Switching to Ubuntu

gamer16 said:
That's impressive.
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You can use searchmonkey instead of grep if you need to search for content, it's basically just a GUI for grep.
A better alternative might be recoll, it can also search through pdf and docx files. I used to use it on Windows sometimes, but since file explorer can now search through pdf and docx content I've stopped using it. Ubuntu might be able to so the same already?

gamer16 said:
Perfect, antivirus? Necessary?
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No, just don't install apps from random repos and browse "safely".
 
Good, didn't like antiviruses to begin with. Windows defender tends to be particularly annoying
 
Yeah. You won't have to worry about Windows Defender and that sort of thing.

Obviously your browser will be vulnerable to similar exploits, as it's mostly the same code base underneath (Chrome or Firefox) so you'll need to use whatever secure browsing practices you're used to on Windows.

And be wary of software that you download from random places on the internet.

But overall Linux is pretty secure so you needn't worry.
 
CT_Biker said:
Would you suggesting learning this later on?
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I think you should learn it in due course, but I'm kind of trying to object to the idea of throwing command lines at newbies and scaring them off in the process.

More so I'm objecting to just throwing commands at people who don't know what they do exactly, so along with a detailed explanation it would be better.

But there is often this created perception that all things Linux need to be hard and elite because command line is the only right way to do things which I say bollocks to.

Use the GUI to do stuff until it's not sufficient. You are using it as a Desktop after all.
 
newby_investor said:
Linux has grep. I'm not sure if there's a spiffy GUI equivalent like Finder on a Mac, but if you know your way around the command line then grep can do whatever you want it to do. It even searches the contents of text files.
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I think Ubuntu's default search is very similar to Spotlight (is what you meant instead of Finder I'm guessing) for most purposes.
 
SauRoNZA said:
I think Ubuntu's default search is very similar to Spotlight (is what you meant instead of Finder I'm guessing) for most purposes.
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You're probably right, I thought it was called Finder.

I haven't used the Ubuntu one, since the whole UI annoys me. Mint might have some kind of equivalent, haven't looked, never needed it.
 
gamer16 said:
The later yes, the search function on Windows is always slow but I'll give it a shot on Ubuntu

How is file and folder searching? On windows I used software called "everything" it enabled me to search for files instantly, would I need to find a alternative to use on Linux or have they sorted their search better that Microsoft?
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I find the default search in Files is very quick and much more so than Windows.

Then again this isn't a box that has all my data on which would obviously affect things greatly.

Shell based search is infinitely powerful...but also complex.

You may want to download a couple of flavours like Elementary, Mint and Ubuntu.

Fire each up in VM's and spend a few minutes with them and do basics and then choose one to longterm.
 
newby_investor said:
You're probably right, I thought it was called Finder.

I haven't used the Ubuntu one, since the whole UI annoys me. Mint might have some kind of equivalent, haven't looked, never needed it.
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Finder = Windows Explorer

Spotlight = Global Search

They do integrate deeply though.

Ubuntu UI does have a strong learning curve. I would have recommended Elementary to most noobs (especially if you like OSX) but it's not quite production ready yet.
 
SauRoNZA said:
I think you should learn it in due course, but I'm kind of trying to object to the idea of throwing command lines at newbies and scaring them off in the process.

More so I'm objecting to just throwing commands at people who don't know what they do exactly, so along with a detailed explanation it would be better.

But there is often this created perception that all things Linux need to be hard and elite because command line is the only right way to do things which I say bollocks to.

Use the GUI to do stuff until it's not sufficient. You are using it as a Desktop after all.
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For things like search, definitely, which is why I searched for GUI alternatives to grep.
In terms of install, the commands are really quite simple, so I don't see a problem with it.
sudo = run the following as admin
apt-get = apt is advanced packaging tool (I think), and get is to get all the new package information
install = install the following app name from the above gotten info
update = based on the above gotten package info, list all new info/update the listings
upgrade = update the apps based on the new info if out of date


Really not complex and used quite often, it's a lot faster than searching through the store/package manager.
E.g. want to install vlc? sudo apt-get install vlc
want to install chrome? sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable (yeah, you'd have to know the name, so package manager might be easier for this one)

In terms of advanced search, most of us don't really use it that often, so using a GUI instead would generally be faster.

The main reason I use the command line for install was the laptop I learnt to use Ubuntu on was really, really slow, so doing anything in command line was substantially faster.

SauRoNZA said:
Based on this I think Linux Mint Cinnamon Edition is probably going to be the best bet for OP to make the switch.

It is very Windows like yet different enough.

https://fossbytes.com/best-linux-distro-beginners/
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Yep, find it a lot nicer than Ubuntu as well, but prefer Mate.
 
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Nice thread, I will keep an eye on it.
I switched to Linux completely when I started my own business this year. I am not in the computer/IT business, so I use it as a "general" user. In other words, my computer is a tool, not the purpose of my work.
I have been using Ubuntu part time for a few years at home when I still had a company computer (with Windows.) I started fiddling around and installed Kubuntu and also used an xfce desktop on top of Kubuntu for a while.
I use LibreOffice, Thunderbird and Firefox for most of my work. Mega.nz is my cloud service because they have a very good sync app for Linux and competitive pricing.
The windows programs that I cannot quite get the functionality equivalent includes Total Commander (Krusader almost there), Irfanview and Acrobat Professional. For PDF I use four different tools, but they still cannot compare to Acrobat Prof. But then AP costs around R6500 by now...
All-in-all the convenience of not worrying about malicious software and not paying for everyday tools are just fantastic.
 
tbh Windows has it's place when using it on a pc for gaming/general purpose

95% of the time im working on some sort of GNU/Linux server (For work) but couldn't possibly bring myself to running it on my pc at home because of gaming

If you really want to learn Linux, I would actually recommend trying to use the CLI wherever possible. It's daunting at first but the more you use it, the better you will become.
 
Johnatan56 said:
For things like search, definitely, which is why I searched for GUI alternatives to grep.
In terms of install, the commands are really quite simple, so I don't see a problem with it.
sudo = run the following as admin
apt-get = apt is advanced packaging tool (I think), and get is to get all the new package information
install = install the following app name from the above gotten info
update = based on the above gotten package info, list all new info/update the listings
upgrade = update the apps based on the new info if out of date
Click to expand...

See that's all I wanted is for the newb to understand what they are typing and not just get commands thrown at them.

That's the way to learn.

Really not complex and used quite often, it's a lot faster than searching through the store/package manager.
E.g. want to install vlc? sudo apt-get install vlc
want to install chrome? sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable (yeah, you'd have to know the name, so package manager might be easier for this one)
Click to expand...

Not complex for you and me who have stared at it for years and can type it all in a single keystroke without blinking.

In the shoes of a new guy it's terrying.

Like you say you'd have to know the name so teaching them how to search with apt or yum should be the first lesson.

Actually first lesson should be what repos are and how they work.



Yep, find it a lot nicer than Ubuntu as well, but prefer Mate.
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Any specific reasons? I say this not having ever used either before for longer than a few minutes.

****

Oh it's a video, sorry though it was an image. New forum is catching me out.
 
Is it really called "Mah-tey" or is that oke just being daft?

Even less of a muchness with that video and doesn't seem much of a resource difference.
 
SauRoNZA said:
Is it really called "Mah-tey" or is that oke just being daft?

Even less of a muchness with that video and doesn't seem much of a resource difference.
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Not sure. I just prefer the layout of a lot of stuff, e.g. the fact that applications listed for graphics show a quick what the app does. If I am actually pausing long enough not to use search, it must be an app that I don't really use, so a quick "what is this for" for quick refresh is nice.
Recent Cinnamon versions have drastically improved resource utilization though, so that's removed that argument.
In regards to Mate pronunciation, no clue, I don't pronounce it like that.

For file managers, I just like Caja more, not really a fan of Gnome 3, that's a complete personal preference, they're both good.
 
Good
Johnatan56 said:
No. Most of us use Windows due to lots of apps that just don't run well using Wine because there are no Windows alternatives or because too lazy to learn something new/companies already purchased Windows laptops.

Actually have friends in jobs whereby they exclusively use Linux especially when the company's entire work suite is custom web apps.

In terms of GUI, there are lots of Linux distros that are very similar, and many that I find have better interfaces, though there are some with way worse ones, but Ubuntu/Mate are not one of those.
Software support is what keeps us with Windows, but that's starting to change as more programs become Open Source, with most have Linux support.

For basic web development, Linux is perfectly good, VS Code support and IntelliJ/Jetbrains suite, with your projects being hosted on a Linux server anyways, it makes it easier to be sure that your code works, plus using Docker outside of Linux forces it to run in a VM, so much wasted dedicated memory that can cripple those with weak devices.

EDIT:

Oh, and do remember that Linux has nice tools like Aptik, so quick migration to new machines with all your old settings. Still find it crazy that Windows can't properly back-up settings.
https://www.ostechnix.com/how-to-mi...ld-system-to-a-newly-installed-ubuntu-system/
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Just pointed out from my own experience in working in the tech industry. You might prefer to keep using Linux for different reasons than me. My experience with Linux and Windows is different to yours though.
 
FWIW - MATE is a fork of the old Gnome 2 code. Cinnamon is based on Gnome 3 but with a more conventional layout. For those who hated Gnome 3. (I wasn't too fond of it myself.)

Between the two I prefer Cinnamon, it's got a cooler name and looks a bit slicker.
 
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