Linux Distro

[shellylh]

Since I can't seem to get my Macbook Pro 15" (2011) working correctly with Mac OS X, I was thinking that I would try installing Linux on it (where it seems easy to turn off the discrete graphics card with a command line).  I'd probably try it out with a dual boot for now.  What is the best (but not too difficult to use) Linux distro out there (that will work with a Macbook Pro)?  Ubuntu?  Linux Mint?  Something else?  Pros and cons?  In the past, I've like the look/feel of gnome over KDE.  

 

In order to do this, I will probably need to boot into Linux for the first time without using the GUI (command line only) since the external graphics card is (for lack of a better word) dead.  

Edited September 24, 2014 by shellylh

[tkam]

Linux Mint is nice, I'm running the latest version on my desktop at work.  I'm using the version with the "Cinnamon" desktop.

[CarlSeibert]

I'm still happy enough with Fedora. They do new versions too often for my taste. (I'm still on FC 17) Systemd may or may not be the crumbling of society, depending on your software politics. (It does work and hasn't caused me any problems.) Pretty much every third party program I've wanted to use has been available as "just works" binaries, which is why I went with it in the first place.

[Dusty Chalk]

I still use Ubuntu by default because I still find it the easiest, so that's what I would recommend.  I've been doing CentOS for work (which is basically RedHat for free) and have found it quite nice, but I'm a command-line nerfherder, I just installed the desktop (Gnome) for the first time (I mean, literally, within the last hour), it wasn't too bad.  Biggest deal about CentOS is that it doesn't hardly support 32-bit no more, so if your CPU is 32-bit, I would definitely avoid CentOS.  Don't know if Ubuntu is the same, though.  EDIT:  Just looked, it still supports 32-bit with the current distro.

[grawk]

I think Mac switched to 64 bit CPUs back in like ’04, 2011 won't have any trouble.

[Dusty Chalk]

I'd still lean towards Ubuntu because fanboi.

[luvdunhill]

Why would you want to downgrade to a useless fustrating user experience? Not seeing your osx desktop is much better than being forced to see a Linux desktop /reks

Edited September 24, 2014 by luvdunhill

[nopants]

debian is nice and for the most part unbreakable if you don't do the bleeding edge stuff. i used awesome wm and it worked very well despite memory footprint being a bit large

[CarlSeibert]

Honestly, I like my KDE desktop way more than either Mac or Win 7 (which actually isn't half bad)

[grawk]

As long as the software you want to use is available, there's not a compelling reason to use one variety of computer operating system over another.  Even the world's worst operating system is reasonably usable.  The risks associated with each vary, as do the frustrations for using something lots of other people don't. 

 

The key thing is to not use a privileged account when you don't require it.  As long as you follow that precaution, and are careful about what you approve escalating privileges for, you should be fine.

[shellylh]

I like Mac OS X a LOT but if Apple starts going downhill without Steve Jobs, I would like to already be up and running on Linux (no way I'm going back to Windows).  I may also try and run Linux on my tablet.  

 

I have heard internet peoples say stuff like Ubuntu and Mint are real linux so you shouldn't use them.  I don't know what they are talking about.  

 

I will probably look more into current versions of Linux Mint and Ubuntu since I've used them a bit in the past and seem to be easy to use (and most things work "out of the box").  Do you think this might be a good reason to use Linux Mint over Ubuntu. 

 

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/06/mint-17-the-perfect-place-for-linux-ers-to-wait-out-ubuntu-uncertainty/

[shellylh]

The key thing is to not use a privileged account when you don't require it.  As long as you follow that precaution, and are careful about what you approve escalating privileges for, you should be fine.

 

Do you mean on Mac, Linux or on any operating system?  I assume by this you mean to make an admin account and a user account and only log in as a user (never under the admin account).  Is that even possible on Windows?  

[grawk]

Do you mean on Mac, Linux or on any operating system?  I assume by this you mean to make an admin account and a user account and only log in as a user (never under the admin account).  Is that even possible on Windows?  

yes, and yes.  

 

The decision about which distro you're going to use will definitely impact your choice of software available.  Linux will have trouble succeeding on the desktop in any real way until software is more self contained Hopefully the steam box helps that.  

 

I'd recommend ubuntu for that reason.  It's the most common non-business linux desktop, so has the most software available.  But check your desired software to see what they support.

[shellylh]

Does anyone know a good alternative to Little Snitch (http://www.obdev.at/products/littlesnitch/index.html) on Linux.   Little Snitch basically alerts you to any outgoing network connections and allows to to deny or allow the connection.  

[CarlSeibert]

Or for Windows? That looks like a cool program.

[shellylh]

It is a super cool program.  I'd be happy to know if there was one for Windows as well. 

[Dusty Chalk]

Windows:  ZoneAlarm, paid version.

 

Sorry, I've been meaning to get around to finding one for linux, I usually don't worry about it because linux is...whatever the opposite of ubiquitous is..."low profile"?  Or I'm doing research, in which case I use WireShark to monitor both incoming and outgoing network activity.  But it does nothing to stop it.

 

EDIT:  I think linux is finally becoming popular enough to become a concern however.

[spritzer]

Ditto on Zonealarm.  Been using it for years just for this purpose. 

[shellylh]

Thanks. 

[dsavitsk]

Are there any Windows firewalls that don't do this? The built-in firewall in Windows 7 will work at the program level, as will pretty much any off the shelf ones I have seen.

[CarlSeibert]

Eset does it, too. But not with the cool inactivity.

[Salt Peanuts]

Shelly, any progress on the Linux front?

[Dusty Chalk]

Are there any Windows firewalls that don't do this? The built-in firewall in Windows 7 will work at the program level, as will pretty much any off the shelf ones I have seen.

Wait, what?  I know you can whitelist and blacklist, but I didn't think you could do it on the fly, with every new port/program with a nice pop-up...can you?

 

(makes a note to look into it)

[luvdunhill]

Yes.

[Dusty Chalk]

@ self