Full Circle Linux

[No Nicolaitans]

2 hours ago, No Nicolaitans said:

I'm actually tempted to install it on my computer now.

Oh dear...a die-hard Linux user is never satisfied...

After all my proclamations about "full circle", I've now installed Mint as the main operating system on my main computer. 

Oh well...it's still based on Ubuntu...unless you consider using their Debian Edition.

So here's my current setup...

My main computer:

I have three partitions on the hard drive:

1. Partition #1 - Linux Mint as my main operating system...having fun exploring it.
2. Partition #2...my own Linux OS that I made, I use it to do all of my online banking and shopping...nothing else.
3. Partition #3: Swap (basically for extra RAM usage in layman's terms).

My second computer is still using Xubuntu.

My third computer (the original one that caused me to switch to Linux) is still using one of the Linux OS's that I built...see why below in the "portable OS" section.

My portable OS: Though I made the portable Mint USB, I've erased it and once again replaced it with one of my own Linux OS's. I made the OS's that I built extremely light on resources, so that they can run on older hardware. The heaviest OS that I built uses only around 220 MBs of RAM at startup, and that's the 64bit version. The lightest version that I've built uses only around 90 MBs of RAM at startup (32bit version).

This 64bit Linux Mint Cinnamon is using around 600 MBs of RAM at startup. WOW! That's more than some KDE distros that I've tried. Still...I like it, and at least I have 4 GBs of RAM to use. :)

Thanks for all this trouble Bro. Alan! 

 

[DaveW]

Hey NoNics, is there any chance of getting your "portable OS" sent through?

I have an old netbook which we tried loading a couple of Ubuntu versions onto, because the Windows it came with (XP) bloated to the point that it is basically so slow it is impossible to use.

It has 1 or 2 Gb of Ram - it has sat shut up for so long I can't remember.....

If I could get it running just as a browsing machine, that would be great.

But if I remember correctly, one of the problems we had was finding a graphics driver - it is a Dell mini 10, and apparently it was available with a Linux option when new (I got it from a friend second hand), but we could only get it to display occasionally - most of the time it would only show the top half of the screen.........

[No Nicolaitans]

21 minutes ago, DaveW said:

Hey NoNics, is there any chance of getting your "portable OS" sent through?

I have an old netbook which we tried loading a couple of Ubuntu versions onto, because the Windows it came with (XP) bloated to the point that it is basically so slow it is impossible to use.

It has 1 or 2 Gb of Ram - it has sat shut up for so long I can't remember.....

If I could get it running just as a browsing machine, that would be great.

But if I remember correctly, one of the problems we had was finding a graphics driver - it is a Dell mini 10, and apparently it was available with a Linux option when new (I got it from a friend second hand), but we could only get it to display occasionally - most of the time it would only show the top half of the screen.........

I will send you the link to download it on Sourceforge if you want after you read all of this...

I have three desktop environments available...

1. LXDE (kind of similar to Windows 98 in looks, but nicer. This is actually my favorite Linux desktop environment.)
2. Xfce (more modern-looking and more customizable)
3. Openbox (not your usual desktop environment!)

All three will work absolutely great with 1 - 2 GBs of RAM...with Openbox using the least amount. Xfce uses the most RAM, but the 64bit version of XFCE uses less than 300 MBs at start-up). So...it will depend on what your preference is...

Super-low resource usage = Openbox (but not as user-friendly until you get the hang of it).

Low-range resource usage = LXDE (more of an old-style look, but customizable and gets the job done well).

Mid-range resource usage = Xfce (lots of customization to make it look more modern).

As to the graphics...all that I can suggest is to burn it to a USB (or CD) to see how a live session works on the machine...that's the best indicator.

Now...with all of that said, I have to warn you that the systems I made are very bare-bones...intended for people who want to add ONLY (or as much of) the software they want on their system. In fact, there isn't even a web browser included...though one can be easily added with the Synaptic Package Manager. I saw a problem with Linux; in that, users were being forced to take software and applications that they may (or may not) want or use. So, I wanted to make a system that allowed users to choose what they wanted on their system. Therefore, the systems that I built are more or less intended for people with Linux experience. That's not to say that a new user couldn't use them, but they're not "new-to-Linux" friendly.

Now...with all of that said, the systems that I built are based on Devuan (Debian without systemd), and they are also VERY easy to make into a portable OS. If this is something that you're interested in, let me know. I'll make a video showing how to easily install it onto a USB (it's similar but much easier than the Linux Mint video I made). I'll also gladly help if you need help installing a browser (if needed).

Why am I not including the link? Because, I don't want the attention...

If you want to pursue this, I'll PM you the link and make the video.

[DaveW]

Yep - linky please....

I will have to find the browser then - should be no problem.

I will give it a go and see what happens - will be good to have the little box running again if I can make it happen.

My oldest son has played more with Linux than I have, and I think he can probably help if I get stuck.

We have run a few Linux versions from USB before so I have an idea, but any help would be great.

 

Thanks,

Dave.

[No Nicolaitans]

Will send the link via PM.

Look it over. There are screenshots on the main page that you can click on and enlarge...2 screenshots for each version. There's also a video showing the installation process, though it will be a little different for the portable version.

The downloads are under the "Files" tab.

It will probably be tomorrow before I can make the video...sorry...getting late here where I am.

There are a few web browsers available through the Synaptic Package Manager; the two most popular are Firefox-ESR and Chromium. I also have a video on the system's YouTube page showing how to install Google Chrome (64bit only of course) on the system(s). Give me a few minutes; I'm busy at work right now...

[Alan]

 

No Nicolaitans,

After some problems dealing with unwanted, and intrusive, Microsoft Windows 7 updates, an unwillingness to upgrade to Windows 10, malware, and other software problems, I decided that my relationship with Microsoft is just about ended.

I decided to have my main computer Linux Mint.

I still have a lot of learning to do, but, the course has been set, the sails unfurled, orders issued, and I am about to chart the waters of the internet with Linux as my sextant.

Alan

 

 

[No Nicolaitans]

1 hour ago, Alan said:

 

No Nicolaitans,

After some problems dealing with unwanted, and intrusive, Microsoft Windows 7 updates, an unwillingness to upgrade to Windows 10, malware, and other software problems, I decided that my relationship with Microsoft is just about ended.

I decided to have my main computer Linux Mint.

I still have a lot of learning to do, but, the course has been set, the sails unfurled, orders issued, and I am about to chart the waters of the internet with Linux as my sextant.

Alan

 

 

I will help if I can. Linux Mint is one of the best (if not the best) Linux OSs for people new to Linux.