off my laptop now with OpenSUSE running for the distribution. While sitting here on my MS desktop and watching my...AHEM...KEYSTROKES...lag at times..ahem... I have my headphones plugged into my laptop on the wall screen ..which is very happily multi-tasking away on a number of things at the moment, including a COUPLE major installs ...while I also listen to Pandora without a skip. Oh... It's taken a long time to find a Distribution that installed as easily as Windoze, runs as clean as Winblows and runs FASTER with more power.

This installed in 1/2 the time and less trouble than Win 7. That's saying quite a bit given how near idiot proof Windows 7 installs have become. Now what has me as giddy as a school kid is this...... ALL my devices came online and started working as they should, as they were activated by software ...without a THING done by me. This is a Compaq/HP laptop, folks... These are supposed to be so proprietary, they squeak it out of the box. ...and I've never been able to DOWNSTEP this laptop to Windows XP without losing half the stuff (Sound, Touchpad, Some or all USB ports, Video issues... you name it).. OpenSUSE recognized and brought online every last thing. It even recognized my LCD wall screen as being a TV, not a monitor and being entirely separate from the internal laptop display. Even Windows chokes on THAT one regularly with my determined effort.

Now that has been the first time I've worked with a Linux Distro that nothing had to be touched for all to function perfectly.

I think Linux may just be arriving as a true and viable alternative. Commercial software not overlapping is a drawback...but I have 2 programs to do everything I have 1 to do on my desktop and they are FREE on the Linux system. I've paid a fortune for things like Adobe Master Suite. It's something to consider anyway and I couldn't wait to share!

(Oh...and I've been on this all day and I haven't seen a single blinking cursor at a command line.....for those who have rightly imagined that as being a required part of any linux experience in the past. The future is looking bright and it doesn't take a 'window' to get the sunshine!

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Linux is by far superior. The problem is setting it up for most users. Specific patches for specific software and such.

There are wonderfully fully integrated GUI ones though like Redhat for example or Fedora.

Kudos for jumping ship with the MS nonsense

I refuse to use Chrome, but I do google stuff just because it is so convenient. How does linux do with running third party programs?

reply to post by DarthMuerte

What is it you are wanting to do? The only thing that held me back earlier during the semester was a school issue with having to use Adobe products for graphics. After some time with them? Inkscape and Gimp are more intuitive, just as powerful and more versitle than CS 6....altho I can't find something to match After Effects yet. I've got 2 different packages under Linux to function in place of Office in case I find something one doesn't do for the coming semester... Games? I haven't gotten there yet. Although running game servers off a linux system is a whole lot easier all the way around.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


For after affects..

alternativeto.net...

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Did you consider Nuke to replace after effects ? It has a native linux version.

www.thefoundry.co.uk...

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
reply to post by DarthMuerte

 

What is it you are wanting to do? The only thing that held me back earlier during the semester was a school issue with having to use Adobe products for graphics. After some time with them? Inkscape and Gimp are more intuitive, just as powerful and more versitle than CS 6....altho I can't find something to match After Effects yet. I've got 2 different packages under Linux to function in place of Office in case I find something one doesn't do for the coming semester... Games? I haven't gotten there yet. Although running game servers off a linux system is a whole lot
Leasier all the way around.

Try running games, or even photoshop for that matter (I guess you'll settle with GIMP)! Linux is good for anythign but games. Don't become a linuxnerd who bash windows at every chance they get. We all know about linux, but we've chosen to leave the os because it has some major problems which you'll be aware of soon, other than a lack of programs.

reply to post by Chrysalis

Thanks very much for that. That looks like it may have the depth and power to reproduce what Ae is capable of. I looked at the first one and it looks like it could be promising but just isn't there yet. Still in development and testing releases by how it looks? There is very little done today in Hollywood movies that Ae can't duplicate or wasn't actually used for, at least in parts.

The School has been so singularly focused on Adobe stuff as the commercial standard where we may be going to work afterward that I hadn't even heard of Nukex. I'm going to get the trial over the break and check it out. If I can remake in it what I've done in Ae, I'll be cooking on everything in terms of moving important things to 100% Linux.

I wonder if the Design Studio Linux distribution has this built in? That might be one to test on the desktop with a Live version if it does. Thanks again!

reply to post by Avgudar


I wouldn't be so sure about that ...

Steam is supposed to enter open beta phase on linux this week. Maybe with only a few games at the beginning.
But stuff like TF2 Team Fortress 2 which is free and very popular.

You will soon find out that linux performs indeed well in games, if given enough care.

Linux is pretty beast. As a programmer myself it has not only a certain 'simplistic' charm but it feels so light. The only drawback is that if you run it on a laptop, it will slowly degrade your battery life, to the point that one charge lasts around 5-10 minutes. Only option is to boot up windows, drain battery, and recharge again, which is not that big of a deal, especially when, like me, you have Ubuntu, Win7, Lubuntu and Fedora set up all on one system.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Good luck on your journeys.

Nuke is powerfull stuff. Top level software. The nodal approach looks alien at first, but when you get the hang of it...

Originally posted by Chrysalis
reply to post by Avgudar

 

I wouldn't be so sure about that ...

Steam is supposed to enter open beta phase on linux this week. Maybe with only a few games at the beginning.
But stuff like TF2 Team Fortress 2 which is free and very popular.

You will soon find out that linux performs indeed well in games, if given enough care.

No, Because the graphics car developers don't have deals with linux like they do with microsoft. Until Linux learns to work together with makers of non-open systems they will fail.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Congrats on the Linux conversion.
I've tried some distros in the past, but, always seemed to run into some snag or another.

Currently on Win 7, using Chrome, and not having any problems.

I've a fairly prodigious HOSTS file though, plus a number of other modifications, so, that has something to do with no problems in browsing or with Google.

Good luck on the swap and enjoy the freedom from MS as well.

If you have some issues with Windows equivalent software suites where the Windows vesrions were just more workable, as I understand it, you can launch a Windows OS shell inside Linux, then install, and run Windows programs inside the shell.
Sounds cool, but, I've yet to try anything such, so, I can't say how well that works or how feasible it is.

Hey man, I'm still waiting to see some pics of your rig.

reply to post by Avgudar


They do and there will be more in the future.
Graphic card makers already improved their linux drivers thanks to Valve feed-back.

And, a lot of linux contributors / coders are actually employees paid by these closed systems corps.

And I hope you realise windows 8 means a 30% microsoft tax to let apps in their store.
Somehow, I don't think all their partners are happy about that move.

For anyone tech savvy enough Arch and Gentoo are two of my favorite distros.

Arch Linux
Gentoo Linux

reply to post by eXia7

I haven't forgotten... I was just looking around the room tonight and thinking about how I want to clean things up to show off the set up to max effect. I might as well get a few brags out of the first impression right? lol.... Sometime this week... it'll have to be, because some of the equipment I have here now won't be this way for the school semester. I'll make sure you get a U2U when I post it so you don't miss a peek in the rabbit hole.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
reply to post by eXia7

 

I haven't forgotten... I was just looking around the room tonight and thinking about how I want to clean things up to show off the set up to max effect. I might as well get a few brags out of the first impression right? lol.... Sometime this week... it'll have to be, because some of the equipment I have here now won't be this way for the school semester. I'll make sure you get a U2U when I post it so you don't miss a peek in the rabbit hole.

Sounds good man, looking foward to it, maybe if i can get some spare monitors, I'll steal your idea

I have used Ubuntu exclusively from 2007-2011, then I switched to Linux Mint which I am using now when Ubuntu ruined their interface. Linux is totally viable. Screw Windos

reply to post by Chrysalis


Agreed. The open source community constantly contributes to getting the beef out of tons of graphics cards to Linux distros. I have used a handful of different versions but have settled mainly on Ubuntu.

Quick note on a fun game for Linux is FTL (Faster than Light). Great little space sim and huge time suck! Well worth the measly 5 bones.