I Love Linux

I love how you can customize everything is in this operating system. You can download thousands of software programs, tweak settings, make it your what you want. The reason why I have used it for years is that its free however there is a learning curve to it just like any other software programs you use. Once you get the hang of it you can do almost anything you want. 

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My Current Computer Desktop – Linux Mint 17.1 (Rebecca) with Ambiance flat blue theme. It is a dark theme that is easy on the eyes and easy too use. 

New Laptop Configuration

So I revamped (again) my laptop configuration. I can never leave well enough alone it seems…oh well. Sometimes something doesn’t work just right so you need to make a change until it does. 

I installed Linux Mint 17.1 which seems to be working well on my Dell Latitude D630 which has a few years on it. Recently I experimented with other Linux distributions but they didn’t seem to have a ease of use that Mint has touted for years. Not that I am a total noob but I want something that just plain works. 

Then I installed Google Chrome to be my default browser because I intend to use Google Drive for document and image storage offline. It seems to make sense because I anticipate Google to be around for a long time and I can access and edit my documents on different devices, yea for the cloud.

I did download my documents for local use when I need to. You can download your folder into a zip file. 

So I think I will settle on this unless I discover something that isn’t working well. Of course I will make adjustments along the way. This is a fun thing to do and to make best use of low cost technology and resources to do what I need to do. 

My desktop setup. A laptop with a second hand LCD monitor plugged in. I’m running Linux too. It’s super geeky don’t ya think?

The Linux Mint Blog » Blog Archive » Linux Mint 14 “Nadia” released!

Linux Mint 14 “Nadia” has been released today to the masses. It is based on Ubuntu 12.10 and features Mate 1.4 and Cinnamon 1.6. I have downloaded it and will check it out on a live USB. Depending on the results I will do a dual boot set up with Linux Mint 13.

The Linux Mint Blog » Blog Archive » Linux Mint 14 “Nadia” released!

Firefox and Tumblr

Is anyone having problems uploading photos to Tumblr using the Linux version of Firefox?

Ubuntu 12.10 A No-Go For Me

Today I downloaded Ubuntu 12.10 for kicks. I installed it on another laptop I have thats an older machine but does perform some things better than my primary laptop.

I installed it on that laptop and its slow as mud. Really I think Ubuntu is going backwards in creating a speedy environment for different configurations. Eventually many of us who have older systems will have to get machines that are more up-to-date and can handle the processes that new software demands. There are several things I didn’t like about Ubuntu 12.10 including not being able to install proprietary drivers out of the box and it seems to be a memory hog too. 

So, for me I will stick with Linux Mint 13 which is running well and has provided me a great desktop environment in MATE. I just hope they will keep the bloat to a minimum. 

No Ubuntu Update For Me

For the first time in ages I am not downloading an update to Ubuntu. On Thursday the 12.10 version was released to the masses and from what I have read its a good release with lots of bells and whistles. They have further refined the Unity desktop to interact more with the Web. However I am sitting this update out.

Since switching to Linux Mint a couple of months ago I have been very happy with its performance on our slightly older hardware. There is something good to be said about the MATE desktop environment. I am very pleased with Linux Mint and how it has a classic feel of earlier Ubuntu releases with all the power of the long term supported Ubuntu 12.04 at its core.

Ubuntu is going onward and upward in features and technology which seems to be slowing it down a bit. They have abandoned the 2-D version of Unity which is what I used on my laptop so it would run at its best. 

It wants to compete with Windows 8 and I think that’s great. Microsoft and Apple need some competition. However they need to be sure the widest array of hardware configurations can run the operating system with little problem so that they can a much bigger adoption. I like what Linux Mint has done by offering multiple desktop environments so it can be something for everyone.

What happens in the future will be interesting to watch. As for me I will continue to download updates and keep Linux Mint 13 (Maya) going as good as I can. 

Linux Mint Update – Two New Users

I have switched over to Linux Mint 13/Maya officially and while I was at it I installed it on my wife’s laptop too. She liked the way it worked like Windows XP and for me I have tweaked it to look a lot like Gnome 2 (which many people miss). There is something to be said about a shell that works well with all sorts of hardware configurations.

We have a couple of older computers that have been given new life with Linux Mint. Ubuntu 12.04 seems to work better with MATE than Unity for our machines. Not everyone needs a flashy desktop, what they want is something that just plain works. There were a couple of issues in the install that were troubling but were easily resolved. 

A while back I auditioned Linux Mint and wasn’t impressed but after a second look I can now recommend Linux Mint. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.