Re: [libreoffice-users] [OT] Operating Environment Survey

Hi :)
I'm sure many on this mailing list would be willing to help you get
started.

There are various ways of doing quite a lot of test-driving before
committing yourself to anything.



1.  It is probably good to 'rescue' an older machine from somewhere in
order to test-drive a few things first just in case you run into any
misunderstandings or accidents.

2.  Alternatively, it can be neat if you are comfortable enough (and good
enough) with hardware and have a desktop or other machine where it's easy
to plonk in a 2nd (or 3rd or whatever) hard-drive and just leave it in
there.  Then when you want to try out linux you just unplug your Windows
drive(s) and plug in your Linux one.  That can usually avoid needing to
mess around with the bios but not always - but at least if it doesn't work
or something goes wrong then you can just plug your Windows drive(s) back
in to get back to where you were.

3.  A much safer way would be to create a Virtual Machine inside Windows.
This is MUCH easier than it sounds!  Basically just install the program
"Virtualbox" in Windows just the same as you would install any other
program.  There are a lot of other such programs but Virtualbox is free and
fairly friendly for point&click users.

4. If you are confident enough to risk using a machine that you kinda
depend on at the moment then we can probably give some help with that too.


Option 3 is probably the quickest, safest and easiest way to start but it
doesn't give much of a feel for what is really going on.  I feel i
understand things better if i can physically get my hands on them.  But
maybe start with 3 and then move on to one of the other options?


Let us know which option you think you can handle, when you have time to
dip your toe into the new adventure! ;)
Regards from
Tom :)




On 21 July 2015 at 20:27, anne-ology <laginnis@gmail.com> wrote:

>        Wow, you're survey has me interested;
>            and I'm quite amazed at the results which have been posted so
> far ...
>
>        [see my responses intermingled below in your query]
>
>
>
> From: James E Lang <jim+lou@lang.hm>
> Date: Sat, Jul 18, 2015 at 8:25 PM
> Subject: [libreoffice-users] [OT] Operating Environment Survey
> To: users@global.libreoffice.org
>
>
> The big discussion of Linux over the past 24+ hours has me wondering: What
> operating environment(s) do other members of this list use at home and at
> work? What factors influence the choice?
>
>        [I've considered switching to Linux or Ubuntu; but need someone to
> guide me along the way  ;-)]
>
> To set the tone, here are my answers:
>
> • I am retired so "at work" is not applicable
>
>        [ditto;
>           although I noticed when I became semi-retired, I was busier -
>          now I'm really busier; I have piles of data to look o'er yet ne'er
> seem to have the time to so do]
>
> • At home we have a desktop dual boot Windows XP (and Ubuntu Linux)
> computer, a laptop dual boot Kubuntu Linux (and pre-installed Windows
> Vista) computer and several other laptop, desktop, and dedicated server
> (Ubuntu Linux based) computers. I also have Android Lollipop, Android Kit
> Kat, and Android Jelly Bean tablets and phones. I have nothing from Apple.
>
>        [wow, how do you use so many computers;
>            I still have the last desktop computer (MSFT), still hooked to
> the 3-in-1 printer (non-functioning) - switched to laptops (MSFT, WIN 7);
>            and hand-held ACER (MSFT)]
>
> • Windows XP is used primarily for single player gaming and e-Sword Bible
> software though it also is used to run LO, FireFox and Pegasus Mail
> (proprietary though free of cost).
>
>        [single-player gaming ? - curiously wondering how anyone has time
> for games on these machines?]
>
> • Kubuntu Linux is my general purpose "go to" environment. My first Linux
> system used what I believe was the penultimate marketed version from SuSE
> before the first release of Open SuSE. I liked the flexibility that was
> inherent in the KDE desktop environment and found the UI to be quite
> similar to that of Windows at the time. I have briefly tried Gnome and
> Unity desktop environments but KDE is my personal first choice.
>
>        [curiously wondering what all that is?]
>
> • If I had a tablet computer that I thought could support my Linux usage
> it, too, would run Kubuntu Linux, LO, etc.
>
>        [so are those programs too large for laptops, ...;
>            I'm sold on the laptop as a WIN-WIN situation: (1) if the
> electricity pops off, the battery allows whatever not to be lost; (2) it's
> portable for maintenance as well as presenting programs, etc.]
>
> • Apple equipment is too expensive for me and from what I've heard about
> the company's software policies, they are too restrictive to suit me.
>
>        [my first computer was that Apple 2E; which continually had
> problems]
>
> • Dual boot capabilities are seldom used to deviate from the above
> information.
>
>        [wow, you mean you run all your computers at once?]
>
> • The BSODs on Windows influenced my initial adoption of Linux.
>
>        [BSODs ???]
>
> --
> Jim
>
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