1. Smitty13's Avatar
    Cool! looking forward for your review

    Charis Tsilopoulos
    Alright, so I have had a chance today to give Elementary OS a whirl. Just for the sake of completeness, here are the specs of everything:

    OS installation source: elementaryos-stable-amd64.20130810.iso (x64 bit)
    Ran this from a Kingston DataTraveller G4, 32GB USB drive; installed using Universal USB installer 1.9.5.8; using the live option, no hard drive installation.

    Computer: LG R405-A Laptop; Intel Core2 Duo CPU T5750 @ 2.00GHz; 4GB RAM PC2-5300 @ 333MHz; ATI Xpress 1250 256MB graphics card

    My first thoughts: A very fast and smooth boot, even from the USB drive. I was pleasantly surprised to see how fast this loaded, even relative to other Linux installations. Despite my test rig being not exactly the slowest thing on the block, it was not new by any means.

    A second point that had me happy was that my wireless card was instantly recognized and did not require any form of driver installation. This was what initially threw me for a loop using Linux Mint, as I did not have a hard wire connection, and being a Linux n00b at the time, did not know I had to install these drivers for that particular laptop (different from this one).

    Getting into the OS: I preface this by saying I am no fan of Mac OS X. I could however see that if someone was coming from a Mac over to a PC (and did not like windows), this would be a breeze to get used to in terms of interface. Heck, even opening up the integrated music player, I thought, "Wow, they have iTunes on here?", but quickly realized it was merely the look. That is how close this OS resembled OS X to me at least.

    I have always been a desktop kind of guy, but if you are the type of person who enjoys programs/apps being on a dedicated toolbar much akin to OS X, you will be right at home. Pantheon (the desktop environment utilized in this OS) is not my cup of tea, but for others, this may just hit the spot.

    Customization: I definitely did not feel like there was much of a learning curve here. Coming from Mint I did not feel completely lost. The fact that a convenient "Applications" button is found on the top left was a nice touch for anyone who may be new to Linux or Elementary OS. Clicking on that, I was able to find everything I needed relatively quickly (terminal, etc.).

    I really enjoyed the integrated way one could update various programs in Elementary OS using the Software Centre. Similar to other Linux flavours I have used, anyone from a power user to a complete n00b could easily install programs of their choosing without much hassle at all. I think this is a major point, as I know many who are scared off because of the learning curve with terminal commands and using repositories. Not being a stranger to the terminal, I used it to install some of my favourite programs, VLC, Thunderbird, etc.

    I did not find any lag in downloading and installing programs.

    A common misconception I read about is that people believe Elementary OS is merely a skinned Ubuntu. While I did find similarities, I did not feel as though this was the same OS all over again. EOS was originally built from Ubuntu 10.10 which included the GNOME 2 stack, which may have given people this false impression.

    Usage: Overall, much like the startup, everything had that nice snappy Linux feel to it. Whether you are on Mint, Ubuntu, etc., and you came from Windows, you all will know exactly what I am talking about. It feels like new air is breathed into an old PC or Laptop. In comparison to other Linux flavours, I find this perhaps somewhat quicker than the others in some areas (which may have been a bit more psychological), but nothing overly exciting. I did not feel as though anything was sucking my memory dry nor making things run overtime just to complete simple tasks. I didn't get any quantifiable numbers here (CPU usage, Memory usage, etc.), sorry about that.

    Overall: I feel as though Elementary OS is a great Linux flavour and has a lot of potential. I am awaiting to see what the next release "Freya" will bring, given that latest stable release, "Luna", is approximately 15 months old at this point. While I don't think I would grab for this OS as my first Linux choice, I would not hesitate at all to recommend it to others.
    11-22-14 02:21 PM
  2. Charis Tsil's Avatar
    Alright, so I have had a chance today to give Elementary OS a whirl. Just for the sake of completeness, here are the specs of everything:

    OS installation source: elementaryos-stable-amd64.20130810.iso (x64 bit)
    Ran this from a Kingston DataTraveller G4, 32GB USB drive; installed using Universal USB installer 1.9.5.8; using the live option, no hard drive installation.

    Computer: LG R405-A Laptop; Intel Core2 Duo CPU T5750 @ 2.00GHz; 4GB RAM PC2-5300 @ 333MHz; ATI Xpress 1250 256MB graphics card

    My first thoughts: A very fast and smooth boot, even from the USB drive. I was pleasantly surprised to see how fast this loaded, even relative to other Linux installations. Despite my test rig being not exactly the slowest thing on the block, it was not new by any means.

    A second point that had me happy was that my wireless card was instantly recognized and did not require any form of driver installation. This was what initially threw me for a loop using Linux Mint, as I did not have a hard wire connection, and being a Linux n00b at the time, did not know I had to install these drivers for that particular laptop (different from this one).

    Getting into the OS: I preface this by saying I am no fan of Mac OS X. I could however see that if someone was coming from a Mac over to a PC (and did not like windows), this would be a breeze to get used to in terms of interface. Heck, even opening up the integrated music player, I thought, "Wow, they have iTunes on here?", but quickly realized it was merely the look. That is how close this OS resembled OS X to me at least.

    I have always been a desktop kind of guy, but if you are the type of person who enjoys programs/apps being on a dedicated toolbar much akin to OS X, you will be right at home. Pantheon (the desktop environment utilized in this OS) is not my cup of tea, but for others, this may just hit the spot.

    Customization: I definitely did not feel like there was much of a learning curve here. Coming from Mint I did not feel completely lost. The fact that a convenient "Applications" button is found on the top left was a nice touch for anyone who may be new to Linux or Elementary OS. Clicking on that, I was able to find everything I needed relatively quickly (terminal, etc.).

    I really enjoyed the integrated way one could update various programs in Elementary OS using the Software Centre. Similar to other Linux flavours I have used, anyone from a power user to a complete n00b could easily install programs of their choosing without much hassle at all. I think this is a major point, as I know many who are scared off because of the learning curve with terminal commands and using repositories. Not being a stranger to the terminal, I used it to install some of my favourite programs, VLC, Thunderbird, etc.

    I did not find any lag in downloading and installing programs.

    A common misconception I read about is that people believe Elementary OS is merely a skinned Ubuntu. While I did find similarities, I did not feel as though this was the same OS all over again. EOS was originally built from Ubuntu 10.10 which included the GNOME 2 stack, which may have given people this false impression.

    Usage: Overall, much like the startup, everything had that nice snappy Linux feel to it. Whether you are on Mint, Ubuntu, etc., and you came from Windows, you all will know exactly what I am talking about. It feels like new air is breathed into an old PC or Laptop. In comparison to other Linux flavours, I find this perhaps somewhat quicker than the others in some areas (which may have been a bit more psychological), but nothing overly exciting. I did not feel as though anything was sucking my memory dry nor making things run overtime just to complete simple tasks. I didn't get any quantifiable numbers here (CPU usage, Memory usage, etc.), sorry about that.

    Overall: I feel as though Elementary OS is a great Linux flavour and has a lot of potential. I am awaiting to see what the next release "Freya" will bring, given that latest stable release, "Luna", is approximately 15 months old at this point. While I don't think I would grab for this OS as my first Linux choice, I would not hesitate at all to recommend it to others.
    Wow. That was indeed a really great review! You should consider Make Blog or something! Seriously! Actually I would love to post your review in elementary OS community if you don't mind.
    By the way I really agree with everything that you said. As for the pantheon, I was always in windows I never ever, even test mac OS, but when I saw elementary OS look I was hooked. I don't know why but I think pantheon is the reason that elementary OS is my main linux distro.
    Cheers

    Z30 is the word
    11-22-14 05:31 PM
  3. Smitty13's Avatar
    Wow. That was indeed a really great review! You should consider Make Blog or something! Seriously! Actually I would love to post your review in elementary OS community if you don't mind.
    By the way I really agree with everything that you said. As for the pantheon, I was always in windows I never ever, even test mac OS, but when I saw elementary OS look I was hooked. I don't know why but I think pantheon is the reason that elementary OS is my main linux distro.
    Cheers

    Z30 is the word
    Hey there. Thanks for the kind words. By all means, if it helps some users make an informed decision, please post my review in the eOS community. I am always up for testing out a new distribution, so thanks for pointing me that way!
    Charis Tsil likes this.
    11-22-14 05:40 PM
  4. DrBoomBotz's Avatar
    Xubuntu and Debian with xfce

    Xfce has not changed much in years and that is the way I like it.
    11-23-14 02:14 PM
  5. pokusko's Avatar
    Has anyone tried to install and use Link with Wine?
    11-23-14 02:46 PM
  6. Prem WatsApp's Avatar
    Has anyone tried to install and use Link with Wine?
    Yes. The Blend combo package. On Ubuntu 14.10 x64, installed via PlayOnLinux.

    Didn't work. Probably reliance on .NET stuff (mono substitute on Linux)...

    Might try again another time.



    ? ? ? Zzzzmoqin'.... ? ? ?
    11-25-14 02:41 AM
  7. Prem WatsApp's Avatar
    Currently transitioning main production laptop from Ubuntu 13.10 to Mint 17 Qiana. Had trouble with AMD/ATI driver on Ubuntu, no dramas on Mint. Also wanted to get away from Unity, it was just too laggy and inefficient for me, even on a modern quadcore laptop with 8GB RAM and dedicated graphics...

    Mint is faster, more performant, and I can see all my windows easily. Just need to bump my mouse into the hot corner instead of hunting for that workspaces icon on Ubuntu... it's "hit and can't miss", LOL

    I still have Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and 14.10 on two secondary laptops, and my wife's ASUS i7 is running 14.04 LTS.

    Used SuSE for years previously. Have tried dozens of distros. PCLinuxOS, Zorin, Mandriva, Sabayon...

    Currently evaluating CentOS for a home / file server and FreeNAS / NAS4Free...

    :-)

    ? ? ? Zzzzmoqin'.... ? ? ?
    11-25-14 02:51 AM
  8. Charis Tsil's Avatar
    Currently transitioning main production laptop from Ubuntu 13.10 to Mint 17 Qiana. Had trouble with AMD/ATI driver on Ubuntu, no dramas on Mint. Also wanted to get away from Unity, it was just too laggy and inefficient for me, even on a modern quadcore laptop with 8GB RAM and dedicated graphics...

    Mint is faster, more performant, and I can see all my windows easily. Just need to bump my mouse into the hot corner instead of hunting for that workspaces icon on Ubuntu... it's "hit and can't miss", LOL

    I still have Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and 14.10 on two secondary laptops, and my wife's ASUS i7 is running 14.04 LTS.

    Used SuSE for years previously. Have tried dozens of distros. PCLinuxOS, Zorin, Mandriva, Sabayon...

    Currently evaluating CentOS for a home / file server and FreeNAS / NAS4Free...

    :-)

    ? ? ? Zzzzmoqin'.... ? ? ?
    Any thoughts about cent OS? I'm thinking to test it this week

    Z30 is the word
    11-25-14 07:01 AM
  9. Charis Tsil's Avatar
    Has anyone tried to install and use Link with Wine?
    Link and blend will not work to any distro and I don't think that this will ever happened too though I would love to have both.
    That's the reason I'm still using dual boot windows only to use blend and link. BlackBerry put me out from my misery! Release blend for linux!

    Z30 is the word
    11-25-14 07:03 AM
  10. pokusko's Avatar
    How about running the Link and Blend on Windows in VirtualBox? You wouldn't need a dual boot.

    But yeah, a proper Linux port would be nice move from BlackBerry showing that they care about security also by supporting Linux.
    11-27-14 04:34 PM
  11. Charis Tsil's Avatar
    How about running the Link and Blend on Windows in VirtualBox? You wouldn't need a dual boot.

    But yeah, a proper Linux port would be nice move from BlackBerry showing that they care about security also by supporting Linux.
    With link it could be alright but with blend I don't think so cause of the notifications in the background. I don't believe that blend will be okay in a VM

    Photography Freak at ctsilart.com
    11-28-14 01:43 AM
  12. Carrtman's Avatar
    Linux Mint Cinnamon although I hate their now installer, screwed up my default dual boot
    11-28-14 01:58 AM
  13. Smitty13's Avatar
    Linux Mint Cinnamon although I hate their now installer, screwed up my default dual boot
    I was just about to install v.17 Cinnamon alongside my copy of Windows 7. Can you elaborate what happened and what went wrong?

    Did you choose the "alongside" install option instead of the "something else" option?

    Just curious so I do not make the same mistake!
    11-28-14 12:17 PM
  14. Carrtman's Avatar
    I now have two bootloaders that is all everything else is working really well. I chose the alongside option yeah
    11-28-14 01:33 PM
  15. Prem WatsApp's Avatar
    Any thoughts about cent OS? I'm thinking to test it this week

    Z30 is the word
    Not yet,
    it uses RedHat package manager (rpm),
    but I've become an apt-get/dpkg/deb dude over the years...

    ? ? ? Zzzzwipetyped from The Maskport - Zzzzmoqin'.... ? ? ?
    11-29-14 03:28 AM
  16. Prem WatsApp's Avatar
    Linux Mint Cinnamon although I hate their now installer, screwed up my default dual boot
    Windows 8?
    The usual secure boot / UEFI drama?

    Ubuntu / Canonical gave in and booked a Secure Boot key,
    but Mint needs it disabled afaik...

    ? ? ? Zzzzwipetyped from The Maskport - Zzzzmoqin'.... ? ? ?
    11-29-14 03:31 AM
  17. Old_Mil's Avatar
    GNU/Linux Trisquel 6.0 LTS. Great OS, but it does leave a lot to be desired when it.comes to Blackberry compatibility.
    11-29-14 06:18 AM
  18. va7sdf's Avatar
    Arch Linux with DWM because it's lightweight, fast, and minimalistic.

    Posted via CB10
    11-29-14 07:12 AM
  19. Smitty13's Avatar
    Windows 8?
    The usual secure boot / UEFI drama?

    Ubuntu / Canonical gave in and booked a Secure Boot key,
    but Mint needs it disabled afaik...

    ? ? ? Zzzzwipetyped from The Maskport - Zzzzmoqin'.... ? ? ?
    I see that I am sorely behind the times and that Ubuntu booked that quite a while ago, which is news to me.

    Does this have any implications for the security of Ubuntu now that Microsoft has to sign for their bootloader?

    As far as Mint goes, I know they need it disabled right now, but is that more a choice to avoid needing theirs signed, or more a technical issue?

    Posted via CB10
    11-29-14 12:57 PM
  20. Carrtman's Avatar
    Windows 8?
    The usual secure boot / UEFI drama?

    Ubuntu / Canonical gave in and booked a Secure Boot key,
    but Mint needs it disabled afaik...

    ? ? ? Zzzzwipetyped from The Maskport - Zzzzmoqin'.... ? ? ?
    Im using Windows 7 but yeah that's the problem. If I change anything partition wise it won't bit at all
    11-29-14 10:37 PM
  21. Prem WatsApp's Avatar
    I see that I am sorely behind the times and that Ubuntu booked that quite a while ago, which is news to me.

    Does this have any implications for the security of Ubuntu now that Microsoft has to sign for their bootloader?

    As far as Mint goes, I know they need it disabled right now, but is that more a choice to avoid needing theirs signed, or more a technical issue?

    Posted via CB10
    Ubuntu is a (commercial) mainstream Linux distro with millions of users, so for their user's experience and for usability's sake they gave in once Windows 8 systems hit the market.

    They always wanted to be the "throw disc in, boot up, enjoy" system, and they couldn't and wouldn't wanna lose any time finding an alternative way or bother (or lose!) mom-and-pop users with funky workarounds (just get someone to get into BIOS/uefi menu on a Windows 8 PC, I'm having problems sometimes hitting the right key at the right time, you need to do be able to do at least that to disable secure boot for Mint)...

    Question is also, how much or whether all all you wanna give any power to a third party (Microsoft, Intel, Verisign,etc.), and of course, licensing issues...





    ? ? ? Zzzzwipetyped from The Maskport - Zzzzmoqin'.... ? ? ?
    12-01-14 02:52 PM
  22. nah.uhh's Avatar
    Windows 7, ubuntu gnome 14.04, 2 custom Ubuntu based distros
    I also have Linux mint, Debian testing and some version of fedora installed (don't haven't used any of those much those much)

    I mainly use one of my custom distros. 14.04 is my stable install and to fix things I break and windows only when I have to.. don't have much experience with non Debian based distros

    OS 10.3.1.1151: destructive 821 > upg 800 > upg 938 > delta 1016 > upg 10.3.1.1151
    12-01-14 03:14 PM
  23. Smitty13's Avatar
    Ubuntu is a (commercial) mainstream Linux distro with millions of users, so for their user's experience and for usability's sake they gave in once Windows 8 systems hit the market.

    They always wanted to be the "throw disc in, boot up, enjoy" system, and they couldn't and wouldn't wanna lose any time finding an alternative way or bother (or lose!) mom-and-pop users with funky workarounds (just get someone to get into BIOS/uefi menu on a Windows 8 PC, I'm having problems sometimes hitting the right key at the right time, you need to do be able to do at least that to disable secure boot for Mint)...

    Question is also, how much or whether all all you wanna give any power to a third party (Microsoft, Intel, Verisign,etc.), and of course, licensing issues...





    ? ? ? Zzzzwipetyped from The Maskport - Zzzzmoqin'.... ? ? ?
    To me that just is an affront to the very essence of what Linux is about. Yes, I totally agree with all of your points, but having a reliance upon Microsoft or another third party for signing privileges just seems counter-intuitive as to why some people go to Linux in the first place.

    I can only wonder what would happen if Ubuntu decided to whip something up Microsoft and the usual suspects did not agree with. Perhaps that signature on their bootloader would magically disappear?

    Suffice to say, I use Linux for the power it holds and, at least in some small part, to get away from the clutches of mainstream producers. I understand that Linux is making a concerted push to make it more user friendly for the general public and not the techy power user, but it just frustrates me that the entire system seems to be against an easy adoption.
    12-01-14 04:20 PM
  24. Prem WatsApp's Avatar
    To me that just is an affront to the very essence of what Linux is about. Yes, I totally agree with all of your points, but having a reliance upon Microsoft or another third party for signing privileges just seems counter-intuitive as to why some people go to Linux in the first place.

    I can only wonder what would happen if Ubuntu decided to whip something up Microsoft and the usual suspects did not agree with. Perhaps that signature on their bootloader would magically disappear?

    Suffice to say, I use Linux for the power it holds and, at least in some small part, to get away from the clutches of mainstream producers. I understand that Linux is making a concerted push to make it more user friendly for the general public and not the techy power user, but it just frustrates me that the entire system seems to be against an easy adoption.

    Yes, that sentiment is widely held in the FOSS community...
    I prefer free, too. No strings attached. No doubt.

    But on the other hand, would you deny some easy-to-use, malware- and hassle-free Linux goodness to all those mom-and-pop and granny users out there that don't even know what a bootloader is... ?
    I know, we hate these compromises, and it's a tough call to make. :-(

    Ubuntu fills a gap. Hope they won't overstep in the future.

    Even copped some friendly fire due to licencing:
    http://www.pcworld.com/article/20103...cure-boot.html

    Us power-users and sudoers, we are served well by other distros...


    ? ? ? Zzzzwipetyped from The Maskport - Zzzzmoqin'.... ? ? ?
    12-02-14 12:01 AM
  25. Smitty13's Avatar
    Yes, that sentiment is widely held in the FOSS community...
    I prefer free, too. No strings attached. No doubt.

    But on the other hand, would you deny some easy-to-use, malware- and hassle-free Linux goodness to all those mom-and-pop and granny users out there that don't even know what a bootloader is... ?
    I know, we hate these compromises, and it's a tough call to make. :-(

    Ubuntu fills a gap. Hope they won't overstep in the future.

    Even copped some friendly fire due to licencing:
    Ubuntu Linux changes its plans for Windows 8 Secure Boot | PCWorld

    Us power-users and sudoers, we are served well by other distros...


    ? ? ? Zzzzwipetyped from The Maskport - Zzzzmoqin'.... ? ? ?
    As with most things in the tech world, it is of course give and take as you point out. Of course I would love to have Linux distros readily available and easy to install for all the mom and pop users out there. Ease of use definitely plays a role into whether people adopt something or not. If they cannot get it off the ground, they will not give it a fair shake.

    That said, I worry that Ubuntu may be precariously perched atop the proverbial slippery slope we speak of in technology security. Sure, it is just getting Microsoft and the gang to sign a bootloader today, but tomorrow that community made break through that rubs Microsoft the wrong way gets that signature pulled...or...should I even bother to get the tinfoil out when I say this could lead to other "surprises" being implemented in the future?

    Would it be that long of a shot to think that Ubuntu could be the next OpenBSD? I worry it is not that long of a shot.
    12-02-14 01:02 AM
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