Linux users!

Chew the fat on more "recent" computing (1995 and upwards)

Linux users!

Postby xjas on Wed Aug 14, 2013 2:53 am

I know there are a few of us on here... Just wondering what distros / environments you guys are running? Vintage or non... :mrgreen:

My 'modern' PC (a 6-year-old early dual-core laptop) is running a frankenstein install of Mint 13 that I'm constantly tweaking. It was originally an XFCE version of Mint but I pulled in KDE 4.10.5 from the Kubuntu repos and am using the theme from another distro, KXStudio. I also run Awesome WM occasionally, mostly fullscreen stuff where I don't really need a desktop. I upgraded the kernel to 3.8.0 (<-- don't do this! HUGE pain in the butt!) and excised the original PulseAudio system for ALSA, as well as various other backported upgrades and changes. I do a ton of stuff (e.g. most of my file management) from the console so I run Guake to get an instant dropdown terminal.

BTW I've got a second monitor "stacked" vertically over the laptop display, for a combined screen of 1280x1824, or 16 x 22.8 aspect ratio... yes, it's weird, but it gives me a nice amount of screen space taking a relatively small amount of desk space. I should get a picture. I love this setup now that I'm used to it.
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Re: Linux users!

Postby SpidersWeb on Wed Aug 14, 2013 8:51 am

At home I run:
Core i7 @ o/c to 4Ghz from 2.6 (two years old) - Windows 7 64
Core i3 @ 3.6Ghz (few months old) - Windows 7 64
Core2Duo laptop @ 2.2Ghz (2.5 years old) - Windows 7 64
But for the machine I need to work continuously, and share files reliably without a screen or keyboard:
Pentium 4 @ 2.8Ghz single core media server - Debian (sharing to WDTVLive and computers using Samba, backups to a secondary HDD using rsync at 5am each day) - this is also setup to support older LanMan clients so my DOS machines can see it too. I use MidnightCommander to move files about, and wrote my own scripts to automate certain processes.

At work all desktops are Windows, and all servers are Debian. I also run Debian in VMWare Workstation for software development. No GUIs though.
I have seen Mint recommended quite a few times before.

I let the network guy at work do kernel updates ;) But I have been using Linux on servers since about Redhat 6 (I think)

The only vintage 'nix style machine I run is the IBM PC 6150 which is cranking AIX 2.2.1 - with TCP/IP (which is pretty awesome - need to get it on the net).
Wanted - Dead or Alive - Reward $$$: Compaq Deskpro 8088 / 286 / 386 - IBM RT 6150/6151 parts - AT&T 3B2 parts
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Re: Linux users!

Postby Matt on Tue Dec 31, 2013 7:29 am

I've been using Debian since Woody and it ticks all the boxes for me.
I've also built linux-from-scratch and used it for a while but maintaining
a system is a whole other thing. Apt really is a killer app.

As for environment less is more imo. Openbox with nitrogen so I can have
my wallpaper of the late dmr and Ken Thompson on a pdp11. Typically I have
the kate editor and lxterminal(lean, tabs) sharing screen space.
Focus follows mouse and kate foo opens foo in the existing kate instance.

If I get struck by the urge to mess around with other types of systems I do it
in a kernel VM. Performance is native just stay away from asus mboards.

Matt.:-)
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Re: Linux users!

Postby caluser2000 on Fri Jan 03, 2014 5:59 am

My HP 3216 http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum ... ne-desktop, a slimline Pentium 200mmx system that was salvaged from being tossed in a skip, is my only dedicated Linux box running RH 7.2 at the moment. Stripped all the Nautilus stuff and use Window Maker as its default window manager. I do have copies with manuals, some boxed, of older Linux distros-SuSe 7.2. Mandrake 6.0, Corel Linux 1.0, RH 5.2 & 6.0 as well as Turbo Linux Server 6.0. Also have RH 6.2 that came with an Aus mag that had OS/2 v4 and BeOS 5 PE in 2000 or so. A member here sent me the mag with cds when I asked about OS/2 related items Also have Slackware 5 somewhere that came with a book on networking. Ran Puppy on a Dell laptop with dead hdd for a bit.

My day to day box runs XP on an old Acer Aspire 2 Ghz something box that hasn't missed a bet in the years I've owned it. Use a similar speced Dell laptop as a backup or when i want to lay out in the conservatory relaxing. Both were freebe hand me downs. My wife has a Win 7 laptop which is in for warranty repair and she currently uses her Samsung Galaxy for most of her internet stuff.
The Acorn never falls far from the tree.. x86 GUI whore.
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Re: Linux users!

Postby mrad01 on Fri Jan 03, 2014 8:05 am

Just converted a freebie Dell (3100 - Pentium 4@3.0GHz, 2 GB RAM) from my father in law to a Ubuntu 12 LTS server for a bit of testing. My first Linux machines was a IBM Thinkpad in 1997 running RedHat 4.2 - I ran it as a desktop (Netscape Communicator did it all back then - Web, Mail, News)

After that my company had around 80 Mandrake based IBM x series servers out in the market to maintain (which is why I wrote JellyfiSSH for Mac OS X) - but after the IBM capacitor issue and the Deathstar drive issue - we moved them all to Apple Xserves. Much easier, but they have reached EOL now.

All good fun
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Re: Linux users!

Postby acsi on Fri Jan 03, 2014 7:22 pm

My only current Linux machines are both running Mythbuntu 13.10.

I've been running mythbuntu for about 6 or 7 years now with both analogue, Satellite and Terrestrial cards as my home PVR. Started with one machine which was built with a Duron 800MHz CPU and radeon graphics and used a DSE VGA to Composite adapter feed through Cat5 to the lounge and bedroom.

I then introduced an HP P4 2.8GHz machine as a slave and installed more cards (required as Freeview got bigger). Slowly they have been upgraded as caps and cpu's died. Also a couple of dead hard drives.

It's now running on a Quad core and a Dual core machines with 11TB of storage (overkill I know) and uses a nvidia graphics card through HDMI baluns and CAT6 to feed the lounge and bedroom. ir is run through Cat6 and adapters although the remote has long since gone missing and its now controlled via Mythweb or iPhone.

Besides this setup I have run ubuntu on a Dell mini 9 up until recently and also dabbled with Commodores OS Vision which is Linux based.

All in all it mostly does what I want.
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Re: Linux users!

Postby manuka on Mon Jan 06, 2014 1:15 pm

My machines change fairly frequently. At the moment from memory we have:

Main machine Intel i5 quad Win7 mainly although I do use tiny core in there every so often
Main Laptop Asus i3 dual core, Dual boots Ubuntu 12.10 (on SSD) and Win 7 (on HD) pretty much lives in linux and only boot into Windows when I need to use Photoshop.
Son 1 iMac G5 20" Running either Leopard or Snow Leopard
Son 2 Currently upgrading from a Core 2 Quad to an i5 Quad running Win 7
Daughter Core 2 Duo laptop running Win 7
Media Box, Had to switch to Win 7 Embedded from Debian because of some issues with Flash on linux and the lack of good game emulators for linux
NAS Some flavour of Linux I forget which but debain based, switching soon to a small HP sever running FreeNAS as I want more control and I'm running out of HD space
Raspberry Pi - Changes around but mostly Raspbian
Also playing around with OpenWRT on a couple of wireless switches
molten_media on TradeMe, which is also my place of work. No particular interests apart from passing on some of the gems that come through the door.
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Re: Linux users!

Postby xjas on Mon Jan 27, 2014 6:02 pm

Just finished setting up AntiX on my new-to-me Inspiron 4150 laptop. It's great! Really flies even on such an old system. If you have a P3/4/Athlon era machine you want to breath some new life into I highly recommend checking it out. It's much more up-to-date than say Damn Small Linux and is uses Debian Testing repos so most software is available. The livecd comes with IceWM, Fluxbox & JWM preconfigured.
(I'm actually running a derivative called AntiX-Music which comes with a bunch of audio production stuff and JACK pre-installed.)

That brings my home count up to 5 systems with 4 of them running some form of Linux or Unix most of the time. The other one runs DOS, of course. [Edit: most of these are sold now.]
Last edited by xjas on Sun Nov 02, 2014 5:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Linux users!

Postby Carcenomy on Sun Jul 20, 2014 9:28 pm

This looks more like a system count thread than a Linux thread boys ;)

I run Linux on something every so often just to see where it's at these days, I'm about overdue to slam it on something for a play. Last time I did I tried a few flavours of Ubuntu and Debian PPC on my iBook G3 SE. Debian played nicest and was quite pleasant to work with, but the low horsepower of the G3 meant half the already paltry number of apps available for Linux PPC didn't work either ;)

The systems around home are very Microsoft-centric, but one member of the family is well discontinued and the debate now is whether to upgrade it to the closest Windows equivalent or go Linux...

My desktop is an HP Pavilion 8120 with extensive chassis mods packing a Core i7 @ 3.4, 8GB RAM and dual GTX560s. It runs Windows 8.1 Pro 64.
My HTPC is a Commodore PC10-III with extensive chassis mods packing a Core i5 @ 2.6, 4GB RAM and a GTX465. It also runs Windows 8.1 Pro 64.
My notebook is a Sony Vaio Duo 11, Core i5 @ 1.7, 4GB RAM. It runs Windows 8.1 64.
The home server however... is a Compaq Presario S5020AN... AthlonXP @ 2.4, 2GB RAM. Currently it's running Windows Home Server v1.
But Windows Home Server was discontinued after WHS2011 was released. The only options now are something Linuxy, or give it some beefier hardware and Server 2012 Essentials. Decisions decisions...
Just the local Commodore hobo and middle-aged PC hoarder.
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Re: Linux users!

Postby manuka on Mon Jul 21, 2014 10:20 am

I've Upgraded a wee bit since my initial post - two new machines mainly and one OS change,

Added a HP ML110 G5 Server running FreeNas (FreeBSD) mainly used as a file server and torrent machine also home web server and minecraft server for the kids.
A Small Dell small form factor core 3 quad machine running Hackintosh Mavericks
Changed my Media Machine back to running XBMCbuntu the flash and other issues I was having semmed to have sorted themselves out
molten_media on TradeMe, which is also my place of work. No particular interests apart from passing on some of the gems that come through the door.
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Re: Linux users!

Postby caluser2000 on Sat Nov 01, 2014 11:05 am

Slapped CrungBang on this old P4 about a month or so ago, installed XFCE4 and everything is running swimmingly. Just a hog pog of stuff hanging out the case at the moment. So far it's doing exactly the same chores as my old XP box but without the dramas.
The Acorn never falls far from the tree.. x86 GUI whore.
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Re: Linux users!

Postby drdanick on Mon Nov 03, 2014 5:51 pm

I'm surprised there's no ArchLinux love in here! I'm running ArchLinux, currently with kernel version 3.17.1. I use AwesomeWM for my window manager, VIM for my editor, and less for my pager. Also, I use infinality2 over freetype2 for not-crappy font rendering. I also have a pretty decent C workflow set up with vim if anyone wants to share .vimrcs :P

Oh, here are some screenshots I took a while back for the ArchLinux forums. Nothing much has really changed:

Clean:
Image

Busy 1:
Image

Busy 2:
Image
mov al, 0xFE
out 0x64, al
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Re: Linux users!

Postby LilJoe on Tue Nov 04, 2014 9:03 am

caluse 2000 wrote:Slapped CrungBang on this old P4
Ah, crunch bang I have been meaning to test this out for a long time. quote="drdanick"]I'm running ArchLinux[/quote] I have heard great things about Arch. I love the minimal approach to it, its been on my to-do list for about six months now. :wink:

I currently run:
AMD Dual Core 4600+ @ 2.4ghz, 2gb RAM running Debian with Lxde
Pentium 4 @ 2.8ghz (I think), 1gb RAM running Ubuntu/Zorin with gnome (Planning on dual booting Arch, It also has XP on a slave drive that GRUB lets me boot to)
Pentium 4 @a very slow clock, 756mb RAM running Debian with gnome (GPU is very slow, faulty? was going to make a MAME cabinet, I had to replace the thermal paste as it kept crashing, overheating, all fixed now)
Pentium 1 @even slower, unknown RAM running Win98 (Hard drive is failing, stopped booting OS :( )

I also have an old rack server that I will one day get round to repairing, A media center running XBMCbuntu and Win7, and another Pentium 4 without a hard drive.
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Re: Linux users!

Postby arjoll on Tue Nov 04, 2014 6:25 pm

I'm not a big Linux user, but run Raspian on my two Raspberry Pis (although I haven't fired up the B+ yet, it may end up running one of the media centre distributions). I've also set up a Raspberry Pi / Raspian based studio-transmitter audio link for Cave FM in Gore, budget wasn't huge so two Rasperry Pis, two Wolfson Audio boards and four Ubiquiti NanoBridge M2's make up a two hop audio link which just stays up without any faults or audible blips. Nice solution using OpenOB and the OPUS codec.

For daily use I have a newish Core i7 desktop in the office, the old i5 as a second machine, Core2 Duo E6400 in the workshop and have just upgraded from an HP Probook 6540b to a Pro x2 612 tablet/laptop. The i5 is on Windows 7, everything else runs 8.1. Of course there's also the media centre (Core i5, Windows 7), kids laptops (both Probook 4570s models, Matt on Windows 8.1 and Sarah on Windows 7), wife's laptop (Probook 450 G1, Windows 8.1), son's desktop (Core2 Duo E8400 I think, never uses it) and server (Proliant ML110 G6, WIndows 2008 R2 host, 2012 R2 guest as DC and another 2012 R2 for web and FTP server).

I used to run an old Pentium-D with a heap of old drives for storage, but decided it was better to just put a couple of 4 TB drives in a Netgear NAS box. Cheaper to run. Gave the P-D and another one I'd picked up to Church, they paid $6 each PC for a legit copy of 8.1 from Techsoup. With that clean out, and giving a couple of old P4s to a young guy at Church, the only other non-vintage or borderline-vintage computers are the two TL Systems Pentium II's out in the work shop. Next oldest PC is the 5150 :)
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Wishlist: BBC model B, Spectrum 48k and anything Sord.
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Re: Linux users!

Postby Apple_nostelga_trip_ on Mon Apr 18, 2016 7:47 pm

I've been running Linux for a good few years. Basically my XP system would grind to a halt within a year so I started playing with this Linux thing I had heard about. I've tried a lot of distributions but usually end up back with Gentoo, Arch and/or Mint.

Currently my Intel i7 desktop is running Gentoo with KDE4. This is probably the most rock solid go-to combo I just can't live long without. Tempted to try KDE FW5 though.

My HP Stream netbook (brought this year) is running Mint with Cinnamon. Funny story, it came with Windows 10 but the SSD wasn't big enough (@30GB) to allow an update to go through. Even throwing in an 8GB microSD wasn't enough. Frustrated I did some digging and found a Windows backup related sub-folder (forget its name) that was 9GB alone and couldn't be removed! Out it goes! I'm now using just 14GB with all my apps. And I mean all. It boots faster (even with Luks to do its decrypting), is more responsive, shuts down faster and doesn't report back to Microsoft. :D

My old laptop is an HP i3. That's running Arch with MATE. That was a similar story, never performed well with Windows 7.

My garage PC (old dual core something) is usually running some lite version of Linux, but currently it's running XP POS as a bit of an experiment. The shutdown times are starting to get on my nerves as I'm usually just standing there waiting so I can turn it off at the wall, so eventually it will be back on Linux or maybe even Haiku if it has a decent mp3 player.

Anyway sorry for the PC list and ramblings... enjoy your Linux

Image
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