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What to do with an old system?


DarkSerge

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Now that my new system is up and running and seems to be doing quite well, I still have my old system sitting on a shelf. Although it's officially retired, it still has usable life left in it so I was thinking of reformatting and trying new things.

 

1 - Does anybody have any experience with Zorin OS? A coworker said I might want to check it out since I have experience with the Ubuntu family.

 

2 - Any distros that are good with folder sharing with Windows? I previously used Xubuntu and I could access Windows shares from Linux but it didn't work so well trying to access shares in Linux from Windows.

 

It's no loss if something goes wrong. I'm just tinkering with an old system that'll have no important data on it.

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Old systems make great Linux testing machines if you have room to set them up somewhere. That's how I got into Linux, as I had an old Windows Me machine which I set up in the basement. You can install a wifi card in a desktop or just use a USB wifi adapter to avoid wires.

I'd advise you to also take a look at MX-15 which is based on Debian stable. You can get either Xfce or KDE versions. Of course if you want to be really cool and learn a lot try an Arch Linux install. Or try Slackware. There's expertise in both of those distros right here.

Edited by raymac46
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  • 4 weeks later...

As it happens, I've been looking into Zorin OS myself - something stable to put on my main system that won't tempt me to tweak around with stuff while I should be working. I've only got it in Virtualbox at the moment (both Zorin 9 LTS and Zorin 11). Over all it seems pretty good. While it's not particularly light (for linux, it runs circles around a windows 8 laptop with about 4 times the hardware power of my virtualbox) it is shiny and well put together, although I'm having a bit of trouble with apt-get, and creating a bootable USB. I suppose I'll start a thread on those here if I don't get anywhere soon.

FOOTNOTE: If you end up using the LTS version, be sure to set a root password, if you don't, recovery mode will drop you (or anyone else) directly into the root shell without asking for a password! Some major blooper eh? :oops:

This may also apply to Zorin 11, although by default there is no bootloader option for recovery mode.

Edited by Dr. J
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Hedon James

I have installed Zorin in a VBox environment, as well as on others' machines, but it's been a awhile (version 9?). I liked it...it's almost a dead-ringer for Windows appearance, which is its stated goal, so mission accomplished! And FWIW, there IS a lightweight version of Zorin. The main version is a heavily themed Gnome desktop, while the Lightweight version is a heavily themed LXDE desktop. They're nearly identical in appearance, but some of the default applications are different.

 

My mother has an Acer atom-based netbook that originally had WinXP, which started to give her fits with its crashing, especially when using Skype. She mainly uses it to Skype my out-of-state brother, to Facebook, to websurf, to check e-mail, and to collect cooking recipes. She was gonna buy a new machine but lamented the price of a new laptop, and the much larger size (she very much prefers the netbook form factor). So I installed the Zorin LXDE version on there, tweaked the video setting (troublesome Poulsboro chip in that machine...GRRRR!!!!) and installed Skype. She was thrilled with how much better that machine ran (better than WinXP ever did!) and asked if it was "that new windows". I was tempted to lie and say "why yes...yes it is"....but I explained that it was a lightweight version of Zorin Linux, chosen specifically for HER computer usage and the hardware constraints of the weak atom-based processor of that machine. With that said, I specifically told her to NOT download any Windows software to that computer, that Zorin could install any software she wanted "as long as it was downloaded from the Zorin website" (a/k/a Software Center!). She seemed satisfied with those explanations.

 

That was about 4-5 years ago. She's STILL using that machine, in the same way, for the same things...with no issues whatsoever! She used to call weekly with a WinXP issue on that machine...now, nothing in 4-5 years! It was definitely a worthwhile investment in time (that Poulsboro chip was such a HUGE PITA that I never want to deal with one again) that has more than paid itself back. Plus, mom saved a couple hundred bucks, of which MS didn't get a cut, thereby perpetuating the cycle. All the right people won, and all the right people lost on that one!

 

So yes, I'd say try ZorinLT on that machine. And if it isn't for you, or THAT machine, take Ray's advice and use it as a testbed for other Linux distro, with NO FEAR whatsoever of messing up your main machine (this is how I got started...a NO FEAR spare machine that I could bugger up as severe as possible and, if I couldn't fix it, a "nuke the whole thing and re-install" was a viable option!) (you'd be amazed how brave you get when the worst thing that can happen is that you're going to get a new OS for your computer!) And if that isn't for you, take SBs advice and make it a server! Re-cycle that baby....you have options!

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+1 for Ray's suggestion of MX-15. I'm now running it as my main system and while I miss some of the great features of siduction with KDE Plasma 5, there are no significant issues and it runs smoothly and is very responsive. The main reason I changed was because of current internet limitations preventing me from doing regular updates which are essential with siduction.

Try it, you may like it! :thumbsup: B)

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MX-15 is the perfect distro for a memory challenged (1GB max), Atom based, Linux unfriendly netbook like the Dell Mini 12. Only LXLE comes close.

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Call me a lazy technophobe, but if I can get a good looking Xfce distro to work on a low spec unit I'll take it.

I haven't worked enough with ultralight window managers to know how to fix stuff if I manage to delete a panel or lose a launcher or two (as I inevitably will.) So I spend a lot of time Googling.

MX-15 really impressed me when it dealt easily with that crummy Poulsbro video chip and configured a really nasty Broadcom wifi adapter - right on the live ISO. I knew it was a keeper and everything worked great after I got it installed. It even has the vertical panel for launching stuff - not that I care on a 1280X800 display.

Edited by raymac46
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Hedon James

Call me a lazy technophobe, but if I can get a good looking Xfce distro to work on a low spec unit I'll take it.

I haven't worked enough with ultralight window managers to know how to fix stuff if I manage to delete a panel or lose a launcher or two (as I inevitably will.) So I spend a lot of time Googling.

MX-15 really impressed me when it dealt easily with that crummy Poulsbro video chip and configured a really nasty Broadcom wifi adapter - right on the live ISO. I knew it was a keeper and everything worked great after I got it installed. It even has the vertical panel for launching stuff - not that I care on a 1280X800 display.

 

You are one of the most visible and adventurous posters on this board! When I think of Ray, neither lazy nor technophobe are anywhere near those thoughts. (Now that VT guy is a different discussion....HE is a slacker! ;) ) I have no issue with anyone recommending MX as a viable low-spec distro. I tinkered with MX14 in a VM and was quite impressed with it...unexpectedly so; I liked the "Unity appearance" with the left panel and its responsiveness. I almost decided to switch to it as my main distro! Almost.... When I started researching it, I learned it was a collaboration of Mepis (known for UX polish) and AntiX (known for lightweight performance), using a Debian base (the mother of rock-solid distros, with a lengthy historic pedigree), and an XFCE desktop environment. Didn't know much about XFCE, so started investigating that, and liked what I learned. But it also planted the seed in my brain that "if XFCE is used as a lightweight DE, why not just use LXDE as an even lighter-weight DE?" Which kicked me over to the track that I am on today. So technically, MX is the reason that I'm an LXDE fan today. Not because there's anything wrong with XFCE, but because it opened my eyes (and my mind) to a different concept...a "better way" for ME!

 

With that said, I suspect that AntiX and Mepis agreed on XFCE as the DE of MX because it was the perfect "middle ground" of lightweight (AntiX's forte) and UX polish (Mepis' forte). If I wasn't the tinkerer that I am, XFCE would be my preferred DE, and MX would be my recommendation for the best implementation of that DE. And if it suits you, and performs well enough on the machine, isn't that enough to call it a "good choice." IMO, "good choices" only take the hardware into account; the "best choices" collectively consider the hardware AND the user.

 

So in my mind, everyone can recommend "good choices", but the "best choice" can only be determined by the end user! JMO...

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Well call me adventurous again. I had a spin of antiX in VirtualBox, it looked interesting so I installed it on one of my junk netbooks (Acer 1.5 GB RAM with linux friendly hardware.) It seems very responsive and I haven't broken anything so far.

I've updated and installed Midori (default is Iceweasel.)

MX-15 is prettier with Xfce but the default for Antix is one of my favorite lightweights - IceWM.

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Antix is one of my favorite lightweights - IceWM.

As it happens, the first time I used Gnome 3 was with OpenSuSE, and I relatively disliked the interface, but OpenSuSE also shipped with IceWM, so I used that for a while before curiosity got a hold of me and I went back to Gnome and got the hang of it.

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Hedon James

I really like AntiX...a lot! It's a little spartan for MY use as an everyday driver, but it's perfect for lightweight & portable computing. The sort of stuff netbooks were designed for... Can't remember if IceWM is the default or Fluxbox, but I know both are available once installed. Just choose at login!

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I've had to geek it up a little with AntiX. The old Acer netbook has a card slot where I have some extra SD card storage. Linux Mint found and mounted it OK but AntiX did not. So I had to treat it like a second hard drive and edit /etc/fstab to mount it at boot. That should not be a problem as I don't remove the card from the PC.

 

screenshot_zps4otbgykr.jpg

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Yes I really like it on this netbook. Linux Mint Xfce was running on it before and it was a little heavy. It'll never be a speed burner but it's surprisingly good with antiX.

It's a bear to configure though. It took me an hour to get some icons set up on the desktop so my wife will be able to use it. IceWM doesn't have icons so you need to use ROX, drag the application.desktop from /usr/share/applications out onto the desktop. Then you have to make an icon out of it. Not as easy as right click -add to desktop with Xfce.

It's ironic how these netbooks - which have theoretically been dead since 2012, ran like pigs with Windows or had a brain dead Linux installed at the factory - can be made into a very nice little unit with a 2016 Linux distro.

I ran an early generation AntiX on a very old Pentium II laptop but it couldn't start the fan since the laptop had APM, not ACPI. AntiX has come a long way.

Edited by raymac46
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Hedon James

Yes I really like it on this netbook. Linux Mint Xfce was running on it before and it was a little heavy. It'll never be a speed burner but it's surprisingly good with antiX.

It's a bear to configure though. It took me an hour to get some icons set up on the desktop so my wife will be able to use it. IceWM doesn't have icons so you need to use ROX, drag the application.desktop from /usr/share/applications out onto the desktop. Then you have to make an icon out of it. Not as easy as right click -add to desktop with Xfce.

It's ironic how these netbooks - which have theoretically been dead since 2012, ran like pigs with Windows or had a brain dead Linux installed at the factory - can be made into a very nice little unit with a 2016 Linux distro.

I ran an early generation AntiX on a very old Pentium II laptop but it couldn't start the fan since the laptop had APM, not ACPI. AntiX has come a long way.

 

Instead of dragging from usr/share/applications to desktop, why not just copy icon from that location and paste into "desktop" folder of Roxfiler? It does the same thing, but with less steps.

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That was the first thing I tried to do. I don't see a paste option. Dragging from the /usr/share/applications directory to ~/desktop does move the icon over there but it doesn't show up on the actual desktop.

The only way I found that works is use the middle mouse button, drag ithe icon onto the desktop and then it shows up.

If you find that the copy and paste works for you, please post a how-to in the thread or as a separate post.

I told you I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed with these lightweight WMs. Generally I just use the menu but I have other people who are using the machines and they expect some sort of point and click facility.

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securitybreach

Why not simply make a link?

 

ln -s /usr/share/applications/example ~/Desktop/

 

(replace example with the filename)

 

That will simply make an syslink to the executable in the ~/Desktop directory

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The problem is not getting an application file link to reside in the ~/ Directory. You can do that a variety of ways and yes it shows up there. However it does not show up graphically anywhere on the desktop. Rox must handle this a different way. There are a couple of links in the ~/ Desktop directory that do show up on the Desktop but they were there at the time of installation.

The combination of Rox and IceWM is a much different animal than Xfce or Cinnamon.

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Hedon James

I didn't realize IceWM doesn't handle icons. My bad...shows how much I have NOT customized AntiX. I saw the Desktop folder and assumed (you know the saying about "assume"!) it worked like every other desktop folder I've ever seen. But I couldn't get it to work that way either. Google time...looks like IceWM doesn't allow for desktop icons. Must have Rox (or other programs) installed, but Rox is already there, so I'd think that's the way to go. Here's what I found on the AntiX site:

 

http://antix.mepis.org/index.php?title=Rox_tips_and_tricks_Adding_Icons_to_Desktop

 

I was looking at editing the "pinboard" but could only find the settings in the hidden .config/rox.sourceforge.net/ROX-filer/pb_antiX-icewm file. But maybe this is a better way:

 

http://rox.sourceforge.net/desktop/node/169.html

 

ROX Filer seems to be a lot like PCManFM in how it manages the desktop, but even lighter weight. As long as you're planning on using ROX Filer as your default file manager, this might come in handy:

 

http://rox.sourceforge.net/Manual/Manual/Manual.html#id2456497

 

Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm glad you had this issue Ray....I always learn something new here, whether I meant to or not. I feel like the Karate Kid hearing Mr. Miyagi say "come back tomorrow"...and I'm hooked, I will!

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I think Rox has its own way of doing things and the Pinboard is already set up and active in AntiX. I have been able to drag the icons over to the Screen but once they are placed I can't move them around.

If you don't mind a little strangeness AntiX is a great choice for an old notebook. However MX-15 with Xfce is more my style. Given that MX-15 handles all the quirks of my Dell Mini 12 with ease, I'll leave it there I think

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Hedon James

you could also install iDesk program/utility, which handles icons on desktop. Recommended for icon management on desktop of Openbox distros. I prefer a clean desktop, and hate icons cluttering up my workspace, so I've never really used that program. But I see lots of icons on desktops, so I know I'm in the minority...

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Having looked at the hidden .config directory I understand how Rox handles the "icons" now, as there is an antiX-iceWM pinboard and the stuff I dragged onto the desktop is in it.

Probably you could have a different pinboard if you used JWM or Openbox.

The icons in the Desktop file would not come into play unless you had a window manager that supports icons and looks in there to get the initial icons for the desktop. Something like Xfce I guess.

I'm not a fan of desktop icons either but I don't get in the way if someone else wants them, especially when they aren't asking me to locate their favorite program somewhere in a menu.

Don't laugh - my wife was flummoxed using Windows today because I updated Libre Office and forgot to put its icon back on the bottom panel where she was used to seeing it.

Edited by raymac46
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We certainly are wired a bit differently than the average PC user. I mean, I find out about a new distro, try it in VirtualBox, install it on a netbook and then spend time figuring out how to configure it. Whereas I have received an old PC donation with a 10 year old version of XP on it that still has the default wallpaper.

My wife knows a couple who went SIX MONTHS without using their printer because they didn't know how to set it as the default in XP.

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