SRL Archive - Open Source Communities

Currently im running a Mac OS X for my Acer Laptop as I really find the windows 7 look annoying.

Im getting tired of a Windows and im looking for a new OS. I've been looking at Linux and I might go with it.

I just want to know if I can run Microsoft Office for school reports. Or will i be able to run simba just to do some small testing while im at school.

What are the benefits from other free open source Operating Systems?

KDE?
GNOME?
Ubuntu?

Im not very familiar with everything from open sourced OS. So if someone can briefly explain what to go with please let me know.

I also dont plan on doing any programming till Junior year of college.

Ubuntu is a Linux distribution. Gnome and KDE are desktop environments for Linux. The default for Ubuntu is Gnome and I can recommend it. To try it out, go to http://ubuntu.com and download the .iso. Burn it to a cd and put it in your laptop. It'll boot into the ubuntu system. You can then see if you like it. (Obviously it will be slow and limited since it's running from a CD, but you can at least give it a look before you install it, which the CD can also do, btw)

Ubuntu ships OpenOffice, which should be able to open most Microsoft Office documents. As for Simba, it runs on Ubuntu, but SRL won't work with it. (It works on Ubuntu if you use WINE and the Windows version of Simba)

hmm ok, what if i run Ubuntu off a USB drive, as my netbook doesn't have a CD drive.

And would u say that Ubuntu is alot faster than Windows?

USB drive would work too. Faster? Eeeh. It really depends on what you're doing. Both have their advantages I guess. Ubuntu is just a safe and nice environment without too much crap. You'll have to get used to the Package Manager though.

Package Manager hmm… sounds like it handles your applications nicely to install/uninstall them. i will deffintely look more into this, as im helping my girlfriend with a report on Plato.

Any idea on the file size of Ubuntu so i can make some room?

From: Squancy
Package Manager hmm… sounds like it handles your applications nicely to install/uninstall them. i will deffintely look more into this, as im helping my girlfriend with a report on Plato.

Any idea on the file size of Ubuntu so i can make some room?

693.2 MB (726827008 bytes)
Then burn to a cd.

Yes, package managers are awesome. In Debian/Ubuntu you can access through the terminal with `apt-get' or you could use the ubuntu software center.

Its very user friendly.

hmm weird the Netbook version for Ubuntu is 696mb lol

From: noidea
693.2 MB (726827008 bytes)
Then burn to a cd.

Yes, package managers are awesome. In Debian/Ubuntu you can access through the terminal with `apt-get' or you could use the ubuntu software center.

Its very user friendly.

Also, the Software Center has become immensely better with 10.10 (compared to 10.04)

What a lot of people do is dual boot between windows and ubuntu. :p

Tiny7!!!

From: TomTuff
Botnet7!!!

Fixed for you.

For a netbook I would suggest TinyXP but I haven't used it since when I installed a Virtual Computer on my computer lol.

@Harry: Could you explain what you meant by botnet, or post a link?

Window 7 Basic actually runs like a dream on my netbook. I didn't like any linux distros or tinyxp on it.

From: mormonman
Window 7 Basic actually runs like a dream on my netbook. I didn't like any linux distros or tinyxp on it.

but basic is soo basic, you cant even change the wallpaper on it :crying:

~shut

From: Shuttleu
but basic is soo basic, you cant even change the wallpaper on it :crying:

~shut

They have little addons for stuff like that. Third party but they work.

From: Runescape Pro
@Harry: Could you explain what you meant by botnet, or post a link?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botnet
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/pirated-windows-7-leads-to-malware-botnet/3370

All "Tiny" OSes usually have some form of malware or botnet in them. Even if you virus-scan it, you can't detect or remove it, because the people who made it are so good at doing it.

how about chromium?

~shut

From: Shuttleu
but basic is soo basic, you cant even change the wallpaper on it :crying:

~shut

That made me laugh. Why on earth can't you change the wallpaper. Oh Microsoft…

Shuttleu, do you mean the Chromium OS?

From: Wizzup?
That made me laugh. Why on earth can't you change the wallpaper. Oh Microsoft…

Shuttleu, do you mean the Chromium OS?

indeed i do

the reason why i know basic cant change wallpapers is because my mums netbook came with it, it was so… basic i instantly installed ultimate on it (i didnt install linux because my mum doesnt know how to use it :p)

~shut

From: Harry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botnet
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/pirated-windows-7-leads-to-malware-botnet/3370

All "Tiny" OSes usually have some form of malware or botnet in them. Even if you virus-scan it, you can't detect or remove it, because the people who made it are so good at doing it.

I've been running Tiny7 for over a year now and never had any problems at all. I have Ubuntu on a separate partition and I haven't even used it since I got Tiny7.

From: NCDS
I've been running Tiny7 for over a year now and never had any problems at all. I have Ubuntu on a separate partition and I haven't even used it since I got Tiny7.

Do you believe if you're infected with a botnet the owner will kindly let you know? Most people who think they aren't infected are in fact, infected.

BackTrack 4R1.

It's powerful and contain lots of tools. Great for advanced users.

From: Wizzup?
Do you believe if you're infected with a botnet the owner will kindly let you know? Most people who think they aren't infected are in fact, infected.

No, just saying I have yet to come across anything suspicious.

From: NCDS
No, just saying I have yet to come across anything suspicious.

Well a proper virus isn't suspicious. ;)

Well im glad to say my Acer is now running Linux and i really love it!

Also found a turtorial on how to get Microsoft Word 2007 to work with Linux :D

I really do like it and shutdown time is ALOT faster than 7. I just want to completely remove windows 7, but i dont know how :/

From: Squancy
Well im glad to say my Acer is now running Linux and i really love it!

Also found a turtorial on how to get Microsoft Word 2007 to work with Linux :D

I really do like it and shutdown time is ALOT faster than 7. I just want to completely remove windows 7, but i dont know how :/

FORMAT!!!!!
*dzzzt* "all data deleted"

~shut

From: Squancy
Well im glad to say my Acer is now running Linux and i really love it!

Also found a turtorial on how to get Microsoft Word 2007 to work with Linux :D

I really do like it and shutdown time is ALOT faster than 7. I just want to completely remove windows 7, but i dont know how :/

There are different methods to remove an operating system; the best choice is dependent on how it was installed. Do you have both OS's on their own partitions?

From: Squancy
Well im glad to say my Acer is now running Linux and i really love it!

Also found a turtorial on how to get Microsoft Word 2007 to work with Linux :D

I really do like it and shutdown time is ALOT faster than 7. I just want to completely remove windows 7, but i dont know how :/

Run the ubuntu live cd again and use Gparted to delete the windows NTFS partition and extend the ext4 partition on which Ubuntu is installed. Be very careful with gparted though.. You may then need to change some stuff in the grub config files, but I dont think it flips out if you delete the Windows partition.

From: noidea
Run the ubuntu live cd again and use Gparted to delete the windows NTFS partition and extend the ext4 partition on which Ubuntu is installed. Be very careful with gparted though.. You may then need to change some stuff in the grub config files, but I dont think it flips out if you delete the Windows partition.

Won't you also have to deal with bootloader issues?

From: Smartzkid
Won't you also have to deal with bootloader issues?

grub is the boot loader :| I stated you may or may not have issues with it. If you do, then just use the live cd, mount the /boot partition, and change the grub config files.

Ohh, I see! Sorry, and thanks!

From: Squancy
Well im glad to say my Acer is now running Linux and i really love it!

Also found a turtorial on how to get Microsoft Word 2007 to work with Linux :D

I really do like it and shutdown time is ALOT faster than 7. I just want to completely remove windows 7, but i dont know how :/

You can delete the Windows Partition with GParted (without the livecd), then boot into the livecd and resize your ubuntu partition to fit the full harddisk.

Also, you want to consider openoffice instead of MS Office Word in wine. :p

the only downside to open office is that you cant open, create or edit .pub files

~shut

I'd advise you to keep win7 for a while, until you are sure you've got everything you need on ubuntu ;) It takes a while getting used to, so having windows around for any urgent task can be very helpful. Or to play games ;)

~RM

i heard that running OS X is most common on netbooks, if you want to you should try that :P

Yea i heard that too.

Maybe ill dual boot linux/mac

hmmmmm

From: Squancy
Yea i heard that too.

Maybe ill dual boot linux/mac

hmmmmm

iAtkos v2 FTW!

~shut

Now if OS X would actually be useful and not locked down…?

I wouldn't get involved with OS X at all. It's not a very good operating system from what I've seen. I've tried using it for daily work but it's not that easy.

For what it does, Windows is a very good option. It gives the user the most amount of enterprise products and services, very easily and effectively. Now, I use Linux more than I do Windows, but if you're not comfortable with Linux, you shouldn't use it.

I am in no way fluent with Linux, so I dual boot. I'm sure that even if I was Linus, I'd dual boot. Windows does have it's benefits.

(I'm suggesting to avoid OS X and dual boot Linux (Ubuntu would be the best for you, most likely) and Windows 7 (blah blah, XP is better, no. It's never a good idea in todays world to use older products when you have newer options, as they won't be supported for very long at all.).)

From: Squancy
Yea i heard that too.

Maybe ill dual boot linux/mac

hmmmmm

Sadly, you cannot dual boot with another OS if you have mac :\, i tried to get noidea to help me with it but then he told me that, didnt feel like redownloading all of the shit that i have on my computer.

From: Failpailirl
Sadly, you cannot dual boot with another OS if you have mac :\, i tried to get noidea to help me with it but then he told me that, didnt feel like redownloading all of the shit that i have on my computer.

can too. More difficult. With windows and linux it's a lot more easy though.

How is Arch Linux?!

From: Dan Cardin
How is Arch Linux?!

Not too good for the average user. It's a bit like Gentoo but without the awesome package manager features. You'll still have to pretty much create your system yourself though.

From: Dan Cardin
can too. More difficult. With windows and linux it's a lot more easy though.

How is Arch Linux?!

It was great when I used it. I got tired of system maintenance and eventually accidently replaced all my config files and screwed it up. Its very light though.

From: noidea
It was great when I used it. I got tired of system maintenance and eventually accidently replaced all my config files and screwed it up. Its very light though.

It's just gentoo without the compiling and versatility of package management with slots and versions… :p

From: Wizzup?
It's just gentoo without the compiling and versatility of package management with slots and versions… :p

He may have never heard of Gentoo or have no idea what Gentoo is like, so I explained it a tad more explicitly.

From: Dan Cardin

How is Arch Linux?!

Decent. I use it. It's pretty stable once you have it running. It's lightweight too. It's a lot easier than Gentoo, and the Wiki is as detailed as Gentoo. But running non-free stuff (including WINE) is a pain in the butt. So if you only use free software in the pacman repos and are decent at reading the Wiki, you should be fine with it.

From: Wizzup?
It's just gentoo without the compiling and versatility of package management with slots and versions… :p

http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Archlinux or gentoo if you like