Which FREE version of Linux?

[Laan Yaa Mo]

At work, I use Linux Mint 18. It works well.

[BobHelm]

Fred, I will answer your PM here, as my reply might be of interest to others.

I think that Zorin is a good system & well worth you looking at.
Here is a link that explains exactly how to chose your version & burn it to a USB drive.

https://zorinos.com/help/install-zorin-os/

That way you can try it without removing Windows & ensure that it will work with your equipment.

If/when you are happy with the system you could then install it as a replacement for Windows...

[fredwilliams]

^ Thanks, Bob.

I'm a bit short of shut eye at the mo'...

...I thought Zorin DIDN'T require a DVD or USB(?)

[frankieboy37]

Solus 3 is also worth a look. It offers extremely easy and quick installation and has Firefox and the full Libre Office suite installed from the get go. For the basics you are up and running immediately. I have read a number of positive reviews on it also. I installed Solus 3 Budgie without any glitches.

[BobHelm]

...I thought Zorin DIDN'T require a DVD or USB(?)

It requires you to load it to something Fred, otherwise how the hell do you expect to transfer it to your computer??
The link gives to the ability to not immediately replacing a (maybe ----) Windows operating system with an Operating system that you have absolutely no idea if it will work & (if it does) that is something that you, personally, are happy to use!!

On the other hand you can, randomly, install absolutely any operating system on your computer you like... & just see how it goes..

[deankham]

I'm running mint. Works very well.

[fredwilliams]

In the interim of getting into town to buy a USB the size of a log, I installed Win 10 for a dare and it worked.

PROS

The impact on my overall laptop experience, negligible but NEITHER neutral nor negative.

On using the 'net, QUITE substantial compared to WIn 7.

CONS

I received a WIn Update within 36 hours that took f*in' ages.

ANY OTHER PLUS AND/OR MINUS POINTS MOST WELCOME FROM ALL

[jimjay]

Send us your IP so we can have a look. : )

https://www.whatismyip.com/

[tamada]

In the interim of getting into town to buy a USB the size of a log, I installed Win 10 for a dare and it worked.

PROS

The impact on my overall laptop experience, negligible but NEITHER neutral nor negative.

On using the 'net, QUITE substantial compared to WIn 7.

CONS

I received a WIn Update within 36 hours that took f*in' ages.

ANY OTHER PLUS AND/OR MINUS POINTS MOST WELCOME FROM ALL

Regarding that first CON, that's MS's embedded stealth activity tracker and attitude adjuster spyware installed then. You have just handed over control of your internet 'experience' to the wonks in Redmond.

My mate invested in a new Windows 10 laptop for work. Comes with a free-trial version of a Norton antivirus/spyware product that prompted that an update was available and 'yes/no option to update. Selected 'yes' and the first thing it does is delete the old version. Then, it's supposed to download/install the new version. Unfortunately, since we are offshore and bandwidth limited (we have internet access but the company servers block the ports typically used by computer downloaders) so he was asked to 'make sure you have an internet connection' but was ultimately stuffed. Now he has no antivirus/spyware apart from Windows own Defender. It's Norton's crap but the assumption that everyone is 'always on' when it comes to internet connectivity is a bit of a bugger. Having a program that doesn't check for that internet connection before uninstalling an older version is annoying.

[tamada]

...I thought Zorin DIDN'T require a DVD or USB(?)

It requires you to load it to something Fred, otherwise how the hell do you expect to transfer it to your computer??
The link gives to the ability to not immediately replacing a (maybe ****) Windows operating system with an Operating system that you have absolutely no idea if it will work & (if it does) that is something that you, personally, are happy to use!!

On the other hand you can, randomly, install absolutely any operating system on your computer you like... & just see how it goes..

A lot of programs use a download a small 'stub' exe file to start the installation and then the real installation is done over the internet from the cloud. Many programs do this now. For example google earth has always been a 'stub' installed program and one has to dig around a bit to find a downloadable standalone installer for when the original installation gets corrupted and needs reinstalling (and you don't have internet connection).

[BobHelm]

I could be wrong, but I have never heard of an Operating System that had the ability to 'start itself' from within another running Operating System - unless that is being done under some sort of Virtual Environment. But, even then, the Operating System needs to start from a 'boot' situation from an ISO file rather than anything else...

Programs that contain a link to a external source are not Operating Systems & will not be capable of starting a computer in their own right..

That applies to even something as Cloud based as Google Chrome OS - i.e. the core program must first be downloaded to a physical device in order to boot the equipment at machine startup..

[fredwilliams]

Regarding that first CON, that's MS's embedded stealth activity tracker and attitude adjuster spyware installed then. You have just handed over control of your internet 'experience' to the wonks in Redmond.

The former CEO of HP, Carly Fiorina, really was worth spending a night with back in the 90s (in the same way that Sarah Palin was in the 2000s.)

But our Carly and her Billy. THE dreadful duo.

Two successive out-dating laptops being fried into oblivion by Win Updates AND the same happening to THREE friends made me suspicious.

WIth the exception of registry-geek blogs and adware pyramid sellers like Avast!, there were but two sites that offered guidance (vs "support"): MS and HP.

"Upgrade, update." "Update, upgrade." Ad infinitum.

Michael Dell would probably vouch for me on this.

[BobHelm]

At the end of November Linux Mint issued an update to the Mint 18 series- Linux Mint 18.3 'Sylvia'.
It is still based on the Ubuntu 16.04 LTS release & will be maintained until April 2021.
Although it is only an upgrade of the 18 series there are some significant improvements in it, especially in the Software Manager.

Here is a review of it in the ZDNet magazine..
http://www.zdnet.com/article/mint-18-3- ... 9605955601