Linux, continued

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Linux, continued

Post by dualstow » Sat Nov 14, 2020 3:43 pm

< previous thread > Getting into Linux, Smith1776, March 2020

Xan recently posted about spy-happy MacOS which always gets me thinking about Linux again
https://www.gyroscopicinvesting.com/for ... 7&start=12

But as MangoMan lamented in so many words, Linux is a pain in the ass. I’ll continue to use my google phone, Apple tablet and desktop Mac, so i have no illusions about privacy. I do encrypt some folders and documents.

Let’s say I wanted to keep things dead simple and only use a linux laptop for typing my journal. Then i could encrypt it and decide later if i wanted it on the Mac’s hard drive. Thanks to some members of this forum, I got a simple flavor of linux on a very old Toshiba laptop. {I think that was LXLE. Thanks, Early Cuyler]. It ran like a dream. And, i got a lot of help with Emacs. {Thanks, your-name-is-on-the-tip-of-my-keyboard. Joe? i haven’t een any posts from you guys lately}. I love Emacs.

But, just as I was customizing Emacs to make it look like the IBM pc jr of my childhood, it blew up on me.
TextEdit doesn’t blow up on me.

All that said, I’m still curious about Lenovo’s new Linux offerings.
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by vnatale » Sat Nov 14, 2020 3:48 pm

dualstow wrote:
Sat Nov 14, 2020 3:43 pm
< previous thread > Getting into Linux, Smith1776, March 2020

Xan recently posted about spy-happy MacOS which always gets me thinking about Linux again
https://www.gyroscopicinvesting.com/for ... 7&start=12

But as MangoMan lamented in so many words, Linux is a pain in the ass. I’ll continue to use my google phone, Apple tablet and desktop Mac, so i have no illusions about privacy. I do encrypt some folders and documents.

Let’s say I wanted to keep things dead simple and only use a linux laptop for typing my journal. Then i could encrypt it and decide later if i wanted it on the Mac’s hard drive. Thanks to some members of this forum, I got a simple flavor of linux on a very old Toshiba laptop. {I think that was LXLE. Thanks, Early Cuyler]. It ran like a dream. And, i got a lot of help with Emacs. {Thanks, your-name-is-on-the-tip-of-my-keyboard. Joe? i haven’t een any posts from you guys lately}. I love Emacs.

But, just as I was customizing Emacs to make it look like the IBM pc jr of my childhood, it blew up on me.
TextEdit doesn’t blow up on me.

All that said, I’m still curious about Lenovo’s new Linux offerings.
Sorry to take this on a tangent but you did write "Emacs".

I regularly use the Windows Snipping Tool to send images to a friend via email. Most of them make it through to him except some of them do not. In those cases he gets in place of the image the word: "emacs". Does this have a specific alternative computer meaning than what I am assuming you are referencing?

Vinny
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by dualstow » Sat Nov 14, 2020 3:57 pm

Vinny, i don’t know why your snips are getting “emacs-ulated” but i’m referring to the ancient text editor when I write Emacs.
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by vnatale » Sat Nov 14, 2020 4:03 pm

dualstow wrote:
Sat Nov 14, 2020 3:57 pm
Vinny, i don’t know why your snips are getting “emacs-ulated” but i’m referring to the ancient text editor when I write Emacs.
Other than the times I have seen it as described you using it today was the only other time I'd seen it.

Vinny
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by geaux saints » Tue Nov 17, 2020 5:50 pm

It's hard to get exact specs for the new machines, but it looks a lot what Dell has done in the past in terms of providing support and ensuring compatibility for Ubuntu and Fedora. The value added here is probably in ensuring that all the hardware is supported and runs well with linux, which can be an issue. Another plus is that Thinkpads are generally pretty badass computers. Of course, these are likely to be super expensive.
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by Pointedstick » Sat Nov 21, 2020 12:40 pm

The discovery that macOS is now spyware like Windows 10 is extremely disappointing and renews my confidence in the FOSS world. Sometimes it is a sacrifice, but it's important to keep in mind what other things are being sacrificed by using proprietary spyware-infested operating systems.

Personally I'm using a Lenovo ThinkPad right now and I find its Linux compatibility is rather disappointing. Power management in particular is quite bad. I'm getting to the point where I feel like my next computer will be from one of the FOSS-friendly hardware companies that only ship their computers with a FOSS OS out of the box. My wife now uses one of these (https://kde.slimbook.es/) and I am frankly a bit jealous of it. The screen, keyboard, trackpad and speakers aren't quite as nice as the ones on my Thinkpad, but everything just works instantly, the battery life is ridiculous (12+ hours of real use) and it's superfast. And frankly my standards are kind of unrealistic in the first place. :)

System76, Purism, SlimBook, and Star Labs have extremely impressive FOSS hardware these days. System76 and Purism are American companies BTW. Though Purism is somewhat dysfunctional internally, and I'm not sure I'd recommend their products at the moment.

Also I'm hoping to work with some of the Lenovo folks to improve this over the course of the next year or two.
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by Smith1776 » Sat Nov 21, 2020 12:43 pm

Pointedstick wrote:
Sat Nov 21, 2020 12:40 pm
The discovery that macOS is now spyware like Windows 10 is extremely disappointing and renews my confidence in the FOSS world. Sometimes it is a sacrifice, but it's important to keep in mind what other things are being sacrificed by using proprietary spyware-infested operating systems.

Personally I'm using a Lenovo ThinkPad right now and I find its Linux compatibility is rather disappointing. Power management in particular is quite bad. I'm getting to the point where I feel like my next computer will be from one of the FOSS-friendly hardware companies that only ship their computers with a FOSS OS out of the box. My wife now uses one of these (https://kde.slimbook.es/) and I am frankly a bit jealous of it. The screen, keyboard, trackpad and speakers aren't quite as nice as the ones on my Thinkpad, but everything just works instantly, the battery life is ridiculous (12+ hours of real use) and it's superfast. And frankly my standards are kind of unrealistic in the first place. :)

System76, Purism, SlimBook, and Star Labs have extremely impressive FOSS hardware these days. System76 and Purism are American companies BTW. Though Purism is somewhat dysfunctional internally, and I'm not sure I'd recommend their products at the moment.

Also I'm hoping to work with some of the Lenovo folks to improve this over the course of the next year or two.
I've ALWAYS had a soft spot for Thinkpads. I love them. The keyboard, the simplistic design, the minimalism, the trackpoint, the no nonsense air about them. I'll always remember my old T60 fondly....

Pointedstick, have you ever been tempted to use the Tails OS broadly in your tech life?
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by Pointedstick » Sat Nov 21, 2020 12:52 pm

Smith1776 wrote:
Sat Nov 21, 2020 12:43 pm
Pointedstick, have you ever been tempted to use the Tails OS broadly in your tech life?
No, that seems a bit overboard for me. I find more regular FOSS OSs to provide enough security and privacy for me. Not that privacy is really much of a thing for me anymore now that I'm somewhat of a public figure in the KDE world. Which feels odd at times, let me tell you! Still, I understand its importance to others and feel quite strongly about the subject.
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by l82start » Sat Nov 21, 2020 12:54 pm

i am taking a chance on purism, mostly to support FOSS OS and security forward computing. I am currently on a ubuntu 16.?? OS converted desk top, which works fine for my needs, i have a purism laptop that i haven't had the time or the energy to transition into my main computer yet, and i expect doing so may have a challenge or two, but i have fairly simple computing needs and the ideas behind the products are worth some support...
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by Kriegsspiel » Sat Nov 21, 2020 3:08 pm

Yowzers, those KDE Slimbooks are expensive. I've been thinking about leaving the Googleverse for Linux & Firefox/Brave for a while now. I saw that one of the recent Chromebook updates included a Linux option but I haven't tried it out yet, neither have I installed a Linux onto the Chromebook :-[ My Acer Chromebook seems to be pretty well constructed for how cheap it was, having survived several years with lots of travelling and roughhousing.
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by Xan » Sat Nov 21, 2020 3:14 pm

Pointedstick wrote:
Sat Nov 21, 2020 12:40 pm
The discovery that macOS is now spyware like Windows 10 is extremely disappointing and renews my confidence in the FOSS world. Sometimes it is a sacrifice, but it's important to keep in mind what other things are being sacrificed by using proprietary spyware-infested operating systems.

Personally I'm using a Lenovo ThinkPad right now and I find its Linux compatibility is rather disappointing. Power management in particular is quite bad. I'm getting to the point where I feel like my next computer will be from one of the FOSS-friendly hardware companies that only ship their computers with a FOSS OS out of the box. My wife now uses one of these (https://kde.slimbook.es/) and I am frankly a bit jealous of it. The screen, keyboard, trackpad and speakers aren't quite as nice as the ones on my Thinkpad, but everything just works instantly, the battery life is ridiculous (12+ hours of real use) and it's superfast. And frankly my standards are kind of unrealistic in the first place. :)

System76, Purism, SlimBook, and Star Labs have extremely impressive FOSS hardware these days. System76 and Purism are American companies BTW. Though Purism is somewhat dysfunctional internally, and I'm not sure I'd recommend their products at the moment.

Also I'm hoping to work with some of the Lenovo folks to improve this over the course of the next year or two.
A year and change ago I stopped using my latest Thinkpad in favor of a System76 machine, a Galago Pro (version 3). I wasn't keen about giving up the trackpoint and the serious, physical, real docking station. I have a Thunderbolt "dock" now and I plug in that and the video cable when I dock and undock.

Other than those minor drawbacks, it's been great. Just gave it new life with some more RAM.
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by Mark Leavy » Sat Nov 21, 2020 5:38 pm

Great to see you again, Pointed Stick. I always learn something from your posts.

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Re: Linux, continued

Post by dualstow » Sat Nov 21, 2020 6:09 pm

This is all fascinating, and I mean that sincerely, but it’s incredibly hard to be free of spying, isn’t it. Even if we gave up our Macs and Windows machines for a linux laptop, wouldn’t we still be tracked on our phones? (Any good phone options?)

I don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer. Maybe it’s about mitigating the spying where we can? Do our searching and shopping on a Linux machine and keep it simple on the phone?
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by Smith1776 » Sat Nov 21, 2020 6:35 pm

dualstow wrote:
Sat Nov 21, 2020 6:09 pm
This is all fascinating, and I mean that sincerely, but it’s incredibly hard to be free of spying, isn’t it. Even if we gave up our Macs and Windows machines for a linux laptop, wouldn’t we still be tracked on our phones? (Any good phone options?)

I don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer. Maybe it’s about mitigating the spying where we can? Do our searching and shopping on a Linux machine and keep it simple on the phone?
Very well stated, dualstow. It's like having a ship with a 1000 leaks in it, and then feeling good about yourself that you plugged one of them. This, of course, doesn't mean we should just do nothing, but a more comprehensive set of solutions to our woes is definitely needed.

There are no easy answers. I am a huge privacy advocate. I read that Cypherpunk Manifesto like... weekly, but your guess is as good as mine about how we tackle this conundrum. I do know, however, that encryption will play a central role. It's something we must steadfastly work to protect.
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by l82start » Sat Nov 21, 2020 6:52 pm

purism is working on a linux phone, "Librem 5" its a interesting project, open source, same OS as their computers..
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by dualstow » Sat Nov 21, 2020 7:27 pm

l82start wrote:
Sat Nov 21, 2020 6:52 pm
purism is working on a linux phone, "Librem 5" its a interesting project, open source, same OS as their computers..
I remember reading about that once upon a time -- probably here -- and being impressed.
I guess there's not too much available right now.
(I've got a pixel 3a myself, a google phone. And google fi is my carrier).
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by dualstow » Sat Nov 21, 2020 7:50 pm

Hmm, there's the PinePhone, which I found from the Librem 5's wiki page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PinePhone
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by l82start » Sat Nov 21, 2020 8:16 pm

libram 5 has done a few early release versions so far, they are mostly a phone geek beta test toy, but it shows promise and commercial versions are on the way?, no idea when, release dates are a bit loose

i am curious to see it though..
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by vnatale » Sat Nov 21, 2020 8:21 pm

dualstow wrote:
Sat Nov 21, 2020 7:27 pm
l82start wrote:
Sat Nov 21, 2020 6:52 pm
purism is working on a linux phone, "Librem 5" its a interesting project, open source, same OS as their computers..
I remember reading about that once upon a time -- probably here -- and being impressed.
I guess there's not too much available right now.
(I've got a pixel 3a myself, a google phone. And google fi is my carrier).
I cannot remember if until now I knew that you were also on Google Fi. You probably remember better than me if we have already had this discussion.

I went with them in June 2018 and bought from them the least expensive phone that would work with the service -- a Moto. Looks like you chose a more expensive option. Mine cost $200.

What was your reason for choosing their service? My primary was because the phone could make calls off WiFi, meaning I'd always have service in my office or my home. I'd prior tried another service (Ting) and I'd only had service at the end of my driveway, which was not going to be practical. Living in a rural area, having a phone work off WiFi is wonderful.

Vinny
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by Pointedstick » Sat Nov 21, 2020 11:17 pm

FWIW My team has been working on the Plasma Mobile version of the PinePhone. :)
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by l82start » Sun Nov 22, 2020 9:19 am

Pointedstick wrote:
Sat Nov 21, 2020 11:17 pm
FWIW My team has been working on the Plasma Mobile version of the PinePhone. :)
very cool!!
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by dualstow » Sun Nov 22, 2020 10:19 am

Pointedstick wrote:
Sat Nov 21, 2020 11:17 pm
FWIW My team has been working on the Plasma Mobile version of the PinePhone. :)
neat!
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by dualstow » Wed Oct 05, 2022 5:56 pm

Has anyone tried Fedora Silverblue?
What about Solus Plasma?
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by Pointedstick » Thu Oct 06, 2022 2:58 am

You want Kinoite, which is the KDE version of Silverblue. It is an experimental distro, but quite exciting.
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Re: Linux, continued

Post by dualstow » Thu Oct 06, 2022 6:45 am

Pointedstick wrote:
Thu Oct 06, 2022 2:58 am
You want Kinoite, which is the KDE version of Silverblue. It is an experimental distro, but quite exciting.
I’ll look into it. Thank you!
EDIT: You’re right, PS. This is what I want.
Edit2: buuut, unless they’ve made progress since this summer, it looks like Silverblue might be smoother to install and start with -
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fedora/comment ... neral_use/
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