LinuxQuestions.org
Latest LQ Deal: Latest LQ Deals
Go Back   LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - General
User Name
Password
Linux - General This Linux forum is for general Linux questions and discussion.
If it is Linux Related and doesn't seem to fit in any other forum then this is the place.

Notices


Reply
  Search this Thread
Old 02-26-2013, 09:51 AM   #31
Shadow_7
Senior Member
 
Registered: Feb 2003
Distribution: debian
Posts: 4,137
Blog Entries: 1

Rep: Reputation: 874Reputation: 874Reputation: 874Reputation: 874Reputation: 874Reputation: 874Reputation: 874

Quote:
Originally Posted by bloody View Post
Thats one of the things i love about Gentoo - there is no bloat. E.g., "USE=nodoc noinfo noman" would get rid of stuff like that, and so on. Not a single package installed which is not a hard dependency of either something i explicitly installed or one of the 42 packages that currently belong to the base system set. Although i made it a habit to keep all package installation files in case of re-installs, that adds about 2 GB tarballs to my desktop system. But as you say, harddisk space comes cheap these days.
While I have not played with the flags to ommit the documentation on gentoo, I have played with various installation methods. But by the time that I had X, firefox, and java compiled, I had already chewed up 12GB of space and used up 3 days of time. Where a 12GB install of debian for me includes an office suite, video editing, image manipulation, and a few games, with documentation in about a day. And that includes close to 2GB of archived .deb's.

I like gentoo and if I had a quad core cpu and a few more disposable hard drives I would use it. That being said I last tried to use it less than a year ago and I compiled firefox and it didn't grab X or a window manager as a dependency. But I didn't need to recompile firefox when I did compile those elements. I tried gentoo a few times before and sort of drew the line at having to manually configure the menu for IceWM. Since few if any of the packages added entries to the menu at that time. Gentoo has great potential, especially for systems that run on non-x86 cpus. But I would much rather use debian over a long haul. Although much of that is my familiarity with debians package management system.

Linux still seems to impress me. I can run it off of a USB stick with horrendous file I/O speeds and still have a usable and relatively hassle free computing experience. Even on computers that probably should have been recycled half a decade ago. And I can take an existing install and slap it on a different storage medium, change a few pointers and carry on exactly where I left off from it's previous location. If you could take your windows install with you anywhere and run it on any computer I could just imagine the panic out of redmond. In the meantime I've booted my usb linux on at least ten computers in the past thirty days. Visiting relatives and only taking a usb stick with you as your "tech" items. Checking your emails on your OS on their computer without any worries of keyloggers or malware and with a firewall you trust. Linux is the life.
 
Old 02-26-2013, 12:47 PM   #32
antitankknife
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Feb 2013
Posts: 20

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: Disabled
Do you use some sort of encryption on your USB as well when you boot it from someone's computer? I would be a little nervous only using a firewall if I was doing "sensitive" work with it.

Edit: While I am thinking of it, what are good password managers or vaults? Is there ones out there that would automatically fill in the username and password when I visit a site, or at least keep them in a vault so I can see what password I use for a site?

Last edited by antitankknife; 02-26-2013 at 12:49 PM.
 
Old 02-26-2013, 02:44 PM   #33
bloody
Member
 
Registered: Feb 2013
Location: Berlin
Distribution: Gentoo, Debian
Posts: 172

Rep: Reputation: 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by antitankknife View Post
Do you use some sort of encryption on your USB as well when you boot it from someone's computer? I would be a little nervous only using a firewall if I was doing "sensitive" work with it.
I dunno... if you're connecting to a website via via https:, then your buddy won't be able to snoop your passwords or some such over the LAN, and then why would i require encryption for the USB stick? As long as my USB system is in control of the machine (as i booted my own OS on it), the only one to be worried would be my buddy, not me.. but i don't spy on my buddies, so no worries. :P

Quote:
Originally Posted by antitankknife View Post
Edit: While I am thinking of it, what are good password managers or vaults? Is there ones out there that would automatically fill in the username and password when I visit a site, or at least keep them in a vault so I can see what password I use for a site?
Firefox.
 
Old 02-26-2013, 07:40 PM   #34
chrism01
LQ Guru
 
Registered: Aug 2004
Location: Sydney
Distribution: Rocky 9.2
Posts: 18,344

Rep: Reputation: 2746Reputation: 2746Reputation: 2746Reputation: 2746Reputation: 2746Reputation: 2746Reputation: 2746Reputation: 2746Reputation: 2746Reputation: 2746Reputation: 2746
A good standalone passwd vault is keepassX https://www.keepassx.org/.
 
Old 02-26-2013, 11:24 PM   #35
bloody
Member
 
Registered: Feb 2013
Location: Berlin
Distribution: Gentoo, Debian
Posts: 172

Rep: Reputation: 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by chrism01 View Post
A good standalone passwd vault is keepassX https://www.keepassx.org/.
Ha! Another app just added to the bunch. Even though using QT, it's a good one. Thanks..
 
Old 02-27-2013, 03:12 AM   #36
Shadow_7
Senior Member
 
Registered: Feb 2003
Distribution: debian
Posts: 4,137
Blog Entries: 1

Rep: Reputation: 874Reputation: 874Reputation: 874Reputation: 874Reputation: 874Reputation: 874Reputation: 874
It's not so much about encrypting personal data as it is about keeping my data off of another persons computer. Since the default browser behavior (more like webpage behavior) is to "keep me logged in". And last time I checked my email on someone elses windows install, my 1 spam a day in the spam folder jumped to 25+ almost instantly.
 
Old 02-27-2013, 04:03 AM   #37
bloody
Member
 
Registered: Feb 2013
Location: Berlin
Distribution: Gentoo, Debian
Posts: 172

Rep: Reputation: 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shadow_7 View Post
It's not so much about encrypting personal data as it is about keeping my data off of another persons computer. Since the default browser behavior (more like webpage behavior) is to "keep me logged in".
I'm having trouble to really pinpoint your exact scenario... did you launch the other guy's Windows browser on his system to do some sort of web mail thing?

I was referring to boot into my own Linux (installed on the USB stick) with everything incl. browser, mailer, addressbook etc. on someone's machine, totally ignoring any local harddisk, i.e., leaving the other guy's harddisk(s) just rotating for nothing, all the time from power-on til' power-off..

Sorry again to the OP for the change of topic.. :/
 
Old 02-27-2013, 04:59 AM   #38
Shadow_7
Senior Member
 
Registered: Feb 2003
Distribution: debian
Posts: 4,137
Blog Entries: 1

Rep: Reputation: 874Reputation: 874Reputation: 874Reputation: 874Reputation: 874Reputation: 874Reputation: 874
Several years ago I used one of my relatives windows and checked my webmail in ie. And spam galore.

As far as booting usb linux, I don't think their HDD keeps spinning. My version of linux does not automount anything more than the minimums. And the power management features of linux are pretty good so even if their drive did spin up it should spin down and power off after five or less minutes. It depends on the hardware of course. But there's a reason why my laptop runs much cooler and quieter on usb than it's own internal HDD. But it probably depends on the distro, ubuntu likes to automount available devices, and unless you explicitly unmount them they probably will keep on spinning.

As far as the OP. All of the same basic functions in windows are available in linux. Except the ability to hide running applications from the task manager. Networking, email, web browsing, and other things. And when it's not quite what you need in native linux you can still use wine or crossover over office to run things that are windows based. To include internet explorer and microsoft office. The only real no go is the game industry that doesn't always provide linux versions or versions that play well with cross platform tools. Plus the whole windows only directx, visual basic, activeX, and whatever else applies. But if you're a software company that specializes in that niche market with millions of mobile devices that probably don't run windows in this day and age, then hopefully that works well enough for you to at least cover the licensing fees.

Last edited by Shadow_7; 02-27-2013 at 09:45 AM.
 
Old 02-27-2013, 10:45 AM   #39
antitankknife
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Feb 2013
Posts: 20

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: Disabled
So I can load just about any Distro onto a USB(say a 32GB for extra space), and take it with me anywhere, have all my apps, email, browsing, etc and have Wine with a few game like Terraria, and just plug into a computer and it plays? As far as encryption, what I mean is when I installed PC-BSD, it gave me the option of entering a password when installing, and I didn't enter one, but my understanding is you have to enter it before the OS will boot so you can enter the pass for your account. If I boot it off another computer, should I avoid doing anything sensitive like buying on eBay?
 
Old 02-27-2013, 11:26 AM   #40
cynwulf
Senior Member
 
Registered: Apr 2005
Posts: 2,727

Rep: Reputation: 2367Reputation: 2367Reputation: 2367Reputation: 2367Reputation: 2367Reputation: 2367Reputation: 2367Reputation: 2367Reputation: 2367Reputation: 2367Reputation: 2367
Quote:
Originally Posted by bloody View Post
http://store.steampowered.com/

Tons of titles, top-class 3D games (initially developed on/for Windows) now available on Linux aswell. Huge selection of games, ala Far Cry 3, Tomb Raider V, Doom 3, Serious Sam 3, Call of Duty: Black ops II, Left 4 Dead, Counter Strike, Borderlands 2, Age of Empires online, Lord of the Rings online, Microsoft Flight, F1 2012... just to name a few i rembered, the list is really huge.

Valve are also amongst the recent contributors to the latest Nvidia driver improvements. These guys are initially known for the Half-Life series and made it their mission to bring gaming to Linux..
Not every steam game which is available for windows is available for GNU/Linux - in fact it's a drop in the ocean - I advise you to read, double check and confirm... I believe you're making the incorrect assumption that steam being on GNU/Linux means every steam title working on GNU/Linux?
Quote:
Originally Posted by antitankknife View Post
With Steam on Linux, and its 6+ million daily average users, it could mean big numbers of people changing to Linux/Unix, especially with Windows Blue on the way, which will be a bigger turd than Win 8. ArmA 3 and all Total War games since Empire are Steam exclusive. These are big game titles and they would be foolish not to natively add Linux support, which means other game makers will follow.
One does not simply "add Linux support"... windows games have to be ported i.e. a lot of coding changes and rebuilt, tested, etc for the new platform and it's APIs (including the small matter of all the Direct3D function calls -> OpenGL/mesa). GNU/Linux gaming is a tiny niche market compared to windows - gamers buy windows PCs and use windows.

Quote:
Originally Posted by antitankknife View Post
I can't help but feel you are starting to troll now from how you're posts are worded. If you don't know what Steam or something else is, then at least look it up before you open your mouth. I do a lot more productivity uses than gaming these days, which is why I want to switch. KDE pretty much has the nice graphical effects that I like, so that is not a concern. In the future, if you can't post something constructive in this thread, then don't post it.
So disagreeing with you is trolling now? I don't think it's for you to say who posts what and where. There are flaws in your main arguments, address those and then you might have some grounds for attempting to chastise someone else.
 
Old 02-27-2013, 11:36 AM   #41
antitankknife
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Feb 2013
Posts: 20

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: Disabled
With the Steam box and Ouya(not sure what games this will play), Linux will be in the living room. Plain and simple. If Randicus wants to slam Steam and yet says he doesn't want to take the time to research it, then yes it is trolling. If you slam it, then at least be able to back it up. As for as porting, I don't think that devs will have much choice several years down the road with the huge push to move to Linux. I made another thread a couple minutes ago with a video you should watch. As for the game, I think Bloody meant that using Wine, you can play all those games on Linux. I installed Steam on PC-BSD yesterday and installed a couple games with almost no issues. As for posting, why waste my time, your time, and everyone elses time by posting stupid crap like Randicus did?
 
Old 02-27-2013, 01:37 PM   #42
cynwulf
Senior Member
 
Registered: Apr 2005
Posts: 2,727

Rep: Reputation: 2367Reputation: 2367Reputation: 2367Reputation: 2367Reputation: 2367Reputation: 2367Reputation: 2367Reputation: 2367Reputation: 2367Reputation: 2367Reputation: 2367
Quote:
Originally Posted by antitankknife View Post
Plain and simple. If Randicus wants to slam Steam and yet says he doesn't want to take the time to research it, then yes it is trolling. If you slam it, then at least be able to back it up.
1) Randicus did not slam steam
2) Even if he did that does not constitute trolling
3) Even if he did you are not steam and don't need to get offended
4) I fail to see where you've taken the time to research either your claims or the points I've highlighted, e.g...

Quote:
Originally Posted by antitankknife View Post
As for as porting, I don't think that devs will have much choice several years down the road with the huge push to move to Linux.
There is no "push" to move to "Linux". Who/what is pushing who/what? People were saying the same thing in 2006 and now 6 years on GNU/Linux has advanced tremendously as have *BSD *nix but there is no sign that any of them will be replacing windows for the average desktop user/casual gamer/hardcore gamer. Games developers build their games around Windows/DirectX/MSVCPP, etc, and the majority of games are developed nowadays with consoles in mind anyway. And it's in consoles that MS, Nintendo and Sony dominate. As with Hollywood it's about large grossing titles, not niche titles which are targeted at a small minority of the ~ 1% GNU/Linux desktop market. Games publishers don't care about free software or "pushing" new platforms, they want games which are targeted at the mainstream platforms with the largest profit margin.

Quote:
Originally Posted by antitankknife View Post
I think Bloody meant that using Wine, you can play all those games on Linux.
So games are being developed for windows and people are running those games under wine - which means that there is a "push to move to Linux"?

Quote:
Originally Posted by antitankknife View Post
As for posting, why waste my time, your time, and everyone elses time by posting stupid crap like Randicus did?
So we're posting stupid crap and you're not...? I see. I'm glad you arrived because I've spent years posting stupid crap and you've just turned up this month to put me wise. We're lucky you're here. Thanks again.
 
Old 02-27-2013, 01:55 PM   #43
antitankknife
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Feb 2013
Posts: 20

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: Disabled
Ok, just because most games right now aren't natively supported in Linux doesn't mean that its a stupid idea to use Wine. I am guessing you have never heard of Windows Blue? If you haven't then take the 10 minutes to look it up. This is why I am finally fed up with the crap from MS, and I won't even consider buying anymore Apple products. Gabe Newell is onto something with the Linux push and whether or not people want to admit it, Linux will really start picking up steam(pun intended). As stated before Win 7 will be my last MS OS. Can you imagine what will happen when MS rolls out Blue and people start crying about having to pay for yearly upgrades? Perhaps you are getting offended because you don't want the "Windows" people migrating to Linux. I already stated that the reason I haven't totally switched yet was because of hardware and driver support, but it has made huge strides in the past couple years. Obviously everyone has a different opinion, but if Randicus can't post something of value such as saying why bother, then I consider it trolling.

"In Internet slang, a troll (pron.: /ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is someone who posts inflammatory,[1] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as a forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[2] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion." Emphasis on inflammatory.

As for the posting, you are not the first person to be at a forum posting for several years. I am not tech illiterate and I certainly don't claim to be an expert, and frankly I don't know a lot from Linux due to limited usage. But when someone tries to give me crap about something, I don't just sit back.
 
Old 02-27-2013, 03:06 PM   #44
Randicus Draco Albus
Senior Member
 
Registered: May 2011
Location: Hiding somewhere on planet Earth.
Distribution: No distribution. OpenBSD operating system
Posts: 1,711
Blog Entries: 8

Rep: Reputation: 635Reputation: 635Reputation: 635Reputation: 635Reputation: 635Reputation: 635
Quote:
Originally Posted by antitankknife View Post
If Randicus wants to slam Steam
I slammed Steam? Really? I commented that if Steam allows Windows games to be played on Linux systems, it would not be any different than Wine. That is not slamming. What I did slam was the ridiculous idea that Linux can compete with Microsoft as a gaming platform, for the simple fact that almost all games are programmed specifically for Windows and gaming boxes. It probably has something to do with market size and profits.

You got angry and attacked me like a child after I pointed out,
Quote:
If you truly want to journey to the side of enlightenment, you will need to abandon your attachment to Windows and embrace a different reality. Otherwise, your waiting will never end.
I was not blowing hot air out my rectum. You are the one who stated,
Quote:
Having used Linux for 10+ years on and off, KDE always has been and probably always will be my favorite DE. This is for a number of reasons, but I like having a Windows look and feel, with Linux capability and stability.
I am a troll, because I informed you that in oder to to make the switch you must change your mindset from a desire to adhere to Windows and embrace a different way of doing things. If you believe that is inflammatory, it is time for you to grow up and stop acting like a spoiled child.

Quote:
As for posting, why waste my time, your time, and everyone elses time by posting stupid crap like Randicus did?
Unlike stupid crap, such as,
Quote:
As far as the gaming side goes, I seriously doubt it would turn people away. A lot of people including myself are curious as to how most modern game run in Linux vs Windows. With Steam on Linux, and its 6+ million daily average users, it could mean big numbers of people changing to Linux/Unix, especially with Windows Blue on the way, which will be a bigger turd than Win 8. ArmA 3 and all Total War games since Empire are Steam exclusive. These are big game titles and they would be foolish not to natively add Linux support, which means other game makers will follow.
I shall be nice and call that wishful thinking based on ignorance, instead of what it really is.

Quote:
As for the posting, you are not the first person to be at a forum posting for several years. I am not tech illiterate and I certainly don't claim to be an expert, and frankly I don't know a lot from Linux due to limited usage.
But you "fight back" when people do not agree with your ignorant, naive or stupid statements. Such an enlightened soul.
 
Old 02-27-2013, 03:47 PM   #45
antitankknife
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Feb 2013
Posts: 20

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: Disabled
Quote:
I slammed Steam? Really? I commented that if Steam allows Windows games to be played on Linux systems, it would not be any different than Wine. That is not slamming. What I did slam was the ridiculous idea that Linux can compete with Microsoft as a gaming platform, for the simple fact that almost all games are programmed specifically for Windows and gaming boxes. It probably has something to do with market size and profits.
Since when can it not compete? Most people either don't know about Linux or they don't have the know how to install it. I haven't had any issues at all with Wine so far. You seem to think that emulation is a stupid idea and that people shouldn't bother, but that is your problem, not mine.

Quote:
I was not blowing hot air out my rectum. You are the one who stated,
I am a troll, because I informed you that in oder to to make the switch you must change your mindset from a desire to adhere to Windows and embrace a different way of doing things. If you believe that is inflammatory, it is time for you to grow up and stop acting like a spoiled child.
So what is your point here? Some people such as myself like having glass effects and a "start" button. I tried GNOME 3 and thought it was a pain in the ass. KDE 4 does look and feel a lot like Windows. Big f*ing deal. It happens to be the one that I like. If you had payed any attention to what I was saying, you would have seen for the THIRD time that I haven't made the complete switch because of driver and hardware support.


Quote:
Unlike stupid crap, such as,
I shall be nice and call that wishful thinking based on ignorance, instead of what it really is.
So your saying that when Linux starts getting a huge chunk of the desktop that game makers will continue to ignore it? You really haven't thought this out.


Quote:
But you "fight back" when people do not agree with your ignorant, naive or stupid statements. Such an enlightened soul.
Point out to me my stupid statements. I have made it damn clear why I haven't switched yet and why more and more games will come to Linux. I came here to ask legitimate questions and you tell me I shouldn't bother doing so since I play games. It sounds to me like you are the one with "stupid" statements.
 
  


Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Why Windows 7 is making me want to switch to Linux Erik_FL General 7 07-01-2009 02:08 PM
thinking about making the switch mrukus Linux - Newbie 4 10-23-2007 07:29 AM
Finally making the switch dark_negotiator Fedora 3 02-20-2007 02:27 AM
Making the switch - From Windows to Linux qball15j Linux - General 7 01-02-2005 03:23 PM
Making the switch to Debian snatale1 Debian 3 08-25-2003 11:27 AM

LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - General

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:22 AM.

Main Menu
Advertisement
My LQ
Write for LQ
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute content, let us know.
Main Menu
Syndicate
RSS1  Latest Threads
RSS1  LQ News
Twitter: @linuxquestions
Open Source Consulting | Domain Registration