My years with Linux

With the ended support on Windows 10 in USA and soon to be ended in Europe, and not to mention the AI slop. I thought it would be a good time to reflect on my experience with Linux. Spoiler alert: It is not intimidating as you might think. 

It all started a little while before the support of Windows 7 ended, somewhere late 2019. Already using a couple of open source programs like Inkscape and Gimp, and at some point I wanted a bit more flexibility than my desktop. So a laptop was an obvious choice. The challenge was that I had a very small budget, so I asked around and my sister had an old laptop. This was a Compaq nx7400 with 80Gb hdd and 512Mb ram with a 32bits processor. This was probably a good spec laptop at some point in history,  but it had far lower specs than my desktop. Anyway it was portable, and a good starting point for experimenting with alternative operating systems.  

After installing Linux Mint I was pleasantly surprised how smooth everything was working. A quick start both operating system and programs like Gimp. Of course when using filters in Gimp there was a noticeable slowing down, this could take minutes 😁. So after a short while a small upgrade of extra cheap ram and ssd was ordered. Then it was okay and I worked with this set up for probably about 1 or 2 years.  

Then a couple of years later I was very lucky at Christmas, I got an used HP Probook,  with Windows 10. So I finally had a chance to go back to Windows. I tried the fresh installed Windows of course I needed a Microsoft account, after that the usual removal of bloat ware and unwanted software. I was thinking: why am I doing this.. this took 2 or 3 hours, my favorite software is build for Linux, everything feels restricted and unnatural. So after one day Windows 10 was gone and Linux Mint was installed. 

This laptop was capable of running a lot of more programs,  because it had a 64bits processor ( like any slightly modern computer). So this was the moment where I started exploring. Different programs,  mostly out of curiosity just to see what is possible. And in this process I picked up some new interests. It turns out Linux is great if you're interested in coding. 

 

Screenshot of my current Debian desktop

Recently I tried some other distro, and ended with Debian. And for my work I'm still chained to Windows,  because a lot of specialized technical software is only designed for Windows. So I have a good comparison between the two. 

And here's what I've learned through the years: Linux is different than Windows and so things are done different, that doesn't mean it's more difficult. Of course some things are easier in Windows, but also a lot of things are way easier in Linux. And the same applies to the software, for example LibreOffice works better in many ways than Microsoft Office ( that is now replaced with CoPilot ). The biggest advantages are a operating system that starts and closes faster, and is less resource hungry. Linux also respects you as a user and doesn't stop you because there is an update. You can update when you have the time and even if you update automatically this process runs smoothly in the background. The majority of things can be done in the graphic user interface and doesn't require the command line. But after a while you can learn a thing or two and get used to the command line. For example you can install programs from flathub.org and that's just a simple step of copy and paste a small piece of text in the commandline. The overall freedom is great, but it comes with responsibility. For example you can run older versions of software, but you can also delete some important parts of your operating system like your boot section or internet browser. So be sure to backup on regular basis ( or don't do stupid things). And more recently I've experienced that a game build for Windows available in  the Steamstore runs perfect on Linux thanks to Proton. So even if you're a gamer, changes are that you don't need Windows. 

So if you're interested in using Linux, give it a try. You can install an image on a usb stick for a live test without installing anything. You could have a look at flathub for an idea what kind of apps there are build for Linux. It's free, and if you like it you can give a donation. 

I'm planning on writing some more tips, so if you have any suggestions or questions just leave a comment.  

Have a great day and until next time. 

Greetings Andres 

Digital art on a small budget, part 2 Operating Systems

Let's talk about operating systems:

An operating system is just like the name says an piece of sofware that makes your computer, laptop or smartphone work. The great news is that you're not bounded to a operating system like Windows.

An alternative is to use an open source operating system like Linux to replace W7 or even older versions of Windows. And just like open source software the open source operating systems are free to use ( but feel free to contribute ).
Linux is an operating systems that comes in many different distros ( flavours ) but the basics stays a little bit the same. For example I use Linux Mint on a old laptop, a popular distro with a graphic user interface that looks a bit like Windows 7. But there is also Deepin a relativly new distro that looks more like a Mac OS ( but then without the expensive apps ). I've installed Deepin on my desktop a couple of days ago, it's worth mentioning because the graphic user interface ( GUI ) looks good but I'm not sure how this OS will evolve. For example the website Deepin.org is most of the time unreachable and that doesn't feel good 😶. I would suggest to search " Linux beginner " and there will be a nice overview of distros like: this one, another new open source OS is Chromnium which is a minimal Linux distro with only the Chrome browser. So really a lot to choose from and to much to write in this blog.

So to keep this post clear and readable I'll start with the pro en cons of Linux and after that a bit of Q and A.

Pros of Linux:

- It's free !! , still a contribution is appreciated.

- It is light weight and even supports the old hardware and gives this hardware great performance. For example The laptop I use, used to run on Windows XP and has a dual core 32 bit CPU and is over 10 years old ( ancient almost prehistoric in tech world ). but with Linux Mint it works great ( upgrading RAM is recommended ).

- Open source means that the source code is open , so many people can contribute to the project. Also the license agreement is far less complicated and not violating your privacy like many closed source OS ( operating systems ) do. For example you're not pushed to make an Apple or MS account to install the OS.

- It is stable. No kidding if NASA choose Linux for a space station over MS than it sure will be good enough for your home computer.

- Security, not only are there hardly any virusses written for Linux the structure is made that whenever you change or install software Linux ask your password.

- Adding software is easy just by using program management embedded is the OS ( just like Apple or Android ). And it's all free to use.

- For just about every windows software there is an Linux alternative.

- The GUI ( Graphic User Interface ) stays mostly the same on open source, so no need to search for functions after update.

- Updates are all done in a central place, so no more different pop ups after starting your device.

- With programs like Wine it's possible to run a lot of Windows software, or you could use a virtual machine.


Cons of Linux:

- Because Windows is used by a lot of people not all your programs will be available for Linux, and some alternatives might work different or not as good.

- Shouldn't be a problem but if you forget your password you have a problem , no " send me a mail " because Linux doesn't have your e-mail or password stored on their computers.

- The GUI isn't as flashy as other OS. Personally I don't think it's a bad thing, in my opinion I prefer a software that can do everything I want with a old looking GUI than a software that restricts me with a modern and sleek GUI ( yep I'm talking about Apple ).

- Because it's new you have to get used to it.


Note is that Linux comes in many different distros ( just like Samsung uses a different shell for their Android ) so the GUI differs between distros.


Some Q and A:


Q: Is it hard to use ?

A: No, just like every OS it might take some time to get used to, but some programs have a steaper learning curve ( like GIMP ).


Q: how about using Windows software on Linux ?

A: in many case you can use Windows software with Wine or an Virtual Machine.


Q: What software is available for artists ?

A: There is GIMP for image manipulation, Inkscape for vectordrawings and Krita is aimed on digital drawing.



Q: What other software ?

A: Just like any other computer there is office , video , audio and much more software.


Q: free software means crappy software ?

A: NO, many free and open source alternative perform better than the commercial competitors.


Q: Do I have to use the command line often ?

A: No, I use Linux for more than a year and didn't need to use it.


Q: If it's so great why haven't I heard from Linux before ?

A: there is no marketing that have to sell a product, license or subscription.


Q: if you still have a question ?

A: post it in the comment section and I'll see how I can help.

That's all for now. I hope I've inspired you to at least give Linux a chance.

Thanks for reading and untill next time.

Next time: Hardware

Greetings Andres