How do you use linux?

[zoli62]

I use on a old machine Linux Mint 17 XFCE paralell with Windows XP Pro.

[richyrich]

Currently 3 desktops and a notebook, all running Linux with the Xfce desktop. . Windows free since 2009! . . Oh, and an Android tablet.

[jimallyn]

Currently running only Linux on my main computer. I have about 5 different distros installed on it, plus I just installed another in VirtualBox. I have a couple of older computers here that still run but don't get used much. One of them dual boots Xandros 4 and Windows 98, the other runs Xandros 1 and has Windows 98 in Win4Lin. Plus I have here an older desktop and an older laptop I am installing Mint 13 XFCE on for friends of mine.

[linux-dummie]

On an old Athlon64x2 with only 2gb ram, I use Linux exclusively for all my computing needs (no Windos allowed!!)---photo editing, creating art, all kinds of word-processing, learning some programming/scripting, audio/music processing, task scheduling, project management, archiving documents/photos, and of course doing all the mundane everyday stuff (email, etc).
In the beginning of my Linux adventure, I gradually weaned myself off of M$, then gradually worked up to having about six distros multi-booting off of one hard drive, and those would vary among about 18 different flavors. As I began to understand Linux better, I slowly and methodically reduced that number over several years. Now, it's only Mint and Crunchbang. And depending on what happens with the fork of Crunchbang, I will probably end up with Mint only.
....And I will be very happy with that.

[xfrank]

I use Linux for work, keeping ms windows only for some specific (and occasional) tasks.
My current settings:
1 - destkop pc 1 (main working pc at home): LMDE1 Mate / Windows 7 (rarely used here)
2 - desktop pc 2 (working pc in my office): LM 13 Xfce / Windows XP
3 - laptop 1: Manjaro Linux Xfce / Windows 7
4 - laptop 2: LM 17.1 Xfce
5 - laptop 3: LM 17.1 Xfce

To sum up how I use Linux: for serious work (mostly writing texts), for entertainment (web browsing, downloading, playing music, watching some videos...). Windows is only for emergency or some particular tasks like annual tax declarations and some other "official" stuff (not banking, that is safer in Linux). I confess I'm ideologically against Microsoft, I really dislike their monopolist arrogance and dislike any closed proprietary stuff.

[gold_finger]

Use Linux on all computers for everything, with only one exception. At tax time I re-install my original Win 7 hard drive (that came with a laptop) and use it for TurboTax. So I use Windows for 1-3 days/year because there is no Linux version of TurboTax. Aside from that, the only time I touch Windows is when I'm asked to fix someone else's computer.

[Fred Barclay]

I only have Linux free-standing on my hard-drive, but...
I've got Windows 3.1 in DOSBox, so I voted "Other".

[Pierre]

"other".
that depends on the box:
- this one dual_boots win_xp & Mint 13

another can be multi_boot many Linux O/Ss.
- for testing purposes.

- one laptop has Mint 13 & a bunch of VBs.
another has LMDE1 - soon to be upgraded.

[z31fanatic]

I have Mint on 4 machines.
1. Dell Latitude E6420 dual boot Mint 17.1 and CentOS
2. Dell Latitude E6420 dual boot Mint 17.1 and Windows 7
3. Macbook Pro 13" triple boot Mac OSX, Windows 10, and Mint 17.1
4. Macbook Air 13" dual boot Mac OSX and Mint 17.1

The other machines (2 desktop PCs) are Windows only.

[killer de bug]

I only use Linux. I can do all that I want without problem. And I can even do more!

[exploder]

3 desktops and 1 laptop running Linux. My wife has a Windows 7 install for WOW but that is about all that system is used for.

[dXTC]

TL;DR version: I'm all over the place concerning OS usage, as my signature states.

For the admittedly exhaustive details of my collection, read on at your discretion/leisure:
I currently have four computers with Linux: Dell Optiplex 760 and XPS 210 desktop PCs, both with Mint 17.1 Cinnamon; Lenovo Ideapad S10 netbook and Dell Dimension 2400 desktop, both with Mint 17.1 XFCE. The Lenovo was a dual-boot with Windows XP; however, because of a recent acquisition (see below), I've converted the Lenovo to all-Mint. I'm considering decommissioning the Dimension 2400, as it is rather slow and serves no purpose that at least one of my other machines doesn't already handle.

In the OS X arena, I have a Macbook Pro on 10.9 Mavericks, an iMac on 10.6 Snow Leopard, and a classic G4 iMac (the "Luxo Lamp/Snowball" model) with 10.5 Leopard. The more recent iMac is dual-boot with Windows XP; it runs my electronic music studio rig in Windows with Cakewalk Sonar 5, and hosts my main iTunes library for syncing my iOS devices and playing movies via Apple TV.

For Windows, in addition to the dual-boot iMac, I have:

• ** a Dell Latitude E4200 notebook running XP for portable music recording (this recent find allowed me to go all-Mint with Lenovo);
  ** a Dell Inspiron N4110 notebook running Windows 7 (another recent addition), which I haven't yet found a full purpose besides running Folding@Home simulations along with my two Dell Linux desktops, but I may keep in Windows 7 for the free upgrade to Win10, and if I don't like Win10, there's always Mint;
  ** a home-built Athlon 64 3500+ based PC running XP, my first fully self-built machine, although it's been relegated to only occasional use such as DVD ripping and MP3 CD burning for my car and has been disconnected from my home network;
  ** and a Quantex Pentium II from WAY back in the day, running Windows ME, also off-network. This is used only for hosting a Turtle Beach Maui, an ISA hardware sampler card for my synth rig. (Anyone who remembers Quantex or Turtle Beach pre-headphones gets a +1 from me.)

I have one other computer, a very old AST Advantage 575 running WIndows 98, but it's currently disconnected and I haven't turned it on in about two years; it might not even boot at this point.

I know this sounds like a bit of overkill for just one person, and perhaps it is, because I haven't included the computers used by the rest of my family in the above list. As I said before, I'm considering getting rid of the Dimension and the AST Advantage. The Lenovo is cute, but its Atom processor is quite sluggish; now that I have the Latitude for running my Cakewalk music software on the go, the Lenovo serves little purpose besides showing off how cute Mint XFCE can be, so it might go as well. The G4 iMac is pretty much a museum piece -- of my working PCs, only the Quantex is slower -- but it's a beautiful masterstroke of industrial design, so it stays. All the others serve at least one important purpose, although few are operating 24/7.

All my current Mint-based computers were free hand-me-downs, as were the G4 iMac and the Latitude and Inspiron notebooks. I probably wouldn't have amassed such a hoard otherwise.

**** UPDATE April 30: I have indeed decommissioned the Dell Dimension. Some useful components (e.g. hard drive, WiFi adapter, RAM) have been retained, and the remaining shell is now awaiting a trip to the recycling center. I've updated my sig, too.

[English Invader]

I run a home-built PC from cheap/used parts and Mint/Ubuntu is ideal for 2GB RAM.

I also have a couple of old XP laptops. I keep the XP offline and use Puppy Linux for online tasks.

[DeMus]

As can be seen in the picture we have 3 computers at home, all equipped with Mint 17.1 KDE-64.
I use Linux since 2008 and never want something else again.

[SC23]

I have a laptop I do most of my heavy work and fun with that I loaded Mint on about 3 years ago and never looked back. I do web development and such there.
It has been through Cinnamon/KDE and back again but always stayed Mint.

I also have an android tablet for lighter things.. and an android phone which is practically a tablet for even lighter things.

There is an old Vista box I use as a kinda media/file server that will get some flavor of Linux once it outlives itself.

I would say my time is split 50% Mint, 50% Android and a rare visit to the Vista box to reboot it.

[Nilla Wafer]

I use only Linux. I do all my schoolwork on it, e-mail, Facebook and web, listening to music. My brother uses Linux in his Navy job and Windows for the other stuff. My parents "like" my Linux Mint but only use my computer when theirs is updating, "busy," or in the shop getting fixed. I hope they get tired enough of sending their nice new computer off to the shop for repairs that they'll let me install Linux Mint on it for them. They have run it "live" on a USB stick and were impressed at how easy it is, but there's some stigma about Linux that scares them. I guess I wasn't scared because I didn't know about Linux's reputation for being all technical and geeky until they told me about it!

~nilla

[vrkalak]

Hey, guys ... you might recognize me from the Debian or LinuxMint Forums.

I have been a Linux user, for almost 10 years - now. Started my Linux Journey with Fedora - way back when. Moved to 'buntu for about 2 days, then found LinuxMint. A short while later discovered Crunchbang (Ubuntu and then Debian-based).

Now, I only use LinuxMint-17.2 and/or Debian-based Distros.

(I have played with Archlinux, Manjaro, Sabayon and Slackware - from time-to-time)

I used the Xfce DE, almost, since my 1st day with Linux.
Now, I am a Dev/Tester for Xfce-4.12
Primarily, I use Xfce DE and/either Fluxbox WMs.

I am a Admin/Moderator for a couple of Forums - LinuxMint Forum, LostintheBox Forum and Ask.Debian.net
Also, I am a Debian-Maintainer (DM)
...........................................

I have not used a MS Windows OS and MS App for over 10 years now. I also, have never used Wine App.... Windows has nothing I need.

Check out my work at http://vrkalak.deviantart.com or at the LinuxMint Forums.

[BigEasy]

Hey, guys ... you might recognize me from the Debian or LinuxMint Forums.I also, have never used Wine App.... Windows has nothing I need.

Really? One simple example: when you sometime decide to listen SACD iso via computer sound card then you will not so definitive. Then you will go and install Windows Foobar2000 to wine. No other way.

I use linux at home as... home OS. Internet, office, multimedia, graphic... At work I use SUSE as database server.

[Flemur]

vrkalak : Primarily, I use Xfce DE and/either Fluxbox WMs.

Me too.
With something like Mint or Ubuntu that comes with a desktop environment, I DL the xfce version, then install fluxbox, set auto-login, maybe remove the "session manager" (e.g. mdm), if possible, and just use fluxbox. I can start the xfce panel in fluxbox to get the menu items, etc, if needed (which is almost never).

With fluxbox I use keys on the number-pad (+Ctrl, etc) to launch common programs, and the terminal, but no menus to run programs.
Edit: I used to program C/Unix/X/Motif, and (except toward the end) the only GUI's and menus we had were the ones we made, so the basic terminal stuff is second nature - tho I'm pretty crummy at scripts.

I use some wine apps all the time (foobar2000 & irfanview), and others sometimes.
I have a virtualbox setup to run the latest photoshop (nothing else). Don't use it much.

And I usually have several OS's installed (now: Mint 17.1, Ubuntu 15.05, Debian 8 ).
They all share:
- swap
- the virtualbox saved state.
- wine "prefix" on a separate partition (~/.wine is a link).
- a single firefox install and ~/.mozilla (link), both on the wine partition (so if I save bookmarks in Mint I'll see them in Debian, etc).
They all use the same kernel 4.0 and the same virtualbox, installed from .deb files.
And they all use the same separate data partition; no "data" goes into /home except for software settings.

I'm not shy about breaking things, so there's another partition with OS backups; it takes a few minutes to boot a non-broken install and copy all the backed-up OS files back to the broken install (just "cp -ax"). I surprised more people don't do this - disks are so big nowadays and a linux install is about the same size as one full DVD (5G or so); and it's easy to backup and restore that way.

[Flemur]

This is my 1500th post, so I'm getting a cookie!