Linux: Pros & Cons

robduckyworth


Retired Staff
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
2,971
Reaction score
109
Points
63
Location
Reading, UK
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP, 2.5GHz i7, 750GB, 6770M 1GB, iPad 3, iPhone 4, custom PC
i was wondering if some of the linux users on this forum could clear a few things up for me.

1. Why is it you use linux?

2. how do you boot to it? do you use refit? can you do it as a triple boot safely?

3. what is the most stable "distro" i should download?

thanks a lot in advance.

P.S i did search this but i couldn't see any threads, and google isn't much help. it would be interesting to get some perspective.
 
Joined
Oct 22, 2010
Messages
2,571
Reaction score
79
Points
48
Location
Bretforton, Worcestershire
Your Mac's Specs
MacBook Pro 15" 2014, 2.2GHz i7, 16GB RAM, 250GB SSD, OSX 10.9.5 - iPhone 5s 16gb
The only reason I use Linux is just out of pure curiosity, I have tried a few but like Ubuntu the most, use it through Parallels.

HTH
- Simon
 
OP
robduckyworth

robduckyworth


Retired Staff
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
2,971
Reaction score
109
Points
63
Location
Reading, UK
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP, 2.5GHz i7, 750GB, 6770M 1GB, iPad 3, iPhone 4, custom PC
ah cool, i am the same as you, i find it really intriguing and want to see "what all the fuss is about", so to speak. what is the user experience like? is there a lot of command line use for Ubuntu?
 
Joined
Oct 22, 2010
Messages
2,571
Reaction score
79
Points
48
Location
Bretforton, Worcestershire
Your Mac's Specs
MacBook Pro 15" 2014, 2.2GHz i7, 16GB RAM, 250GB SSD, OSX 10.9.5 - iPhone 5s 16gb
There isn't much at all when it comes to command line usage, you can use it a lot in that way if you want to but the desktop etc is very user friendly. There is an "App Store" like place as well to download apps and games which is very helpful.
I have used the command line previously to download drivers when I had it on my Advent laptop, it can be quite confusing in this manner but with a huge fan base there is no shortage in forums and people to ask. I managed to find all my answers for command line questions after a few google searches.
Screen capture of my Ubuntu on parallels below...

attachment.php


HTH
- Simon

Screen shot 2011-02-14 at 23.14.10.jpg
 
OP
robduckyworth

robduckyworth


Retired Staff
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
2,971
Reaction score
109
Points
63
Location
Reading, UK
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP, 2.5GHz i7, 750GB, 6770M 1GB, iPad 3, iPhone 4, custom PC
thanks for the extra info. it tells me i need to "spread the rep" a bit unfortunately. :)

the GUI seems like a hybrid Mac/PC, which is quite interesting. i think also getting a bit more hands on with the computer, using command line and editing config files etc would be useful to add to my knowledge (curiosity being my main reason of interest!)

i guess i will now have to look into the possibility of a triple boot: ive never been a fan of parallels/vmware. :)
 
Joined
Oct 22, 2010
Messages
2,571
Reaction score
79
Points
48
Location
Bretforton, Worcestershire
Your Mac's Specs
MacBook Pro 15" 2014, 2.2GHz i7, 16GB RAM, 250GB SSD, OSX 10.9.5 - iPhone 5s 16gb
I am not a massive fan of parallels but with Win7 on my bootcamp I didn't want to go down the triple boot road incase I messed it up as I have not got Time Machine setup at the moment... I know stupid lol.
Appreciate the rep attempt, i'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities in the future each way ;)

- Simon
 
Joined
Oct 26, 2009
Messages
128
Reaction score
8
Points
18
Also keep in mind the screenshots posted show Gnome. Linux also has KDE and many other desktop managers. There is no one look and feel for Linux. Customization is king in the Linux world. If you don't happen to have Parallels then try VirtualBox. It's free and works just as good.
 
OP
robduckyworth

robduckyworth


Retired Staff
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
2,971
Reaction score
109
Points
63
Location
Reading, UK
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP, 2.5GHz i7, 750GB, 6770M 1GB, iPad 3, iPhone 4, custom PC
I am not a massive fan of parallels but with Win7 on my bootcamp I didn't want to go down the triple boot road incase I messed it up as I have not got Time Machine setup at the moment... I know stupid lol.
- Simon

haha i am unfortunately a bit of a back up freak, i have a superduper'ed drive at home for the macbook, and a time machine backup for 2 computers and 3 external hard drives. (all off site, currently :p)

im checking out Virtual box now, thanks for the info! btw, what does KDE stand for? so you think ubuntu is the way to go?
 
Joined
Oct 26, 2009
Messages
128
Reaction score
8
Points
18
KDE stands for K Desktop Environment. I actually prefer Kubuntu to Ubuntu. Ubuntu is Gnome, Kubuntu is KDE. Both are technically the same. The only real difference is the desktop manager and some of the applications.
 
Joined
Oct 22, 2010
Messages
2,571
Reaction score
79
Points
48
Location
Bretforton, Worcestershire
Your Mac's Specs
MacBook Pro 15" 2014, 2.2GHz i7, 16GB RAM, 250GB SSD, OSX 10.9.5 - iPhone 5s 16gb
KDE is a Windowing Manager and Graphical User Interface for the UNIX operating system, (another distro) not just Linux (but was made on Linux machines). KDE has been with us since approximately 1997 and is the one of two most popular desktops for Linux. You can freely download and distribute KDE, and these days, there is no restriction on copying it.
Users coming from either a Windows or a Mac OS background will feel quite at home with KDE as it has a very similar look and feel to both. For example, the Windows style 'Start' menu is alternated by the 'K' menu. Like MacOS X, it allows for skinning, transparencies and other eye candies, and can incorporate many 'Themes'.

HTH
- Simon
 
OP
robduckyworth

robduckyworth


Retired Staff
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
2,971
Reaction score
109
Points
63
Location
Reading, UK
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP, 2.5GHz i7, 750GB, 6770M 1GB, iPad 3, iPhone 4, custom PC
great, i've just downloaded Ubuntu from the official site, 64 bit. ill give it a shot on virtual box. if i like it enough ill think about giving it a proper install.

interesting stuff! thanks alot for your help guys.
ill let you know how ive got on when i get round to installing it :)
 
Joined
Jul 1, 2010
Messages
38
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Your Mac's Specs
Macbook Pro 15" Core i7 - 2.66 GHz - 8GBS RAM - 500GB Hard Drive @ 7200 RPMs -
I use Linux mostly for curiosity as well. My Macbook pro is also currently a triple boot (200 GBs for Win7/Mac OS X, and 100GBs for Ubuntu 10.10) using rEFIt. I also used Linux Mint for a while on an old laptop, but when i tried to make a quad-boot on my Mac, GRUB was somehow deleted, and everything was lost (thankfully for me, the mac was brand new, and i hadn't saved anything yet). I would say the Pros are the fact that its incredibly awesome, fast, customizable, has an app store, is open-source, and has a lot of functionality. The main (and only) con for me is that there isn't much support, seeing as not many people use it. For example, i couldn't load some printer drivers onto it because there was no linux support. Also, the Function keys (such as brightness, sound, keyboard light, etc) don't work either. I would definitely give it a try.
 
Joined
Oct 22, 2010
Messages
2,571
Reaction score
79
Points
48
Location
Bretforton, Worcestershire
Your Mac's Specs
MacBook Pro 15" 2014, 2.2GHz i7, 16GB RAM, 250GB SSD, OSX 10.9.5 - iPhone 5s 16gb
great, i've just downloaded Ubuntu from the official site, 64 bit. ill give it a shot on virtual box. if i like it enough ill think about giving it a proper install.

interesting stuff! thanks alot for your help guys.
ill let you know how ive got on when i get round to installing it :)

Keep us posted ;)

- Simon
 
Joined
Oct 26, 2009
Messages
128
Reaction score
8
Points
18
I included a screenshot of the latest Kubuntu running in vmware for comparison. If you are starting out with Linux it might be easier to stick with the 32-bit version, especially if you are running in a virtual environment. There's no reason to run 64-bit in a VM.

attachment.php


kubuntu.png
 
OP
robduckyworth

robduckyworth


Retired Staff
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
2,971
Reaction score
109
Points
63
Location
Reading, UK
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP, 2.5GHz i7, 750GB, 6770M 1GB, iPad 3, iPhone 4, custom PC
okay, ill redownload with 32 bit. thanks for the help ukchucktown. ill burn 64 bit for if i want to install it with reFit.

@Armageddon: have you had any trouble with refit prior to trying a quad boot?
 
Joined
Jul 1, 2010
Messages
38
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Your Mac's Specs
Macbook Pro 15" Core i7 - 2.66 GHz - 8GBS RAM - 500GB Hard Drive @ 7200 RPMs -
No trouble at all
 
Joined
Oct 26, 2009
Messages
128
Reaction score
8
Points
18
Good luck. The best feature of Ubuntu and Kubuntu is the support. I'll give away one of my secrets. A lot of excellent Linux knowledge is hanging out at the Kubuntu forums. It's a lot smaller than the Ubuntu forums so a lot less noise. It's my favorite Linux forum and where I like to hang out.

Kubuntu Forums - Index
 

RavingMac

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jan 7, 2008
Messages
8,303
Reaction score
242
Points
63
Location
In Denial
Your Mac's Specs
16Gb Mac Mini 2018, 15" MacBook Pro 2012 1 TB SSD
I run Ubuntu Linux mainly as an excuse to keep my old Gateway laptop around. It was actually my bridge to Macs. I got fed up with Win XP on the Gateway, formatted the drive and loaded a Fedora distro. Later switched to Ubuntu, then three years ago bought a MacBook (now my wife's) and haven't looked back.
Though, every now and then I drag the Gateway out and play with it. I may later tonight after reading this thread. :)
 
OP
robduckyworth

robduckyworth


Retired Staff
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
2,971
Reaction score
109
Points
63
Location
Reading, UK
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP, 2.5GHz i7, 750GB, 6770M 1GB, iPad 3, iPhone 4, custom PC
haha its very interesting i must admit. i see it sort of as a project: how good can i make it run for me, and i dont have to worry about damaging it, as i dont use any important files on it.

at the moment im having trouble getting out of 4:3 mode, but this is probably cause i havent installed the drivers yet.
 
Joined
Oct 26, 2009
Messages
128
Reaction score
8
Points
18
Linux is the ultimate tinker toy and money in your pocket if you are good with it. Most big companies are running Linux somewhere and a whole lot of small ones too. It's less prevalent on the desktop because of Windows and Mac but that doesn't mean it's not good. It's pretty awesome for free.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top