Re: [libreoffice-users] Migrating from Windows; take it slow

Hi :)
I am actually having a lot of trouble with Windows Xp right now trying to get the drivers for an 
onboard ethernet port.  Ubuntu picked it up right away but Xp claims there is no spoon (oops, i 
mean connection)

Often if 1 distro can pick it up and another can't then it's quite possible to get the thing 
working on any distro but it helps to find a forum where someone can help.  Also if a Windows 
driver does exist then it should be possible to use "ndiswrapper" to use that Windows driver in 
whichever Gnu&Linux distro you are trying to work on.  Again it helps to have some forum help.  
Perhaps 
http://www.linuxquestions.org

Regards from
Tom :)  


--- On Tue, 24/7/12, webmaster-Kracked_P_P <webmaster@krackedpress.com> wrote:

From: webmaster-Kracked_P_P <webmaster@krackedpress.com>
Subject: Re: [libreoffice-users] Migrating from Windows; take it slow
To: users@global.libreoffice.org
Date: Tuesday, 24 July, 2012, 15:21


LiveCD/DVD is the only way to see as many distros as possible to figure out which one may be best 
for you.  Even though there are limits on what you can do with a LiveCD, it was the only way I knew 
of, back then, to really decide which version of Linux, and desktop environment I wanted to use.

As for Banking and other things on Windows, there are "secure" browsing apps that will not leave 
any traces.  There are even ones that will hide who you are from the web sites through a portal 
service where you can browse in safety knowing the web sites will get no info from your system, 
since they only see what the service lets them see - false stuff.  I do not remember where you can 
get these services anymore, but in the mid 2000's I saw a few of them when I was looking for free 
services to help with Windows security problems.

Back to Windows to Linux. . . .

Well, I remember the days when I had to try different version of Linux via a Windows VM system.  
Back then Mandrake, Red Hat, and others tried in that classroom environment.  That is when I 
decided that Linux might be something to try out on a "spare" computer.  All I had in those days 
were P4 based systems running 333MHz to 500MHz for CPUs.

Now it is much easier to see a lot of different distros, as long as you have the bandwidth to 
download .iso files of their LiveCDs or Live DVDs.  I think I still have about 5 or 10 different 
distro and desktop environment combinations on Live "media" in my software drawer.  That drawer had 
mostly Windows software and the media I got with my computers, printers, and other hardware, but I 
keep Linux related CDs and DVDs there as well.  It is a 36" by 18" by 8" and it is stuffed.

But, for now, if you are a Windows user, I really believe that you take it slow and keep both your 
Windows system and a Linux system going at the same time.  If you have the hard drive space, a dual 
boot option seems a good one when you do not have a spare system. I use a Dell Laptop with Vista as 
my dual booting system.  I installed Ubuntu 10.04 on it, then upgraded it to 12.04 a few months 
ago, but decided I did not like the Unity/tablet style of desktop and added MATE desktop 
environment to it.  If you like using Ubuntu 10.04's GNOME 2.x desktop, this works better than any 
GNOME option that 12.04 comes with.  MATE works as a 12.04 replacement for the type of desktop I 
got use to with my desktop, which I still run 10.04 on.

The big issue for most people who go from Windows to Linux, is the lack of drivers for some older 
hardware [dedicated drivers for very specific hardware] that use USB or are specialty cards.  Then 
their may be problems with drivers for the most up-to-date printers and their extra non-printing 
functions.  Epson printer/scanners have problems with the scanner part for some distro versions.  
HP seems to work the best for Printer and Scanner options for Linux systems, or at least in my case.

So the big issue with some people will be finding a distro that works with all their hardware.  
Live media version of a Linux version does help there.  If your hardware works then and there, you 
are set.  My HP laptop had problems finding a distro that would work with its sound system.  That 
was in the days of Ubuntu 9.04, and that was the only LiveCD version that worked with that laptop's 
audio system.  HP Pavilion zv6123 AMD64 Athlon powered laptop.  I no longer need it to be my Linux 
system, so it is back to XP/pro and it is used as my primary laptop I take to users who need help 
with their Windows systems.  I have a faster laptop, Dell, but I rather not take it if I can.


On 07/24/2012 09:26 AM, Tom Davies wrote:
> Hi :)
> That sounds the perfect way to try it.
>
> Tim (Webmaster at Kracked Press) made a good point about trying LiveCds to just test-drive 
> various distros.  Trying a few is really ideal.
>
> Ubuntu might be a good one to start with but it is designed to be comparable with the latest 
> Windows so it is often more heavy and bloated than other distros.  Fedora is quite good because 
> it also tries to be quite plug&play but it's often the experimental cutting-edge and used as the 
> test-bed for trying apps ahead of other distros (well, ahead of Redhat at least).  Anyway the 
> best thing is to try a few distros to see what works best for you on your machine and then 
> install it.  All distros cover the middle-ground and a wide-spread of different machines but each 
> distro seems slightly better at certain wacky combinations of real-world machines.  Does anyone 
> really have a 'typical' machine in a 'normal' set-up??
>
> I really wish Windows had an equivalent of the LiveCd session that almost every distro seems to 
> have these days.  I think if i did internet banking i would want to always do it from a LiveCd 
> and thus leave no trace of it on which-ever machine.
>
> Regards from
> Tom :)
>
>
>
> --- On Tue, 24/7/12, Chaim Seymour <chaim.seymour@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> From: Chaim Seymour <chaim.seymour@gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [libreoffice-users] Migrating from Windows; take it slow
> To: users@global.libreoffice.org
> Date: Tuesday, 24 July, 2012, 14:02
>
> Hi
>
> I can offer another option, which I find very satisfactory. My previous
> laptop had windows vista and was unsatisfactory. When I bought a new
> computer (with Windows 7), I formatted the disk on the old computer and
> installed Linux. I tried 2 or 3 different linux packages and since my
> computer was weak, I settled for Fedora which seems to use less resources
> than Ubuntu.
>
> The computer used to get very hot with Vista, but behaves much better with
> Linux.
>
> I use both laptops in parallel, but tend to use the Linux more.
>
> Chaim
>
> On 24 July 2012 12:36, Keith Bainbridge <keithrbaugroups@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > On Sun, 22 Jul 2012 13:41:59 -0400 webmaster-Kracked_P_P
> > <webmaster@krackedpress.com> wrote:
> > > Anyone who really wants to learn how to use Linux as a replacement
> > > for Windows, try dual booting a system if you do not have a spare one
> > > to try Linux with as its only OS.
> >
> > G'day.
> >
> >
> > The other option for the odd trip back to windows is virtualisation.
> > Mostly, you can tell the system to let windows use a device as if you
> > had booted into windows
> >
> > Regards
> >
> >
> > Keith Bainbridge
> > PO Box 324
> > BELMONT Vic 3216 Australia
> >     +61 (0)408 522 706
> >
> > keith.bainbridge.3216@gmail.com
> >
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