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GNU Linux * The Free Software Foundation

Blackfish64

By Blackfish64
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Blackfish64 Newbie

Blackfish64

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I have been reading a ton over the last couple of weeks on GNU Linux and the Free Software Movement.  I am fast-heading for some of these distros-just in time for my CD burner to burn out.  Oh, well, I will have it fixed soon enough.  

 

Meantime, anyone here involved in the FSF or use any of the GNU Linux distros?  

 

http://www.fsf.org

 

http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html

 

I have also learned a ton more about the surveillance state.  I am not surprised at any of it, but there was a lot I didn't know.  What I am learning from these engineers, programmers, and activists is changing forever the way I go about my digital life.  We're in a lot of trouble.  To say the least.  

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shirgall Newbie

shirgall

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I have been reading a ton over the last couple of weeks on GNU Linux and the Free Software Movement.  I am fast-heading for some of these distros-just in time for my CD burner to burn out.  Oh, well, I will have it fixed soon enough.  

 

Meantime, anyone here involved in the FSF or use any of the GNU Linux distros?  

 

http://www.fsf.org

 

http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html

 

I have also learned a ton more about the surveillance state.  I am not surprised at any of it, but there was a lot I didn't know.  What I am learning from these engineers, programmers, and activists is changing forever the way I go about my digital life.  We're in a lot of trouble.  To say the least.  

 

Yes, for over a decade I have contributed to enterprise distributions of Red Hat, SUSE, Ubuntu, and Debian. I'm not sure what you are looking for, though.

 

As for the Free Software Foundation, they are an important influence on free and open source software, and I've contributed to a number of their projects. One of the things that drew me into open source was that C compilers used to cost a heck of a lot, and gcc was free. So I bootstrapped gcc and other tools onto the platforms I had back in the 1980s and the rest is history.

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Blackfish64 Newbie

Blackfish64

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Most of what I do on a computer is write.  So I need to process words.  I got out of Windows early this year because I was sick and tired of it.  Windows is just junk.  I used XP for a long time.  It was no problem to do my work, back it all up, then wipe out the disc and start over.  Windows 7 wasn't too bad.  I liked it a little bit.  Windows 8 is a complete disaster (China has banned Windows 8.  Too many back doors.  They deem it spy technology!  Soon after banning Windows 8, China banned Windows altogether.  They will have all Windows operating systems out of the country within the next few years.  It is supposed that Kylin Linux will replace all the Windows junk).   

 

Anyway, after my Windows disaster, I went straight to Linux.  I had used it in the late 1990s, but Windows was used at work and I got it all for free anyway, so why bother with anything else?  That was my thinking at the time anyway.  Well, now my work no longer depends on Windows, so I trashed it at first opportunity.  I was blown away at how far Linux has come along in making it more user friendly.  

 

In exploring Linux, I became a minimalist geek.  My current main operating system is Puppy Linux LxPup-Precise-Retro 14.02.  It does everything I need.  I can carry my entire computer on a USB stick, complete with operating system and all programs.  I can boot from just about anything with a USB slot and set to work.  I've written two books on my Puppy OS!  Puppy is very highly inspirational for me!   

 

But, like I said above, I am now learning too much about the GNU Linux distros and the Free Software Movement, and I am really loving what I am seeing.   I need to become a part of that.

 

I like the look of the BLAG distro.  It looks like that will have just about everything I could possibly need.  I don't need a lot.  I don't want a lot.  I just like to practice what I preach.   

 

I'd really love to be Linux certified, but that's incredibly expensive and time consuming, so that ain't happenin'.

 

And these days I am getting back into learning html.  I dropped it in the early 2000s for the wysiwyg programs for building Web sites.  I wish I would never have stopped doing it.  I forgot how much I loved it!  I am never going back or going to stop again.  Too much joy there!  

 

Anyway, that's where I am with computers these days, to give a rough outline.  For me, the most important thing is rock-solidness in a minimalist operating system. I demand everything work!  I need that stability.  When I boot up, I am setting to work and that's it.  Anything messin' with me when I am trying to work is unacceptable!  If an operating system messes with me-I scrap it-The End. 

 

I love the complete freedom of free software and being able to do whatever I like.  How can you beat that?  I pretty much throw away anything mainstream.  Even some of the Linux distros are starting to look too much like Windows and getting overbloated and complicated.  I want to steer clear of that sort of thing.

 

Anyway, as soon as I get my new disc burner, I will create some copies of these free software distros and give them a shot.  

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Blackfish64 Newbie

Blackfish64

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Check this out.  I love the idea, but the technology isn't quite there.  I  left Windows for proprietary code, and I left Apple/Mac for proprietary hardware.  I'm not about to go backwards with Linux and more proprietary hardware.  Nonsense.  All free hardware and free software or bust.  

 

I do love the idea however.  It's coming right along!  Waiting for the technology to catch up with the ideas! 

 

 

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2849795/purism-librem-15-linux-laptop-blends-high-end-hardware-with-totally-free-software.html

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Geneloper Newbie

Geneloper

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Check this out.  I love the idea, but the technology isn't quite there.  I  left Windows for proprietary code, and I left Apple/Mac for proprietary hardware.  I'm not about to go backwards with Linux and more proprietary hardware.  Nonsense.  All free hardware and free software or bust.  

 

I do love the idea however.  It's coming right along!  Waiting for the technology to catch up with the ideas! 

 

 

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2849795/purism-librem-15-linux-laptop-blends-high-end-hardware-with-totally-free-software.html

 

I love that idea... and the 8-Core i7!

 

Still, it doesn't seem all that different from installing linux on any ultrabook.

 

When will we see all open-source hardware?

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tritonx Newbie

tritonx

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I too am big fan of Linux.

 

I separated from windows almost 10 years ago, the prospect of having to use Vista was really scary.  I have tried many distros and my favorite so far is Xubuntu.

 

A big plus about linux is the stability of the system, but it is a double edged sword. It doesn't break often so you forget how to fix stuff when problems arise and then you fix the problem, but all those fixes stacks up and soon enough you have a really weird version of linux which have many small bug, but not enough that you want to reinstall. My home server needs a reinstall since last year at least,can't upgrade ubuntu any more and it's a very old version, but I just don't find the time and courage to rebuild it.

 

Those of you who go "all free or nothing", meh, little bit extremist imho. I wouldn't mind if those "free" driver were up to par, but I respect that I need to have some proprietary drivers for stuff to work better. All I demand from hardware manufacturers is that if they can't provide proper drivers is to open their API.

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