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With support ending for Windows 7 I know a lot of people are worried about upgrading to Windows 10 (blech) or fretting about switching to another operating system.
I've been a Linux user for over a decade and I'm not going to preach (right now) because although a good Linux distribution could fill most people's needs without the spying and the slow, endless updates from Microsoft - there are pitfalls that even a seasoned penquinista can fall into.
Like last night with Linux Mint.
I've installed Mint on my Audio Production machine and after dealing with a few quirks I was starting to feel comfortable with it. I had almost made up my mind that Mint would be a good replacement for Windows 7 (or sheeeh - Windows XP) because it has that Windows look and feel.
when a kernel update *broke* my Nvidia graphic card drives. And broke it _badly_.
I've been using Xunbuntu for many years, Ubuntu before that, pure Debian before that. Nvidia's closed source drives have always been a sticking point both technically and philosophically for Linux users. When they work they're great - when they break, it sucks.
In my memory I've *never* had a problem with the Nvidia drivers using Ubuntu. What drew me to Ubuntu was the _ease_ at which it handled the drivers. It detected my Nvidia card, asked if I wanted to install the proprietary drives, and if I said yes, it just installed them. No problem. Kernel updates? Ubuntu just installed the safest ones - no problem. I thought Mint was following Ubuntu and I was surprised when it wanted to install a more advanced kernel. I chanced it (this is not may main system) and it installed without a hitch.
Until last night.
Mint wanted to install the latest, hottest kernel and using my Ubuntu reflexes I said, "Okay."
After a reboot my screen resolution went to 640 x 480 - and I couldn't change it. I tried to reinstall the Nvidia drivers - and machine supposedly did, but the screen resolution failed to change and it keep trying to reinstall the drivers.
I dropped back to the previous kernel but the damage had been done. I tried to roll back the system to an earlier state (I like this feature) but the button to select this feature was at the bottom of the screen which I couldn't see or get to. Diving deeper it seems the drivers are so badly broken even removing them and reinstalling them would not work.
I gave Mint a try and it blew it.
I might have been fine if I refused to upgrade the kernel or had an AMD video card - but the I'll be wiping the drive and reinstalling Xubuntu. It's a lighter desktop and more conservative in it's approach to upgrading.
Pain in the neck? Yes. But the point is... I have choices. There are lots of other distros to choose from to suit my tastes and desires. Xubuntu has the menu button on top of the screen - not the bottom - so it's DIFFERENT from Windows. Scary. (LOL) I could change it to make it more Windows like, but I can't be bothered.
And all my software is available online for free. No reinstall hassles.
So if you're in the mood to try Linux... just be careful, okay? And back up your data. Mint might be good for you if you're conservative with updates and you have AMD graphics. I don't like the weird Gnome desktop of mainstream Ubuntu and Xubuntu is clean and light.
-m
I've been a Linux user for over a decade and I'm not going to preach (right now) because although a good Linux distribution could fill most people's needs without the spying and the slow, endless updates from Microsoft - there are pitfalls that even a seasoned penquinista can fall into.
Like last night with Linux Mint.
I've installed Mint on my Audio Production machine and after dealing with a few quirks I was starting to feel comfortable with it. I had almost made up my mind that Mint would be a good replacement for Windows 7 (or sheeeh - Windows XP) because it has that Windows look and feel.
when a kernel update *broke* my Nvidia graphic card drives. And broke it _badly_.
I've been using Xunbuntu for many years, Ubuntu before that, pure Debian before that. Nvidia's closed source drives have always been a sticking point both technically and philosophically for Linux users. When they work they're great - when they break, it sucks.
In my memory I've *never* had a problem with the Nvidia drivers using Ubuntu. What drew me to Ubuntu was the _ease_ at which it handled the drivers. It detected my Nvidia card, asked if I wanted to install the proprietary drives, and if I said yes, it just installed them. No problem. Kernel updates? Ubuntu just installed the safest ones - no problem. I thought Mint was following Ubuntu and I was surprised when it wanted to install a more advanced kernel. I chanced it (this is not may main system) and it installed without a hitch.
Until last night.
Mint wanted to install the latest, hottest kernel and using my Ubuntu reflexes I said, "Okay."
After a reboot my screen resolution went to 640 x 480 - and I couldn't change it. I tried to reinstall the Nvidia drivers - and machine supposedly did, but the screen resolution failed to change and it keep trying to reinstall the drivers.
I dropped back to the previous kernel but the damage had been done. I tried to roll back the system to an earlier state (I like this feature) but the button to select this feature was at the bottom of the screen which I couldn't see or get to. Diving deeper it seems the drivers are so badly broken even removing them and reinstalling them would not work.
I gave Mint a try and it blew it.
I might have been fine if I refused to upgrade the kernel or had an AMD video card - but the I'll be wiping the drive and reinstalling Xubuntu. It's a lighter desktop and more conservative in it's approach to upgrading.
Pain in the neck? Yes. But the point is... I have choices. There are lots of other distros to choose from to suit my tastes and desires. Xubuntu has the menu button on top of the screen - not the bottom - so it's DIFFERENT from Windows. Scary. (LOL) I could change it to make it more Windows like, but I can't be bothered.
And all my software is available online for free. No reinstall hassles.
So if you're in the mood to try Linux... just be careful, okay? And back up your data. Mint might be good for you if you're conservative with updates and you have AMD graphics. I don't like the weird Gnome desktop of mainstream Ubuntu and Xubuntu is clean and light.
-m
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