[PLUG] From Windows to Linux

[Richard Owlett]

Dick Steffens wrote:
> On 07/18/2014 09:34 AM, Richard Owlett wrote:
>> Windows 7 is the "last straw" for a friend who has used every
>> version since Windows 3.1.
>>
>> Evidently Windows 7 would not allow him to do something he could
>> in previous versions (There was a side comment that having actual
>> DOS would be nice.) My proposed comment is that all common Linux
>> distros allow opening a command line window. Am I correct?
>
> I believe so. My current experience is mostly Ubuntu where <ctrl><alt>t
> opens a command line window. One can also click on Applications > System
> Tools > UXTERM, or XTERM (I don't know what the difference is between
> those). I'm sure I used a command line window when I ran SUSE years ago,
> but I don't know the means of accessing it. The same is true for Red Hat
> (I used RH 7 when I first started running Linux). I have an old laptop
> on which I installed Linux Mint Mate 13. I don't have the laptop near
> me, but I know that, even though it is a Ubuntu base underneath, it does
> not respond to <ctrl><alt>t to open a command line window. I put an icon
> for that on the desktop. I'm sure I got it from a menu. That does work
> just fine.
>
>> In the past I've suggested Ubuntu and/or Debian (Gnome3 and Unity
>> being nonstarters as DE).
>> He is partial to largish systems with many apps, I like light weight.
>
> I'm happy with Ubuntu 12.04 running Gnome fallback (or classic, as I
> think they now like to call it). Getting that working to your friend's
> satisfaction may be frustrating. There are a couple of annoyances I'm
> living with, but otherwise it works well. I tried 14.04, again with
> Gnome classic, and have had a number of issues I haven't had time to
> address, so I went back to 12.04.
>
>> While chasing answers to various questions I've become confused:
>>      What is essential difference between
>>      --    Linuxmint Cinnamon
>>                and
>>            Linuxmint Mate
>
> See:
>
> http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=135464
>
> Near as I can tell Linux Mint was started to keep the old Gnome desktop
> experience. And of the two, I think Mate adheres more closely to the
> good old fashioned Gnome.


Excellent article. Thanks.
It had enough references to other things that (for the immediate 
problem) I've got sense of perspective.

It may be that Mate may be appropriate solution for one of my own 
scenarios.
IIRC there is something called "LinuxMint - Debian Edition". Web 
search todo ;)




>
>>      --    Kubuntu
>>                and
>>            Debian with KDE desktop
>>            (My impression is mechanics of accessing repositories)
>
> Can't help you with those. I haven't tried them, yet. I'm thinking about
> experimenting with KDE, but don't have the time right now.
>