Any fellow Linux users on here?

[tkcartoonist]

So I had an idea come to me: I have a computer that was given to the technical college I'm attending for IT, and have been thinking of what to do with it for a while. I know I've been wanting to make it into some kind of Linux machine, but have debating what kind for a while. I thought at first some kind of gaming machine or a server or something, but I had a better idea come to me.

I was thinking of donating it to the veteran's home that my dad is living at, as I noticed they were short a computer in their library. I wanted to put a distro on there that can be easily understood by an elderly population, plus people that aren't as tech-savvy with computers (I don't expect everyone working there to even know what Linux is). I was doing some brief research on the subject and it seems like Mint is the best option, but I wanted some other opinions on the subject.

 

[Outdated]

I've done a lot of this sort of thing myself, but not for a few years now. Install a distro that does an LTS version - 5 years of updates and support. Years ago the only one that did that was Ubuntu but I believe a few of them do now.

It needs to be one of the more popular and mainstream distros in case someone does want to tinker with it later on. Better documentation, more activity on help forums, more extensive software repositories, etc.

And for simple ease of use for people not familiar with Linux the Cinnamon desktop is a good one. It's intuitive and easy to use for people coming from Windows. Especially important to people that only know Windows - a proper menu with different categories of programs for them. All the programs have got funny names that they don't recognise, funny icons too, it's a lot easier for them to start finding their way around if they can look at a short list of internet programs, or office programs, etc.

And install every sort of contingency on there that you can think of. They'll want to watch videos, make sure you get all the gstreamer codecs you think they might need, that should cover audio as well. Library you say? That means books, so install Calibre. And you're not going to give them a computer without patience on it, Kpat is a nice one.

 

[Angular Chap]

Lubuntu LTS was my distro of choice for my non-tech-savvy parents and clients. I chose that more so because of its performance on their lower end hardware.

 

[Judge]

I was doing some brief research on the subject and it seems like Mint is the best option, but I wanted some other opinions on the subject.

As Ive posted a number of times in this thread before, no matter how many Linux distros I try out, they all leave me coming back to Linux Mint 21.2 for a variety of reasons. Out of the box its interface is similar to Windows 11 except given that the interface is far more versatile in comparison. And I find it has few quirks compared to other distros. Easily the smoothest running one of all those I've tried. But then it's no surprise given how it's marketed, particularly for noobs coming from Windows.

In essence if the computer and its operating system are all set up and intended for people merely to use and not modify, Linux Mint 21.2 seems ideal, IMO. Lots of minor choices in how the interface appears, but without the complexity of KDE or Gnome shell extensions. And for me, it has run rock-solid. All on an 11-year old third-generation Intel computer I built.

The only real work I had to do was to alter three files and install PulseAudio Volume Control to improve sound. And I added some lines to the grub file to make a cleaner-looking bootup. But those are not things I'd expect users to be involved in. And once you take care of such things, there's not likely to be any reason to revisit them.

Linux Mint 21.2:

Note that you can place the icons in the panel to the left, right, center or to the sides or top. The "Cinnamenu" menu system was an optional extension, but very versatile compared to Windows 11.

Since this picture I have changed the interface again, moving my favorites icons to the center rather than off to the left side. Being able to customize an OS interface has always been important to me.

 

[Angular Chap]

A joke about viruses on Linux:

 

[Outdated]

A joke about viruses on Linux:

The newer selinux systems like Centos and Fedora won't let it run at all. Lovely story.

 

[Angular Chap]

Yep, the Windows fanboy shrieking "BUT LINUX CAN STILL GET VIRUS THO!!!!" wears even thinner!

 

[Outdated]

I'm going to buy a new phone soon and put Linux on it and see how that goes. It'll be nice to miss out on all the adverts and spam.

 

[tkcartoonist]

So I'm still working on the computer I mentioned, etched Linux Mint Cinnamon 21.2 onto a flash drive, and there's something I noticed: the tower has no wireless nic (only a wired ethernet connection).

Since I currently don't have the time or patience to find an nic that is compatible with this particular motherboard, I did some research looking into a WiFi adapter that is compatible with Linux. I did find one, but like everything involving ol' Tux, the drivers need to be installed in a roundabout way. I did find a way, but I'm wondering if it's possible to be able to burn this solution onto a flash drive/CD/DVD. I'm asking because, when I install Mint proper at the Vet's Home, I don't know if they have a wired internet connection there to be able to type these commands there. I hope this makes some kind of sense.

 

[Outdated]

I did some research looking into a WiFi adapter that is compatible with Linux. I did find one, but like everything involving ol' Tux, the drivers need to be installed in a roundabout way.

I've never played with Mint but you shouldn't be having that sort of trouble these days. Doesn't matter what you buy, what brand, what plug fitting, pci, pciE, USB. Just plug it in and it works, Linux should already have those drivers.

 

[tkcartoonist]

I've never played with Mint but you shouldn't be having that sort of trouble these days. Doesn't matter what you buy, what brand, what plug fitting, pci, pciE, USB. Just plug it in and it works, Linux should already have those drivers.

What I'm running into is that the device is recognized when checking USB connections, but I'm not able to use it to try to connect to a wireless network. I wonder if the reason is because I'm just going off a live boot instead of a proper installation. I'm not planning on installing it proper until I talk to the VA regarding donating it and setting it up, as I need someone there to help set up account information. This will eventually be their computer, after all.

 

[Outdated]

I wonder if the reason is because I'm just going off a live boot instead of a proper installation.

It shouldn't make any difference, in fact I always used a live boot usb stick as a diagnostic tool for checking that hardware works correctly. Try a different Linux to see if it makes any difference,(doubtful) if not then the wifi card you bought is a lemon and should be returned under warranty.

Also in future don't go looking for "Linux compatible" hardware, there's no such thing. There's a very short list of "Linux Incompatible" hardware, and that's mostly just Canon scanners. To tell you the truth, cheap chinese hardware often far outperforms the big name brands and for wifi cards internal or external TP-Link are pretty good.

 

[tkcartoonist]

I have tried for hours to get this thing to work. I ended up biting the bullet and picking up an ethernet cable just so I could go through the rigmarole of trying to find or build something that will make this thing compatible. I've gone to several different forums asking the same question and seeing what solutions there are. Nothing has worked so far. I tried a couple of different drivers, including one right from TP-Link's own site, and none of them want to build: I keep getting errors when trying to make the file. Just for kicks, I plugged it into a Windows laptop I had laying around and never use, and suddenly the device lights up like a Christmas tree so I know the device isn't the issue. I'm almost ready to pack it in and take it back: this thing just won't cooperate with Linux at all.

EDIT: Finally I solved the problem. Turns out the secure boot was interfering with it. I think I got it to work now. Criminey.

 

[Outdated]

EDIT: Finally I solved the problem. Turns out the secure boot was interfering with it. I think I got it to work now. Criminey.

Ubuntu had this problem a few years back, major issue, an update left people's computers refusing to boot. Security error. I was a busy boy for a week or so there.

 

[elgat0verde]

Hi guys

Hope you are doing well

I have FINALLY settled with ubuntu (my first choice when selecting distros) I've read that is very good for beginner coders and Linux n00bs.

The question that arises from me now is, what next? I have googled a lot of things about Linux and not a lot has stuck in my brain (it's a process with me, I have to do the task a couple times to get it)

I seem to be lost and can't find the tip of the black string to get started with it and explore it completely and soak everything that is doable with it in and exploit all the possibilities at my fingertips.

I know how to update, how to download, how to use snap and refresh that, how to activate the firewall (how safe is this firewall anyhow?) but I don't know what else to learn to do.

I found how to make new directories, access directories, use neofetch, but what else? Where does the tip of the black string start? What else can I do with linux besides learning to code (learning python now)

Any suggestions are very welcome

 

[tripleU]

Hi guys

Hope you are doing well

I have FINALLY settled with ubuntu (my first choice when selecting distros) I've read that is very good for beginner coders and Linux n00bs.

The question that arises from me now is, what next? I have googled a lot of things about Linux and not a lot has stuck in my brain (it's a process with me, I have to do the task a couple times to get it)

I seem to be lost and can't find the tip of the black string to get started with it and explore it completely and soak everything that is doable with it in and exploit all the possibilities at my fingertips.

I know how to update, how to download, how to use snap and refresh that, how to activate the firewall (how safe is this firewall anyhow?) but I don't know what else to learn to do.

I found how to make new directories, access directories, use neofetch, but what else? Where does the tip of the black string start? What else can I do with linux besides learning to code (learning python now)

Any suggestions are very welcome

Try Arch Linux in a VM, customize a lot, see window managers, make your own desktop, I don't think you should use Python, use Rust to gain an understanding of the system. and make something unique that you can use and has utility like an ultra customizable clock widget with a list of upcoming events for your window manager, Arch Linux is very hard to install on a real system, and it requires a lot of driver hell setup, but I did it and I am here.

 

[tkcartoonist]

One thing I've learned: try to use apt or even flatpak instead of snap. Also, really practice with CLI.

 

[elgat0verde]

One thing I've learned: try to use apt or even flatpak instead of snap.

My main is apt, I just use snap for things like spotify

I've just used it for spotify as a matter of fact which I promptly removed because the app hogs more memory than just streaming through my browser

 

[elgat0verde]

I don't think you should use Python, use Rust to gain an understanding of the system

I will turn to Rust when I am done with my Python course

I don't want to leave python halfway done in case I can find a job using it

 

[tripleU]

I will turn to Rust when I am done with my Python course

I don't want to leave python halfway done in case I can find a job using it

Python is way more popular, so I think you can get a job for it, but it seems like there are too many people including both of my cousins, so something more advanced like Java or C which give a headache could be useful as no most don't want to give themselves a headache