How to install APT-GET or YUM or RPM or something similar on Linpus?

Originally Posted by 273 Linpus is not Linux! It is a poor example of an OS built on the Linux kernel. I actually thought it was dead -- well, I hoped -- since last time I used it only to ensure my netbook booted. Send the machine back and buy a Windows one which, depending upon local setup, may actually be better for the price (manufacturers get paid to include bloatware under Windows and they only have one OS to support). Or, just install any other Linux distribution and get on with it. If you've researched Linux as you state then you should be fine installing and running any reasonable distribution.

Nah, threadstarter, don't listen to these people. Keep the machine and install a proper GNU/Linux distro on it. Why anyone on here would tell you to go and buy Windows for €100 is beyond me, or even advise using it.

You will not get the same hardware for the same price with a Windows machine, and Windows is not a good OS.

So just calm down, find out a little about how you install a proper GNU/Linux distro, and then just do it. All you need is either a free DVD to burn it on, or a free USB stick to put it on, then install. The installation is easy.

I would suggest Mageia:
https://www.mageia.org

Or a distro like Manjaro.

Both are easy to install and easy to use, and both are proper GNU/Linux distroes.

Originally Posted by FlatAssembler I thought I had done more than enough research to start working on Linux. Not many people spend weeks reading about the Linux command-line tools and Vim before buying a Linux laptop, right? Well, those laptops are both more expensive and have worse hardware, right? If so, why didn't Acer install any of it? It's costless for them to do that, right? And why didn't it install the necessary drivers for that laptop? Could it be that they simply don't exist for Linux? Don't take me wrong, it's not that I hate free software for some reason. Firefox is great, so are many free programming tools as GCC, CLANG and TinyCC. But, let's face it, the free operating systems and LibreOffice just don't work well (or, on some configurations, at all).

Basically, you got scammed. Acer has been running this scam for about 10 years.

The reason I recommend the Windows version is because it's fully functional. You can take it out of the box, turn it on, and check your email, Facebook, play your favorite games, etc.

It's not a scam, it's basically a whitebox, and that sure is better than funding Microsoft and their tyrannical practices.

Who buys a laptop at reduced price with GNU/Linux preinstalled anyways? Mostly people who know what they are doing, ergo, they can also install a distro.

Originally Posted by zeebra Nah, threadstarter, don't listen to these people. Keep the machine and install a proper GNU/Linux distro on it. Why anyone on here would tell you to go and buy Windows for €100 is beyond me, or even advise using it. You will not get the same hardware for the same price with a Windows machine, and Windows is not a good OS. So just calm down, find out a little about how you install a proper GNU/Linux distro, and then just do it. All you need is either a free DVD to burn it on, or a free USB stick to put it on, then install. The installation is easy. I would suggest Mageia: https://www.mageia.org Or a distro like Manjaro. Both are easy to install and easy to use, and both are proper GNU/Linux distroes.

I have yet to see an example of a machine which costs less with Linux than Windows. Not to say they don't exist from some manufacturers in some markets but they are by no means the norm.
Generally, Windows costs nothing to the manufacturer and, certainly, it is less than €100 even in those markets where they can't get away with paying for the license by including bloatware.

Originally Posted by 273 I have yet to see an example of a machine which costs less with Linux than Windows. Not to say they don't exist from some manufacturers in some markets but they are by no means the norm. Generally, Windows costs nothing to the manufacturer and, certainly, it is less than €100 even in those markets where they can't get away with paying for the license by including bloatware.

You might be right, for the UK market.

In the US it is easy to find a computer that is cheaper with Linux than Windows. For example if I look on the Dell Business website, the popular Dell XPS13 starts at $949.99 with Windows but only $739.99 with Ubuntu (identical hardware configuration) for a savings of $210.

Originally Posted by 273 I have yet to see an example of a machine which costs less with Linux than Windows. Not to say they don't exist from some manufacturers in some markets but they are by no means the norm. Generally, Windows costs nothing to the manufacturer and, certainly, it is less than €100 even in those markets where they can't get away with paying for the license by including bloatware.

It's a myth. It costs to have Windows on the machine, the manufacturers don't get this for free. Perhaps you haven't looked for places where they actually sell machines with GNU/Linux preinstalled, it's rare and it's mostly acer who does this. But those machines are ALWAYS cheaper than their Windows counterpart, around €70-€100. Or they have machines with similar hardware, where the Windows equivilant have cheaper hardware than the GNU/Linux counterpart to make up for the added cost of Windows.

I meant to say $100 in my previous post.

But you definitely save money by getting an Acer machine without Windows.