Unlurking to say Hello!
Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 10:02 am
Hello!
A few months ago, when Windows decided to dump XP, I took an XP netbook I had not been using much because it was so slow and loaded Ubuntu LTS onto it. I was exceptionally pleased how much better, and faster, it seemed to work. That was my play around machine, I didn't rely on it to get things done, but it was a great way to dip my toes in the Linux waters, so to speak.
Then, about 3 months ago, my 2007 vintage HP Media machine's motherboard died (my bad, who would have thought so much dust could accumulate in such a tiny space?). Once I figured out what happened to it, I thought I'd use the opportunity to replace it with somthing a little more beefy. It was my first build from that level of 'from scratch' that I'd ever attempted and it was a kick just to see it power up. I was pretty proud of myself.
Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), the second hand, 64bit motherboard I upgraded to invalidated my Vista license.
After my experience with the little netbook, I thought about trying Linux Mint. This machine was a bit more important to my family - its our main machine to watch television on - since we don't do cable - so I didn't want to mess things up. Needless to say, the install went perfect and the machine runs amazingly well. Mint 17 is similar enough to the layout of Windows, that my kids don't even seem to notice the change and even the peripherals I was worried wouldn't work on Linux were accepted without a hitch.
I'm still facing a few problems; like networking with my existing Windows machines, and our printer, and trying to set up a remote desktop share so my techie brother can help me figure things out, but I am learning. Many, MANY years ago, I did a brief stint as a UNIX admin so a little bit of the command line stuff is coming back to me, and also this forum has been an utterly invaluable resource
. I just wanted to unlurk and thank you folks for providing such a treasure trove of information for folks like me. Thank you and keep up the good work!
A few months ago, when Windows decided to dump XP, I took an XP netbook I had not been using much because it was so slow and loaded Ubuntu LTS onto it. I was exceptionally pleased how much better, and faster, it seemed to work. That was my play around machine, I didn't rely on it to get things done, but it was a great way to dip my toes in the Linux waters, so to speak.
Then, about 3 months ago, my 2007 vintage HP Media machine's motherboard died (my bad, who would have thought so much dust could accumulate in such a tiny space?). Once I figured out what happened to it, I thought I'd use the opportunity to replace it with somthing a little more beefy. It was my first build from that level of 'from scratch' that I'd ever attempted and it was a kick just to see it power up. I was pretty proud of myself.
Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), the second hand, 64bit motherboard I upgraded to invalidated my Vista license. After my experience with the little netbook, I thought about trying Linux Mint. This machine was a bit more important to my family - its our main machine to watch television on - since we don't do cable - so I didn't want to mess things up. Needless to say, the install went perfect and the machine runs amazingly well. Mint 17 is similar enough to the layout of Windows, that my kids don't even seem to notice the change and even the peripherals I was worried wouldn't work on Linux were accepted without a hitch.
I'm still facing a few problems; like networking with my existing Windows machines, and our printer, and trying to set up a remote desktop share so my techie brother can help me figure things out, but I am learning. Many, MANY years ago, I did a brief stint as a UNIX admin so a little bit of the command line stuff is coming back to me, and also this forum has been an utterly invaluable resource
. I just wanted to unlurk and thank you folks for providing such a treasure trove of information for folks like me. Thank you and keep up the good work! 