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The "Linux questions (and other stuff)" thread

I think I still have an old IBM ThinkPad ca.1998 in the garage or basement somewhere. It's got a 40MB hard drive and a blazing 286 processor. ;)
A 286 in 1998? Are you sure? :thinking: I was using 386s in the late 1980s. I'm confused...
 
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Intel Unveils Clear Linux OS Update at Open Source Summit

Interesting article about Clear Linux. A snippet:

One of the major unveils that’s happening with the OSTS this week is a new installer and storefront for Intel’s own Clear Linux distribution. If you haven’t heard of Clear Linux, Intel describes the OS as “an open source, rolling release Linux distribution optimized for performance and security, from the Cloud to the Edge, designed for customization and manageability.” Forbes has covered this Linux distro and its recent improvements, while Phoronix has detailed performance breakdowns that show Clear Linux as the, well, clear winner in a range of benchmarks across Linux distros.
 
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We have a member wanting to automatically convert many FLAC files, in multiple directories, to MP3. He's using windows...yeah, I know, I know--I just had to jump in and tell him it's easy with Linux. I can't help myself! :)

Anyway, after a quick search in Synaptic, I found SoundConverter, which looks perfect, and offered it as just one solution on Linux. I think a bash script making use of SoundConverter could automate the hell out of this. :eek:

He asked about Linux emulators, and I answered honestly that I have no experience with them.

If you're at all familiar with Linux emulators, could I please ask you to drop into this thread and see if you can help? Of course, once you're there, if you have other suggestions, let him know!

Thanks in advance.
 
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Heads up if you're using the following:

- LUKS+dm_crypt if: (Linux kernel software encryption)
- A Samsung SSD is used
- Linux 5.1.2 is used


You could face data loss! :eek: This article on LinusTechTips has the story.

Note for my fellow *buntu users, Ubuntu-based distros are not affected. Whew! *wipes forehead*
 
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This came in my mail (although I canceled my Linux Journal subscription awhile back), and thought it was interesting enough to share, but I decided to redact its links since I don't know that they should be posted publicly. If you're interested, I'm sure contacting LJ would get you going. I replaced all links with underlines.

BTW, I'm *so* out of the loop...let's just say I'm really not sure what this is or why I would want it. :D
-----------------------------------------------

Hello Linux Journal Subscribers,

No cloud, no problem. Self host and holepunch.io takes care of the rest.

holepunch.io is a new tunneling service developed by some folks at London Trust Media (our parent company), and they'd like to share it with you for free. The service is currently in beta testing, and LJ readers are the first to hear of it.

You can use holepunch.io to host a website locally over http or https and share it with friends or clients via a public URL (support for tcp or udp coming in the near future). To get started, simply sign up and then go to the download page to get the punch CLI that you will use for starting a tunnel. You also can use the CLI to do other things, like reserving a specific subdomain to use for your site.

Now, other services similar to holepunch.io do exist, but holepunch.io is focused on providing the best quality at a lower price while being more private, secure and open than other options. The holepunch.io team is making business, architectural and development decisions that will allow you to trust your data going through their service. You already can find much of their code on github.

The development team would love to hear your feedback, so please tell them what you like or don't like, and let them know if you find any bugs (email support@holepunch.io).

Thanks,

Linux Journal and the Holepunch.io teams
 
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Has anyone tried Pop!_OS? I've seen it offered on System76 computers instead of Ubuntu, but I really don't know much about it.

I have no business whatsoever to even be thinking about buying another laptop, but that doesn't stop me from checking out System76 occasionally. :)

As I was looking over 'my' new laptop, the 17" Serval WS, and putting its configuration together, choosing which OS came up. Pop!_OS certainly sounds great--but I'm so die-hard into Kubuntu, I think I'd end up ordering it with Ubuntu and then installing Kubuntu (after wiping the drive, and partitioning it per my normal scheme).

Thoughts?
 
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Too rich for me... though dngrswife is due for a new 17" lappy
But I'm asking about Pop!_OS. ;)

As for the laptop, when you're ready to buy one I just can't say enough about System76. From the quality of its products to its outstanding customer service, they're amazing.
 
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Hey there, Linux buddies! I wonder if you'd mind taking a look at this thread?

The OP is using BusyBox and attempting to run a dd command, which is failing. I vaguely remember BusyBox from my rooting days, though right now I don't recall ever using it.

As for dd, it's literally been decades. I used it at work for nightly backups to a Bernoulli drive...ending around 1991. :eek: I've used it here and there since then, but not recently.

I'm just so out of the loop now, I don't want to steer him wrong. I sat down at one of my computers today and read the man page for dd. That refreshed my memory, but I just need some help...

Thanks. :)
 
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I'd like to stick Linux on my laptop but I've no idea where to start...

The laptop was originally Win8, which has been upgraded to Win10 and it's been nothing but a pain since getting slower with each update that lands. Now I use to be very good with windows PCs right upto win7 but now rearly use them so have lost the fine art of tweaking and reinstalling. (How the hell that can be done is another matter all together)

So i would like to dump windows and try Linux. The main issue would be my wife needs to be able to use it for work, and I'm guessing you can no longer duel boot with windows 10?

That would be the ideal solution for us, a dual boot as she would likely need the microsoft suit for work. Can this be done? Maybe if a reset the PC back to win8? If that's possible once the evil win10 has taken over! Then the question would be is to what Linux to use?
 
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Ever heard of Linux mint? Any good?
Yes, it's very nice, and one of many distros I've tried over the years. But my REAL distro is Kubuntu. I literally can't say enough about how much I love it. :)

When it comes to dual-booting, I'm too far removed to be helpful; the last dual-boot I set up was in ≈1994. But I'm willing to bet that most any modern Linux would work. It's never been Linux at fault when it comes to working nicely and politely alongside window$, but the other way around.

Regardless, I'm sure that you'll be able to accomplish dual-booting, if that's really what you want. ;) There are open-source replacements for just about anything one could need. For example, the office suites [free for the asking] can read and write M$ files, like spreadsheets. But, again, I don't personally have experience with that--but others do.

If you want, you can report this thread--which sounds scary, but it just gives you a quick way to contact staff and ask that this thread be appended to the mega-thread. Or I will. Whichever you prefer!
 
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Thanks for the informative post @MoodyBlues I'll check Kubuntu out. The main issue I was worried about was the lockout win8 puts in place with the secure boot.

Now the other thought, do all linux distros require you to setup 3 seperate partitions the same as the lime install? Ie root, swap & home?

The moving of the thread is fine, it can stay here or be moved when someone pops along. :cool:
 
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Someone else recently asked the question of how to dual boot Linux with Windows 10 UEFI.

There's a step by step guide here on how to install Ubuntu to dual boot with Win 10

https://itsfoss.com/install-ubuntu-1404-dual-boot-mode-windows-8-81-uefi/

I use Ubuntu on my home computers. It's a great system.

If you want to use Mint, which is also a great distro, there's some info here

https://itsfoss.com/guide-install-linux-mint-16-dual-boot-windows/

Both guides require you to disable Windows secure boot, which is explained.
 
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Now the other thought, do all linux distros require you to setup 3 seperate partitions the same as the lime install? Ie root, swap & home?
I have my own partitioning scheme, which I've used for many years:

/
/home
/data
[swap]

As with all things Linux, you're free to choose for yourself how your disk is used--or you can tell the installation to handle it the way it thinks best.

With Linux, it's not just about its superior security/networking/multi-tasking/power, but also choice. You're *free* to choose everything, from which distro to how your system looks to which of thousands of programs you install. Unlike window$, when a question like "can Linux do...?", I don't even need to hear the rest of the question to know that the answer is [almost always] yes. :D
 
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Cool, thanks @MoodyBlues maybe some kind mod could merge the threads. ;)

I've been reading up on Linux Mint that allows dual boot, even has a guide on disabling the win 8 secure boot mode.. handy light reading at 4am. :p

https://itsfoss.com/guide-install-linux-mint-16-dual-boot-windows/

https://itsfoss.com/disable-secure-boot-in-acer/

Ever heard of Linux mint? Any good?
'Tis my favorite Go-To for Linux, helps ppl who are coming from M$ quite considerably as it's a similar layout bit isn't Windows error -prone.
 
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Yes, it's very nice, and one of many distros I've tried over the years. But my REAL distro is Kubuntu. I literally can't say enough about how much I love it. :)

When it comes to dual-booting, I'm too far removed to be helpful; the last dual-boot I set up was in ≈1994. But I'm willing to bet that most any modern Linux would work. It's never been Linux at fault when it comes to working nicely and politely alongside window$, but the other way around.

Regardless, I'm sure that you'll be able to accomplish dual-booting, if that's really what you want. ;) There are open-source replacements for just about anything one could need. For example, the office suites [free for the asking] can read and write M$ files, like spreadsheets. But, again, I don't personally have experience with that--but others do.

If you want, you can report this thread--which sounds scary, but it just gives you a quick way to contact staff and ask that this thread be appended to the mega-thread. Or I will. Whichever you prefer!
When dualbooting Win10, everything changes.. Gotta partition the HDD 1st but leave the section ur gonna have for windows alone, like "unformatted".
Install Linux. Next be installing Linux to desired partitions:

boot "fat32", 200MB
/ "EXT4 Root/system", 20GB
Home "EXT4 Data", However much ##GB ya want
SWAP "SWAP" SWAP , (**GB *basically your RAM total, x 2 if less than 12GB
~ Separating you boot & home partition allows you to save your data even if /Root-system gets borked

Install windows into empty partition and it'll format that section into whatever it needs to, outta whatever gave to work with. After it installs, you'll need go into BIOS/UEFI a cpl times and change the boot order so that Linux goes before Windows and boot Linux after saving/exiting. NOW is the time to update Linux, which it'll also recheck grub and see Windows.. Will have selection options next boot.. Enjoy
 
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'Tis my favorite Go-To for Linux, helps ppl who are coming from M$ quite considerably as it's a similar layout bit isn't Windows error -prone.
But with Kubuntu, it doesn't matter what its layout looks like when it's first installed, because its infinite customization options let the user make it look however they want.

As I said recently in another thread, my mom--who was ≈80 years old, and only knew window$--adapted to Kubuntu with no issues, because I made it look/act like what she was used to: only one desktop, one horizontal taskbar at the bottom of the screen, a 'start' button in the bottom left corner, etc.

She routinely complained about how FAST it was. She was used to endless waiting, endless twiddling her thumbs while waiting, endless rebooting, and so on. Until Linux took it over, she had no idea what a fast computer she had. And she was perplexed at why it never needed to be rebooted. :)
 
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