Guest tx2sturgis Posted March 15, 2014 #76 Posted March 15, 2014 (edited) I bough 7. For me its a learning curve. Why in the world it has to do some of the stupidest stuff. Programs wont work right unless you run them as "admin" Geeze I 'm the only one using the machine for cripes sakes. If I didn't want it to run I wouldn't have clicked on it. Now if I can figure out how to make tabs show at bottom for the web pages I have open like XP that would be handy. I have a couple of suggestions. Keep in mind I am NOT a windows guy...I just kinda muddle thru it. First, IE is a pain to use. Go to mozilla.org, and download Firefox. If you have bookmarks in IE, Firefox can import them during the install, if you click on that option. Firfox will be easier to use...and you can easily bookmark webpages by dragging the tabs to the bookmark bar or bookmark folders. (Just right click on the bookmark bar to create new folders). As far as admin privileges. You can turn that option off. But....keep in mind that viruses and malware can easily install themselves if there is no credential check in the system. Drive by a bad website, click here, POOF! Instant virus. In fact...most experts advise that after you get it running the way you want, then you should create a guest account and operate your computer all the time from that guest account. IF you need to install something...go to the admin account and do it. It turns out that viruses and malware have a harder time installing themselves in Windows if you are running in the guest account. Guess what? In linux and mac, we ALWAYS run them as a guest user. EVERYTIME you try to make an important change to the computer, it will ask you for your password. It is simply a DUMB thing that Microsoft lets the buyer of the computer also be the administrator...ALL THE TIME. Bad things happen sometimes. Just because someone wrote the check for the computer does NOT mean they are a security minded, experienced, knowledgeable user. If your computer asks you 'are you SURE?'...be very glad it does that. Also, Microsoft Security Essentials is a pretty decent malware scanner. Its free, and doesnt bother you with ads or subscription fees. It works well, and doesnt bog down the system. If you have already activated Norton or whatever crapware that came with win7....oh well. You can try uninstalling it, but Norton is pretty aggressive about getting you to subscribe and...good luck. If you want to put in some time getting rid of Norton, and installing MSE...I think its worth the effort. Edited March 15, 2014 by tx2sturgis
SilvrT Posted March 15, 2014 #77 Posted March 15, 2014 Been a few days (or weeks) and still running RoboLinux. Similar to Brian, search seems useless. Haven't been able to get my Canon Pixma scanner to work via scanning software; however, it is recognized as a printer and I can print to it. That wasn't an issue with Linux Mint. The Windows 7 VM Installers (which they want a $2 donation for) install fine but I've yet to get Windows to install in the VM. Again, I haven't had this problem on other Linux distros although I've only tried it on a couple. SAMBA ... yes, it's a b#tch to configure but it does work once you get it right. I use Webmin. http://www.webmin.com/samba-howto.html This is a very comprehensive configuration tool and it's not limited to just Samba. As for a web browser, I use Maxthon. http://www.maxthon.com/ I've been usng this program basically since it came out when it was called MyIE (back around 2000). I use it at home and at work. Don't like Firefox or IE. Maxthon is also available for Linux but it's a beta release at this time. I'm using it and it seems to be fairly stable. Something to keep in mind when entering commands in the Terminal window ... things are case sensitive. For example, if you have a folder named Documents (everyone does lol) and you type cd documents (cd means change directory ... as in the old DOS days), you'll get an error "no such file or directory" but if you type cd Documents, it will get you into that folder. so, keep that in mind as you get further into Linux and reading some help system that tells you to type stuff into a terminal window. Additionally, get to know some of the terminal commands that do stuff. Things like su or sudo are very helpful.
djh3 Posted March 15, 2014 #78 Posted March 15, 2014 Brian I have been held hostage by a couple of the big name anti-virus. I forget who it was but I had paid and installed as recommended. Got a virus that latterly locked down the computer. It was so slow and pop up about you need to go to our site we will fix it, from a different company. So I finnaly called my paid service and told them about this. Basicly I got oh that's to bad, for $$$ we can sell you an upgraded version of our POS and it should save you from that. Since then I have been using AVAST. Also a good look thur with malware bytes.
SilvrT Posted March 15, 2014 #79 Posted March 15, 2014 . Since then I have been using AVAST. Also a good look thur with malware bytes. Avast is a decent FREE anti-virus program and I've used it for several years on my Windows machines. NEVER respond to those "popups" that say anything like "your computer has been compromised ... download this app to fix it" ... that's one of the oldest "hooks" there is and nothing but big problems will come of it.
Guest tx2sturgis Posted March 15, 2014 #80 Posted March 15, 2014 Been a few days (or weeks) and still running RoboLinux. Similar to Brian, search seems useless. I guess we need to sign up on the Robo Forum and bring this to someones attention. Additionally, get to know some of the terminal commands that do stuff. Things like su or sudo are very helpful. Not sure about jonesy, but I have been using linux for years and already have lots of time in the terminal, but...every distro is a bit different and as you know, the syntax, spacing, puntuation, and format of every command has to be exactly right...or it wont work...and could possibly have unexpected results. I havent joined the robo forum...there may be some info in there that will help get search working and the proper commands for turning on the wifi module. If they can make some improvements to the software repo, and fix the other issues, I could learn to like it. I am using it right now, and it is stable as a rock. No errors, 1.5 days uptime, and the workspace switcher is pretty cool. I'm used to a bit less 'bling' in the workspace switcher. Flash worked right out of the box..and Robolinux, with its more modern kernel, and drivers, found and properly configured the analog/digital sound card and S/PDIF ports, which Ubuntu had problems with. Robo also likes the Apple keyboard I use. It properly configures ALL the keys. BTW, If you really want a NICE keyboard, order one of the Apple 101 key aluminum keyboards...you will never go back to the POS plastic crap that most windows PCs come with: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB110LL/B/apple-keyboard-with-numeric-keypad-english-usa Also, Robo comes prepackaged with Skype, Firefox, Chrome, ISO burning apps, and several others, included. This saves time...of course you can add these to the other distros but its nice to see some optional things included. The 'start' icon, and all the apps in those nested menus, are very windows-like. Which is good for new users in linux, but bad for those of us that are used to the 'unity' desktop in Ubuntu. In unity, I can click on the unity icon, it opens a search box and window, where I can click on the app I want, OR...type in the first couple of letters of the app and it finds it right away...I dont have to remember which submenu of a submenu that it is in. It all comes down to whatever a person wants. Thats the beauty of Linux...there are so many flavors that anyone can find the one they like. Plus...no viruses!
SilvrT Posted March 15, 2014 #81 Posted March 15, 2014 BTW, If you really want a NICE keyboard, order one of the Apple 101 key aluminum keyboards...you will never go back to the POS plastic crap that most windows PCs come with: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB110LL/B/apple-keyboard-with-numeric-keypad-english-usa That's very interesting... I'm going to get me one! Do the "Command" and "Option" keys work and what do they do in Linux? I see there is no "Alt" key ... what replaces that? In RoboLinux, I can use the Ctrl+Alt+ Right or Left arrow to toggle between desktops ... what keys do that with this Apple keyboard?
Guest tx2sturgis Posted March 15, 2014 #82 Posted March 15, 2014 That's very interesting... I'm going to get me one! Do the "Command" and "Option" keys work and what do they do in Linux? I see there is no "Alt" key ... what replaces that? In RoboLinux, I can use the Ctrl+Alt+ Right or Left arrow to toggle between desktops ... what keys do that with this Apple keyboard? They are also available on ebay and other vendors too. I have used the apple wireless keyboard, and its a great keyboard also, but then you have to have bluetooth on the pc, and you will be replacing batteries occasionally. The wired kb includes the 10-key keypad, AND a couple of USB ports on it...very handy! The 'option' key has the sub-label 'alt' so its the same as on the Windows keyboards. I think the 'command' key is the same as the 'window' key on a windows kb. Robolinux maps the volume, media player controls, eject button, and brightness functions to the properly marked keys on the apple keyboard...very slick! You can also go into settings and customize it any way you like. I installed robo with this keyboard plugged in... I suspect that plugging in a new kb will require you to go into settings and tell it that you have a new kb and prefer to use the new one. There are some knockoffs of the apple keyboard on the market...I have tried a few...they just dont seem to last. This type of keyboard is generally referred to as 'island' keyboards, and are very easy to wipe down and keep clean. Just unplug it, turn it sideways, and gently wipe it down with a terry cloth lightly moistened with a very diluted cleaner like simple green. Good as new! Spend the $50 and get a nice one from Apple. You will love it!
SilvrT Posted March 15, 2014 #83 Posted March 15, 2014 Spend the $50 and get a nice one from Apple. You will love it! $54.99 at BestBuy here in Burnaby .... PLUS 12% tax! ggrrrrrrrrrrrrrr http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/apple-apple-wired-keyboard-mc110ll-b-white-mb110ll-b/10176384.aspx?path=c5ccf556be431dad405ffa0b56b58153en02
Guest tx2sturgis Posted March 15, 2014 #84 Posted March 15, 2014 $54.99 at BestBuy here in Burnaby .... PLUS 12% tax! ggrrrrrrrrrrrrrr http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/apple-apple-wired-keyboard-mc110ll-b-white-mb110ll-b/10176384.aspx?path=c5ccf556be431dad405ffa0b56b58153en02 Oh c'mon...you'll spend more than that on one piece of 'safety' chrome on the bike! And the apple keyboard IS metal and kinda shiny! Besides...how many hours in a week are you typing...and how many hours are you riding? Tell the truth!
SilvrT Posted March 15, 2014 #85 Posted March 15, 2014 Oh c'mon...you'll spend more than that on one piece of 'safety' chrome on the bike! And the apple keyboard IS metal and kinda shiny! Besides...how many hours in a week are you typing...and how many hours are you riding? Tell the truth! oh, I wasn't complaining about the price of the keyboard ... just showing that it's available and at what price .... heck, $55 is very reasonable ... it was the TAX I was growling at LOL As for the typing vs riding, Not until I retire will I be riding more than typing ... unfortunately, it goes with the job
Guest tx2sturgis Posted March 15, 2014 #86 Posted March 15, 2014 (edited) And BTW...on this apple kb, ..pressing CTL-ALT and left or right arrow does switch workspaces...and pressing CTL-ALT plus the down arrow provides 3 of the workspaces that then slide with a press of the left and right arrows. Like I mentioned earlier...I'm used to workspace switchers, but robo uses more 'bling' to get it done. I usually just click on the top right workspace switcher tabs. On the other hand...Robo boots up much slower than Ubuntu. Which is really not a major problem on a desktop...but laptops...thats a differnt story. I want that thing ready to use in under a half a minute. Edited March 15, 2014 by tx2sturgis
SilvrT Posted March 15, 2014 #87 Posted March 15, 2014 On the other hand...Robo boots up much slower than Ubuntu. Which is really not a major problem on a desktop...but laptops...thats a differnt story. I want that thing ready to use in under a half a minute. MUCH SLOWER?? 60 seconds here from the time the OS starts loading until I have my desktop. After Windows, this is like light speed! I don't recall exactly how fast Ubuntu or Mint took to load but neither seemed much different.
Guest tx2sturgis Posted March 16, 2014 #88 Posted March 16, 2014 MUCH SLOWER?? 60 seconds here from the time the OS starts loading until I have my desktop. After Windows, this is like light speed! I don't recall exactly how fast Ubuntu or Mint took to load but neither seemed much different. About a minute is what I was seeing. I havent rebooted it in almost 2 days tho. Ubuntu was ready in half that time. 15 seconds if I installed it on a SSD. BTW...one more way to roll the workspaces: cursor anywhere on the desktop, but not in a window, and roll the mouse wheel. All kinds of easter eggs in robolinux... Now if they can just fix that search thing....
SilvrT Posted March 16, 2014 #89 Posted March 16, 2014 About a minute is what I was seeing. I havent rebooted it in almost 2 days tho. Ubuntu was ready in half that time. 15 seconds if I installed it on a SSD. BTW...one more way to roll the workspaces: cursor anywhere on the desktop, but not in a window, and roll the mouse wheel. All kinds of easter eggs in robolinux... Now if they can just fix that search thing.... I'm happy with a minute and don't have an SSD. I did know about the mouse wheel "trick" .. kinda cool.... try it by holding the wheel down and moving your mouse now.... :cool10:
Guest tx2sturgis Posted March 16, 2014 #90 Posted March 16, 2014 I'm happy with a minute and don't have an SSD. I did know about the mouse wheel "trick" .. kinda cool.... try it by holding the wheel down and moving your mouse now.... :cool10: Lol thats crazy! Hold the mouse button down, then while holding it down, drag the mouse up or down.... This guy was REALLY bored one day....
Guest tx2sturgis Posted March 16, 2014 #91 Posted March 16, 2014 I recorded a short clip of this stuff.... [ame] [/ame]
greg_in_london Posted March 16, 2014 #92 Posted March 16, 2014 I did like the look of that tilting/rotating set of window options - being able to have a number of programmes open that I can see are separate - work, bike, g/f etc would be nicer than tiny tabs along the bottom - so I'm not a complete dinosaur. I'm thinking that any new OS is going to have a hill to climb in terms of learning how to do things, but Windows keeps insisting on taking its best features and removing or at least hiding them and replacing them with gimmicks. The only positive thing about W8 is that it still has windows explorer, which they would love to get rid of, but presumably have finally come to understand is that that component is the only thing that makes windows work. They haven't made it that visible though and instead of opening into a sensible window, they've tried to make a desktop like a mobile phone - like trying to make a top of the range model look like a cut-down moped because they sell well with kids... What's wrong with W8 could surely be easily remedied - a way to by-pass the android screen (good on a phone, bad on a desktop) and a proper programme menu. They could do that anytime they sacked the developer/executive responsible for the mess and just pressed the button - I bet the functionality is there. So should I just wait for them to eat humble pie and fix their system, upgrade to W7 or try Linux.... At the moment the machine just gets used for Candy Crush and as a hub for the printer to connect to (I can't access the scanner properly through W8 because it doesn't have a proper programme menu, though maybe I could manually make a desktop shortcut if I dig into the programme directory..) Good thread. No drift at all.
greg_in_london Posted March 16, 2014 #93 Posted March 16, 2014 I've been watching that walk-through on the robolinux page - it's long at 24 minutes and I've taken a break (g/f wants the telly on..) but I really do like the idea of those rotating desktops - I keep losing projects for weeks or months once they're not live on the screen anymore. I'll have to try it and see if it makes the computer stagger having multiple desktops open, but if they're not active in the ram, hopefully they're not.
Guest tx2sturgis Posted March 16, 2014 #94 Posted March 16, 2014 (edited) I keep losing projects for weeks or months once they're not live on the screen anymore. I'll have to try it and see if it makes the computer stagger having multiple desktops open... I'm liking robo so far....thanks to these other guys I had to try it. But it doesnt take much for me to try out a new OS: Download the free ISO disk image, burn it to DVD or USB dongle...then boot from that DVD or dongle, and you get to see if you like the new OS...for free. If you like it, then you can install it. I always just pop in a new blank hard drive and save the old one. I'm familiar with linux, and robo is just another 'flavor' of linux...its got all the linux benefits: stable, immunity to windows viruses, large repository (app store in other words), and lots of basic functions, with no crapware....and its free for the standard version. I think the upgraded version is a $2 donation. One of the areas where linux (most distros) has been a bit lagging behind is in the 'bling' factor. Cosmetically, linux has a lot ot offer, and Ubuntu is right up there in terms of 'eye-candy' but a lot of distros were....functional, but boring. Oh, they all work, they do the job, and of course, video and webpages all look and work great. But the desktop is sometimes...generic. Uninspired. Vanilla. It all works, but after you play around with Windows7, or even 8, some linux distros can seem a bit....bland. Not ALL of them, but some of them.....and of course, that also means that linux is less of a memory hog. It works fast, doesnt bog down, and does what it is supposed to do, especially on older, slower, hardware. So nothing wrong with it at all. But I have to admit that there is a lot of eye-candy in robo....and it seems to play well with the hardware I'm using it on...always a good thing. Under the hood Linux is Linux, which is a very good thing, but having some bling is not a bad thing either....as long as it all works, and doesnt bog down, or hang the system. So far, after over two days of uptime...no problems at all...other than the search function. I will do a reboot later today to see if that fixes it. And I plan to ask the roboforum if that is normal (it shouldnt be) or if there is a bug in the distro I'm using. The neat thing about linux is that with it being open-source, community reviewed, SOMEONE will fix the bug and it should work good after that. The clip I posted was done with the built-in robo screen recorder, and then its a matter of uploading the file to youtube. Robo made THAT easy also. So like I said, lots to like here. Thanks to the guys on the 'bleeding' edge, like SilvrT and Jonsey, we all get to see whats on the table. If your not a win8 fan, you have options. Always a good thing. Edited March 16, 2014 by tx2sturgis
SilvrT Posted March 16, 2014 #95 Posted March 16, 2014 Thanks to the guys on the 'bleeding' edge, like SilvrT and Jonsey, we all get to see whats on the table. If your not a win8 fan, you have options. Always a good thing. ... and thanks to you and guys like you who take the time to explain things and share your experiences!
jonesy Posted March 16, 2014 Author #96 Posted March 16, 2014 (edited) heres 2 fixes I got by email, only for 64 bit versions only. The "Restore Your Windows Virtual Machine" is not working http://www.robolinux.org/faq/32.html Edited March 16, 2014 by jonesy correction
Guest tx2sturgis Posted March 16, 2014 #97 Posted March 16, 2014 heres 2 fixes I got by email, only for 64 bit versions only. The "Restore Your Windows Virtual Machine" is not working http://www.robolinux.org/faq/32.html Thats cool. Bugs do creep into any operating system. Even the big ones. This bug appears to be in the add-on VM side of it, not the linux core itself. Thanks! BTW, does the desktop search work on your install?
SilvrT Posted March 16, 2014 #98 Posted March 16, 2014 Went and got the Apple keyboard that Brian mentioned. Plug and Play ... works like a hot damn! Awesome feel, compact although the keys are bigger and nicer spaced. Love it! Thanks for the tip on that Brian!
Guest tx2sturgis Posted March 16, 2014 #99 Posted March 16, 2014 (edited) Went and got the Apple keyboard that Brian mentioned. Plug and Play ... works like a hot damn! Awesome feel, compact although the keys are bigger and nicer spaced. Love it! Thanks for the tip on that Brian! Hey..cool...glad you like it....after a week or two, you probably will get so used to it that the old spongy plastic keyboards will feel terrible....BTW, I prop up the top edge with a couple of stick-on rubber feet...more comfy for me that way. They seem to be well made and solid...it wont move around unless you want it to. If you use a wireless mouse with a USB receiver, like I do...I plug it into the keyboard and its amazing how much better it works when the mouse and receiver are a few inches away compared to being on the computer...plus it frees up a USB port on the computer. Those ports dont put out enough power to power a portable hard drive or charge a tablet, or smartphone, but they work fine for low power devices like a mouse or a SD card reader. Enjoy! Edited March 16, 2014 by tx2sturgis
SilvrT Posted March 16, 2014 #100 Posted March 16, 2014 If you use a wireless mouse with a USB receiver, like I do...I plug it into the keyboard and its amazing how much better it works when the mouse and receiver are a few inches away compared to being on the computer...plus it frees up a USB port on the computer. Those ports dont put out enough power to power a portable hard drive or charge a tablet, or smartphone, but they work fine for low power devices like a mouse or a SD card reader. Enjoy! heh, I have 4 USB ports on my monitor, 2 on this new keyboard, 2 on the front of the computer, and 4 on the back .... not sure if I have enough!
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