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Thread: Hoping to run Linux as my main OS..

  1. #1
    ZaO
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    Hoping to run Linux as my main OS..

    Post shortened. Bottom line is, I'm hoping to run my Windows music software on Linux. I'm going to try running Windows inside a virtual Machine in Linux and see if that works out. Otherwise, I may have to dual boot, which I hate >_<

    Cheers guys
    Last edited by ZaO; 06-08-2015 at 03:28 PM.

  2. #2
    Token 'murican GuidoLS's Avatar
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    Re: Always wanted to completely move over to Linux. Looks like it might be time very

    You're going to get a lot of opinions on this, and I'll toss mine in as well.

    First and foremost, be aware that there is really no such thing as SteamOS. It's just a very limited shell riding on top of Debian - for all intents and purposes, it's just Steam Big Picture set up to autoboot when your computer comes on.

    As for Steam itself, it will run just fine on pretty much any modern Linux distro, and is easily installed through pretty much all of the package installers. You'll still be limited to whatever games you own that have a native Linux client. There's more than a few of them now, but more than a few of those are indies - and as many as not are pretty weak. GOG also has a fairly good selection of Linux games, but they haven't released the Galaxy client yet, so the installation of those items might be a bit more complex. SteamOS is really a product that's a long way from delivering - Wine and PlayOnLinux are far more important tools. I'm sure that there's music programs out there that suit your needs. I haven't a clue as to which they are, nor do I know if they match the quality of programs available on Windows, but there's pretty much an analogous program out there for anything you want to do.

    As for which distro, I prefer Linux Mint for new installs, and I avoid anything that Ubuntu is still touching, for the same reasons you are wary of MS. That Canonical got caught harvesting and selling all user search information to Amazon, both internal and external, while not disclosing this fact in any way, shape or form makes them, IMO, far lower than anything MS may have done in the past or is even contemplating in the future.

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  4. #3
    ZaO
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    Re: Always wanted to completely move over to Linux. Looks like it might be time very

    Quote Originally Posted by GuidoLS View Post
    You're going to get a lot of opinions on this, and I'll toss mine in as well.

    First and foremost, be aware that there is really no such thing as SteamOS. It's just a very limited shell riding on top of Debian - for all intents and purposes, it's just Steam Big Picture set up to autoboot when your computer comes on.

    As for Steam itself, it will run just fine on pretty much any modern Linux distro, and is easily installed through pretty much all of the package installers. You'll still be limited to whatever games you own that have a native Linux client. There's more than a few of them now, but more than a few of those are indies - and as many as not are pretty weak. GOG also has a fairly good selection of Linux games, but they haven't released the Galaxy client yet, so the installation of those items might be a bit more complex. SteamOS is really a product that's a long way from delivering - Wine and PlayOnLinux are far more important tools. I'm sure that there's music programs out there that suit your needs. I haven't a clue as to which they are, nor do I know if they match the quality of programs available on Windows, but there's pretty much an analogous program out there for anything you want to do.

    As for which distro, I prefer Linux Mint for new installs, and I avoid anything that Ubuntu is still touching, for the same reasons you are wary of MS. That Canonical got caught harvesting and selling all user search information to Amazon, both internal and external, while not disclosing this fact in any way, shape or form makes them, IMO, far lower than anything MS may have done in the past or is even contemplating in the future.
    Thanks for the advice. I was given the impression that Steam OS was Debian/Ubuntu based, but heavily optimised for gaming. Maybe not..

    I really need to be able to run my existing software on Linux, especially after the money I've invested in it. Linux doesn't really have anything that compares for native software. Though it's a lot better than it used to be. But like I say - I have to be able to run what I currently own..

    I do remember hearing something about Canonical a while back as well. I wasn't sure of all the details though. Sounds pretty crappy and makes Ubuntu seem less appealing. Thing is, it looks like Ubuntu is the best one to run for support. What about Ubuntu without Canonical?

  5. #4
    Splash
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    Re: Always wanted to completely move over to Linux. Looks like it might be time very

    Unless I'm much mistaken you're going to need to install WINE in order to be able to run FL Studio on Linux: there is no native port available. This may work fine, or it may not. Test it thoroughly.

    Ultimately this is going to make your decision for you, but you need to be aware that you can't just take your Windows applications and run them on Linux.

    The problem with Ubuntu without Canonical is that Canonical are the maintainers for Ubuntu. They hold the keys.

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  7. #5
    Token 'murican GuidoLS's Avatar
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    Re: Always wanted to completely move over to Linux. Looks like it might be time very

    As Splash points out, Ubuntu is maintained by Canonical, so it's kind of hard to avoid them. That's why I tend to recommend Mint, as it's built with the better parts of Ubuntu, uses the same repository, but hasn't been tainted by the Amazon scandal, and hasn't involved itself with the Unity controversy as well.

    As for your must have programs, there is another possible option, although it's not free - that being Crossover. FL Studio, for example, is given gold and silver medals over the last 3 versions - you didn't list which you use, but FL Studio 12 is gold medal. https://www.codeweavers.com/compatib...e/?curPos=4100

    Back in the day, I was annoyed that Codeweavers was actually charging for the software on what was supposed to be the freeware revolution. I'm far more pragmatic now, and don't consider $40 to do what I need to do as out of bounds. There's a complete list of what runs well or better, what's mediocre, and what doesn't run at all there. Scan for what you have, and go for there.

    And yes, in a sense, SteamOS is sort of optimized for gaming, but it comes at the expense of everything else. It's an ok gaming platform (in that Linux is only an ok gaming platform, due to lack of native support by the vendors and publishers), but what's left is a lousy OS that requires far too much effort to bring back to a normal platform. Now I'm sure that thousands of SteamOS users are going to jump in saying how perfect it is, and GabeN is god and all that rubbish, but the reality is, it's no better than Puppy Linux or Mythbuntu or any of the other custom, boutique distros. If you're looking for a full fledged OS, you'll want a full fledged distibution. Ubuntu. Mint. Red Hat/Fedora. Debian. Even Slackware, if you're a glutton for punishment (although they tell me it's a lot more user friendly now - no more whips, chains and heated irons...)

    As for the politics with Ubuntu, they finally made the colonoscopy level search violation strictly opt-in last year, but much like some here despise MS for perceived ills in the past, as a Linux user, I'll not forgive nor give Canonical a pass on their past ills.

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  9. #6
    ZaO
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    Re: Always wanted to completely move over to Linux. Looks like it might be time very

    Quote Originally Posted by Splash View Post
    Unless I'm much mistaken you're going to need to install WINE in order to be able to run FL Studio on Linux: there is no native port available. This may work fine, or it may not. Test it thoroughly.

    Ultimately this is going to make your decision for you, but you need to be aware that you can't just take your Windows applications and run them on Linux.

    The problem with Ubuntu without Canonical is that Canonical are the maintainers for Ubuntu. They hold the keys.
    Definitely will need a bit of Wine

    Quote Originally Posted by GuidoLS View Post
    As Splash points out, Ubuntu is maintained by Canonical, so it's kind of hard to avoid them. That's why I tend to recommend Mint, as it's built with the better parts of Ubuntu, uses the same repository, but hasn't been tainted by the Amazon scandal, and hasn't involved itself with the Unity controversy as well.

    As for your must have programs, there is another possible option, although it's not free - that being Crossover. FL Studio, for example, is given gold and silver medals over the last 3 versions - you didn't list which you use, but FL Studio 12 is gold medal. https://www.codeweavers.com/compatib...e/?curPos=4100

    Back in the day, I was annoyed that Codeweavers was actually charging for the software on what was supposed to be the freeware revolution. I'm far more pragmatic now, and don't consider $40 to do what I need to do as out of bounds. There's a complete list of what runs well or better, what's mediocre, and what doesn't run at all there. Scan for what you have, and go for there.

    And yes, in a sense, SteamOS is sort of optimized for gaming, but it comes at the expense of everything else. It's an ok gaming platform (in that Linux is only an ok gaming platform, due to lack of native support by the vendors and publishers), but what's left is a lousy OS that requires far too much effort to bring back to a normal platform. Now I'm sure that thousands of SteamOS users are going to jump in saying how perfect it is, and GabeN is god and all that rubbish, but the reality is, it's no better than Puppy Linux or Mythbuntu or any of the other custom, boutique distros. If you're looking for a full fledged OS, you'll want a full fledged distibution. Ubuntu. Mint. Red Hat/Fedora. Debian. Even Slackware, if you're a glutton for punishment (although they tell me it's a lot more user friendly now - no more whips, chains and heated irons...)

    As for the politics with Ubuntu, they finally made the colonoscopy level search violation strictly opt-in last year, but much like some here despise MS for perceived ills in the past, as a Linux user, I'll not forgive nor give Canonical a pass on their past ills.
    I hear you.. I think it's pretty certain that FLS can run on Linux, so that's nice As for the games, I'll deal with whatever situation I get in regards to what ones I can actually play, just hoping that the Amd drivers for my 290X don't work out too bad (how's Mint for that?).

    I nearly tried Mint last time I was running Linux, but I ended up back on Ubuntu that time round. I've noticed the popularity of it growing over the past couple years or so. It sounds like the one to get!

    So, my main issue now is will I be able to run the plugins/VST's I mentioned... Well, I suppose I might try asking on a music forum about those ones. I did see a Linux musicians forum recently, so that's probably not a bad place to start!

    Even with the apparent options to turn off some of the privacy issues in Windows 10, I still don't trust them from the privacy policy, and the fact that it's very clear to see what Microsoft's intentions are with the platform. It's basically "Facebook OS". I just want an operating system that works for me and doesn't betray my trust. I don't want the ultimate data-mining, creepy perverts wet dream of an operating system. Is that so much to ask... especially when it's been paid for..

    Cheers guys

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    Re: Always wanted to completely move over to Linux. Looks like it might be time very

    I've been eyeing up switching completely to Linux Mint since the release of Windows 8 and things are slowly getting to the point of that being possible. I have Linux Mint 17.2 with Cinnamon installed on both my laptop and Media PC, as others have stated it just works and ticks all the right boxes when it comes to the mentality of the developers and the wide support they give.

    The biggest halt for me has been gaming. As much as I like Empire Total War, I cant see it keeping me occupied for the next few years but at least we are in a position where games like Empire Total War now run on Linux without any issues or need for programs such as wine.

    The biggest change is just getting used to the terminal. Generally if you need to find a fix for something or want to make an alteration the forum post or guide you find will probably give you a bunch of terminal commands to execute which can mean very little to you. I also find it hilarious when you install something via terminal, it generally runs through all the files and then prompts with a do you wish to execute with a y/n response. I always feel like the General in Terminator 2 turning on skynet when I press y.

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  12. #8
    ZaO
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    Re: Always wanted to completely move over to Linux. Looks like it might be time very

    Quote Originally Posted by anacdahudee View Post
    I've been eyeing up switching completely to Linux Mint since the release of Windows 8 and things are slowly getting to the point of that being possible. I have Linux Mint 17.2 with Cinnamon installed on both my laptop and Media PC, as others have stated it just works and ticks all the right boxes when it comes to the mentality of the developers and the wide support they give.

    The biggest halt for me has been gaming. As much as I like Empire Total War, I cant see it keeping me occupied for the next few years but at least we are in a position where games like Empire Total War now run on Linux without any issues or need for programs such as wine.

    The biggest change is just getting used to the terminal. Generally if you need to find a fix for something or want to make an alteration the forum post or guide you find will probably give you a bunch of terminal commands to execute which can mean very little to you. I also find it hilarious when you install something via terminal, it generally runs through all the files and then prompts with a do you wish to execute with a y/n response. I always feel like the General in Terminator 2 turning on skynet when I press y.
    That's hilarious! One of my favourite replies I've ever gotten on a forum haha Thanks dude. Really considering using Mint. Just trying to look into things a bit more with my essential plugins..

  13. #9
    Splash
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    Re: Always wanted to completely move over to Linux. Looks like it might be time very

    Quote Originally Posted by ZaO View Post
    just hoping that the Amd drivers for my 290X don't work out too bad (how's Mint for that?).
    Oh dear. You should ask DirectHex what he thinks about AMD's linux drivers...

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    Re: Always wanted to completely move over to Linux. Looks like it might be time very

    Quote Originally Posted by Splash View Post
    Oh dear. You should ask DirectHex what he thinks about AMD's linux drivers...
    They aren't as bad as they used to be, though they still have some nasty rough edges.

    I was going to point out that the chap that runs the Phoronix site switched from Ubuntu to Fedora a few months ago and is loving Fedora: http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pag...-Main-Linux-OS (slightly old article now but he hasn't switched back).

    Thing is, there isn't an AMD driver maintainer for Fedora packaging atm. That makes using the AMD drivers a bit of a pain, and I avoid kernel upgrades as it needs a manual driver recompile step. An NVidia card would just work, and be faster too. Again, the speed difference isn't as bad as it used to be, but it is there. For non gaming use the open source drivers are pretty good.

    Also, I would avoid the mindset of "I am switching completely to Linux" because it is unlikely to happen. I will at some point switch to Win10 for Windows as with my dual boot there are limited things that Microsoft can learn about me. They can learn that I play a few Steam games and play WoW, anything serious will likely be done in Linux.

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    Re: Always wanted to completely move over to Linux. Looks like it might be time very

    Quote Originally Posted by GuidoLS
    ....

    As for the politics with Ubuntu, they finally made the colonoscopy level search violation strictly opt-in last year, but much like some here despise MS for perceived ills in the past, as a Linux user, I'll not forgive nor give Canonical a pass on their past ills.
    I don't blame you. You have to wonder if the leopard can change his spots, or even if he wants to. Do they just regret breaking the 11th Commandment, from which they drew the obvious lesson .... be more careful next time to not get caught.

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    Re: Always wanted to completely move over to Linux. Looks like it might be time very

    ZaO, a question for you, and an option to think about.

    Question .... music-wise, what in your current setup can't you do, that requires you to upgrade at all? Unless there's actual need, why not just stick with Win7?

    Option. I have a 'removable' drive cage in one of my machines that takes 'bare' 3.5" hard drives. I also have a 2.5 to 3.5 converter, and it works in that drive bay. And I have several SSDs and HDs, differently configyred, for that system.

    It takes me about 5 seconds (while powered down, obviously) to change drives, and then boot into Win7, XP, Ubuntu, my Win8 'test' environment, or whatever. That one machine is almost schizophrenic .... it can almost instantly become whatever I want.

    Total cost, excluding machine, was about £70 plus drives but that's because the drive cage thing takes 4 drives. The single-bay version and the adapter would be a lot less.

    So, maybe, Ubuntu/Mint (whatever) on one drive, and Win7 on the other??? And/or Win10 (licences permitting, of course, on a third).

    Oh, and it has another advantage. When I want to test something, I can clone a 'real' system onto a spare drive, remove the real drive and install the clone, and test. If I'm happy, I can either repeat with the 'real' drive, or the test drive becomes the real drive, and the old real drive becomes a spare.

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  19. #13
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    Re: Always wanted to completely move over to Linux. Looks like it might be time very

    Hi

    Do you have a second machine, even very old computer/laptop to try linux out without needing to touch your current PC? Linux can run on old hardware and still feel responsive to a point of course. Or if you haven't got the option of doing that or Saracen's suggestion of physically removing drives which has it's advantages, what about duel booting a PC? Using Linux and Windows 7 which is supported for several years to come. Then when support ends and the switch to Windows 10 becomes necessary you can use it for what you really need or if your set up and comfortable enough just to use Linux. That time frame might mean the games your playing now won't be relevant or interesting any more and more chance of the games your playing in the future being available on Steam OS. Although I might be to optimistic there.

    I don't thinks it's just Microsoft and privacy we should have issues with, Apple are the same, plus any cloud company. My opinion is if someone wants to read my boring life so be it. But my important stuff and work is encrypted, so effort is needed to do anything there anyhow. I trust Microsoft more now than I did, but it's the US courts that worry me more. Which Microsoft are battling at that's the outcome I'm interested in. Not the fact that Microsoft might get a computer to read my files to give me free or discounted services, like Google. I'm happy with the trade off as I can't afford to pay for everything, plus most information is out there anyway. It's only the business side I'm really worried about, which I need to be by law.

    As many have mentioned using a virtual machine is a good option, even maybe to try out linux as well on your Windows PC, although this will be stressful on your machine unless you have some grunt.

    Alex

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  21. #14
    ZaO
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    Re: Always wanted to completely move over to Linux. Looks like it might be time very

    @Splash - Yes, I have heard complaints about Amd's Linux drivers haha.. I was just hoping that an Ubuntu based distro, like Mint, would be ok purely because Steam OS exists..

    @DanceswithUnix - I hear you man.. I tried to fully switch to Linux in the past and it didn't work out. I was dual booting Ubuntu and Windows 7. I was using Ubuntu for pretty much everything and using Windows 7 for gaming and a couple other programs (that was the idea anyway). While in Windows, I would just end up chatting to people on Steam, then checking links n stuff they'd send me and basically just ended up using Windows you know. I thought, why the hell do I keep booting into Linux? I'm just using Windows anyway.. So I kinda gave up on it. I can't be bothered to keep restarting my computer to boot a different OS just to do something like check my email, then boot the other one to do something else etc.. If I'm gonna do this, I need to really do it and just drop Windows..

    @Saracen - I can run stuff fine on Windows 7, but there are always some little perks to having the newer OS. Still, I could definitely do it on Windows 7 without it being a big deal.. Thing is, I never even liked running Windows 7 or any other Microsoft OS. The Xbox One and Windows 10 has really shown the true intentions of Microsoft and pretty much put the last nail in the coffin for me. Regardless of which OS of theirs I run, I don't trust them. My primal monkey senses are going crazy and telling me to keep away from it..

    I do like your removable drive idea though. It's a good solution! But as I say, I don't want that much hassle. I'm just less up for hassle as I get older you know lol.. I just want to boot my computer, do everything on it and not worry. I've always gotta make changes here and there for privacy and security, be mindful of what I install and how I use it etc. But I really don't wanna get into rebooting everytime I need to do a different task, or changing hardware. I'll be working on music and web browsing inbetween, then watching a video, then playing a game etc.. I switch tasks quite often so it would kill me to be rebooting so often. What'll happen is exactly what happened in the past - I'll end up just giving in and using Windows :/ It's because I already know this from experience that I want to try and just use Linux full time. I know what I'm like

    @AlSomething - No.. I only have the one.. That's not a bad idea. I'm actually going to dual boot Mint and Windows tonight and practice/test my software. If I can get it running, then I'll be switching right over! There's nothing like really testing it out though, so I best give it a try! There is also a program called Bitwig Studio which is Linux native. It would suck to spend more money on software as I literally just built up a bit of a dream collection of plugins.. But if it's what I have to do, then I will consider it. I can drop FL Studio for another DAW, no worries, but I really want those plugins to work..

    Thanks everyone!

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    Re: Always wanted to completely move over to Linux. Looks like it might be time very

    Quote Originally Posted by ZaO View Post
    I don't know what distro would be best for me. Steam OS, one of the Ubuntu distros, something else?
    Steam OS? I thought you wanted to avoid software that collected and shared information about you? Microsoft are only giving up and catching up with what the likes of Valve pioneered and I'd sooner take a chance on an unknown Microsoft than a Valve that's shown it's willing to take advantage of it's position.

    I'd stick to DRM free games from the likes of gog.com or those using DRM tech that sticks to being DRM rather than requiring you to install clients with storefronts and opt-out pop-ups, profile pages and other nastyness.

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    Re: Always wanted to completely move over to Linux. Looks like it might be time very

    Quote Originally Posted by EndlessWaves View Post
    Steam OS? I thought you wanted to avoid software that collected and shared information about you? Microsoft are only giving up and catching up with what the likes of Valve pioneered and I'd sooner take a chance on an unknown Microsoft than a Valve that's shown it's willing to take advantage of it's position.

    I'd stick to DRM free games from the likes of gog.com or those using DRM tech that sticks to being DRM rather than requiring you to install clients with storefronts and opt-out pop-ups, profile pages and other nastyness.
    That's why I was asking.. I don't know enough about them to make a decision on this.. I will be trying to dual boot with Mint though to see how it goes

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