Time for a new computer....

[brinny]

Ok, i need a new computer, HOWEVER, i do NOT want a Windows-based computer. I prefer a Linux based computer. I've heard lots of positive things about them, only thing is, i've heard that they might be a little less user-friendly than Windows.

Are there any Linux based computers that are user-friendly?

Thanks, any information or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[HereIStand]

Hi @brinny. I have a Linux laptop from this company. It works well, much better than Windows. There was no setup to it. Linux is pre-installed. In years past, it was challenge to get Linux to work with a wireless network. Not so any more though.

 

[christianforumsuser]

Laptop or desktop?
Buying with Windows on it and install Linux after?
Or build it yourself?

 

[brinny]

Hi @brinny. I have a Linux laptop from this company. It works well, much better than Windows. There was no setup to it. Linux is pre-installed. In years past, it was challenge to get Linux to work with a wireless network. Not so any more though.

Thank you! i'm looking for a desk top...i notice they have those. I appreciate your response and the link. For your lap top, did you add speakers?

 

[brinny]

Laptop or desktop?
Buying with Windows on it and install Linux after?
Or build it yourself?

Thank you, but I couldn't possibly build it...i have zilch computer technology skills....

i'm looking for a desk top.

 

[christianforumsuser]

Thank you, but I couldn't possibly build it...i have zilch computer technology skills....

i'm looking for a desk top.

Ok. But I bet it wouldn't be so hard....making sure you get the right parts online (which is harder than putting them together)
And then putting them together
And in case of any problems I or someone else would be here

But if you're more familiar with buying one pre-assembled ok
Maybe name what price range and features you prefer if you want some help
Eh...or just go to a website or store haha

 

[paul1149]

Some "distros" are more user-friendly than others. Some are designed to work as closely to Windows as possible, to make the transition easier. As an example of both, I use Linux Lite. It is based on ubuntu, the most widely-used distro, which gives it a ton of support and makes installations of most programs very easy. It's a full-featured OS, and only light in its need for hardware resources and in its learning curve.

You can look for a machine already loaded with Linux, or you can install Linux yourself on an old or new machine, or have a friend or a shop install it for you. Linux Lite is very easy to install, and has a very nice Help file onboard, and online support forum. Since Linux is generally lighter than Windows, it works great on older (and cheaper) hardware. My main machine is a converted Vista-era tower, and it works fine. Updates are a snap, and the privacy factor is much better than Windows. And generally, there is no need for an anti-virus, which frees up performance a lot.

I've converted several friends' machines, and a couple of units that I sold, to LL, and all love it, and most of them say they hardly can see the difference from Windows in terms of usage.

 

[brinny]

Ok. But I bet it wouldn't be so hard....making sure you get the right parts online (which is harder than putting them together)
And then putting them together
And in case of any problems I or someone else would be here

But if you're more familiar with buying one pre-assembled ok
Maybe name what price range and features you prefer if you want some help
Eh...or just go to a website or store haha

Thanks, but me putting anything together would require a miracle

I prefer the pre-assembled kind that are super user-friendly

 

[brinny]

Some "distros" are more user-friendly than others. Some are designed to work as closely to Windows as possible, to make the transition easier. As an example of both, I use Linux Lite. It is based on ubuntu, the most widely-used distro, which gives it a ton of support and makes installations of most programs very easy. It's a full-featured OS, and only light in its need for hardware resources and in its learning curve.

You can look for a machine already loaded with Linux, or you can install Linux yourself on an old or new machine, or have a friend or a shop install it for you. Linux Lite is very easy to install, and has a very nice Help file onboard, and online support forum. Since Linux is generally lighter than Windows, it works great on older (and cheaper) hardware. My main machine is a converted Vista-era tower, and it works fine. Updates are a snap, and the privacy factor is much better than Windows. And generally, there is no need for an anti-virus, which frees up performance a lot.

I've converted several friends' machines, and a couple of units that I sold, to LL, and all love it, and most of them say they hardly can see the difference from Windows in terms of usage.

Thank you for the information and the link. My current computer (poor thing....i'm shocked she's still surviving) has issues with drivers, etc.

 

[dysert]

I don't really know much about Linux, but are you going to want to have applications on it like Word, Excel, etc.? I don't know, but does a Linux distribution come with or support Office-like applications?

 

[brinny]

I don't really know much about Linux, but are you going to want to have applications on it like Word, Excel, etc.? I don't know, but does a Linux distribution come with or support Office-like applications?

Yes, some Word applications, but mostly for the internet, email, etc. But what most stands out for me is that it's not as vulnerable as Windows.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Ok, i need a new computer, HOWEVER, i do NOT want a Windows-based computer. I prefer a Linux based computer. I've heard lots of positive things about them, only thing is, i've heard that they might be a little less user-friendly than Windows.

Are there any Linux based computers that are user-friendly?

Thanks, any information or suggestions would be appreciated.

It's a rare company that will sell you a computer with Linux already loaded and ready to go. Dell did it for a while. I don't know if they do that anymore. Microsoft tends to get really mad about that kind of thing. There are other smaller companies that will sell you a computer with Linux pre-loaded. I have not kept up on just who those are.

You can do like I did and assemble a computer, buying all the parts except an operating system. It generally works. Years ago I did this and asked specifically for parts that were known to work with Linux. And so I found out that the Network Interface Card (NIC) didn't work out of the box. Tricky building a kernel module without internet access to get that working right. But that was an old problem. Solved for newer hardware and newer versions of Linux. But it is still possible that you buy a piece of hardware that just doesn't work with Linux. Research your hardware carefully if you go this route. It is rewarding but it can sometimes be maddening. There are guides to this now so it is less maddening.

Most Linux users will buy a computer with Windows already installed (the Microsoft Tax) and then write Linux over Windows, erasing Windows. Or repartition their Hard Disk (or SSD) so they can 'dual-boot' and choose Windows or Linux at boot time. Some others will run one OS and run the other as a virtual machine (presuming they have installed lots of RAM). In that way one can run Linux and start up Windows virtually if ever needed.

Many kinds of Linux can be run from a CD or from a thumb drive. In this way you get to play with it for a while and then when you are ready you can just click the 'install' icon and make it permanent. That's the friendliest and easiest way. If you can download and copy Linux to a CD or USB drive, if you can set the computer to boot from that media, you have a nice trial system. You can use this to try out many different Linux distributions if you want to sample the choices.

Linux is good at bringing an old Windows computer back to life. I've done this. An old laptop running XP was seriously bogged down and almost worthless. I replaced the HD with a SSD, got a new bigger battery for it, and installed Fedora Linux. In comparison to the old OS it veritably flew. And with only 2 GB of RAM (maxed out). If your present computer is not too terribly old, it may be worth it to simply replace Windows with Linux. If it's really old, consider buying a slightly used Windows computer and rip Windows off of it as your first upgrade.

But what kind of Linux. I use Fedora. It's fairly easy, although they do have a purist approach to licencing where some kinds of popular media types won't play without non-purist tweaks. Ubuntu is not concerned as much with such licencing purity and things more likely just work once installation is finished. There are many many Linux distributions, with different purposes or philosophies or histories. Know which one you want to pick. And some of that depends on how geeky you feel. Fedora and Ubuntu are very user friendly, as are many others. It is way better than it was, and to my mind far easier than reinstalling Windows.

 

[paul1149]

Thank you for the information and the link. My current computer (poor thing....i'm shocked she's still surviving) has issues with drivers, etc.

Depending on how old it is, drivers and a lot of performance issues can be remedied with a fresh install (or factory Reset) of Windows, which is usually straightforward, with no new hardware needed.

are you going to want to have applications on it like Word, Excel, etc.?

This is an excellent question. The two weaknesses Linux has for some is MS Office and Adobe applications. Some have gotten MS Office to work in Linux using WINE, but I've never tried so I can't comment. I use the free LibreOffice and it does 98% of what I need an office suite to do, and is largely compatible with MS Office file formats. I don't think much success has been had with Adobe products, though.

 

[brinny]

It's a rare company that will sell you a computer with Linux already loaded and ready to go. Dell did it for a while. I don't know if they do that anymore. Microsoft tends to get really mad about that kind of thing. There are other smaller companies that will sell you a computer with Linux pre-loaded. I have not kept up on just who those are.

You can do like I did and assemble a computer, buying all the parts except an operating system. It generally works. Years ago I did this and asked specifically for parts that were known to work with Linux. And so I found out that the Network Interface Card (NIC) didn't work out of the box. Tricky building a kernel module without internet access to get that working right. But that was an old problem. Solved for newer hardware and newer versions of Linux. But it is still possible that you buy a piece of hardware that just doesn't work with Linux. Research your hardware carefully if you go this route. It is rewarding but it can sometimes be maddening. There are guides to this now so it is less maddening.

Most Linux users will buy a computer with Windows already installed (the Microsoft Tax) and then write Linux over Windows, erasing Windows. Or repartition their Hard Disk (or SSD) so they can 'dual-boot' and choose Windows or Linux at boot time. Some others will run one OS and run the other as a virtual machine (presuming they have installed lots of RAM). In that way one can run Linux and start up Windows virtually if ever needed.

Many kinds of Linux can be run from a CD or from a thumb drive. In this way you get to play with it for a while and then when you are ready you can just click the 'install' icon and make it permanent. That's the friendliest and easiest way. If you can download and copy Linux to a CD or USB drive, if you can set the computer to boot from that media, you have a nice trial system. You can use this to try out many different Linux distributions if you want to sample the choices.

Linux is good at bringing an old Windows computer back to life. I've done this. An old laptop running XP was seriously bogged down and almost worthless. I replaced the HD with a SSD, got a new bigger battery for it, and installed Fedora Linux. In comparison to the old OS it veritably flew. And with only 2 GB of RAM (maxed out). If your present computer is not too terribly old, it may be worth it to simply replace Windows with Linux. If it's really old, consider buying a slightly used Windows computer and rip Windows off of it as your first upgrade.

But what kind of Linux. I use Fedora. It's fairly easy, although they do have a purist approach to licencing where some kinds of popular media types won't play without non-purist tweaks. Ubuntu is not concerned as much with such licencing purity and things more likely just work once installation is finished. There are many many Linux distributions, with different purposes or philosophies or histories. Know which one you want to pick. And some of that depends on how geeky you feel. Fedora and Ubuntu are very user friendly, as are many others. It is way better than it was, and to my mind far easier than reinstalling Windows.

I'm looking for anything less maddening hahaaa

i've had my current computer since 2008, poor thing...i've ran her ragged, and she has put up with a LOT. I'm shocked she's still up n' running. She is graciously letting me know that her time is surely ebbing to an end.

 

[brinny]

Depending on how old it is, drivers and a lot of performance issues can be remedied with a fresh install (or factory Reset) of Windows, which is usually straightforward, with no new hardware needed.


This is an excellent question. The two weaknesses Linux has for some is MS Office and Adobe applications. Some have gotten MS Office to work in Linux using WINE, but I've never tried so I can't comment. I use the free LibreOffice and it does 98% of what I need an office suite to do, and is largely compatible with MS Office file formats. I don't think much success has been had with Adobe products, though.

What is Adobe? I'm sorry, i should know this.

 

[paul1149]

What is Adobe? I'm sorry, i should know this.

Adobe makes a lot of audio and visual software, like photoshop. What computer do you have now?

 

[brinny]

Adobe makes a lot of audio and visual software, like photoshop. What computer do you have now?

i have a Vista.

 

[JackRT]

I just recently updated from a steam powered coal fired computer. It worked perfectly well albeit a bit noisy but a wanted to thumb my nose at Trump's support for bog coal.

 

[paul1149]

i have a Vista.

Unless you have bonafide hardware issues, it can be converted to Linux for very little $$.

 

[brinny]

Unless you have bonafide hardware issues, it can be converted to Linux for very little $$.

There have been issues with my drivers, and therefore my computer would not launch.....so i somehow got it to return to factory settings (i don't remember how) but now it starts and i can get online, etc.