Proneutron
SOC-13
I have tested this OS out on a non-tech Apple OS user and a Windows user. No problems and they have been able to use smoothly. https://zorinos.com/download/
Good Distro for non-techies
- Thread starter Proneutron
- Start date
ShawnDriscoll
SOC-14 1K
Will it run my SKYRIM with 750+ mods installed for it?
Proneutron
SOC-13
Who knows? Can whatever the program you are talking about run on Ubuntu? Have you read the OS requirements for that s/w????
Frankly, I'd not dump a fringe OS on a non-tech user. Heck, I wouldn't dump one on a techy user. A hobbyist, sure, but not a user, where this stuff is a means to an end.
Ubuntu has a vast swath of support on the internet, it's straightforward to type "<problem> ubuntu" in a browser and get a detailed answer, vs the sea of "linux" answers.
I've been a computer programmer pushing 40 years, it's my passion, my drive.
But I hate "computers". I hate messing with them, configuring them, deciphering blobs of arcane data, pressing the "print" button over and over in rage. All of it.
The "computer experience" is, still, very frustrating.
Phones are closest to doing an almost passable job.
Everything else is a borderline nightmare, Macs are better than most. (And I'm writing this on a Mac that likes to lag and freeze on a whim, which is annoying me to no end -- I may have to reinstall, I'm not sure. Did I mention I hate computers?)
If it weren't for the web, I'd be driven more and more back to a 90's era computing experience.
Ubuntu has a vast swath of support on the internet, it's straightforward to type "<problem> ubuntu" in a browser and get a detailed answer, vs the sea of "linux" answers.
I've been a computer programmer pushing 40 years, it's my passion, my drive.
But I hate "computers". I hate messing with them, configuring them, deciphering blobs of arcane data, pressing the "print" button over and over in rage. All of it.
The "computer experience" is, still, very frustrating.
Phones are closest to doing an almost passable job.
Everything else is a borderline nightmare, Macs are better than most. (And I'm writing this on a Mac that likes to lag and freeze on a whim, which is annoying me to no end -- I may have to reinstall, I'm not sure. Did I mention I hate computers?)
If it weren't for the web, I'd be driven more and more back to a 90's era computing experience.
Similar to Whatung, been coding since 86 through several operating systems and languages. While not quite a passion anymore after all this time (I hate web development and that is everything now) I still enjoy it.
But from the header, a good distro for a newbie, pretty much implies a hobbyist. Those that just want things to work and to play their games, pick the platform that has the software they want running. Those people rarely will know what a distro is (short for distribution, a variation on an operating system for a computer. At least pretty sure - certain that I'll be corrected if wrong such is the nature of the internet)
But yeah, my days of messing with alternative OS are way gone. Stick with the Mac / linux for work, and Windows / sometimes Ubuntu for personal. Though I could use the Windows/Ubuntu sub-system for work but as we've established Mac for Rails development all the scripts assume that version. Though I did get it mostly working under Ubuntu, and we honestly should be as that is what OS the site lives on. But as always, I digress...
And, having said all that, for those that do want to play with various distributions, more power to you. Just don't try it on a machine you actually need to use in case something goes wrong. unless you use a VM system to be safe you may render your machine useless.
But from the header, a good distro for a newbie, pretty much implies a hobbyist. Those that just want things to work and to play their games, pick the platform that has the software they want running. Those people rarely will know what a distro is (short for distribution, a variation on an operating system for a computer. At least pretty sure - certain that I'll be corrected if wrong such is the nature of the internet)
But yeah, my days of messing with alternative OS are way gone. Stick with the Mac / linux for work, and Windows / sometimes Ubuntu for personal. Though I could use the Windows/Ubuntu sub-system for work but as we've established Mac for Rails development all the scripts assume that version. Though I did get it mostly working under Ubuntu, and we honestly should be as that is what OS the site lives on. But as always, I digress...
And, having said all that, for those that do want to play with various distributions, more power to you. Just don't try it on a machine you actually need to use in case something goes wrong. unless you use a VM system to be safe you may render your machine useless.
Proneutron
SOC-13
Correct. This post isn't aimed at them but a family member or friend who might want to intro someone to something different than Mac or Win PC without hand holding except for install.
Proneutron
SOC-13
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ShawnDriscoll
SOC-14 1K
I been programming computers since 1976. I've never hated them. They're still a fun hobby for me all these years. A lot of Traveller code written for sure.
My experience is often that low tech is better than no tech--and often more pleasant than high tech.
A confrere (of blessed memory) used to say that he was able to do less with each generation of word processors--things like Word in the '80s were around long enough, and with few enough bells and whistles, that you could learn the possibilities pretty well. Then, as upgrades came faster and faster, and possible tools multiplied, you had more and more to learn in less and less time, and just when you were getting back to where you used to be, it all started over. And he was an periodical editor, so he didn't have the luxury of not upgrading.
AnotherDilbert
SOC-14 1K
Is it Android, Apple, or Windows? Can it run MS Office natively with support? Then it's fringe.
For people who want to work "with" a computer that's not expensive, I recommend Ubuntu. For people who want to work "on" a computer, then Void Linux or something that lets you run containers.
I needed a USB video, got a Logitech, and it "just works" on my current Ubuntu system. I've been doing bits and bytes since the 80's, and work as a programmer. Sometimes, though, it's nice to just let things run.
I needed a USB video, got a Logitech, and it "just works" on my current Ubuntu system. I've been doing bits and bytes since the 80's, and work as a programmer. Sometimes, though, it's nice to just let things run.
Proneutron
SOC-13
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
definition of fringe may vary wildly. But it also depends on where you are running the computer. For personal use, pretty much all Linux flavors are fringe. Though if you include phones, it does change a bit:
See https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share for one set of data. Note Linux is all the way at the bottom.
Not sure if that is for ALL systems or personal computers. I feel servers would have more Linux in place but that's just a hunch based on my past experience (after the minicomputers we were using went away, we still used a now extinct OS on i86 architecture, but then tried DOS which did not work for us, then Sun Unix for a few years, then Red Hat Linux. Next company used Windows server as did the one after that, and my current company uses Ubuntu for the servers)
And in looking at my little blog, Mac OS usage tends to be larger than Windows but close. It may say something to the demographics of RPG or Traveller players specifically as well (blog link at the bottom - feel free to take a look. A good day I get a dozen views
) I use multiple OS depending on need but then I am in a semi-privileged position in many ways, having a background in multiple operating systems (as well as having to write an operating system in college for a class. not that it actually ever worked but in theory I learned the concepts of operating systems. All in C. Yay?)
But for most it boils down to what do they want to use: most people are not developers or hobbyists. They just want to run Skyrim with 750 mods or whatever, so use the OS that will work for that.
Though honestly, eventually it won't matter unless you are truly security minded & want standalone software: more and more is going to the "web" (other people's servers) and your OS has less and less importance as everything runs there. And that to me opens another entire conversation on privacy, transparency, ethics, control and a few other issues that would probably end up in the Pit sadly. I may have to see if I still have my 35+ year old computer science ethics book - the school I went to did offer the class and I did take it. While personally I think those kind of classes should be required rather than optional, that could also be a reflection of the 2nd degree I got in liberal arts (actually a masters degree. I had time and it was a series of very interesting classes and discussions. Figured I should balance out my CS degree with something fluffier, so to speak. Though my thesis was the ethical implications of artificial intelligence so I did combine degrees there. And that 50+ page paper is lost - too many computers later and written via Lotus Amipro, so even if I had the digital file it would be hard to find the software to read it)
Man - I know I talk too much but now I realize I type to much as well. I blame to coffee.
See https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share for one set of data. Note Linux is all the way at the bottom.
Not sure if that is for ALL systems or personal computers. I feel servers would have more Linux in place but that's just a hunch based on my past experience (after the minicomputers we were using went away, we still used a now extinct OS on i86 architecture, but then tried DOS which did not work for us, then Sun Unix for a few years, then Red Hat Linux. Next company used Windows server as did the one after that, and my current company uses Ubuntu for the servers)
And in looking at my little blog, Mac OS usage tends to be larger than Windows but close. It may say something to the demographics of RPG or Traveller players specifically as well (blog link at the bottom - feel free to take a look. A good day I get a dozen views
) I use multiple OS depending on need but then I am in a semi-privileged position in many ways, having a background in multiple operating systems (as well as having to write an operating system in college for a class. not that it actually ever worked but in theory I learned the concepts of operating systems. All in C. Yay?) But for most it boils down to what do they want to use: most people are not developers or hobbyists. They just want to run Skyrim with 750 mods or whatever, so use the OS that will work for that.
Though honestly, eventually it won't matter unless you are truly security minded & want standalone software: more and more is going to the "web" (other people's servers) and your OS has less and less importance as everything runs there. And that to me opens another entire conversation on privacy, transparency, ethics, control and a few other issues that would probably end up in the Pit sadly. I may have to see if I still have my 35+ year old computer science ethics book - the school I went to did offer the class and I did take it. While personally I think those kind of classes should be required rather than optional, that could also be a reflection of the 2nd degree I got in liberal arts (actually a masters degree. I had time and it was a series of very interesting classes and discussions. Figured I should balance out my CS degree with something fluffier, so to speak. Though my thesis was the ethical implications of artificial intelligence so I did combine degrees there. And that 50+ page paper is lost - too many computers later and written via Lotus Amipro, so even if I had the digital file it would be hard to find the software to read it)
Man - I know I talk too much but now I realize I type to much as well. I blame to coffee.
ShawnDriscoll
SOC-14 1K
If you haven't heard of SKYRIM, then you're working with an island computer.
Proneutron
SOC-13
I looked it up. "Skyrim isn't that violent and contains some disturbing imagery and characters. It's best for children between the ages 14-15."
Now I know why I haven't heard of it and why you are engrossed by it.
Yes and no. There are lots of Linux and Unix servers doing real work, but since it takes 5-10 times the number of Windows servers to do the same thing as one Linux server, Windows may have the numeric edge.
Pure numbers for physical nodes may go to phones, with iOS and Android by far on top. IIUC iOS is/was basd on BSD, so all Linux/Unix.
FWIW, I have no idea what Skyrim is, besides a game.
Yes and no. There are lots of Linux and Unix servers doing real work, but since it takes 5-10 times the number of Windows servers to do the same thing as one Linux server, Windows may have the numeric edge.
Pure numbers for physical nodes may go to phones, with iOS and Android by far on top. IIUC iOS is/was basd on BSD, so all Linux/Unix.
FWIW, I have no idea what Skyrim is, besides a game.
think the 5-10 times for a Windows server doing the same as a Linux server may be hyperbole and depends on what it is actually doing. Servers do more than just serve up web pages. But yes, Linux does tend to run leaner than Windows for many things. Though you really can strip down a Windows server install if you really want to, it will never be as lean as most Linux servers.
In the end, the choice of server is the same as the choice of a personal computer: what are yo going to do with it? If you NEED to run MS-SQL, you are going to be using a Windows server. If you need a web server, it depends a lot on what sort of web services you need. And there are plenty of other SQL databases out there that are perfectly fine that run on all OS.
Note: you may need to run Oracle or MS-SQL due to SOX or HIPAA or other business reasons. One size does not fit all for operating system choice from your phone to the big metal running the services that make that phone useful for more than a phone.
Proneutron
SOC-13
There is no HIPPA requirements for any particular type of s/w or h/w. It is 100% agnostic in that regard. It is outcome driven in the regs. NOT how to get the result mandated.
Actually, that number comes from experience. I've seen many Windows applications that needed to be the only thing on the machine, and a large installation may need a dozen Windows centric services. While things may have changed over time, Linux and Unix have a head start in being inherently multi-user/multi-application.
true, but to comply with those regulations will often require specific software that has certain abilities to meet said requirements. having written an health records system that is certified (and that certification process is very complicated and unnerving), certain software objectives had to be met. And that restricted our choices for several things. So while an OS or software package is not specified, results are. And sometimes it is faster and easier to get something off the shelf that is already certified for the parts you need, then to try & cobble it together. Such as the database we used
And yes, I know far more about CCDA than I ever wanted to (the XML specs, when you generate a class from them, creates a 250K line class. Now admittedly auto-generating classes from XML will yield a fair amount of bloat, but there was no way in <...> I was going to read through that entire spec & manually create a class!) CCDA - Continuous Care Document Architecture, in theory what is supposed to be standard so you can electronically transmit health records. So I also have a bit if experience in this area, though it is now a few years out of date. I am now working for a fashion company - I have had some interesting career choices I believe!)
