Any fellow Linux users on here?

[Outdated]

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

Try Synaptic package manager, sometimes it's nice to be able to browse the repositories and see what's available.

sudo apt-get install synaptic

You can use the mouse to copy and paste commands like that straight in to the terminal.

Other than that, it's just an incredibly stable and reliable system that can't get viruses and also offers you much greater internet security. What you want to do with it is up to you, added bonus knowing you can do it all for free.

Don't forget that you can still install any desktop you like in Ubuntu, in fact you can install a whole bunch of them and just switch back and forth between them to try them all out.

 

[elgat0verde]

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

I actually want to learn both after I am done with pytho!

I want to learn as much as I can about programming but wanted to start simple and then work my way into more complicated languages

 

[elgat0verde]

Try Synaptic package manager, sometimes it's nice to be able to browse the repositories and see what's available.

I will check it out, thank you!

 

[elgat0verde]

Don't forget that you can still install any desktop you like in Ubuntu, in fact you can install a whole bunch of them and just switch back and forth between them to try them all out.

Oh and I really like the ubuntu desktop and that's why I wanted it from the moment I decided to turn to Linux

My old computer couldn't run it (obviously) but this mac seems to be running it with no problems. I really liked mint but I prefer the ubuntu environment

 

[Outdated]

Ubuntu is what I'm running at the moment, but I hated their desktop. We're all different.

I can't remember if Ubuntu comes with it already installed or not - Thunderbird is a great email program, especially if you're handling several addresses.

I use qbittorrent for getting movies and TV shows
Calibre for ebooks
Kpat is a nice patience game

 

[elgat0verde]

It does have thunderbird but I am a bit worried about using a third party email client to manage my mail

I am a bit paranoid when it comes to things like that

people still use torrents? I thought the intrawebz police stopped them

 

[Outdated]

Gmail reckon thunderbird's unsafe because they want you using their web interface, they don't want you using a third party software. Thunderbird only very recently separated in to it's own project, it was part of Firefox.

And yes, people still use torrents. Usually far faster download speeds with torrents.

 

[Angular Chap]

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

The terminal! I'd say make that your next step. For me, that is where Linux really shines. Google some Linux terminal tutorials, start off very basic, like shutting down or rebooting the system from the terminal. Then you will start to feel even more like a coder! Try doing more and more things using the terminal, see if you get more efficient than pointing and clicking. I pretty much try to do everything via the terminal, with the exception of internet browsing of course.

I even download and play videos from YouTube and Twitch using yt-dlp and watch them using ffplay (faster than using bloated websites these days!)

people still use torrents? I thought the intrawebz police stopped them

Ha! Yes, the interwebz police like to think they stopped them! But they just threw loads of money into maybe taking down a site or 2 for maybe a month! Torrents are very much still alive and well.

 

[elgat0verde]

Gmail reckon thunderbird's unsafe because they want you using their web interface, they don't want you using a third party software. Thunderbird only very recently separated in to it's own project, it was part of Firefox.

I do remember thunderbird from way back when (geocities internet era I believe)

Wow, didn't know torrents were still a thing!

Guess I need to go back to me ol' piratey ways lol

 

[elgat0verde]

I pretty much try to do everything via the terminal, with the exception of internet browsing of course.

Ditto!

When I find an interesting package I first look if it's possible to be downloaded through the terminal instead of "click, download"

I also know how to reboot and shutdown my computer thought it, that I figured out by myself

Ha! Yes, the interwebz police like to think they stopped them! But they just threw loads of money into maybe taking down a site or 2 for maybe a month! Torrents are very much still alive and well.

Those are great news!

 

[Outdated]

Those are great news!

This one gives me no popups
https://tpb.party/
If you can't access that from where you live (censorship) download Tor Browser, that'll let you get what you want. It installs as a standalone app so where ever you unzip it to is where it will run from.

https://www.torproject.org/download/

 

[tkcartoonist]

Go on archive.org sometime. A lot of their downloads have a torrent option. Killing torrents is equivalent to killing alternative web browsers: it ain't happening anytime soon, even if the web police want to try.

EDIT - it figures I think of a better example AFTER I post: my Linux distro came with an IRC client. IRC is rarely used anymore yet it's still around. Torrents are in the same ballpark.

 

[elgat0verde]

I used IRC a lot iny youth, it was a quite popular chat client back in the day.

I would login almost daily and just talk to people in channels

Wish I could remember everything I learned about it back then, perhaps with use I will

 

[tripleU]

I used IRC a lot iny youth, it was a quite popular chat client back in the day.

I would login almost daily and just talk to people in channels

Wish I could remember everything I learned about it back then, perhaps with use I will

It still exists, but it feels like the GNOME channel is too toxic with it's owner, and no one cares in the Arch Linux one, use forum boards not real time chat.

 

[Outdated]

IRC is rarely used anymore yet it's still around. Torrents are in the same ballpark.

I still pay a monthly fee for NNTP access.

 

[Angular Chap]

Ever play the Holywood style hacking simulator game Uplink? It had an IRC client built into the game, it needed in game money (4000 credits) to access. Never used it though.

 

[tkcartoonist]

There's only a few more things I want to do with this computer to set it up. One of them: I want to be able to have it so that when a regular user logs out, any changes (files transferred from a flash drive and such) are wiped. I've seen something like this done on public computers before, but those weren't Linux machines. Would this be something I can change in the account settings, or do I have to do some sudo magic?

Less important: I've already added a couple of things to this system (clamav, Kpatience, Lucas Chess, and Quadrapassel), some of which are quality of life things. I know how to change the name of the host machine when the time comes (I'm sure no one wants a machine with [username]@donorcomputer), and I put language packs and multimedia drivers on it (no having to put pulseaudio or Libreoffice on it: they're already there) plus I got rid of the bittorrent client that came preinstalled (if this were being given to any Joe Schmoe, I wouldn't care, but I doubt any organization I donate this to, whether it be to a library or a shelter, would want people to have the means to pirate stuff). I'll probably put Calibre on it very soon, but are there any other suggestions for anything else that might be worth putting on it, at least as far as things the average Joe or Linux-inexperienced might use?

 

[Outdated]

I want to be able to have it so that when a regular user logs out, any changes (files transferred from a flash drive and such) are wiped. I've seen something like this done on public computers before, but those weren't Linux machines. Would this be something I can change in the account settings, or do I have to do some sudo magic?

I've never looked in to this before. @Angular Chap? I don't think Guest accounts is really what you're after but reading up on them should give you a lot of relevant information.

https://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2021/07/create-guest-account-ubuntu-20-04/
For a multi user machine get rid of Shotwell. It copies (or moves depending on default settings) people's pictures to one central folder where they will be accessible to everyone. Not ideal.

I like GeeQee as a picture viewing program.
gnome-sudoku might be another popular one.
Zoom and Whatsapp - whatsdesk for linux

 

[Judge]

I continue to use my oldest SSD, a 256GB drive to experiment with. In reinstalling Pop!OS22.04 for the 13th time, I chose to do something a bit different, expecting the installation to fail. While I've used Linux Mint's disk partitioning at installation in the past, I chose to try PopOS! and try to repartition the drive to eliminate some unwanted and unnecessary partitions. In the past, all my efforts have failed. Not to mention having to deal with a swap partition I didn't want or need. Something that wasn't an issue with earlier versions of their "Cosmic" OS.

Apart from the install process going smoothly, I later chose to take a look at how the system partitioned the disk, expecting the usual minimum of four partitions. To my shock, here's what it showed:

It loaded everything into a single partition! Something I haven't seen with this latest version. Maybe it had to do with making use of a "swapoff" feature in the partition software that came with the .iso flash drive. Not only eliminating any need for a swap partition, but putting it all neatly into a single partition. Finally!

And here's what I was actually expecting that kept happening with all the other installations:

And of course, here was my intent of experimenting further with Pop!OS22.04. To install a complete version of a Mac "Mojave" Theme, just to change things up. Though the theme software isn't perfect, as with some apps like Firefox and Timeshift, they didn't want to comply in whole or in part with the look and feel of a Mac OS. Kind of spoiled the whole effort. I suppose I'll be searching for a better theme in the future to see if I can improve on it.

LOL....and no it was quite deliberate on my part to leave the windows buttons on the right and not the left as Apple does.

 

[tkcartoonist]

There's only a few more things I want to do with this computer to set it up. One of them: I want to be able to have it so that when a regular user logs out, any changes (files transferred from a flash drive and such) are wiped. I've seen something like this done on public computers before, but those weren't Linux machines. Would this be something I can change in the account settings, or do I have to do some sudo magic?

Less important: I've already added a couple of things to this system (clamav, Kpatience, Lucas Chess, and Quadrapassel), some of which are quality of life things. I know how to change the name of the host machine when the time comes (I'm sure no one wants a machine with [username]@donorcomputer), and I put language packs and multimedia drivers on it (no having to put pulseaudio or Libreoffice on it: they're already there) plus I got rid of the bittorrent client that came preinstalled (if this were being given to any Joe Schmoe, I wouldn't care, but I doubt any organization I donate this to, whether it be to a library or a shelter, would want people to have the means to pirate stuff). I'll probably put Calibre on it very soon, but are there any other suggestions for anything else that might be worth putting on it, at least as far as things the average Joe or Linux-inexperienced might use?

So I found someone that may be interested in this computer, but I'm still trying to solve this problem. I tried to create a guest session account, but I'm not able to transfer the desktop layout as I arranged it under the admin account to it, and creating a regular user account, while I am able to make the layout arrangement I want, has a password requirement plus created files are saved even after logout. I tried one of the methods that @Outdated linked to, but I wasn't getting much luck. Anyone know the best way to make this whole setup work? I should mention that the computer has Linux Mint 21.2 Cinnamon on it.