Windows 8 finally did it: default OS is now Ubuntu

Forum dedicated to computer hardware and software, mobile phones and electronic gadgets.
User avatar
MinisterofDOOM
Moderator
Posts: 34350
Joined: Wed May 19, 2004 5:51 pm
Car: 1962 Corvair Monza
1961 Corvair Lakewood
1997 Pathfinder XE
2005 Lincoln LS8
Former:
1995 Q45t
1993 Maxima GXE
1995 Ranger XL 2.3
1984 Coupe DeVille
Location: The middle of nowhere.

Post

I've been dual-booting Linux for years and years. Early on it was just for fun/exploration/learning. But as time went on it became more of a mainstay/true alternative to my Windows installations.

The big problem was always this:
I am a gamer. And my PC is for gaming. It's not for productivity or word processing or anything. It's for gaming.
Secondarily, it's for Android utilities (primarily fastboot so I can get around HTC's idiocy on my phones).

So I, like many gamers, am stuck with Windows. Whether I like it or not. And there are plenty of "not" times. Windows 95, pre-SP2 XP, Vista, 8, and 8.1 being examples.
However, thanks in large part to Steam's move to support Linux, a lot of the games I play most these days are now supported by Linux (specifically, Ubuntu).

Recently I realized 8.1 and Android SDK do NOT get along. My alternative? Set up the SDK under Linux. And since I've somehow broken the recovery on my HTC One S, I need fastboot to reflash.

So I decided to clean up my somewhat disused WUBI installation of Ubuntu, shrink my Windows partition on my gaming-dedicated 1TB drive, and install Ubuntu on a proper dedicated partition.

A few days later, I'm realizing the ONLY reason I've gone back to Windows was to uninstall games to free up space and enlarge my EXT4 partition. So that I could then reinstall them under Ubuntu.

Windows 8 is terrible. How terrible? So bad I've changed my default-launched OS in Grub to Ubuntu because I really have no desire to go back.

@#$% Windows 8. I'll use it because I have to. And only WHEN I have to.


User avatar
Red coupe
Posts: 12217
Joined: Wed Sep 15, 2004 6:51 pm
Car: 92 Nissan 240sx Coupe

Post

Meh, ubuntu is like Windows younger brother...

At least use mint, though I find any of the more complex linux distros to end up with broken or obnoxious parts.
Man up and use Arch or Gentoo :gapteeth:
Arch is actually quite a bit easier then most "it just works" distros, you just have to pay attention and read things :ohno:

The older I get the less I need I guess... I don't really play games anymore, and replacing the ~700mbs that unity or KDE want, or even the ~200-300mb DE options with ~3mbs of i3 and a network manager applet has made things so much faster and easier. Full desktop suits don't really make sense if you actually know whats going on with your system... You just kinda need a terminal, and application lancher and a way to manage your X windows...

User avatar
MinisterofDOOM
Moderator
Posts: 34350
Joined: Wed May 19, 2004 5:51 pm
Car: 1962 Corvair Monza
1961 Corvair Lakewood
1997 Pathfinder XE
2005 Lincoln LS8
Former:
1995 Q45t
1993 Maxima GXE
1995 Ranger XL 2.3
1984 Coupe DeVille
Location: The middle of nowhere.

Post

I actually switched to Kubuntu and then Mint a while back. I have also set aside 200GB for an Arch install, but haven't done it yet because I've read about lots of issues with Grub and UUID mismatches when trying to dual-boot the two and, frankly, there's nothing more tedious than @#$%ing around with Grub just to get an OS to boot.

I really like the concept of Arch. I particularly like the idea of Pacman and the hybridization of a package manager with make functionality--so much more logical than PPAs, which I detest with a passion. PPA's are such a clunky, inelegant solution to maintained package managment, even if you ignore the huge security hole they punch in a generally very secure platform.

I'd like to get an arrangement that lets me use Mint for gaming thanks to its Ubuntu base and broad support, and Arch for everything else thanks to its simplicity and straightforwardness.

As for Ubuntu, I liked Unity at first (there are still some usability aspects I like in theory) but grew weary of it rapidly. It's slow, overly stylized and underoptimized, and puts emphasis on the wrong functions. I do like the sidebar (for application switching and pinning) being separate from the panel, but that's about the extent of my praise. Icon-only task managers for KDE and Cinnamon are an acceptable compromise if it means using a DE that's better all around.

User avatar
Red coupe
Posts: 12217
Joined: Wed Sep 15, 2004 6:51 pm
Car: 92 Nissan 240sx Coupe

Post

Then don't f*** with grub :D
Go with like gummiboot or syslinux :)

I read the Arch forums quite a bit, and have never heard of Grub and UUID issues.... Unless you don't use the right tag option to tell it to use UUIDs instead of /dev/sdawhatever....
Besides, aren't you using grub now? Its not like with arch you have to install arch grub... Grub is grub. Arch does push out the newest version pretty quick... But OK, don't install boot loader in arch,after install just reboot to your mint system (chroot in) add an entry for arch to /etc/grub.d/40_custom as shown https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Grub (probably in the advance config section) then let Mint handle Grub and it will stay an older more "stable" (yeah right, arch has been so much more stable then mint :P) version but will still boot your grub partition.... Again just skip installing a bootloader when you go through the default install, you have to choose one and do it manually anyways, not like something you will install on accident.
EDIT: You would add an entry like this
menuentry "Other Linux" {
set root=(hd0,2)
linux /boot/vmlinuz (add other options here as required)
initrd /boot/initrd.img (obviously on both lines make sure /boot/ is the correct directly but probably is)
}
Probably can avoid the concern over using UUIDs instead of hard drive numbers with the following info off the Wiki
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Gr ... _scripting

I think arch would work just as well for gaming... They were after all one of the first distros to have steam when it was only for Ubuntu. I have never seen a smarter userbase or better documentation... And I am not just limiting that to linux.
Most of your issues or things to sort out would be related to wine configuration yes?


And again, f*** desktops... I am not a child, I can use a console, remember what keys I mapped things to. If you haven't tried running just a window manager, do it... I think you will quickly realize that all you need is a way to manipulate windows, a way to launch the applications you need and a display of relevant information... I guess some kinda panel to show what is minimized if you use a floating window manager (why? use another desktop, don't minimize :P)


Return to “Computers / Electronics”