The story of one transition (not through the Alps)
I just want to warn you that the topic is not the beginning of the next holivar, not a provocation and not an attempt to prove that Linux (as well as Windows and FreeBSD) is better than others. This is a simple and almost unadorned (well, just a little bit) story of how I tried to use free (or at least free) OSs and what came of it.
I myself have been talking to computers for quite some time, it's difficult to call me a novice. But at the same time, I am not a guru. I serve my home machine and laptop myself, sometimes I had to look after servers and work on the Enikei part, but all this without fanaticism. My work is connected with computers and programming, but it does not require deep penetration into technology and in its computer part I have enough non-special knowledge. While working with computers, I got used to treat them as tools: I have a definite goal, for which I need to accomplish certain tasks and some of the tasks are performed using a computer. Therefore, from hardware, programs, operating systems, I need a minimum threshold for entry into work. Ideally - set and everything worked. In the extreme case - set, performed a series of simple actions and everything is again in working condition. To dig in the guts of the iron or the system, I can be moved only by extreme need. Please take this into account in the future.
Why do I even want to transfer to Linux? This is a complex question, the answer to which has changed over time. In the beginning, it was just interesting for me to look at what it all is. Then it was connected with working necessity: there was a period when we planned to switch to Linux, and it was more convenient to test some working software in Linux. Now I just want to have the freedom to choose between platforms, ideologies, technologies and concepts. My desire to switch to free software has never been associated with any flaws in Windows, which has been working for me for years without reinstalling, while maintaining stability and relative promptness. My transition has not yet been completed completely, and on the home computer, Windows and Linux quite successfully coexist. Moreover, the possibility of comfortable coexistence of two systems for me has always been one of the criteria for choosing a distribution kit ...
')
The stories of my transition began when gigahertz and gigabytes struck the imagination of any amateur computer user, and the Internet was heard mostly through modems and no one else even thought about unlimited access. It was in those days that my mother (!) Bought a magazine in the train (!!) with a disk attached to it. The name of the magazine after years of age is forgotten, and the distribution was ASPLinux distribution. It became my first Linux system. Computer at that time I was not so hot and for some reason he did not want to be friends with the out-of-the-box graphics subsystem. I remember well therefore the long and stubborn editing of configs, which was required to launch the X's. And the window manager was chosen icewm due to the fact that the machine could not pull anything else. All the use of Linux then for me was reduced to games in some unpretentious complete toys, superficial acquaintance with the simplest commands, and changes to configs according to instructions from that very magazine. The brightest impression of that time is a computer that reboots in an infinite loop. It was very easy to achieve this: in / etc / rc, runlevel 6 was assigned as the starting one, aha. Characteristically, I even remembered the situation: I rule / etc / rc, the thought “Just do not write 6”, the sequence of keystrokes: “6 Esc: wq! reboot Enter "and chill on the back, which came along with the awareness of what was done. True, fixing the situation did not take long. And on the desktop were the eyes ... :)
This system did not last long for me because there was no necessary software for it (especially toys), where it was incomprehensible for me to take this software, especially considering the limited access to the Internet, and the assembly from the sources on that system was somewhat difficult It means that the compiler is missing. In general, ASPLinux stayed on my machine for a while as a small experiment, and then ... Then it took free disk space and it was easiest to donate to Linux.
For quite a long time, my computer was completely owned by Windows, in which I had fun, and worked, and studied, but ... there was a lack of a powerful computer to show the Windows host, and the owner wanted to see. This is where Linux came to my rescue. The truth is in the form of a “mini-distribution” loaded directly from a CD ( Business Linux CD , if specifically). Booting from the compact, running mplayer and making a few changes in the settings, it was quite comfortable to watch movies and on my junk, and I did it more than once. By the way, besides BlinCD, I tried to use other distributions that were specially optimized for creating “media boxes”, but I didn’t have a relationship with any of them: the films were twitching, stuttered and amuse my soul with any combination of settings. I stopped using BlinCD at the moment when the old laborer died. The subsequent upgrade left me with a computer that could play the video already under Windows, which deprived me of the need to reboot every time I wanted to watch a movie.
My next attempt to break free of Windows (or rather try something different from it) was associated with FreeBSD 6.4, another version. The choice was due to the fact that one of my friends, who works in IT, praised her very much. And there was just a little free space on the hard drive. By that moment I already knew where to get the software and how to install it, and the assembly from the source code did not present any problems. The only thing that portilo was was that my home computer was not connected to the network in a normal way (we would not accept normal access via a cell phone working as a modem). As a result, a convenient online installation of programs from ports and packages was unavailable to me, and an offline iterative installation with manual resolution of dependencies (compiled a list of packages — downloaded at work — brought home to install — shut up on dependencies — returned to the beginning of the procedure) I quickly got bored. In addition, there were problems with access to partitions, formatted in ntfs. FreeBSD alone can only read it. For full access, I tried to use ntfs-3g, but at that time, under fretr, ntfs-3g worked oddly. For example, files deleted in FreeBSD after rebooting into Windows and checking the disk rose from the graves and continued to exist exactly where they were before. At some point I lost interest in FreeBSD, I started downloading it less and less, and then completely deleted it ... To be fair, I’ll note that FreeBSD is the only system where I rebuilt the kernel specifically for my hardware. Nothing special and nothing terrible in this, as it turned out, no. =)
So, then, of course, was Ubuntu ... I think that anyone who is somehow interested in the world of free-free software would have been hard to get past this distribution. I did not pass either. I first tried Ubuntu when she wore the number 9.04 (seemingly). At that time, I already had a more or less stable Internet connection (albeit 4 rubles per megabyte each) and a computer with a more or less decent filling for those times. Everything was established and everything worked, but ... I still couldn’t put all the programs that were interesting to me, again due to restrictions on access to the network (expensive!). I didn’t want to get involved with the manual resolution of dependencies (we’ve already passed, we know!), And with downloading packages at work, too, something didn’t work out at some point. Ubuntu 9.04 remained a short-lived experiment for me, although all the prerequisites for normal work with it were already there: a tuned Internet connection, and access to the disks, and a pleasant environment for the eyes. However, it was subsequently replaced for a very short time by OpenSolaris (for which there were reasons), and then another Linux walk from my computer took place.
The next attack of experimentation and curiosity happened to me quite recently. Now I have a normal Internet connection that does not impose any restrictions, and here I decided to try the full program and stock up on the full distribution with distributions. Ubuntu 10.10, Fedora 13 (it was a few weeks before the release of F14) and OpenSUSE 11.3 were downloaded, burned to discs and built into a queue.
I started, as usual, from what I already knew: from Ubunt. Downloading from the “live” compact, a couple of test clicks on the back streets of the system, launching the installation and ... I can finish the story about Ubuntu, because the installer could not put the bootloader in any of the sections offered for his choice. This turned out to be one of the bugs in the installer. Well, the absence of a bootloader automatically meant the absence of a system, so I ended up experimenting with Ubuntu and will hardly return to them again sometime.
Fedora 13 was installed and started working, although I couldn’t configure GRUB in my slightly non-trivial configuration so that Windows and Linux could be run alternately, although such an opportunity still existed, so the problem turned out to be non-critical in the end. The software was installed, the network worked, the music played, and all my needs seemed to be satisfied. I just wanted to print something from time to time on my printer. After a brief search, I downloaded the official drivers, installed them, checked (it worked, by the way) and rebooted. I know that it will surprise many, but after installing the drivers for the printer, atd started to hang up at the start. It would seem how Samsung and atd printer drivers are connected ?! Do not ask, do not know. And I do not know so far. After reinstallation, the situation repeated itself, confirming the supernatural connection between atd and Samsung printer drivers. I did not make the third attempt, but immediately switched to the last disk in the queue.
And the last stage at the moment is openSUSE. The installer bribed by automatically proposing to create separate partitions for / and / home (Ubuntu and Fedora did not offer this themselves and had to manually configure the partitions for them). As a desktop, I decided to use KDE, and not GNOME as before, which also turned out to be new. And, most importantly, all I need (well, almost, to be honest to the end) works. Internet, music, movies, "office", something for work. Now I have all this in Linux and it is quite comfortable for me to work with it. Drivers to the printer, by the way, were established and earned without problems. :)
Yes, now I sometimes switch to Windows to do something with photos. But this is only because I have a base in Lightroom, in which a lot of things are stored. Yes, I switch to Windows (I change for a laptop, more precisely) to work on my dissertation. But my dissertation was typed in Word, and the graphics were made in Origin and implemented through OLE in the same Word. Yes, I switch to Windows in those rare moments when I want to play something three-dimensional. But most of the time, Linux is running on my home computer.
Something I still do not have enough. It’s not possible to completely configure Samba in a normal way: the home computer is not on the network by its name and it’s impossible to make shared folders writable, but I haven’t been deep into this yet. I can’t get the synchronization with the communicator on Windows Mobile to work: the computer doesn’t recognize it when the device is connected, although the corresponding network interface is being created, but I haven’t been digging into this either. There is a small problem with the Creative ZEN player: Amarok sees it only if it is running after connecting the player to the computer, but then you probably need to somehow configure the HAL. OpenOffice is very limited compatible with Word, but there is a PDF. :) It's all the little things that live for me personally do not interfere. In addition, over time, they will be able to win.
The most interesting thing is that now, switching between Linux and Windows, I do not feel any discomfort. Over the past couple of years, I’m used to using Firefox, Thunderbird, jMol, The Gimp, Inkscape, VLC Media Player, and so on. And all these programs are in Linux! With the same interface and features! If I use something directly missing in Linux on Windows, you can always find an analogue. In a pinch, there is Wine after all. In general, it turns out that in Linux and Windows I have created practically identical working environments for myself, which suits me perfectly.
I am not an adherent of free and free software, and am willing to pay for the software I need, although I cannot spend much money on it. I do not think Windows is buggy, insecure and disgusting (it also works for me for years without BSODs). I can not say that my desire to switch to Linux is so justified, and the transition itself is so necessary. I can't say that I completely switched to Linux, but I'm pretty close to it ...
I myself have been talking to computers for quite some time, it's difficult to call me a novice. But at the same time, I am not a guru. I serve my home machine and laptop myself, sometimes I had to look after servers and work on the Enikei part, but all this without fanaticism. My work is connected with computers and programming, but it does not require deep penetration into technology and in its computer part I have enough non-special knowledge. While working with computers, I got used to treat them as tools: I have a definite goal, for which I need to accomplish certain tasks and some of the tasks are performed using a computer. Therefore, from hardware, programs, operating systems, I need a minimum threshold for entry into work. Ideally - set and everything worked. In the extreme case - set, performed a series of simple actions and everything is again in working condition. To dig in the guts of the iron or the system, I can be moved only by extreme need. Please take this into account in the future.
Why do I even want to transfer to Linux? This is a complex question, the answer to which has changed over time. In the beginning, it was just interesting for me to look at what it all is. Then it was connected with working necessity: there was a period when we planned to switch to Linux, and it was more convenient to test some working software in Linux. Now I just want to have the freedom to choose between platforms, ideologies, technologies and concepts. My desire to switch to free software has never been associated with any flaws in Windows, which has been working for me for years without reinstalling, while maintaining stability and relative promptness. My transition has not yet been completed completely, and on the home computer, Windows and Linux quite successfully coexist. Moreover, the possibility of comfortable coexistence of two systems for me has always been one of the criteria for choosing a distribution kit ...
')
First pancake
The stories of my transition began when gigahertz and gigabytes struck the imagination of any amateur computer user, and the Internet was heard mostly through modems and no one else even thought about unlimited access. It was in those days that my mother (!) Bought a magazine in the train (!!) with a disk attached to it. The name of the magazine after years of age is forgotten, and the distribution was ASPLinux distribution. It became my first Linux system. Computer at that time I was not so hot and for some reason he did not want to be friends with the out-of-the-box graphics subsystem. I remember well therefore the long and stubborn editing of configs, which was required to launch the X's. And the window manager was chosen icewm due to the fact that the machine could not pull anything else. All the use of Linux then for me was reduced to games in some unpretentious complete toys, superficial acquaintance with the simplest commands, and changes to configs according to instructions from that very magazine. The brightest impression of that time is a computer that reboots in an infinite loop. It was very easy to achieve this: in / etc / rc, runlevel 6 was assigned as the starting one, aha. Characteristically, I even remembered the situation: I rule / etc / rc, the thought “Just do not write 6”, the sequence of keystrokes: “6 Esc: wq! reboot Enter "and chill on the back, which came along with the awareness of what was done. True, fixing the situation did not take long. And on the desktop were the eyes ... :)
This system did not last long for me because there was no necessary software for it (especially toys), where it was incomprehensible for me to take this software, especially considering the limited access to the Internet, and the assembly from the sources on that system was somewhat difficult It means that the compiler is missing. In general, ASPLinux stayed on my machine for a while as a small experiment, and then ... Then it took free disk space and it was easiest to donate to Linux.
Intermediate stage
For quite a long time, my computer was completely owned by Windows, in which I had fun, and worked, and studied, but ... there was a lack of a powerful computer to show the Windows host, and the owner wanted to see. This is where Linux came to my rescue. The truth is in the form of a “mini-distribution” loaded directly from a CD ( Business Linux CD , if specifically). Booting from the compact, running mplayer and making a few changes in the settings, it was quite comfortable to watch movies and on my junk, and I did it more than once. By the way, besides BlinCD, I tried to use other distributions that were specially optimized for creating “media boxes”, but I didn’t have a relationship with any of them: the films were twitching, stuttered and amuse my soul with any combination of settings. I stopped using BlinCD at the moment when the old laborer died. The subsequent upgrade left me with a computer that could play the video already under Windows, which deprived me of the need to reboot every time I wanted to watch a movie.
Red horned unix
My next attempt to break free of Windows (or rather try something different from it) was associated with FreeBSD 6.4, another version. The choice was due to the fact that one of my friends, who works in IT, praised her very much. And there was just a little free space on the hard drive. By that moment I already knew where to get the software and how to install it, and the assembly from the source code did not present any problems. The only thing that portilo was was that my home computer was not connected to the network in a normal way (we would not accept normal access via a cell phone working as a modem). As a result, a convenient online installation of programs from ports and packages was unavailable to me, and an offline iterative installation with manual resolution of dependencies (compiled a list of packages — downloaded at work — brought home to install — shut up on dependencies — returned to the beginning of the procedure) I quickly got bored. In addition, there were problems with access to partitions, formatted in ntfs. FreeBSD alone can only read it. For full access, I tried to use ntfs-3g, but at that time, under fretr, ntfs-3g worked oddly. For example, files deleted in FreeBSD after rebooting into Windows and checking the disk rose from the graves and continued to exist exactly where they were before. At some point I lost interest in FreeBSD, I started downloading it less and less, and then completely deleted it ... To be fair, I’ll note that FreeBSD is the only system where I rebuilt the kernel specifically for my hardware. Nothing special and nothing terrible in this, as it turned out, no. =)
South African heat
So, then, of course, was Ubuntu ... I think that anyone who is somehow interested in the world of free-free software would have been hard to get past this distribution. I did not pass either. I first tried Ubuntu when she wore the number 9.04 (seemingly). At that time, I already had a more or less stable Internet connection (albeit 4 rubles per megabyte each) and a computer with a more or less decent filling for those times. Everything was established and everything worked, but ... I still couldn’t put all the programs that were interesting to me, again due to restrictions on access to the network (expensive!). I didn’t want to get involved with the manual resolution of dependencies (we’ve already passed, we know!), And with downloading packages at work, too, something didn’t work out at some point. Ubuntu 9.04 remained a short-lived experiment for me, although all the prerequisites for normal work with it were already there: a tuned Internet connection, and access to the disks, and a pleasant environment for the eyes. However, it was subsequently replaced for a very short time by OpenSolaris (for which there were reasons), and then another Linux walk from my computer took place.
A wealth of choice
The next attack of experimentation and curiosity happened to me quite recently. Now I have a normal Internet connection that does not impose any restrictions, and here I decided to try the full program and stock up on the full distribution with distributions. Ubuntu 10.10, Fedora 13 (it was a few weeks before the release of F14) and OpenSUSE 11.3 were downloaded, burned to discs and built into a queue.
I started, as usual, from what I already knew: from Ubunt. Downloading from the “live” compact, a couple of test clicks on the back streets of the system, launching the installation and ... I can finish the story about Ubuntu, because the installer could not put the bootloader in any of the sections offered for his choice. This turned out to be one of the bugs in the installer. Well, the absence of a bootloader automatically meant the absence of a system, so I ended up experimenting with Ubuntu and will hardly return to them again sometime.
Fedora 13 was installed and started working, although I couldn’t configure GRUB in my slightly non-trivial configuration so that Windows and Linux could be run alternately, although such an opportunity still existed, so the problem turned out to be non-critical in the end. The software was installed, the network worked, the music played, and all my needs seemed to be satisfied. I just wanted to print something from time to time on my printer. After a brief search, I downloaded the official drivers, installed them, checked (it worked, by the way) and rebooted. I know that it will surprise many, but after installing the drivers for the printer, atd started to hang up at the start. It would seem how Samsung and atd printer drivers are connected ?! Do not ask, do not know. And I do not know so far. After reinstallation, the situation repeated itself, confirming the supernatural connection between atd and Samsung printer drivers. I did not make the third attempt, but immediately switched to the last disk in the queue.
And the last stage at the moment is openSUSE. The installer bribed by automatically proposing to create separate partitions for / and / home (Ubuntu and Fedora did not offer this themselves and had to manually configure the partitions for them). As a desktop, I decided to use KDE, and not GNOME as before, which also turned out to be new. And, most importantly, all I need (well, almost, to be honest to the end) works. Internet, music, movies, "office", something for work. Now I have all this in Linux and it is quite comfortable for me to work with it. Drivers to the printer, by the way, were established and earned without problems. :)
Epilogue
Yes, now I sometimes switch to Windows to do something with photos. But this is only because I have a base in Lightroom, in which a lot of things are stored. Yes, I switch to Windows (I change for a laptop, more precisely) to work on my dissertation. But my dissertation was typed in Word, and the graphics were made in Origin and implemented through OLE in the same Word. Yes, I switch to Windows in those rare moments when I want to play something three-dimensional. But most of the time, Linux is running on my home computer.
Something I still do not have enough. It’s not possible to completely configure Samba in a normal way: the home computer is not on the network by its name and it’s impossible to make shared folders writable, but I haven’t been deep into this yet. I can’t get the synchronization with the communicator on Windows Mobile to work: the computer doesn’t recognize it when the device is connected, although the corresponding network interface is being created, but I haven’t been digging into this either. There is a small problem with the Creative ZEN player: Amarok sees it only if it is running after connecting the player to the computer, but then you probably need to somehow configure the HAL. OpenOffice is very limited compatible with Word, but there is a PDF. :) It's all the little things that live for me personally do not interfere. In addition, over time, they will be able to win.
The most interesting thing is that now, switching between Linux and Windows, I do not feel any discomfort. Over the past couple of years, I’m used to using Firefox, Thunderbird, jMol, The Gimp, Inkscape, VLC Media Player, and so on. And all these programs are in Linux! With the same interface and features! If I use something directly missing in Linux on Windows, you can always find an analogue. In a pinch, there is Wine after all. In general, it turns out that in Linux and Windows I have created practically identical working environments for myself, which suits me perfectly.
I am not an adherent of free and free software, and am willing to pay for the software I need, although I cannot spend much money on it. I do not think Windows is buggy, insecure and disgusting (it also works for me for years without BSODs). I can not say that my desire to switch to Linux is so justified, and the transition itself is so necessary. I can't say that I completely switched to Linux, but I'm pretty close to it ...
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/108429/
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