Come on dude, you know you want to rant about MS. Let it fly!
Its just that...um...it isnt you who are being updated, it's Microsoft (et al).
Is it possible to build a really cheap, basic computer?
- Thread starter shavedape
- Start date
Its just that...um...it isnt you who are being updated, it's Microsoft (et al).
shavedape
Well Known GateFan
I really need to get on this as I'm hating the MS set up on this thing. I can't stand IE as a browser and I find Bing to suck donkey balls as a search engine (haven't used that term since the 90's). As it is this thing does not have Office so what I am contemplating is installing Google Chrome as my browser and installing Linus Office. I figure this might be easier than wiping the entire drive and installing the full Linux experience. What do you folks think?
I am going to commit sacrilege here, but I think you should be going for a dual boot system using Windows 7 and Linux Mint. You can always fall back to Windows when you just want to be there. In Linux, LibreOffice can do everything MS Office does. They have a one-for-one replacement for every MS Office program, including Project and Access. These programs even save to the Office formats, and you can set it to save that way by default. With minor tweaks (adding the Microsoft Fonts and tweaking the UI), you can exactly duplicate the functionality of Office. Outlook's replacement is Evolution Mail. I use it exclusively for Mail now, and it connects with every mail service, with full syncing and all the features you get with Outlook including calendaring, sending invitations, reminders and offline processing.
shavedape
Well Known GateFan
So you don't think I should just add LibreOffice? Wouldn't that be easier? I'm not sure how I'd even go about changing Windows 8 to 7.
BTW, I'm confused as to exactly where I should be downloading the Linux stuff from. Got a good link for LibreOffice? I'm afraid to just pick one from the search list. (I'm also afraid of spiders but this phobia doesn't extend to Spiderman, go figure.
)
Bluce Ree
Tech Admin / Council Member
So you don't think I should just add LibreOffice? Wouldn't that be easier? I'm not sure how I'd even go about changing Windows 8 to 7.
BTW, I'm confused as to exactly where I should be downloading the Linux stuff from. Got a good link for LibreOffice? I'm afraid to just pick one from the search list. (I'm also afraid of spiders but this phobia doesn't extend to Spiderman, go figure.
Open source software should always be downloaded right from the project's website:
http://www.libreoffice.org/download/libreoffice-fresh/
It might just be easier to change the browser home page off of MSN and install a little program named Start8.
http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/
With regards to LibreOffice, it's okay if you aren't exchanging files with a lot of people and you can go into its word processor and spreadsheet and set their default file types to the Office ones. Me, I still prefer Office but that is partly taste and partly I get it free through my job (we have the MS HUD program and we also let employees expense the nominal $10 cost).
http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/
With regards to LibreOffice, it's okay if you aren't exchanging files with a lot of people and you can go into its word processor and spreadsheet and set their default file types to the Office ones. Me, I still prefer Office but that is partly taste and partly I get it free through my job (we have the MS HUD program and we also let employees expense the nominal $10 cost).
Last edited:
Annoyed
Surly Old Curmudgeon
I advocate Linux for a cheap computer as well, and also, do go to the trouble of setting up a dual boot machine, where you can run Windows or Linux (or whatever else you choose, there are other alternatives, such as FreeBSD) just in case you HAVE to do something in Windows someday.
But I would choose Ubuntu, even though it is somewhat more bloated than Mint. Last time I looked at Mint, it wasn't as far along as Ubuntu in things like printer driver availability and various ease of use features. For a Linux newb, I think it would be easier.
But I would choose Ubuntu, even though it is somewhat more bloated than Mint. Last time I looked at Mint, it wasn't as far along as Ubuntu in things like printer driver availability and various ease of use features. For a Linux newb, I think it would be easier.
mzzz
Well Known GateFan
Hey Overmind et al., got a few questions.
I basically got a free barebones computer from my dept. I'm looking to install a Linux based Fedora spin, namely this one:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Scientific_Packages_List
as my OS cause of the existing packages it will include.
So my questions are this:
What kind of virus protection softwares would I need, if any? Are there free ones?
I really like Visual Studio's user interface and layout for coding work. Is there any equivalent thing in Linux? Could I just download visual studio and run it in linux? I really don't want to use Vim or some other text editor for coding stuff. I prefer the real-time error checking that visual studio does. I'm not gonna do hardcore programming but like visual studio though.
I'm gonna do the dual boot thing, but I don't want to have to switch to windows to do coding every time. I'd rather just do it on Linux itself.
I basically got a free barebones computer from my dept. I'm looking to install a Linux based Fedora spin, namely this one:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Scientific_Packages_List
as my OS cause of the existing packages it will include.
So my questions are this:
What kind of virus protection softwares would I need, if any? Are there free ones?
I really like Visual Studio's user interface and layout for coding work. Is there any equivalent thing in Linux? Could I just download visual studio and run it in linux? I really don't want to use Vim or some other text editor for coding stuff. I prefer the real-time error checking that visual studio does. I'm not gonna do hardcore programming but like visual studio though.
I'm gonna do the dual boot thing, but I don't want to have to switch to windows to do coding every time. I'd rather just do it on Linux itself.
Bluce Ree
Tech Admin / Council Member
There are a few, like ClamAV. Fedora probably has some in their repositories you can install with Yum but the Linux ecosystem is not really vulnerable to viruses in the same manner Windows is.
Take a look at Sublime. It's cross-platform and my editor of choice. There is also Eclipse that is full featured with tons of add-ons and can be a full IDE but it is sluggish and bloated.
Gatefan1976
Well Known GateFan
Right, what Dafuq is the reason behind all these computer names??
Are they all just derivations of "sweeeett"??
Are they all just derivations of "sweeeett"??
I can also point to ClamAV as probably being the best Linux AV, but you really dont need AV in Fedora or any Linux. At best, if you ever got one of the exceedingly rare ones made for Linux, it cannot just pervade the entire system like it does in Windows. Just rough it and dont bother with AV.
As far as MS Visual Studio...well, there isnt anything quite like it in Linux to be honest. Most of the programmers I know who are using it in Linux are running Windows in VMware for Linux or the free VirtualBox or KVM for Linux and then running it in Unity in Linux (Unity runs it outside of the Windows shell so you can use it along with your Linux desktop). You only need Windows XP in VirtualBox to run Visual Studio or .NET although Eclipse will run if you like Eclipse.
Gatefan1976
Well Known GateFan
*Smashes Joe, OM and Bluce into a GMO mix*
LOOK!!!
I made a cheap computer!!
(Just don't look at the hourly bill)
LOOK!!!
I made a cheap computer!!
(Just don't look at the hourly bill)