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TazManiac
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Re: More Stuff

Post by TazManiac »

PS- I just successfully clean-installed Win10 back onto a quad-core Tablet.
Warrl
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Re: More Stuff

Post by Warrl »

Well, my laptop was getting a bit long in the tooth, and cramped for RAM and processor cores. I'd already removed the HD and replaced it with an SDD, with Linux on the latter. But it was time for a change.

Got a new HP laptop.

Surprise, I can't swap out the built-in SDD (with Win10) for my old (twice as large) SDD with Linux - they are different form factors - but THIS machine came with free space to plug in a second internal disk drive (and a free slot for a second RAM card, so I can go to at least 16GB if I want). So now I have both drives in the one machine and can, at least in theory, choose OSes at boot time. (Not sure why I'd ever want Win10. In fact I shrank that partition and put the Linux swap partition and /tmp on that drive.)

I'm also running Linux Mint Cinnamon. Its software manager has a boatload of software available for download from the software repositories registered with it (and yes you can register more repositories). It works with the update manager - if you have a software package installed, and a registered repository has a newer version of that package, you'll be alerted... unless you tell the update manager to ignore that package. But, unlike a certain other OS publisher's current practice, NOTHING updates automatically and NO updates are mandatory.

(By the way, among the available software are a couple of interesting items: Wine, which is a set of libraries that try to make the Windows API work on Linux, and PlayOnLinux, which makes installing some - not all - Windows software using Wine a lot simpler. With that combo, MS Word and Excel 2007 work pretty well, including VBA macros - which is fortunate because I've found the Basic in Libre Office to be quite unstable. Unfortunately, supposedly Access does not work. I haven't tried it.)
ShneekeyTheLost
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Re: More Stuff

Post by ShneekeyTheLost »

Atomic wrote:Yay! Some good info.

What Dave was saying about " it really isn't intended as a distro on which you would then install other programs or packages." Yeah - that. It's got like 10 different text editors and all sorts of versions of the same thing, but trying to install, say GIMP in native Linux form? Not a clue.
Here's how you do it in Mint:

Open the Start Menu. Click on the 'Software Manager', it will require your password to open it because it handles program installation and Mint doesn't like to let that happen without permission. Type 'GIMP' into the search bar. Click on GIMP. Click Install.

Done.

This is how you can install 90% of the software you'd want to use. For the rest, you can generally set up PPA's to automatically update things.

Uhh... let me explain. PPA is basically a repository (Repo) that a software producer maintains, which contains the most recent versions of their software (sometimes they will have several, one for the latest stable release, one for the latest dev or unstable alpha version, etc...). Once you point your computer's Software Sources to that PPA (which will require your password) you can then install the program very easily without needing to click any download buttons. Typically you'll use "sudo apt-get install <program>" and put in your password and done.

Oh, it gets better. PPA's track updates, so if the developer updates the software, you'll get a notification in your Update Manager (kind of like Windows Updater, but WAY less invasive), with a one-button click update system.

If they ask you to download and compile a tarball (something ending in .tar.gz), pass up on it until you get more familiar with Linux. And really, in general, I think I have maybe one program that I needed to do that for. Everything else either has a release in the Software Center or has a PPA you can set up.
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TazManiac
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Post by TazManiac »

Ubuntu also has the 'Software Center' (huh, it's just called software. I never use it...) but during a fresh install of the xfce based Ubuntu Studio I default to (I'm no competing- this is just based on my experience...) one of the first things I install in a brand new Linux OS is:

Synaptics Package Manager.

Here is a lifewire run down (google is my friend). Plz note it's based on the plain vanilla Ubuntu, who's front end I detest, but thats what you'll see in the screen shots (shudder).

Having the Software Center is a good thing over all; its kind of like a phone's App Store, so it's got eye candy and a focus on less 'nuts n bolts' and more ease of use'.

A lot easier than opening a command line and working out your SUDO-Fu skills... 8-)
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lake_wrangler
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Re: More Stuff

Post by lake_wrangler »

TazManiac wrote:Ubuntu also has the 'Software Center' (huh, it's just called software. I never use it...) but during a fresh install of the xfce based Ubuntu Studio I default to (I'm no competing- this is just based on my experience...) one of the first things I install in a brand new Linux OS is:

Synaptics Package Manager.
Hear, hear! That's what I use, too.
TazManiac wrote:Here is a lifewire run down (google is my friend). Plz note it's based on the plain vanilla Ubuntu, who's front end I detest, but thats what you'll see in the screen shots (shudder).

Having the Software Center is a good thing over all; its kind of like a phone's App Store, so it's got eye candy and a focus on less 'nuts n bolts' and more ease of use'.
To me, it feels a lot like hand-holding... There was another reason why I didn't care for it too much, but I forget what it was, now.
TazManiac wrote:A lot easier than opening a command line and working out your SUDO-Fu skills... 8-)
Speaking of SUDO...

Image
(Clicking on the image will take you to the comic.)
ShneekeyTheLost
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Re: More Stuff

Post by ShneekeyTheLost »

the only time you have to go command line, in my experience, is when you are installing programs from a PPA. And even then, I *think* the software manager can pull from PPA's to give you a GUI to do it instead, but I've always felt the command line was faster. Even adding a PPA can be done from the Software Center.
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AnotherFairportfan
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Post by AnotherFairportfan »

The easy way to "dual-boot" Windows and Linux is to have a machine with more than one HDD/SDD and install Windows on one and Linux on the other {and install GRUB on that one, not the "system disk" where you have Windows.

Then go to the BIOS {or UEFI, whatever} setup when you boot, and select the appropriate drive to boot one or the other...
Proof Positive the world is not flat: If it were, cats would have pushed everything off the edge by now.
Alkarii
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Post by Alkarii »

Well, damn... Every year leading up to tax season, my mom asks me for my W-2s and other relevant documents for my tax returns, because if I do it myself, apparently I'll do it wrong and end up owing (with the implication being that I won't be able to file correctly, as I must be completely stupid). I do that, and then a few weeks before the deadline, they still aren't done, so I ask her to show me how to do it myself... And it's like I never spoke, so I mention it again, and:

"Do this, and I'll file them immediately."

But no, it doesn't happen. So now, while I'm at work, they're trying to find something important for my taxes, so I don't get charged with a federal offense.
There is no such thing as a science experiment gone wrong.
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TazManiac
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Post by TazManiac »

- Alkarii: Next Year, jump the gun and get it filed before she asks. (It's EZ...) hah.

- FPF: I have never installed onto two different Hard Drives like that, sound fine, but I normally shrink the Win partition and create a 15 to 20G part. for the Linux OS, a 2 to 4G part. for the SWAP, and the largest part. for the /HOME partition. GRUB takes pretty much care of itself in this scenario, esp when the MS stuff has been installed first.
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lake_wrangler
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Post by lake_wrangler »

AnotherFairportfan wrote:The easy way to "dual-boot" Windows and Linux is to have a machine with more than one HDD/SDD and install Windows on one and Linux on the other {and install GRUB on that one, not the "system disk" where you have Windows.

Then go to the BIOS {or UEFI, whatever} setup when you boot, and select the appropriate drive to boot one or the other...
Are you saying that EACH TIME you boot, you go to the BIOS setup and choose which drive to boot from? I hope not. But if so, that is not the easiest way to do it. Just go there ONCE, and select the drive that Linux and GRUB are installed. As long as Windows was installed prior to Linux being installed, when you install Linux, GRUB will know Windows was there first and include it in its boot menu. If, perchance, you happened to install Linux while the Windows drive was disconnected, that's OK: there is a command (I forget which, but it did not take me long to find on my own) which tells GRUB to refresh its menu by scanning all the now-connected drives for any OS that you may want to boot to. So make sure your Windows drive is now connected, so that GRUB finds it and includes it in its boot menu, run the command that causes GRUB to refresh, and bingo! Once you boot your computer, you are presented with a menu, asking you which OS you want to use. You can even get fancy and go look into the GRUB menu's config file, and give it the path to an image to use as the background to your boot menu (my menu background image is that of when I reached the North Carolina State line by bicycle, after three weeks of riding...)
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AnotherFairportfan
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Re: More Stuff

Post by AnotherFairportfan »

TazManiac wrote:- Alkarii: Next Year, jump the gun and get it filed before she asks. (It's EZ...) hah.

- FPF: I have never installed onto two different Hard Drives like that, sound fine, but I normally shrink the Win partition and create a 15 to 20G part. for the Linux OS, a 2 to 4G part. for the SWAP, and the largest part. for the /HOME partition. GRUB takes pretty much care of itself in this scenario, esp when the MS stuff has been installed first.
I've not had much success doing it that way on this UEFI box with Windows 10.
Proof Positive the world is not flat: If it were, cats would have pushed everything off the edge by now.
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AnotherFairportfan
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Post by AnotherFairportfan »

lake_wrangler wrote: Are you saying that EACH TIME you boot, you go to the BIOS setup and choose which drive to boot from? I hope not. But if so, that is not the easiest way to do it. Just go there ONCE, and select the drive that Linux and GRUB are installed. As long as Windows was installed prior to Linux being installed, when you install Linux, GRUB will know Windows was there first and include it in its boot menu. If, perchance, you happened to install Linux while the Windows drive was disconnected, that's OK: there is a command (I forget which, but it did not take me long to find on my own) which tells GRUB to refresh its menu by scanning all the now-connected drives for any OS that you may want to boot to. So make sure your Windows drive is now connected, so that GRUB finds it and includes it in its boot menu, run the command that causes GRUB to refresh, and bingo! Once you boot your computer, you are presented with a menu, asking you which OS you want to use. You can even get fancy and go look into the GRUB menu's config file, and give it the path to an image to use as the background to your boot menu (my menu background image is that of when I reached the North Carolina State line by bicycle, after three weeks of riding...)
Sounds good.

Sometimes even works.

I seldom use Linux even when i have it installed; the minor inconvenience of pressing F12 at startup and selecting the proper drive is preferable to "Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. and everything goes to hell."

And it's really no different from booting to GRUB and then choosing which installation to use... The normal boot is to Windows {which it would be if i was booting in GRUB} and the few times i need to use Linux are not an inconvenience.

UEFI really doesn't like to share.
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Alkarii
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Post by Alkarii »

Well, it now looks like I'll be making $14.08 an hour either in late June or early July. When you add in the extra $0.45/hr I get because I work on the night shift, it comes to $14.53.

It's something to do with the company wanting to compete with similar companies when it comes to recruitment, so everyone gets a different raise based on their position.
There is no such thing as a science experiment gone wrong.
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TazManiac
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Post by TazManiac »

Naw, FPF, we'ze can resolve this booting issue (most of the time...).

I've only ever had a single BIOS/Computer System that I couldn't boot GRUB from in a competent manner, and that was because of a conscious decision by the vendor to hack the otherwise 'standard' BIOS firmware.
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AnotherFairportfan
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Post by AnotherFairportfan »

TazManiac wrote:Naw, FPF, we'ze can resolve this booting issue (most of the time...).

I've only ever had a single BIOS/Computer System that I couldn't boot GRUB from in a competent manner, and that was because of a conscious decision by the vendor to hack the otherwise 'standard' BIOS firmware.
UEFI.

Not BIOS.

I worked for two years at AMI, BTW.}
Proof Positive the world is not flat: If it were, cats would have pushed everything off the edge by now.
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AnotherFairportfan
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Post by AnotherFairportfan »

"Of COURSE the wolf can fly."
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Alkarii
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Post by Alkarii »

Woo! I finally got that AR-10 out of layaway. I'd already told my dad I was getting an AR-10 a couple months ago, and when he looked at the magazine, he was like "this ain't for a 5.56." I had to remind him it was an AR-10.

Though, I find it weird that the magazine holds 19 rounds. Such a weird number to choose.

Also, it's a bit heavy, but certainly manageable. Though, it certainly makes any similarly configured AR-15 look smaller by comparison.
There is no such thing as a science experiment gone wrong.
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AnotherFairportfan
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Post by AnotherFairportfan »

Alkarii wrote:Though, I find it weird that the magazine holds 19 rounds. Such a weird number to choose.
So you can load a twenty-round stripper clip through the action and finish with the magazine full and one up the spout?

===================

I'm not familiar with the weapon - i assume it's 7.62?
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Alkarii
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Post by Alkarii »

Yup. It accepts both .308 Winchester and 7.62x51mm NATO. However, it's actually hard to find magazines like the one that came with it (the metal, issue-style mags). All I'm seeing are 20rd and 25rd, sometimes with a window so I can see the remaining ammunition, and occasionally 10rd mags that for some reason actually cost more than the 25rd window magazine.

Though, I suppose I could also get more of the FAL and M14 mags, which is what mine looks like. I'm wanting to get a speed loader, so I can just shove in a whole bunch of rounds at once instead of fumbling around with them.
There is no such thing as a science experiment gone wrong.
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AnotherFairportfan
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Post by AnotherFairportfan »

Watch it - .308 and 7.62 are only really interchangeable one way - i forget which - let me google.

Quoting Wikipedia:
Although not identical, the 7.62×51mm NATO and the commercial .308 Winchester cartridges are similar enough that they can be loaded into rifles chambered for the other round, but the Winchester .308 cartridges are typically loaded to higher pressures than 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges.[3] Even though the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI) does not consider it unsafe to fire the commercial round in weapons chambered for the NATO round, there is significant discussion[4][5][6] about compatible chamber and muzzle pressures between the two cartridges based on powder loads and wall thicknesses on the military vs. commercial rounds. While the debate goes both ways, the ATF recommends checking the stamping on the barrel; if one is unsure, one can consult the maker of the firearm.
6mmBR says:
Before we go much further, we want to address the oft-posed question "Are the .308 Winchester and 7.62x51 NATO one and the same?" The simple answer is no. There are differences in chamber specs and maximum pressures. The SAMMI/CIP maximum pressure for the .308 Win cartridge is 62,000 psi, while the 7.62x51 max is 50,000 psi. Also, the headspace is slightly different. The .308 Win "Go Gauge" is 1.630" vs. 1.635" for the 7.62x51. The .308's "No-Go" dimension is 1.634" vs. 1.6405" for a 7.62x51 "No Go" gauge. That said, it is normally fine to shoot quality 7.62x51 NATO ammo in a gun chambered for the .308 Winchester (though not all NATO ammo is identical). Clint McKee of Fulton Armory notes: "[N]obody makes 7.62mm (NATO) ammo that isn't to the .308 'headspace' dimension spec. So 7.62mm ammo fits nicely into .308 chambers, as a rule." You CAN encounter problems going the other way, however. A commercial .308 Win round can exceed the max rated pressure for the 7.62x51. So, you should avoid putting full-power .308 Win rounds into military surplus rifles that have been designed for 50,000 psi max. For more information on this interesting topic, read the following articles: Gun Zone's 30 Caliber FAQ; Cruffler.com Technical Trivia, June 2001; and last, but not least, Steve Redgwell's .308 vs 7.62x51 Analysis, which really provides a definitive explanation.
SO it appears that you can definitely use m ilitary 7.62 in a .308 chambered rifle ... but there's some controversy as to whether you can use civilian .308 in a rifle chambered for 7.62.

{This is the other way 'round from 5.56mm vs .223, BTW.}
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