linux on a lappy, Brendan?

Birdseye

Birdseye

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triggered by comments on a thread below (and to which I can relate) about bloated software using up the increased capacity of new computers as they come along.

one answer I've wondered about is going to Linux. I've got it on my lappy at the moment, and for the standard uses like word processing, browsing etc, the programs that were bundled with my distribution were fine.

but what about all the other accumlated bits from chart plotters to echolink to camera software etc (there are 60 odd program items on my desktop) that are for windows? can you get emulators that will allow you to run windows programs of various vintages under linux?

I dont do anything very advanced on my computers, no gaming, no video editing or anything like that. so I dont see that I need to update software, but thats an option bill gates doesnt leave us.
 
There is a Windows API emulation layer called wine that will run many applications such as Office. Some chart plotters will work with it. It is included as standard on most linux distributions though you might have to install it from your media. You can try installing any chartplotter that you have on the laptop by typing wine install.exe in a bash shell in the appropriate directory to see if it works for you. Most digital cameras use either a scsi over usb protocol or PTP and will be supported out of the box. Depending on your distribution just plug the camera in and switch it on and either the file manager manager will recognize it and invite you to open it using appropriate software or on older distributions you will need to make an entry in /etc/fstab and manually mount it as a hard drive. If you have problems doing that let me know.
 
do all these old applications run under a common MS OS at present?

I'd suspect you'd struggle to run all of them under linux, if any of them have proprietary or specialist drivers. Though the number of drivers on Linux improves all the time, many won't suppoort older hardware. I guess you'd have to give us some examples of the apps you want to support, though I'm no Linux expert, so others here who use it more regularly will be able to answer better
 
yes - they all run under XP but then XP has that excellent facility that allows you to tailor it to older software. like I have a chartplotter that requires 256 colours for example.
 
We use linux as an industrial strength work horse on servers, and I'm a big fan, but unfortunately windows for the laptop, because of all those little bits and pieces that don't run or are awkward to source (eg 3G mobile connect card, WIFI, camera, DV, iPod, Chartplotter software, VPN client to office network, etc). It's a pain so no option but to run windows. I have Linux dual boot, but only for work.
 
thanks saxifrage, but my knowledge of linux is just beginning. what is a bash shell? I have yet to install any siftware that didnt install itself when the DVD with my distribution was put in the drive and the button pressed. mods to make the modem work were dont by my daughters boyfriend.

so if wine is on the distribution, how do I install it?
 
Is it really mandrake? That is pretty old since it became mandriva quite a long time ago. I would recommend downloading something recent like the latest Fedora or SuSe 10.1. My personal preference is for SuSe as it is the easiest to configure and can be downloaded from Open SuSe. Linux evolves very fast and I would start out with an up to date system as this will have better support for newer devices and will be less of a mission to get things working.
 
I've just checked the mandriva website and the latest version seems to be Mandriva2007, there are also cut down free versions. If you don't have this version and you want to stick with Mandrake you should download one of those and start from there. Most of the linux distributions can be downloaded free so don't get too concerned about one you have been given free if it is not up to date. The open suse link I gave you is for a free download which you can burn onto dvd or cds for example. No need to register or anything. Starting out with something up to date is key as you may find that patches and updates are no longer being released.

I haven't used ubuntu and can't comment on it.
 
We standardise on Fedora for servers and desktops, but experimented with Ubuntu for laptops (its much easier to configure wireless networking). If this is specifically for a laptop I'd suggest giving it a go.

There is also a "live" distribution so you can try it out without writing to your hard drive. If you like it you can install directly to the hard drive.

There is another distribution called "Freespire" which is aimed at making the transition from Windoze as painless as possible. It is particularly easy to install new software.

If you speak to four different Linux users you'll get five different answers as to which is the best distribution. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif They're (almost) all free and many do have a live distribution. Just try them until you find one that suits you.

Good luck - if you change you won't regret it.
 
I started the transition with Slackware years ago as I didn't know there were any others. I learned a lot fast but then switched to SuSe as I discovered it was easier to configure. I ran it for a couple of years doing everything the hard way and got a job as a Solaris admin on the back of that for a while. I've just aqcuired a couple of big SMP boxes and might build one of those up with Slackware again for some hardcore geeky messing around.
 
I, too, started with Slackware - you HAD to learn a lot fast or go nowhere. Since the only alternatives I was aware of on a pc back then were various forms of dos Slackware came as a refreshing change.

Don't think I'd have the patience to return to Slack now.
 
If you have to run specific Windows applications from time to time on your laptop, and they will not operate under WINE, then (assuming you have a suitable laptop) you can install VMWare Server and install a Windows Virtual Machine, and run the offending pieces of software in thier own playpen. The VMware software can now be downloaded from thier site, and after filling in a form or two they will send you a license key - no money invoved.

I am not suggesting that this is a solution for software which you run while on passage - but once hooked back up to the mains you can still have access those applications which insist on being in a real windows box (even if its not /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif )

Just a thought.

For those people who are saying "use Xen instead" my answer is that Xen doesn't (to the best of my knowledge) emulate a full virtual machines on its own without the VT technology of the latest AMD and Intel processors - not likely to be the sort of kit we have lying about for use on a boat. VMWare on the otherhand works on a surprising range of CPUs.

Regards,
Jeff.
 
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