[PLUG] Linux for non-computer person

Patrick O'Connor refugia at zoho.com
Mon Jan 13 20:07:00 UTC 2025




Try this chuck.

https://wayfire.org/
https://github.com/WayfireWM/wayfire/wiki


You can get the goofy graphics on wayland.


The last release was in August. It ain't dead like Compiz. 







---- On Mon, 13 Jan 2025 10:51:21 -0800 wchast at gmail.com wrote ----


> Well I suppose it is familiarity, but I setup shortcuts and other fixes
> that make things a bit easier and then
> I just at times enjoy setting there and rotating the cube and wondering how
> I got conned into running so
> many things on 4 desktops... Then when I go give a presentation on AREDN
> (Amateur Radio Emergency
> Data Network) all the windows folks eyes pop out and they come asking how I
> do that ( 3D cube and other
> yes.. Eye candy) and I usually pick up a couple of folks that then want to
> try linux.. A win-win...
>
> I remember the first time I saw it at the Orlando Fl Hamcation (a ham radio
> conference ) and yes it was the
> cube that got my attention. The only thing that I miss is back then they
> had a screen saver that would come
> up and show the cube slowly rotating with the view of the cube zoomed out
> so it was hanging in the middle of
> the monitor. That was back I think about 2005.
>
> I have been using it for a long time and it has kept me happy with the
> shortcuts and other neat stuff and the
> eye candy to drive windows users crazy.
>
>
> On Mon, Jan 13, 2025 at 12:33 PM Tomas Kuchta
>
> wrote:
>
> > I hope that I am not taking too much of your time - What drives you to
> > Compiz?
> >
> > I Googled it - it looks like an eye candy/gimmick based on the description,
> > no disrespect meant --> "Compiz is a compositing window manager for the X
> > Window System, using 3D graphics hardware to create fast compositing
> > desktop effects for window management"
> >
> > I am really just curious,
> > Tomas
> >
> > On Mon, Jan 13, 2025, 13:08 Chuck Hast
> wrote:
> >
> > > Again a lot of good stuff rolls in. I read the comments, I see a lot of
> > > things that had not occurred to me.
> > >
> > > A wee bit more history here, in my case I have now for years tried to
> > find
> > > and use distros that were Compiz
> > > friendly. I like the Compiz way things are done. BUT I fear that is way
> > too
> > > much for my wife to handle.
> > >
> > > I used both Mint and Mate, and still have desktops running the latest
> > > version of Mate that had Compiz as a
> > > selectable WM. But I recently acquired a Framework 13 and ended up
> > putting
> > > Xubuntu on it because Compiz
> > > installed on the distro with a minimum of issues (I no longer am so happy
> > > to fight with "we don't think you need
> > > this" crap, if they cause me pain and agony to install it I go elsewhere
> > > now) But I do not want to put her through
> > > having to learn all of the things that Compiz can do just by the wrong
> > > click...
> > >
> > > I did try the latest iteration of Ubuntu but it seemed too rigid to me.
> > It
> > > seem like you could not populate the desk
> > > top with the usual app icons and directories (fie on the work folder they
> > > are STILL directories to me) I never got
> > > what I thought was a satisfactory desktop with it.
> > >
> > > Fedora and the Arch distros are very good but since I do not use them
> > much
> > > I do not want to remote them.
> > >
> > > That brings me back to Mint and Mate. Both I use here at home. But I want
> > > to make sure that I have something
> > > that I feel comfortable with locally and yes I do like the idea of the
> > > local replica of what she will have on her
> > > machine.
> > >
> > > Yes I am going to enable auto update. And I will be logging in remotely
> > to
> > > check things out and make sure
> > > all is up to date.
> > >
> > > Right now my only issue is some sort of digital signature dongle that
> > they
> > > use in Costa Rica for digital
> > > signatures. I hope it is not some sort of "windows only" piece of junk. I
> > > am trying to get as much info as
> > > I can on it.
> > >
> > > Again, thank all of you for all of the info so far. Still open to
> > > observations and recommendations.
> > >
> > >
> > > On Sun, Jan 12, 2025 at 10:01 PM Ted Mittelstaedt <
> > tedm at portlandia-it.com[mailto:tedm at portlandia-it.com]>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > Chuck since you are going to be her technical support department and
> > get
> > > > all her support calls, why are you deluding yourself that there's a
> > > > mythical Linux out there that is different than the one you use that
> > you
> > > > can give her and she won't need to bother you for help? That's the
> > > > nonsense that all the Mac fanboys spout.
> > > >
> > > > The best distro for her is what you use, because you will need to know
> > > > what she is using inside-out like the back of your hand.
> > > >
> > > > You ARE going to get the "where's the any key" calls. It's simply
> > > amazing
> > > > how creative luddite users are at stumbling over the most obvious
> > aspects
> > > > of computer usage there are out there.
> > > >
> > > > Spend a few hours reading the following:
> > > >
> > > >
> https://www.reddit.com/r/talesfromtechsupport/[https://www.reddit.com/r/talesfromtechsupport/]
> > > >
> > > > Then resign yourself.
> > > >
> > > > Ted
> > > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: PLUG
> On
> Behalf Of mo
> > > > Sent: Sunday, January 12, 2025 5:32 PM
> > > > To: Portland Linux/Unix Group
>
> > > > Subject: Re: [PLUG] Linux for non-computer person
> > > >
> > > > Linux mint for newbies. Just easy. Not my pref but it's what I used
> > when
> > > I
> > > > was newbie. I recommend budgie desktop too.
> > > >
> > > > On Sun, Jan 5, 2025, 07:56 Chuck Hast
> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > I think is is coming down to Mate and Mint, having run both (more
> > Mate
> > > > > then Mint because up until recently Compiz was one of the selectable
> > > > > window managers on Mate, I have Mate machines running Compiz with I
> > > > > think it is 22.04, but at some point Mate decided to drop Compiz as
> > an
> > > > > option, I tried to install it anyhow but ran into all kinds of
> > issues.
> > > > > That is when I turned to Xubuntu, installing Compiz on it was very
> > > > > easy and it all just worked, as it used to with Mate. My work with
> > > > > Mint was similar, installing Compiz on it was easy and it was one of
> > > > > the window manager solutions then they dropped it, I moved to Mate
> > > > > then. That is my history with those distros. I still install them for
> > > > > folks. I let them test both and tell me which the like then I set the
> > > > > machine up with the preference.
> > > > >
> > > > > Still I am all ears if anyone has comments.
> > > > >
> > > > > On Sat, Jan 4, 2025 at 5:56 PM Richard England
>
> > > > > wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > > Frame work also has official support for Fedora. I run MATE on mine
> > > > > > and I am quite happy with it.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > ~~Richard
> > > > > > Non fenestras quia MCMXC
> > > > > >
> > > > > > On 1/4/25 06:51, Kunal Zodape wrote:
> > > > > > > I think for Framework there is official support for Ubuntu
> > 24.04.1
> > > > > > > LTS
> > > > > so
> > > > > > > you can use that and have all peripherals like fingerprint reader
> > > > > > > and webcam working out of the box. For non-Linux folks trying to
> > > > > > > get into
> > > > > it
> > > > > > I
> > > > > > > generally recommend the most well documented and stable ones but
> > > > > > > if you want you can choose some of the off-beat community
> > > > > > > supported Distros as well.
> > > > > > > *Pick your poison:*
> https://frame.work/linux[https://frame.work/linux]
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Regards,
> > > > > > > Kunal
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > On Sat, Jan 4, 2025 at 7:35 PM Chuck Hast
>
> > > wrote:
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >> Good day folks and happy new year...
> > > > > > >> I am about to install linux on a computer for my wife. It will
> > be
> > > > > > >> a Framework 13. Now the fun part.
> > > > > > >> My wife has been a real luddite, but he smartphone has slowly
> > > > > > >> showed
> > > > > her
> > > > > > >> that she needs to have
> > > > > > >> a real computer for daily work. She wanted something small and
> > > > > > >> light I showed her the Framework 13 I have, she wants one.
> > > > > > >>
> > > > > > >> So my question is what distro should I put on this thing that
> > > > > > >> will be
> > > > > > easy
> > > > > > >> for a very non-computer person to use.
> > > > > > >>
> > > > > > >> I am not with her all the time. She is in Costa Rica as executor
> > > > > > >> of
> > > > > her
> > > > > > >> father's estate, I go down
> > > > > > >> there when I can to help, and we are also starting a new
> > business
> > > > > which
> > > > > > >> entails export from
> > > > > > >> Costa Rica to USA. So she does need a computer (I have been
> > > > > > >> telling
> > > > > her
> > > > > > >> that now for many
> > > > > > >> years).
> > > > > > >>
> > > > > > >> So what distro would be best for her to start out with?
> > > > > > >>
> > > > > > >> --
> > > > > > >>
> > > > > > >> Chuck Hast -- KP4DJT --
> > > > > > >> I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
> > > > > > >> Ph 4:13 KJV
> > > > > > >> Todo lo puedo en Cristo que me fortalece.
> > > > > > >> Fil 4:13 RVR1960
> > > > > > >>
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >


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