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| Celtic Radio Community > Technical Support > AAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH! |
| Posted by: TheCarolinaScotsman 05-May-2009, 02:11 PM |
| Don't think help is available, but at least I can vent. My computer is in ICU at the moment and I'm using an old one. It does not have the hardware needed to upgrade, so I'm stuck with windows 98 and IE 5. Half the time (or more) it won't display a website, but a few tries later it will, then it won't again. I can receive mail but not send and I'm stuck with dial up (NO music!). This is the first time I've been able to get into the forums in two days. Please, let's do everything we can to appease the computer gods and get my regular computer back. |
| Posted by: Taliesin 05-May-2009, 06:12 PM |
| What was wrong with your main computer? As for your old one, it MUST be old if it can't even run Windows XP! lol Have you considered something like Ubuntu Linux for that old machine? For regular computing (i.e., not games, etc) Ubuntu Linux comes with most programs necessary, like e-mail, Instant Messaging, web browsing, and even Office-like programs. The names of the programs are often different, such as Firefox for browsing Evolution or Thunderbird for e-mail, and OpenOffice.org for the Office-like programs. (OpenOffice.org can even edit and save in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint 2003 formats.) Ubuntu is one of the most friendly versions of Linux out there, discovering and installing drivers for most hardware components with little to no work. Best of all, Linux is USUALLY FAR less of a resource hog than most versions of Windows, and so often make a lot of sense for older computers. Whaddya think? |
| Posted by: Madadh 06-May-2009, 04:22 AM |
| I have to agree with Taliesin. I have several old machines and use Linux on all of them. I like Linux for my web browsing and direct internet machine. I have more control of what can run on it and 90% of the malicious code on the internet will not work on Linux. Ubuntu is a great product and will revamp most old machines and make them useful. There is also lots of help on the net when things go wrong. |
| Posted by: Patriot1776 06-May-2009, 05:27 AM |
| Both these guys are right on BOTH accounts! Ubuntu Linux is so much better than Windows will ever be in terms of stability, security, and resource usage. It doesn't come with anti-virus software because all that is BUILT IN already! And I thank for what the other two posters said. That means then my December 2006 bought 3.4 GHz Pentium D dual-core system will probably last a full ten years or so!  |
| Posted by: Taliesin 06-May-2009, 10:35 AM |
| I don't use Ubuntu, or any flavor of Linux for that matter, for my home machines for a couple reasons. Linux is not a perfect replacement for Windows when it comes to high-end and mainstream games, or programs like Photoshop. For specialized applications for which programs have not been developed for Linux, Linux can't hold a candle to proprietary Operating Systems like MacOS or Windows. When it comes to Antivirus, Linux doesn't have any anti-virus built in to it. It is a very secure operating system, yes, but if hackers and virus writers wanted to target it, it would be vulnerable, though perhaps not AS MUCH as Windows. The fact of the matter is that viruses (and any other programs, for that matter, with the exception of Java applications) must be written specifically for the operating system on which they're going to be run. A Windows virus will not infect a MacOS or Linux machine, and the reverse statements are true as well. What's more, it's in a virus-writer's best interests to write a virus for an OS that's going to have the greatest impact, and like it or not, that OS is Windows. There are programs that attempt to allow you to run Windows programs on a Linux machine. Programs like WINE and WINE-X, however, take a good deal of work to get running, and their implementations are never perfect. For games, Linux just doesn't have the support out there for it without a great deal of tweaking. (This does not include Flash games, or many free games available on the internet like the Battle for Wesnoth.) Photoshop is an industry standard. I own a professional photography business, and all the educational material and tutorials are for Photoshop. GIMP is a free alternative that runs on Linux, and it's an AMAZING program. But I'm sorry...I've used both programs side by side, and GIMP doesn't hold a candle to Photoshop. My wife, who does the photoediting in our business, uses Photoshop. I, for graphics design and web graphics, use GIMP. So my point to the Carolina Scotsman was that if he's just surfing the web, checking e-mail, and even using an office suite, Linux is a great way to get some mileage out of an old PC. |
| Posted by: TheCarolinaScotsman 08-May-2009, 02:02 PM |
| OK, I'm back. When I started this converstaion was the last time the old computer got on the forums (though it would still get MK ????). The old one, the video card was fried. (Last month replaced the hard drive and one memory stick). How's Lnux for database? Kind of heavy in Access. Also, lot of pic files. |
| Posted by: subhuman 28-Oct-2009, 08:06 PM | ||||
AFAIK Access is a Database Manager, not a Database itself. According to Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_access ) it will work with MySQL and PostgreSQL, both of which are available free for both Windows and Linux. OpenOffice.org "Base" is the equivalent to Access, and is also a DB manager. The better questions are: what Database engine are you using now? Is it available for both *Nix and Windows? If no, can the data be exported then imported into an OS-independant engine? (ex: output from MSSql then input to either PostgreSQL or MySQL is fairly easy)
Depends on what you're doing with them. Are you viewing, or manipulating them? How intensive manipulations/editing do you need to do? Photoshop is overkill for >90% of people using it, GIMP will suffice in most cases. (this is what Taliesin said above, but he didn't say it outright) Heck, even a program like XNView ( http://xnview.com/ ) does most basic editing and viewing tasks. |