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linux mint newbie

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sword:
@bit, I like puppy linux and the latest is version 6 tahrpup 32 bit, available as a small .iso download at distrowatch.com. It remembers how you first set it up and can also be added to and then remastered very easily. It loads to RAM and does not need a hard drive. I have one copy of puppy_6 on a flash drive and it is loaded with firefox_42 and lots of add-ons. I use a puppy FatDog64 on DVD-RW that is very fast and convenient. I use DVD-RW or DVD-R copies of KaOS, Ubuntu Studio and NetRunner as well as ArtistX, Uberstudent and Mint but I use Mint on DVD-RW and on flash drive less in the last year. You can also get pre-burned linux disks at sites listed at distrowatch.com and at On-disk and in Linux Pro magazine. Puppy has a very friendly and helpful forum and I think you might be pleased with how well it works and what it can do.

40hz:
I see there are different Linux 'flavors' each with its own +'s & -'s.
I am heavily invested in Windows 7, but I see a growing consensus that future Windows releases may not be the way to go.
It looks like a good course for me to follow would be to begin a long-term interest to familiarize myself with Linux, towards the day I must upgrade from Win 7 to Win 10 or something even newer as yet unreleased (i.e. Win 11, 12... etc.).
That would be a good time to switch from Windows 7 to a Linux OS.
By then I would have a better idea what 'flavor' to switch to.

-bit (November 07, 2015, 05:22 PM)
--- End quote ---

My understanding is that with the release of Windows 10 there will be no further "versions" in the old sense. Windows is heading towards a rolling upgrade cycle where the OS just receives regular updates via Microsoft's update service. It's generally thought (but not yet confirmed) that free updates to the OS will be limited to a certain period of time and that a subscription will be eventually required to continue to participate in the ongoing upgrade/update cycle. That mechanism and subscription business model will replace the old method of purchasing completely new editions of Windows to get milestone upgrades. Once that happens there won't be future version numbers. Windows will just be called Windows. So it's a whole new world Microsoft has planned for its Windows users to eventually be migrated into.

If that future works for you, that's great. If it doesn't, then your alternatives are Linux or Apple's OSX - or possibly Android or iOS on a tablet or other mobile device.

I myself have decided to place my bet on Linux for my current and future workstation needs. But only time will tell if I made a wise decision.

Good luck!  :Thmbsup:

xtabber:
My understanding is that with the release of Windows 10 there will be no further "versions" in the old sense. Windows is heading towards a rolling upgrade cycle where the OS just receives regular updates via Microsoft's update service.-40hz (November 12, 2015, 12:25 AM)
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It's not the prospect of paying for a subscription that scares the living daylights out of me about Windows 10, it's the idea that the user is at the mercy of Microsoft with no way to opt out of whatever they attempt to force down one's throat through regular mandatory updates to the OS.

This article discusses the specific problem of interruptions to workflow caused by Windows update forcing reboots, but the problem goes much deeper in that the security of mission-critical programs can be compromised by unannounced changes to the operating environment.

It's one thing for my phone or tablet to be kept up-to-date that way -- I'm not going to put anything I can't live without on those devices.  Like it or not, at some point I am going to have to bite the bullet and transition to Linux before Windows 7 dies of old age or just won't run on a newer desktop computer.

MilesAhead:
@sword not to hijack the thread but is there a quick and dirty way to put Puppy on a USB or do I have to boot it and run the install to USB?

Edit:
I have tried Mint and Debian booting off a USB stick on my Laptop but something small and fast running in ram has a lot of appeal.

Stoic Joker:
This article discusses the specific problem of interruptions to workflow caused by Windows update forcing reboots, -xtabber (November 12, 2015, 08:12 AM)
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For those that skipped reading the article, go back and read it...The guy completely nails it.

Disgruntled Windows users are now downloading shady apps that block certain updates or cribbing batch files from forums to force-block all updates. This will only lead to bigger problems -- which will naturally require updates to fix, but at that point few will be listening. -The Article
--- End quote ---

For anyone from Microsoft wandering by: you need to skip the think tank shenanigans, embrace this as absolute fact, and knock the forced update nonsense off now! Destabilizing the shell by auto running the updates and then pretending to wait for a reboot is contemptuous at best. CHANGE NOTHING WITHOUT THE USERS PERMISSION!!! ...Or Linus Torvalds battle cry of 'Never Break Userspace' will become your epitaph.

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