Computer operating systems

[myglaren]

Not operating systems but browser - currently using Opera and was about to ask our own Mr G ^ a question only to find that there are no options for starting a new thread and no Reply button for this thread, only the quick reply button.

[myglaren]

Bought a new desktop and laptop. Installed Ubuntu on the desktop quickly and painlessly.
The laptop has Win7 installed, which is a problem in itself. My intention was to dump Windows and install Ubuntu on that too.

I hadn't reckoned with Microsoft Secure Boot though - bought the W7 as I expected it to be on W8 machines only.

It appears that Microsoft have locked out other operating systems by dint of Secure Boot, which is in my opinion a huge kick in the nuts to anyone not wishing to use Windows. Won't recognise Ubuntu on either a DVD or a dongle.
There will be a workaround but what a pain. I see class action suites emerging in legislationland.
Bloody Microsoft!

[Northern_Mike]

The names quoted in this thread, are they infectious diseases commonly caught in Africa?

Worse.

[myglaren]

Cracked it (I think). At least it is running from a dongle now and is up to now much better than Win7

[myglaren]

And installed - 18 minutes to install

[Xaccers]

Bought a new desktop and laptop. Installed Ubuntu on the desktop quickly and painlessly.
The laptop has Win7 installed, which is a problem in itself. My intention was to dump Windows and install Ubuntu on that too.

I hadn't reckoned with Microsoft Secure Boot though - bought the W7 as I expected it to be on W8 machines only.

It appears that Microsoft have locked out other operating systems by dint of Secure Boot, which is in my opinion a huge kick in the nuts to anyone not wishing to use Windows. Won't recognise Ubuntu on either a DVD or a dongle.
There will be a workaround but what a pain. I see class action suites emerging in legislationland.
Bloody Microsoft!

It isn't Microsoft Steve, it's your laptop manufacturer.
Secure Boot is part of UEFI which has replaced BIOS.
If your hardware manufacturer hasn't included the Linux certificates in the firmware then you'll have a problem.
It isn't Microsoft's fault they've not included them.
For instance, even a Windows 8 user can run into trouble if they install a soundcard with unsigned drivers.

[myglaren]

You are right Xac. It was the hardware and not the UEFI, discovered an alternative boot method and it works fine.

Linux however are having great difficulty in obtaining the requisite signed certificate from Microsoft.

[Xaccers]

You should also be able to turn it off in UEFI (BIOS was so much easier to say)

The Linux community needs to stop acting like a spoilt teenager and remember that x86 and x64 computers are not designed for Linux.
Just as my HTC HD2 wasn't designed to run Android, so even though it can, I can't expect it to be trouble free.
It used to be all about devs getting Linux to work with the hardware available and only a small group of non-devs wanting easy hassle free hardware that just works. Seems now that small group is much larger, they just want Windows but not from MS so they can say they are different.

[myglaren]

Raring Ringtail

[CitroJim]

Raring Ringtail

Happy days. I'm looking forward to it being released properly..

I suppose we should be grateful it was not called Rampant Ringtail I guess..

[Northern_Mike]

You should also be able to turn it off in UEFI (BIOS was so much easier to say)

The Linux community needs to stop acting like a spoilt teenager and remember that x86 and x64 computers are not designed for Linux.

[CitroJim]

You should also be able to turn it off in UEFI (BIOS was so much easier to say)

The Linux community needs to stop acting like a spoilt teenager and remember that x86 and x64 computers are not designed for Linux.

I run one instance of it on a Power PC Machine. An old Mac....

I find Linux runs fine on x86 machines. What makes you IT gurus say it's not designed for them? I don't understand.

[Xaccers]

You should also be able to turn it off in UEFI (BIOS was so much easier to say)

The Linux community needs to stop acting like a spoilt teenager and remember that x86 and x64 computers are not designed for Linux.

I run one instance of it on a Power PC Machine. An old Mac....

I find Linux runs fine on x86 machines. What makes you IT gurus say it's not designed for them? I don't understand.

See the previous posts between myself and Steve.

[myglaren]

Well, Unix wasn't but Linux was created with the idea of porting Unix to the PC (or initially the Spectrum QL) and BSD followed the same path.

I can't see the problem here, Linux runs fine on 386 derived hardware. I would go so far as to say that, in my experience it actually runs better than Windows.

The problem here is Microsoft strong-arming it's 'security' issues globally without giving other operating systems designers a sensible option to boot into the new hardware without jumping through hoops.
It is resolved, at least for the present, but Microsoft did appear to be doing their damnedest to exclude non-MS operating systems for as long as possible, presumably to frighten away consumers who were wary of Windows 8 but even more scared of bricked hardware.

As it turned out it wasn't the UEFI that was a problem but dumnity (mine) and a lack of awareness of how to alternative-boot the ASUS hardware, different to any foregoing machines I have dealt with - press ESC on booting

Can't say that I have been exposed to Linux users whingeing either. Most just get on with it and/or use forums like this one to pool their knowledge and experiences.
With reference to the 'rudeness' thread. Intolerance and ignorance along with arrogance and rudeness is rife on internet forums but like this one, the Linux community that I have personally experienced are almost to a man welcoming, helpful, friendly and polite.

(The now seemingly defunct ILUG (Irish Linux User Group) was the funniest thing I ever saw. Spent most of their time at drunken barbecues trying to incinerate one another with the most pyrotechnic sauces.

I first tried Linux (SüSE 7.3) a long time ago, from sheer curiosity. Had never experienced anything other than DOS and Windows. Found it not to be as daunting as many would have it. Some things were more difficult and others were easier in comparison to Windows. Getting online and networking were child's play. Printers not so much. Generally most things are pretty slick and easy now - installing printers is breathtakingly easy - plug it in and away you go.
I can't get it to talk to my phone but don't care much either.

I continued with Linux, alongside Windows mainly to see where it was going but also because of the ethos (and not least I'm a cheapskate and appreciated the lack of any fiscal transactions, although I did buy SüSE, a professional pack with eight CDs and a 400 page manual).

Used a few more iterations of SüSE until Ubuntu came along. Looked interesting and have stuck with it with a few forays into it's sister OS Linux Mint. Good but I do like Ubuntu - you can always find things you don't like about it, as with anything else but overall it does what I want it to do with less headaches that Windows (I do have Windows 7 installed but don't like it or use it).

One rueful admission is that I had to reinstall Ubuntu on my Asus laptop on Sunday. I kept getting repeated error messages with increasing frequency saying the GPU had crashed.
Twenty minutes for a clean install and all is well again.
The Toshiba laptop never gives any problems.
The desktop is back at the manufacturers with hardware problems.

[Xaccers]

MS DOS/Windows was designed along side the processors and hardware (remember MMX?).
A new graphics card for instance is going to have Windows drivers, but isn't likely to have Linux drivers, same with the majority of printers, a generic printer driver may work, but then a HP laserjet 4 Windows driver will generally work for most HP laserjet printers, but you won't get all the functionality.
Linux has never had the co-development that Wintel has.
Linux is designed to be used on the machines it's developers use, if your machine is different enough then don't expect it to work fully, while the PCs that run Windows were designed with Windows in mind.