Migrating to Linux thread

[DoggyDaddy]

Setting up my HP printer/scanner combo was actually easier under Mint than it was under Windows and no disk needed

Yeah, I got the printer (also HP) set up last night and it was easy. I haven't tried scanning anything yet, but setting up to print was easy peasy. Just chose "add printer", and it found and recognized it automatically and I was up and running. Do I need to install one of the scanner apps in Software Manager first and then have it recognize my printer/scanner?

ETA: Nevermind.... Simple Scan which is already installed recognizes my scanner already! Windows is rapidly losing favor with me.

 

[wtburnette]

Yeah, I got the printer (also HP) set up last night and it was easy. I haven't tried scanning anything yet, but setting up to print was easy peasy. Just chose "add printer", and it found and recognized it automatically and I was up and running. Do I need to install one of the scanner apps in Software Manager first and then have it recognize my printer/scanner?

ETA: Nevermind.... Simple Scan which is already installed recognizes my scanner already! Windows is rapidly losing favor with me.

Yep, I understand!

 

[Caleb]

Wonder if mint supports minecraft

 

[pudly]

Don't know about that game specifically. Linux is known to be somewhat game-challenged. Game companies generally write for where they will get the most players and that isn't Linux, particularly with it's myriad flavors to support. That said, here are some general guidelines for gaming on Linux.

• There are a number of games available for free in the Linux software management console. No, these are not the commercial software titles, but just be aware that they are there.
• Linux does have some software emulators available to run other/older platforms. Look in the software manager under Games | Emulators. You will find DOS, NES, Nintendo, Commodore, Atari 2600, etc. there.
• WINE is an emulator for Windows programs. It can run far more than games, so if you have a Windows program or two that you just have to have, it *might* be able to handle it for you.
• You can install Virtualbox to run other OSes in a window on Linux. That way, you can setup a Windows virtual machine to run the limited number of programs that you really want to keep easy access to while in Linux. Note that you will need to purchase a licenced copy of Windows to run in the VM.
• Any emulators involve a performance hit. That is only really relevant for the Windows emulators/Virtual Machines as older system emulators still run faster than the old machines.
• Steam does have a Linux client available in the software management console. Haven't used it, so I can't say much about it, but that is where you may find most commercial game content/support. There is even an entire SteamOS that they have built on Debian (grandfather to Mint). In theory, you could setup a dedicated gaming system or a multiboot entry to access Steam games.
• Search is your friend. Do some some searches if you have a specific game you want to run and you will see if/how others have managed to run them on Linux.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Edit: I wanted to write the info above to give you the general picture of games and Linux. Please note the last bullet point. It applies to most questions about Linux. I ran a quick search of "Linux" and "Minecraft" and came up with a bunch of links with this as the first entry: How to Install Minecraft on Ubuntu or Any Other Linux Distribution. Keep in mind that Linux Mint is derived from Ubuntu, so most instructions for Ubuntu will also apply to Mint.

 

[oldpink]

Great post, Pudly.
That deserves the max rep possible, so here you go.

Edit: You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to pudly again.
Doh!

 

[wtburnette]

Great post, Pudly.
That deserves the max rep possible, so here you go.

Edit: You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to pudly again.
Doh!

Don't worry, I got him for you. Deservedly so!

 

[pudly]

Thanks guys.

 

[Caleb]

Alrighty...been a while since I converted an iso file for a jump drive....

I'm going to try live....maybe even install it.

 

[pudly]

Alrighty...been a while since I converted an iso file for a jump drive....

I'm going to try live....maybe even install it.

Lili will handle installing the ISO on your USB drive. Go ahead and run it live for a while. Make sure that you are comfortable with Linux and it works with all of your hardware before installing. You'll find good info on the process up-thread. You can even try multiple Linux versions to find what you like best, although Linux Mint with the Cinnamon UI seems to be developing a following here. Good luck.

One important item: Check if your system is 32 or 64-bit. That will affect which version of the Linux software you should work with. If you aren't sure, let us know what OS you are currently running and we can help you figure it out.

 

[wtburnette]

Just read this little article:

Windows 10: is it finally time to migrate to Ubuntu? | Ubuntu Insights

There's a lot of truth to it, at least from a certain perspective. I've been in the computer field for 23 years now, most of that time as a tech working with Microsoft products and I've seen these articles come and go throughout that time. Ever since Windows 8 though, it has been even more likely that people would look into alternatives to their OS. As this thread shows, Windows 10 only continues this trend. I want to like Windows 10, but it's very hard to do so. Too many compromises have to be made to do things "the Microsoft way" instead of the way I want to do things. For now, I'm keeping a Windows 7 box around for gaming, but when support for that OS ends, I'm really thinking I'll be done with MS, unless things have changed in a big way by that time.

 

[Caleb]

I now remember why linux pissed me off so much...can't get my wireless card to work and I don't know much on the technical linux terminal commands to get this thing to work right....help!

 

[Caleb]

Running linux mint cinnamon 17.2 64 bit by the way....I like the OS except the complications of the wifi card.

Any guides and/or books to learn the Linux Mint commands? I feel I'm at an disavantage for not knowing the technical side of linux.

 

[pudly]

Sorry for your hassles. Mint was able to recognize my wireless card with no additional input. Do you know exactly what model it is? If so, then it is very likely that we can find specific drivers or configuration info to make it work.

The Linux terminal is much like the Windows command terminal. If you know DOS commands (cd, dir, del, etc.), then there are direct equivalents in Linux (cd, ls, rm, etc). This appears to be a pretty good Linux command line tutorial: LinuxCommand.org: Learn the Linux command line. Write shell scripts.

 

[wtburnette]

Search the Linux Mint forums Linux Mint Forums ? Index page. Best resource for issues on that platform.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Sorry for your hassles. Mint was able to recognize my wireless card with no additional input. Do you know exactly what model it is? If so, then it is very likely that we can find specific drivers or configuration info to make it work.

The Linux terminal is much like the Windows command terminal. If you know DOS commands (cd, dir, del, etc.), then there are direct equivalents in Linux (cd, ls, rm, etc). This appears to be a pretty good Linux command line tutorial: LinuxCommand.org: Learn the Linux command line. Write shell scripts.

Same here. All I had to do was put in my password for my wireless networks.

 

[Caleb]

On board Broadcom on the mother board

 

[pudly]

On board Broadcom on the mother board

Need a specific model. Might be easiest to switch to Windows and bring up the device manager to look that up. Failing that, the laptop model should be sufficient to look up what they use.

 

[Caleb]

Need a specific model. Might be easiest to switch to Windows and bring up the device manager to look that up. Failing that, the laptop model should be sufficient to look up what they use.

It's a desktop that I had built many years ago....

Here's the motherboard in question:

MSI P43-C51 LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com

 

[pudly]

Sorry, you lost me. You were talking about having problems with a wifi card (wireless networking) and now you are talking about a PC motherboard which has integrated networking (wired). Are you having problems with wireless networking, in which case I need the wifi card info, or with the wired network connection from the motherboard?

 

[Caleb]

My apologies, I for some reason thinking it had on board wireless...let me get home from work and look at it again.