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Superboyac is throwing in the towel: I'm going to transition to Linux
mahesh2k:
Example?-mahesh2k (March 01, 2012, 11:57 AM)
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Gladly....from the Panda3D manual:
http://www.panda3d.org/manual/index.php/Installing_Panda3D_in_Linux
The easiest way to install panda is to use the RPM or DEB packages. This is only possible if your version of Linux is one of the provided versions of Linux. If not, you will need to compile from source. If there is an installer available, download and install the RPM or DEB appropriate to your version of Linux.
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That's just one example. I've seen similar regarding lots of other programs.
Full disclosure: I don't run Linux myself. The huge push in 2000 or so to put Linux on the desktop only yielded Linux running my router & my NAS in my house. ;)
-Innuendo (March 01, 2012, 03:16 PM)
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I am not quite sure he's going to jump into programming side. Panda3D engine is C++/Python based and is not something SB will get in linux. I do agree with you that there are some other complex softwares which are not in repositories that are likely to be compiled but that's rare considering usage of OP.
MilesAhead:
@Carol Haynes
In particular I really like Canon printers and they just don't do Linux
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...
I suppose it is what comes of using generic/similar model emulator drivers.
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That's one thing I found very frustrating also. When scanners were still a new thing I suffered by having a model that was one step below the most popular. The module would never initialize properly since it was made for another model scanner of that brand. I had to initialize by booting Windows, then I could warm boot and use it in Linux. Many distros keep a hardware compatibility list. It's a good idea to check it for the exact models of the hardware most important to you. That's what got me on Mandrake in the first place. I didn't install it just because it had some cachet. I had a Gateway system and the components were nearly identical to HP that Mandrake 9.0 was designed for. Everything worked but the scanner. :)
Anyway, many people don't know there's a hardware compatibility list. They install and hope, then get disappointed.
edit: speaking of which, when distro threads pop up and people ask "what's the best Linux distro" I would usually answer "the best Linux distro is the one that supports all your hardware." It just makes everything tougher if you have to kludge hardware support. My general feeling is that passing Linux distros off as a "fake free Windows" does a disservice. It lulls the person trying it into thinking the front end is going to be pretty much what they are used to and the stuff under the covers can be ignored. Stuff trying to be what it isn't tends to break easier than stuff trying to be what it is. If the OP has no desire to try a Mandrake type distro that's fine. In that case my only suggestion would be to get something where APT is designed in, not hacked on. It takes off a lot of the stress if you install a program and it at least comes up on the first go. With APT most stuff works out of the box as the directories are there and you don't have to hack around patching things. That was what drove me away from Redhat after using several releases. Every rpg was just a bit different. APT made life a lot easier.
Carol Haynes:
OK here is a challenge then - can someone point at a distro and driver package that will properly support my ethernet based all-in-one PIXMA MX850 (by which I mean as good as Canon's native Windows drivers - including paper profiles for different types of printing, scaling output, double sided, booklet printing etc.) - that means printing good quality, scanning from the computer (and ideally scanning at the printer to the computer) and the use of the auto-document feeder. Preferably an easy to install driver package.
I tried searching for it and the only solution I could find was for SANE which requires compiling and testing - not something I want to have to do just to get a printer working. I found lots of people complaining across a range of distros that they were trying to find a solution for this printer.
I also have a wireless Brother HL-2270DW laser printer - I have to confess I haven't looked for that but it would need to work.
40hz:
@40hz The "attitude that holds Linux back" is not Linux that is Linux. It's Linux that tries to be Windows. It's like calling elevator music "Smooth Jazz" to make it seem fashionable. To compete with Windows for Windows users is futile. Linux needs to be something different. The Windowsalike distro, in my opinion, is for those who must use something Linux when they don't want to. Therefore the rest of the OS environment is kept as painless as possible. In such cases the user should try to run the needed app in a VM in Windows. If the user really wants Linux, he/she should be prepared to learn some scripting. The more solid the distro the better. I've seen plenty of people crying on forums about broken Mint. I haven't seen anyone crying about broken Mandriva.
Unless I'm running a business on the Linux distro I have no need to buy support or have any interest in the status of the company. The package tool is standardized. I don't think APT is going away.
-MilesAhead (February 29, 2012, 03:19 PM)
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@Miles - I don't want to get into a drawn out debate over the relative merits of one distro vs another. Lets leave that for the acolytes and evangelists. Apple already has that well covered too. ;D
My point was it's better to start off with one of the mainstream and broadly adopted distros to get your feet wet rather than opting for a lesser known one if you're looking for minimal starting hassles. You seem to really like Mandriva. Fine by me. Whatever works best for you. I've used almost every version of it since back when it was still Mandrake. And I personally stopped being impressed with it quite some time ago for reasons far too picky to be worth getting into. It's a fine distro. Nuff said.
As far as broken Mint installations, I haven't experienced that where I am. Mint just seems to work for the people I deal with. But I have no strong axe to grind about it either way. And I'll drop it like a bad habit the minute it stops working for me as well as it currently is. But either way, I'm not seeing anybody who's crying about a broken Mint. And FWIW, I hardly hear anybody even mentioning Mandriva much, other than to talk about the soap opera it's become business-wise. So I guess what's popular depends on where you live. In my neck of the woods it's Debian and Debian-based distros for the most part - with a few VCIWs singing the praises of Suse. And where it's not mostly Debian-based (i.e. servers) it's BSD before it's RedHat.
To your philosophical point about how it would be better for Linux to pursue it's own paradigm and totally ignore Windows I'll have to agree. Partly. But not completely. Because there's a lot to be said for familiarity. And most people don't give blort about any of the technical or design stuff most of us mutants live for. And pursuing perfection in the computing world is like chasing clouds. Good exercise. But it won't help you get your chores done.
Ten years ago I would have agreed with you 100% that Linux absolutely needs to go its own way. I'm not so insistent any more. Mainly because it can't. There's too much existing technology and daily practice for it to divorce itself from history. 20 years ago it might have had a better chance to do that. With each passing day it becomes less likely and desirable for it to do so because it can't exist as an island. Not with Windows still holding +80% of the desktop and paradigm.
But maybe a lot of my opinion is shaped by the fact I've learned to become a pragmatist over the years. As a network integrator and system support tech, I really don't have much choice to be anything but. I have no philosophy to espouse other than the need for alternatives to be made available. That and a belief that the correct solution is the one that works for the person using it.
Pretty sad huh? That's what happens when you start getting old. ;D :Thmbsup:
MilesAhead:
@Miles - I don't want to get into a drawn out debate over the relative merits of one distro vs another.
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For someone who doesn't want to argue you sure post a lot with multiple paragraphs. As soon as I saw a Linux thread I knew it would degenerate to be honest. Still, like the guy hoping the football would not be pulled away this time, I tried to give the OP the benefit of my experience.
Linux that tries to be Windows will not work other than as a marketing ploy to generate disaffected users. I really see no point in going on with this thread. The OP will do whatever stikes his fancy. Good luck on his trials.
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