Which Linux flavor?

[Solaris17]

A lot of people die trying to master Everest...

Pikes Peak isn't so far from where I'm at

How tall is Mathematica? Everything else you want seems easy.

 

[Shrek]

In truth I'll probably run Mathematica on the Windows 11 machine.

 

[lambda]

Zorin educational is over 7 GB, what is extra?

Unsure, you can install stuff as you need it.

What are the list of zorin os education apps

This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.

forum.zorin.com

Install Linux Mint if that's a big issue. If disk space is an issue then opt for a bare install of any distro (assuming they offer that option).

The Core 2 Quad seems quite brisk when run from a solid-state drive.

I've used Lubuntu on a dual core Broadwell CPU, it was ok but not optimal.

I think the better idea here would be to sell/donate this hardware and move on but that's not why you've created this thread.

 

[RayneYoruka]

Linux mint

Literally came to say this, might not be the MOST updated compared to other Ubuntu versions / distros yet nothing stops you from adding a few repos to have it be even more updated.

 

[Rover4444]

Use the one with the package manager you like. I can't live without pacman and the AUR so Arch and it's derivatives are it for me.

 

[cvaldes]

In truth I'll probably run Mathematica on the Windows 11 machine.

Great, so I wasted all that time crafting an answer with the expectation that you intended to run Mathematica on Linux.

Forget this and forget your questions. I'll just stand on the sidelines the next time you ask a question here at TPU. You have done this before many, Many, MANY times and I'm fed up with it. You were just asking a pie-in-the-sky "what if I tried running Mathematica on Linux" scenario without specifically noting that you weren't really serious about it. Completely disrespectful of other people's time and energy.

Anyhow, best of luck with your Mathematica adventures.

 

[Dumarest61]

For me personally; it's Mint Cinnamon. first tried it in 2008, it was good then but pretty buggy and lacking some support. Nowadays, and for the last 5 years in my opinion it's excellent and at least as good as Windows for my use.My main use is for media consumption, browsing, some very basic admin and a bit of gaming. For any serious gaming it's on a Windows machine. Also I use 'Picasa' on Windows for photo editing as it's it's idiot proof... Annoying I struggle to get my Canon Laser printer to work in Mint, so that's a another job for Win 10.
I must prefer using Mint but I do use hardware less than 5 years old which helps for a pleasant experience. Each to their own though!

 

[Shrek]

Mint/Cinnamon it is then.

 

[unwind-protect]

You are all wrong.

Granted, I haven't read what you all wrote. But I am sure of it

 

[lexluthermiester]

Linux Mint

Mint is one of the easiest to migrate to from Windows. Cinnamon is the desktop version that best offers a complete user experience. I personally prefer the XFCE version for how light weight it is, but I've been running Cinnamon more lately as it has been optimized a lot in recent versions.

Mint/Cinnamon it is then.

Oh... Maybe I should have read through the whole thread.. LOL!

 

[DudeBeFishing]

Mint is probably easiest to use for new users. It has most QoL packages preinstalled, like thumbnail rendering for videos, and auto-mount USB drives. Other distros usually don't have those. Any desktop environment that looks like Windows will probably work for you. I use XFCE because I'm used to it. It requires an extra package called docklike, to make it feel like modern Windows.

I've run a few distros on my LGA1366 / X58 PC. The only hardware issue I've had is the CPU frequency scaling. It's enabled even if you turn off intel speedstep in the bios. I had to disable intel idle through the Grub bootloader to disable frequency scaling. You probably won't need to do this since you don't plan on playing games.

 

[_roman_]

Which flavor might be best if I want a Mac/Windows like experience

A Notebook died. Linux Mint Cinnamon. the desktop environment, basically what you see, is called cinnamon.

 

[Shrek]

People here have been most generous with their time, and as a result it has saved me a great amount.

 

[r.h.p]

You are all wrong.

Granted, I haven't read what you all wrote. But I am sure of it

anyway ive installed Mint in a 2drive Duel boot with win 10 and have found linux mint Cinnamon very good, super efficient ,no bloatware , no need for drivers ( they are all there in the setup ..!)
no accounts to log into frakin Eh ... dont know much about what programs run on it or games because its a new toy , but that's why Ive setup duel boot OS.

 

[Jarmer]

For the OP's use-case, I echo what a lot of other posters have said:

Mint with the default desktop environment. Can't go wrong for what was asked.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Mint with the default desktop environment.

Cinnamon then? There's three main flavors, but Cinnamon and Mate are the main two, with XFCE being the third.

 

[Space Lynx]

I am giving Linux one more try. I decided to go with the Arch flavor, Manjaro XFCE, as I am just a very casual user who will be using it for Steam, enable proton in steam settings, and heroic launcher, add exe games from that launcher to my steam library... was really hoping the Arch flavor of SteamOS for desktops would be out by now, but I guess not. Tired of waiting. I plan to install it this weekend though, i really think it is going to breathe some life into my ryzen 7840u APU, this APU is powerful, but Win 11 seems to bog it down a bit more than it should.

 

[lexluthermiester]

I am giving Linux one more try. I decided to go with the Arch flavor, Manjaro XFCE, as I am just a very casual user who will be using it for Steam, enable proton in steam settings, and heroic launcher, add exe games from that launcher to my steam library... was really hoping the Arch flavor of SteamOS for desktops would be out by now, but I guess not. Tired of waiting. I plan to install it this weekend though, i really think it is going to breathe some life into my ryzen 7840u APU, this APU is powerful, but Win 11 seems to bog it down a bit more than it should.

There is Bazzite. With your AMD hardware, you'd have near perfect support for anything that runs on the Steam deck.

 

[Space Lynx]

There is Bazzite. With your AMD hardware, you'd have near perfect support for anything that runs on the Steam deck.

I'm really debating between ChimeraOS and Bazzite now... why pick Bazzite over ChimeraOS? I am just curious as I am new to this world.

edit: i did not mean gardua, i meant chimeraOS vs bazzite

edit 2: I am leaning into doing ChimeraOS for my laptop since it is AMD focused like SteamOS is, so I will probably see from benefits from that.

 

[lexluthermiester]

I'm really debating between ChimeraOS and Bazzite now... why pick Bazzite over ChimeraOS?

That's a good question. I have only tried Bazzite personally. I know nothing about the other one.

 

[Space Lynx]

That's a good question. I have only tried Bazzite personally. I know nothing about the other one.

looks like the limits of ChimeraOS is that it truly is a gaming OS only, can't really do anything else, hence its 800mb tiny iso size... this is perfect for me though, that is all I want. then my main drive will be win 11 for work/zoom, games that don't run well on chimera, etc.

ChimeraOS apparently updates to latest Linux Kernel very fast too, so I like that. I don't think this OS would suit most people, for one it is AMD systems only, and it is very limited, but again for me it looks like the perfect fit what I am looking for. no distractions, just gaming time.

 

[_roman_]

yay - you are right

FAQ

A Steam Big Picture based couch gaming OS. Contribute to ChimeraOS/chimeraos development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

No package manager means nope.

Personally I would look into the documentation first.
Are there any webpages where you can search for packages?
e.g. gentoo has packages.gentoo.org and https://gpo.zugaina.org/Search?search=librewolf
Are there any wiki?
e.g. arch linux has https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Main_page
installation guide?
assuming pc plattform, e.g. gentoo has https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Handbook:AMD64

Usually the package manager should be able to provide most packages available to any distribution.
For advanced users. The reason why I did not kept arch. How easy can changes be made? Is the compiler toolchain already available on teh box? Third party packages?

 

[lexluthermiester]

looks like the limits of ChimeraOS is that it truly is a gaming OS only, can't really do anything else, hence its 800mb tiny iso size... this is perfect for me though, that is all I want. then my main drive will be win 11 for work/zoom, games that don't run well on chimera, etc.

That would be a deal-breaker for me personally. I want a fuller OS experience.

ChimeraOS apparently updates to latest Linux Kernel very fast too, so I like that.

That has it's plusses and minuses. I prefer a known stable Kernel. New iterations have at times, but not frequently, had glitches.

No package manager means nope.

That too! Also a deal breaker.

 

[AUTOEXEC.BAT]

ZorinOS looks the closest to Windows.
But also OS-es with KDE are pretty close.

 

[Space Lynx]

I just tried ChimeraOS, and couldn't get it to install, I think it requires removing my other drives to install... so not going to bother.

Instead I tried Manjaro XFCE and wow I really like it. Very smooth. I think I am going to go with this. If Zoom for Linux had virtual backgrounds working I would probably use Manjaro 24/7, but I need virtual backgrounds for work, so I Windows it is.