Linux people!

[alexseanchai]

I had the thought that maybe one of the reasons I can get work shit done so much easier On The Clock than Anywhere Else is, at my previous job I was not primarily on a personal device.

...Okay so that isn't going to work so hot for work shit that isn't directly For The Corporate Overlords or whatever. Unless I acquire a second laptop, which, uh. Shall we not?

But hey! I have previously turned a Windows machine into a Windows-Linux dual-boot without difficulty! I could make this laptop also a Linux machine and use the Linux for work shit! And just...not let myself log in to social media shit on the Linux side. (I'd still have access to the things on my phone, but I got work shit done just fine at previous job by alternating the work desktop and my phone.)

Ubuntu is what I had ten years and several machines ago. I have forgotten everything.

And I'm sure Linux options have changed in the past ten years! Techradar is currently recommending Zorin OS for total newbies, Linux Mint for beginners, and Ubuntu (or Lubuntu for less graphics-heavy or Ubuntu Studio for audio and video processing) for somewhat more experienced users. iTechHacks and It's FOSS concur.

*debates*

Does anyone have any strong opinions?

Comments

[aris_tgd]

I use Lubuntu on my desktop machine and it's quite nice--I haven't found it too user-unfriendly. I can't remember why I went with Lubuntu instead of Ubuntu but it seems to work pretty well. You can still use live CDs/bootable USB drives to install it, and it detects a lot of stuff really easily.

Zorin looks nice, though! I'm sure it's just as easy to use/install as Ubuntu.

[alexseanchai]

*nodnod* :)

[hitokage]

I put Xubuntu (another lightweight version of Ubuntu) on an older laptop and it was doing well until it decided to have another death spasm. Out of the builds I've seen, I like the Ubuntu family best, but that's largely a personal comfort issue.

[alexseanchai]

:) thanks

[silveradept]

Distributions based on Ubuntu are good choices for someone with no experience in Linux. I used Mint for quite some time while I got my feet underneath me and familiar with the way Linux systems work. I don't have any specific experience with Zorin.

One thing to note - Linux on laptops sometimes has extra quirks that may need to be read about beforehand and planned for before installing.

Eventually, I decided on Arch for specific reasons, but I'm starting to think that I may need to reinstall everything and start a little cleaner. It will be a task of getting all the information off first, forever, so that may be the task of a weekend.

[alexseanchai]

*nodnod* thanks, and thanks specifically for the note re laptops! hadn't occurred to me that might be an issue!

[wohali]

Yes, be sure that Linux has support for your laptop's wifi chipset (this is usually fine), graphics chipset, and search specifically on power considerations. Many Linux installs on laptops don't do anything special for power states, meaning you might have trouble with standby/sleep modes and reduced battery life when running normally. If you always use your laptop plugged in, or don't care about battery life, you can ignore this.

[alexseanchai]

*nod nod* Thanks!

[alexseanchai]

...okay how to discern what my laptop's wifi chipset even is, please? Here's what I get when looking at Hardware Properties, less the lines with the name of the wifi network, assorted IP addresses, and the MAC address.

Protocol: 802.11n
Security type: Open
Network band: 5 GHz
Network channel: 40
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Description: Intel(R) Centrino(R) Advanced-N 6205 #2
Driver version: 15.16.0.2

Looks like I'm okay on graphics with both Mint and Ubuntu, and in either instance I should be okay on battery life if I make sure to install TLP in setup? (Also, today I learned laptops are not meant for on laps.)

Never mind re wifi chipset, I figured out it's the line says Centrino. I'm good with both Ubuntu and Mint. :)

[wohali]

I haven't used TLP specifically, but yes, various system level tools should work. Just write down how well your battery holds up under Windows (how many hours vs. how much battery % remaining) and compare it under Linux, if you don't get good results you might have to try a different utility. Poke me if none of the suggestions on the page you found work for you.

[alexseanchai]

Thank you much!

[rraszews]

I swear by Mint. It's basically Ubuntu with none of the missteps they've made over the past five years in their zeal to forget there's a reason people sometimes want to use an actual computer and not use a phone/tablet for everything.

[alexseanchai]

Relevant! Thank you :)

[technoshaman]

Last I checked for laptop Linux, Mint was the way to go... the trick with Ubuntu-based is that (unlike Debian) it automagically figures out "hey, laptop" and does a lot of the right things without you having to tell it. Mint keeps your toolchain up to date, among other things...

Debian gives you full control .... but it's kinda like a camera on Manual Mode. You have to twiddle all the knobs yourself. I like it for setting up bastion hosts/jump boxes... when the security crap hits the fan, Debian is faster than anybody else.

[alexseanchai]

Thank you!

[echan]

Ubuntu is good for newbies for one really big reason -- its insane popularity means google'ing for help with any issues is much much easier than with another Linux distro. I cannot overstate how big a benefit this is, how many potential headaches it avoids. One downside is that the initial install is somewhat bare, so you may find yourself needing to look for 'basic' apps to install from day one.

I've heard good things about Mint, even from experienced users and coworkers. Never used it myself, not for any particular reason.

[alexseanchai]

:)

I decided on Ubuntu Studio—for some reason I thought I was trying to install 18.04, but that's the current release; the current long-term-support release, which is what I'm happier with on principle, is 16.04—and Things Went South. Proooobably user error. I'm ceding defeat for the evening.