My first REAL USE experience with Linux
Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2014 10:06 am
Been a long time since I last tried Linux. I always had to turn back to Windows though as there are a couple of software that I cannot stay without.
This time round there were some differences to the situation. I have a laptop which I use mostly for Internet based services, web development, learn to develop for android devices and experiment with arduino. At the same time listening to streaming or local mp3 media.
I went ahead with installing Linux Mint and it's been a pleasure using it. I found it easy to install and when I had problems it was easier to find solutions on the Internet. The community is very helpful.
Unfortunately there are still times when I have to switch to Windows so I cannot call myself a 100% Linux user.
The below is my experience so far:
* Internet based service - not a problem (installed Chromium to be able to synchronize all my settings with Google Chrome on my desktop)
* Web development - use Komodo IDE (Windows and Linux versions are available - this is great as I can work on my projects with all the settings intact)
* Android development - not a problem. It is also easier to install Phonegap and/or Cordova on Linux than in Windows.
* Arduino - not a problem although not tested yet. I found a lot of articles explaining how to set it up on Linux.
* Audio - Audacity is great for audio editing and streaming/playing media files is not a problem. VLC is great and never had any problems with it.
* Graphics - Here I have a bit of an issue. Although Gimp is a great application no doubt, in my opinion Photoshop wins hands down. I am quite skilled in Photoshop use and am used to a lot of advanced techniques when editing any image. I did try Gimp hoping it would satisfy my needs, but after a couple of weeks I was back where I was. When I need to edit an image I will have to either use my desktop computer or reboot my laptop into Windows.
* Sohodox (Document Management System) - This is my Linux killer. I have a lot of electronically/physically organized documents which are all scanned/indexed/OCR'ed into Sohodox. There is no Linux version and in this case there is no real option for me.
* Gaming - the laptop is not a good gaming machine, however being a flight simmer, I do not find a problem as my flight sim of choice is X-Plane which has a Linux version as well.
Note: Wine is great for running some Windows application but it is not easy to set up and not all Windows software works with it.
All in all, I am very happy to finally be using Linux and looking forward to learn how to use it well. For normal home use Linux has become the most cost-effective solution without a doubt. For power users, Linux might not be a complete solution unless the big companies are somehow convinced to provide versions of their products for Linux as well.
This time round there were some differences to the situation. I have a laptop which I use mostly for Internet based services, web development, learn to develop for android devices and experiment with arduino. At the same time listening to streaming or local mp3 media.
I went ahead with installing Linux Mint and it's been a pleasure using it. I found it easy to install and when I had problems it was easier to find solutions on the Internet. The community is very helpful.
Unfortunately there are still times when I have to switch to Windows so I cannot call myself a 100% Linux user.
The below is my experience so far:
* Internet based service - not a problem (installed Chromium to be able to synchronize all my settings with Google Chrome on my desktop)
* Web development - use Komodo IDE (Windows and Linux versions are available - this is great as I can work on my projects with all the settings intact)
* Android development - not a problem. It is also easier to install Phonegap and/or Cordova on Linux than in Windows.
* Arduino - not a problem although not tested yet. I found a lot of articles explaining how to set it up on Linux.
* Audio - Audacity is great for audio editing and streaming/playing media files is not a problem. VLC is great and never had any problems with it.
* Graphics - Here I have a bit of an issue. Although Gimp is a great application no doubt, in my opinion Photoshop wins hands down. I am quite skilled in Photoshop use and am used to a lot of advanced techniques when editing any image. I did try Gimp hoping it would satisfy my needs, but after a couple of weeks I was back where I was. When I need to edit an image I will have to either use my desktop computer or reboot my laptop into Windows.
* Sohodox (Document Management System) - This is my Linux killer. I have a lot of electronically/physically organized documents which are all scanned/indexed/OCR'ed into Sohodox. There is no Linux version and in this case there is no real option for me.
* Gaming - the laptop is not a good gaming machine, however being a flight simmer, I do not find a problem as my flight sim of choice is X-Plane which has a Linux version as well.
Note: Wine is great for running some Windows application but it is not easy to set up and not all Windows software works with it.
All in all, I am very happy to finally be using Linux and looking forward to learn how to use it well. For normal home use Linux has become the most cost-effective solution without a doubt. For power users, Linux might not be a complete solution unless the big companies are somehow convinced to provide versions of their products for Linux as well.