Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Report: Three Months With Linux

This is a non-COVID thread.


As some of you know, I somewhat inadvertently switched from Windows 10 to Linux Mint three months ago. I had been threatening to do so for quite some time, being sick and tired of having few if any choices about how Windows ran, how much data it collected on me, and with the entire update process. Not to mention blue screens, freezes, and error messages.

So I downloaded the latest version of Linux Mint. Luckily, when I missed unchecking a box and wiping my hard drive of Windows in favor of Linux (I had intended to try them side-by-side, something you can do with Linux) I had previously saved all my documents and photos to an external drive so none of that was lost.

Now that I was on Linux, however, I determined to give it a try for a while – I could always put my Win 10 recovery stick in and restore it, I reasoned. Here’s my summary of my first three months on Linux Mint 19.3 with the Cinnamon desktop:

Installation: This may be the touchiest part, as I learned. Making an installation USB stick or DVD isn’t hard, but the language and options presented when you boot to it might be a bit confusing – as it was to me.

Stability: I have had zero hiccups. No blue screens, no hangups, and no error messages; it just works flawlessly.

Security: Linux does not allow ANY changes or additions to its coding either external or through my input unless I type in my administrator authorization password. So there’s zero chance of malware, hacking, or ransomware. I no longer need anti-virus software.

Open Source: Because it has no proprietary code, it is almost impossible for someone to hide “backdoor access” or even buggy coding without it being caught by thousands of worldwide developers in no time. Most software made for Linux is also open source, so the same thing applies. There are open-source versions of almost every Windows application.

Compatibility: See above. Software is written with full access to the core kernel of Linux, so it all just runs, with no compatibility issues from version to version or machine to machine. The reason I didn’t switch to Linux long ago was because I am a devoted Quicken user, and Linux does not run Quicken. Or so I thought. Linux comes with or easily installs a “translation” program called Wine that allows me to run most Windows software including Quicken, under Linux. Wine allows you to use most but not quite all Windows programs.

Updates: Linux updates in small bites, not in huge monthly uploads. When I get an update notice for either the core program or some other bit of software, it downloads and installs (only AFTER I give the go-ahead) in seconds to not more than a couple minutes, AND I can do other things while it does so. No lengthy downloads, repeated reboots, or monopolizing of the machine for hours during the process. Painless.

Customization: The version I installed (and there are literally hundreds of versions of Linux) has the look and feel of Windows. Most aspects of it are intuitive to a Windows user, once you learn some new terms. Virtually everything about it, however, can be customized to anything I’d like. You cannot do that in Windows. Many or most changes can be done from pull-down menus, some from Terminal (Command Line). I left mine almost as-is and it is just fine.

Cost: Linux is free and comes with most of what you’d need like Firefox and Chromium browsers, Libre Office, dozens of accessories, and more. If it isn’t in the installation package, you can download and install hundreds of programs, most of which are free or very cheap.

User Data: Linux does not track your browsing, does not offer your data to advertisers, has no always-on “assistant” that records everything you do, and does not allow outside places to probe your machine for any. This is huge.

Size: Before I reloaded all my documents and photos, Linux Mint took up less than a quarter of the space on my hard drive that Windows did. Even with everything moved in plus installing a few games and other software, it takes up only 85 Gbytes and uses 2 Gbytes of memory.

Downsides: If you must use certain proprietary business software written only for Windows, such as CAD/CAM, or you are mostly a gamer, Linux is not for you. I have some devices such as my golf GPS that won’t “sync” with my Linux. No workaround found yet, but I’m still looking. I had to figure a way to backup my Quicken files, because Quicken looks for C: D: F: etc drives, and Linux doesn’t label them that way. (I save my backup to the desktop and then drag it to a thumb drive. Simple.)

Summary: I have no intention of ever going back to Windows. Linux may not be for everyone but for most people it solves a lot of frustration caused by Windows. If you hate the “take it or leave it” attitude of Microsoft, you can in fact leave it.

If you do, your hardest decision will be which version or “distribution” of Linux to try. The top two are Ubuntu and Mint, but there are Peppermint, Debian, Zorin, Manjaro, Arch, Solus, KDE and many many more. Some versions are intended for real experts and depend on you being able to code or at least manipulate code. Some are meant for new users. Some are very small and are for older machines with limited memory or space. Almost all are now built for 64-bit systems. Let me simplify it for you: Mint.

My distribution is Linux Mint 19.3 Cinnamon. Cinnamon refers to the look and feel of the desktop, and it is hard to tell from Windows. 19.3 is the latest update. It is by far the most popular “distro” today because it is such an easy transition from Windows to Linux. I recommend it as the one to try and maybe stick with. Go here: https://linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=274

You can try any distribution you like on a bootable USB stick or DVD without installing any of them. Or install one side-by-side with Windows if you choose. NOTE! As a precaution make sure you save your documents, photos, music, videos and the like to an external drive or the cloud, but NOT as a Windows backup. Copy them intact. Then, when you find the Linux you like, just import them to the appropriate folders.

If you need instructions, help, or have questions, PM me.

I know you've been told this by FOSS proponents, but there are many examples that demonstrate it isn't true. The "many eyes" doesn't hold up at the scale of something like Linux and vulnerabilities go undetected for many years. Look at CVE-2016-0728 for one of many examples.

Linux is certainly better than Windows in this regard, and does a much better job of user level security, but running it naked connected to the internet just because the source code is open is a mistake.

i have over two years with UBUNTU. Same story with very few problems. Thinking about a tune-up but hard (for me) to find someone to do that.
I ain't never going back...

What do you suggest as an intrusion preventer?

Thanks for the review Rocky. I tried Unbuntu 14 in dual boot configuration but it was the long term support (LTS) version and found out it wouldn't let me download software except from the Unbuntu store. Especially had trouble downloading the drivers for my video card and the screen would not scale appropriately with the generic drivers provided with Unbuntu. It is a pain to get rid of the dual boot part with the concern that it may totally mess up the boot record and require wiping and reformating the hard drive. I have back ups of all my data but hate the idea of reloading all my software. I think I am going to buy a new SSD and trial Linux Mint.


Question:

Do you need WINE to read the backed up data such as pictures, music, Word files, etc...?

No. Mine came over and can be read just fine. Pictures and docs, anyway. I don't have any music stored. You only need Wine to run Windows software, not to access files.

Your problems with Ubuntu match mine when I tried it some years ago. (I used a desktop that I had replaced with a newer one as my Linux tester.) That was an older version of Ubuntu, probably about the same vintage as yours, and it may be significantly different/better now as it is now up to version 20-something. Or not...

I think you'll find Mint to be free of those issues. It runs nVidia video without needing extra drivers.

Why not try Mint from a USB without installing it on your hard drive at all? It'll run a wee bit slower, naturally, but will be fully functional.

Thanks Rocky, I'll try the USB approach. Better than just sitting here hating on MS.

The newer generic video drivers would probably work just fine now as at the time my video card was more cutting edge.

I assume you know how to make a bootable USB, right? The simplest ISO installer I know of is Rufus. get it HERE

Rocky, I have a lot of game software written for Win 98. Janes combat flight sims, Janes Naval Warfare sims, single player RPGs which my grandkids keep pulling down from the library shelves and want to play.

But they do not run on Win 10, and I have never become comfortable running an emulator.

Do you think they would run on Linux Mint with Wine?

Probably not. As I said in my summary, games are one area where Linux falls short. That is changing rapidly, and you may soon be able to run them on some flavor of Linux, but not quite yet. Search YouTube for "Linux and games" to get a more complete story.

Can you tell us more about the deliberate coding behind the keyring vulnerability so as to create a back door? Or was it just a coding error that was discovered and once found quickly rectified #becauseopensource?

Then there's the simple fact that an absolutely monstrous proportion of the computer systems in the world run the Linux kernel and are connected to the interwebz w/o a firewall between them and the boogieman. Can you say "Android"?




Only way to know is to try. So you might check the winehq forum to see if anyone else has successfully installed those programs using WINE:

https://forum.winehq.org/


If you have the Win98 install CD and a license key, you can set up a virtual Windows machine that runs as a Linux application. Fire up the VM (virtual machine) and play your games, then turn off or just pause the VM until next play session. If you want to go down this route I can help. This VM can be setup without any network connectivity, so no need for all the anti-malware crap.

As a real life example, just last month I had to create a Win10 VM instance. It turns out the USB key in my rowing machine only talks to an application that runs on Macs or Windows systems. Wine in this particular case is a no-go (yes, I tried). So, I downloaded the free Win10 Professional trial version, installed the software, pulled the data, and voila!

Thanks Rocky. A great writeup. I use a MacBook or I'd be doing exactly as you suggest.

Scott,

Actually, I do have install discs for 95, 98, and XP pro. The software in question performed on those systems.

XP is registered to this MB before I allowed the free Win 10 upgrade.

I could simply pull the SSD with Win 10 on it and install another for Linux. The machine has two additional HDDs with four partitions. I simply have not had knowledge enough to convert it to multi boot capabilities.

And, of course, I have been reading of VMs for years. But never knew how to set one up. It is time to delve into the internet world and get educated.

Thank you very much for the suggestions

My thought on the gaming was a VM as well. I have looked at VMs for when I finally get stuck updating old firmware on some automation but have been warned it’s been less than stabile in prior attempts. I haven’t crossed that bridge so I don’t know what issues other’s have had.

I put Mint 19.3 MATE on my laptop about the same time as Rocky did his, only I intentionally wiped MS off the drive. No complaints. There is a lot of support if you have an issue or a question. There are different procedures for installing a program, and a different file system, but not hard to get the hang of.

I used Ubuntu in the past for a while. Mint is hands down the better version!

Scott, thanks for the much better answers than I gave.

Wayne, I'm not sure how Mate differs from the Cinnamon desktop, but I agree with you about Mint being superior.

I messed around with the VM on Linux Mint Mate 19.3 and it wasn't hard to do at all. It does a pretty good job of walking you through the process.

I was doing it to try out a bunch of Linux distros quickly. My Linux build is on a old AMD FX6300 CPU and ASUS motherboard and I have had a couple of sound card issues with one of the newer kernels.

I've been running Ubuntu since Microshaft upgraded from 95 to 98. Over the decades there have been occasional hiccups, but overall, I'd say my computers have performed at or above expectations. And because Linux is always playing a catch-up game (no new chipsets are designed for Linux over other OS systems), my anchient gear continues humming along. As for uploading Linux software that isn't available on the Ubuntu software center, once I taught myself how to do it from the terminal, all has been copasetic.

Rock, thanks for the report.

I thought I owed it to the crowd, Rupert. When I announced that I had made the switch, several people asked to hear how it went after some time.

I'm still learning, and I haven't yet worked up the balls to try anything on Terminal, but so far I haven't needed to, either.

I don't either. Mint has 3 choices for 19.3, I chose MATE because the description on linuxmint.com said MATE was a bit more basic than Cinnamon. I think any of the versions will do fine.