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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Linux for Laptop
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| MikeO Senior Member  Joined: 11/09/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 275 |
Just ventured last couple of days into trying Linux again (as I have several times over the years but not lasted long) this time however I am happy and its solved a problem. I had an older Dell Latitude D630 (my last work pc when I retired, I was given as a parting gift). It was running Win 10 but the incessant updates and "feature improvements" were taking their toll, it was running like a dog and taking forever to start etc, etc. I was using this one to run tools like BitScope, connecting to my CNC, and 3D printer. So I decided to try Linux, I tried several flavours recommended for older laptops (not realising at first it was 64bit capable cpu as it was running 32 bit windows, I guess an artifact from when it was new at work some 6 plus years ago) well this gave me a lot more capability than I had envisaged. I nearly gave up however I just could not find a distro that would install, properly , well actually they would install eventually but the start up time was horrible slow, once up they would run great, (the laptop was no slouch actually, 2Ghz, 4gb ram) just the start up. I read some possible fixes , could be video drivers etc, bunch of edits I could make to "grub config" , hear we go again I thought, linux previous experiences flooded back. Then I found SparkyLinux, well what a difference, installed quick, had readable progress writes to the screen during installation/startup, without just "flip" this and that error messages (I want to like Linux, I used to use DOS and program in 6502 assembler but life's short). Anyway it went great and I am beginning to like the environment , its runs the Bitscope Linux version well and connects to my network OK. I imagine of course with a newer pc I would not have had all those install/startup issues but SparkyLinux has made a convert. Mike Codenquilts |
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| Boppa Guru  Joined: 08/11/2016 Location: AustraliaPosts: 814 |
We have 4 computers here, all are linux (Ubuntu 18.04 in most cases, one dual boot linuxCNC/Ubuntu) including one Dell laptop I bought secondhand in 2008, we have 1 dual booter (win10) which is required for work purposes, but other than that we live in a dark house... no windows...  |
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Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9610 |
Never heard of SparkyLinux - I will check it out. I use PuppyLinux on a few of my machines, acting as SAMBA servers. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| JohnS Guru Joined: 18/11/2011 Location: United KingdomPosts: 4044 |
One I'll check, too (well, when I get around to it LOL) - thanks. I can't say I care much about laptop boot time, however, as I don't boot from cold more than once or so per year! John |
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| Volhout Guru Joined: 05/03/2018 Location: NetherlandsPosts: 5091 |
I never used SparkyLinux, but after looking it up, it appears to be a distro based on Debian stable. Important is how well this run's on your hardware. If everything works (wifi, touchpad, audio, wire ethernet...) and that it has a recent build. Especially SSL has gone through major revisions last 2 years, as have internet browsers. I personally use Puppy Linux most of the time, and sometimes fall back to lubuntu (ubuntu with lightweight LXDE desktop). Honestly, I think Lubuntu 18.04 is the best lightweigt linux with the backing of Ubuntu. Through google you can realy find a solution to almost everything on Ubuntu. I am not sure 18.10 (with RazoQt as replacement of LXDE) is as stable as 18.04 is. Puppy linux is just because of nostagia (been using it for 10+ years, and don't want to give up...). It's small in footprint, but it is 100% made by a community that is sometimes active, and sometimes not. And it has a sh*tload of derivatives, without a good mainstream. Puppy is really a exploration of linux, like Lego, every developper makes it's own build, for CNC, for media editing, minimal, for rescue, for (old) games, for schools, for religion.... all running a live distro on a USB stick. Fun to toy with, but not for computer USERs. PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS |
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| Paul_L Guru Joined: 03/03/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 769 |
Mike -- I had similar problems with an older Dell desktop which windoze upgraded from 7 to 10 and then broke it because windoze decided to stop supporting all the old hardware and drivers. Of course it was impossible to migrate it back to windoze 7. It was a pretty fast machine with a 4 core chip and 16 GB of ram and it runs linux very well. The problem with linux is that there are just tooooo many distros to choose from. I still haven't found one I really like. BTW, your link pointing to codenquilts.synology.me:2244/cms/index.php is still timing out from here. Paul in NY |
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| Boppa Guru Joined: 08/11/2016 Location: AustraliaPosts: 814 |
I used a win7 emulator on a tower that was being used by an elderly lady (her son bought it for her to let her stay in contact with the grandkids etc), she was 'click happy' and almost monthly would get a virus or bork the system beyond repair in one way or another She 'knew' win7 and literally just did things by rote- 'I click on this button to run the internet' type of thing, any change was literally months of retraining to get her to do it.... So after yet another rebuild/disinfection, it was decided by her son and me that we needed to 'Nanna proof' this machine I installed Ubuntu, loaded a win7 theme, and its been great, I haven't had to rebuild that machine in over a year... And because it 'looks like it did' she is none the wiser lol  |
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Quazee137 Guru Joined: 07/08/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 593 |
OH yea Puppy Linux. I put it on my two grandsons computers with 8 or so game emulators. Even added the game pads they used them till high school. They are now dual boot Mint 18 and win10 on new laptops. My youngest grandson is now Navy IT fixing things in of all places Afghanistan. Was hoping going Navy like his great grand father and his dad he'd see more of the watery world and less desert. With the last windows problems that lasted a few days some of my associates now keep a linux mint 18 on a usb. They found work can go on till MS makes fixes to the latest beta testing known as win10. With the resources MS has you would think they'd have this down pat by now. And if car company's sold beta's would we buy. Linux is like a car lot you get to choose what fits your needs and can be customized as you like. And if you need a win program a VM will do the trick better than dual booting. An old client in southern Calf is running XP in a VM on Unbuntu as they cant see any cost advantage to change software that works perfectly with 30 year old manufacturing hardware. My daycare had linux on 12 Dell laptops and the kids "Ages 3 to 14 " had no problems using them. My granddaughter was my IT helper. She'd spend hours trying out programs and installing what she felt worked best. Life GOOD STUFF |
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panky Guru Joined: 02/10/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1114 |
Mike, If you end up staying with Linux, MMEdit, GfxTerm and PProg all work under wine so you can do all your MM interfacing from Linux. Also, Minicom and Putty work fine to the MM. I'm running Linux Mint 17.03. Doug. ... almost all of the Maximites, the MicromMites, the MM Extremes, the ArmMites, the PicoMite and loving it! |
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| MikeO Senior Member Joined: 11/09/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 275 |
Hey thanks Doug, I had loaded Wine but not tried anything yet, thanks again. Mike Codenquilts |
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| hitsware Guru Joined: 23/11/2012 Location: United StatesPosts: 535 |
I've tried Sparky and it is very nice . BUT ........ I've gone totally RPi Even switched my Wife over :) |
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| JackRabbit Newbie  Joined: 21/07/2018 Location: United StatesPosts: 14 |
Linux Mint for me. On an Atom PC running Python scripts, and dual boot with Win7 on my laptop. Installs very easily and has very comprehensive hardware support. |
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