Windows 8 -- Just shoot me now.

[Sarongman]

I immediately installed Linux Mint

I never could get that install to be stable.

I am toying with installing either Linux Mint or Ubuntu and would like some feedback on same. As skirted in SF has already shown, Mint may be troublesome. What are other peoples' opinions? Win 8 is out of the question, though I may reinstall XP Pro. which has proved trouble free in my usage.

[crfriend]

I am toying with installing either Linux Mint or Ubuntu and would like some feedback on same. As skirted in SF has already shown, Mint may be troublesome. What are other peoples' opinions? Win 8 is out of the question, though I may reinstall XP Pro. which has proved trouble free in my usage.

At home I have had good luck with (very old) Red Hat (before it went stupidly commercial) and recent CentOS; however, those tend to be more server platforms than desktop ones. My desktop systems tend to run Slackware 10 or 11.

At work, I had an Ubuntu (try not to get any of it on your shoes; i.e. "Don't step in it.") desktop for a while that was mostly stable but would occasionally lose the configuration for the video card. Nowadays I have a Debian install on my deskside box and Windows 7 running in a VMware player virtual system on the secondary display and I have to say that the thing is solid as a rock. The Linux bits have been running almost flawlessly (save for the audio bits, but I have an SGI Indy for those) from day one and stay up from power-cut to power-cut. The Windows VM (almost typed "BM" there, which could be appropriate) stays up for as long as Windows can. Windows on the VM stinks for gaming.

[skirted_in_SF]

I immediately installed Linux Mint

I never could get that install to be stable.

I am toying with installing either Linux Mint or Ubuntu and would like some feedback on same. As skirted in SF has already shown, Mint may be troublesome. What are other peoples' opinions? Win 8 is out of the question, though I may reinstall XP Pro. which has proved trouble free in my usage.

My adventures with Mint started around June 2010. I'm enough of a MS basher that I kept trying to get it to work until December 2011. I can't speak to the more current versions.

[Miket]

Ubuntu Studio - for the arty bits; Ubuntu 12.04 on half a laptop ( it was the only DVD I had in a tricky situation - and Puppy Linux -Slacko- (small, fast and perfectly formed)on both my laptop (other half) and desktop. Twice a year I have to use Windows for online work - never a pleasant experience.

Stick Puppy on a USB stick and enjoy!


Mike

[skirtingtheissue]

Or you could just get a Mac, but I guess that's not an option for y'all...

[Uncle Al]

Y'all can keep your Mac-in-trash machines
I'll stick with the original IBM clone PC

BUT if Win-8 is anything like Win-7,
I'll go back to XP. I really don't have the need
for 64 bit processing. Sure, it's quite fast, but
my needs are not that extreme. I may still put
uBuntu on my old machine and compare the
two.

I started on DOS 2.0 with Win 3.0 on top. Then
ended up with DOS 5.0 and Win 3.1.1 and had
a 40 meg HD. I felt like I was in High Cotton
when I upgraded from a 20 meg to the 40 megger.
(Now those HD's would qualify as boat anchors,
they were so big and heavy

Anyway, I'm still learning this blasted Win 7.
I like the speed that stuff comes up on the screen, but
try to do something - - It's a pain in the chair

I tried to scan a document and send it to my computer.
The HP Scan/Fax/Copy/Print combo machine would not
function on it's own. I had to open "Windows Scan & Fax"
program to get anything done.

I DON'T LIKE RELYING ON MICROCRAPSOFT FOR PROCESSING OF ANYTHING


I would really like to keep the fast processing with Win 7
but have the features and maneuverability of XP

Uncle Al

[r.m.anderson]

Uncle Al - - -

I too use Windows 7 on my desktop PC and if works fine although from time to time it just loses it requiring a RESTART/REBOOT !

Quote
I tried to scan a document and send it to my computer.
The HP Scan/Fax/Copy/Print combo machine would not
function on it's own. I had to open "Windows Scan & Fax"
program to get anything done.
UnQuote

I have a HP combo printer with Scan Fax Copy function and except as noted above about W7 losing it from time to time I have
had no problemo. Then I have my HP printer wired - wirelessly through my router - the only hang up being a lag time for action
between the printer and the computer.

Yes the interesting History of the World Part MSDOS.
I started with W3.0 and upgraded as things came along - W3.11 (W for workgroups) - W95 - W98 - WMillineum - WUltimateVista - W7*.
The W7 machine came with an upgrade to W8 but after I purchased a powerhouse laptop with W8 I am leaving the desktop right where it is with W7 !
I don't need all that garbage "Apt" stuff to clutter and confuse me. I am old fuddy-dudd who liked the basic DOS and used PC TOOLS to make my
computers a fine organized well oiled machine. Somebody in the W factory just could not leave well enough alone they just had to put their fingers
on a touch screen and cause havoc - change for the sake of change.

"Skirt-Kilt-ON"
rma

[Big and Bashful]

After my BBC micro, at work we inherited an ACT Sirius with MS-DOS 1.25, SuperCalc and Wordstar. Floppies only, no such thing as a hard disk then. Once we upgraded to hard disks and DOS 2. something discovered how to accidentaly delete folders with important stuff in, well I was new to directories!
After the ACT Sirius we had Apricots for a while, before moving on to true IBM compatibles.

Now at home, this thing I type on has just evolved, I have installed a new 512 GB SSD (solid State drive for them what doesn't know!). Incredible how fast things boot and start, I also dug an older pc out and have stuck Ubuntu Linux on it but haven't started experimenting with that yet.

[crfriend]

Well, I finally fixed the keyboard on my laptop. The original article was beyond repair but I was able to locate a replacement and it works just fine. I also spent some quality time with screwdrivers, a hammer, and a soldering iron earlier today to get my good computer speakers working again and am enjoying a spot of Celtic Woman at the moment.

I remain wounded by my experience with my wife's Windows 8 machine and need to get my sorry backside down to Providence and spend some quality time with my 40-year-old NOVA that still works as her designers envisaged so many years ago -- back when computers held some magic. However, we need to get rid of about a foot of snow before I can venture very far afield.

[skirted_in_SF]

Carl,
This story from ExtremeTech might point you to a few ways to take the edge off Win8.
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/15 ... he-desktop
Seems like a cottage industry has sprung up in removing the "improvements" MS made moving from 7 to 8. I'm a happy Win7 user and have no intention of "upgrading" or buying a new computer with 8.
It frankly baffles me as to why MS thinks people would want a touchscreen desktop. I administer our company's Microsoft Dynamics accounting system as well as use Excel extensively. Can't for the life of me figure out how a touchscreen would improve the use of that type of software.
But then again, I don't own/use any type of touchscreen device. No cellphone or tablet.

[Uncle Al]

I figured out my "scan" problem. Since Win-7
recognized my Printer, I presumed that all was
well. Tonight I went to the HP website and I
downloaded 64 bit software and drivers for my
HP Photosmart Premium C309a Multi-function
unit. Now the bloody thing works like it's supposed to.


Also I'm using "Gimp" instead of Photoshop.
The version of Photoshop I have on the old
machine is no longer offered or supported.

Again -

(Must remember - When in doubt, R.T.D.T. )

Uncle Al

[Tor]

(Must remember - When in doubt, R.T.D.T. )

Hmmm... I always thought RTFM was more typical for this situation - though that one is less printable than yours.

[crfriend]

I always thought RTFM was more typical for this situation [...]

rtfm.mit.edu. It's still out there, albeit as a stub.

[Jack Williams]

Heck, I was just browsing through some of all that! Right over my head!! To some, computers are certainly a world of their own, but to me just another good tool to get stuff done. I may dig in more as and if I need to get other stuff done I guess, but I was never an "office" person, but just an electronics tech. Graduated to all valves these days!

Dug up this photo of one of my products. Not exactly a new model, photo found on my old Compaq M300 (XP professional).
This is a push-pull amp. Definitely "old school".
Latest ones are more beautiful and newly invented "BSEA" circuit using all triodes, octal front end, balanced output as per push-pull, but with no phase splitter. Own design. Goes to show valve technology still advances.

[Jack Williams]

OK, back on Vista. Amp displays better on Vista!