Linux!

I use Visio for electrical diagrams rather then flow charting. I will check out the Libra Draw but most flow charting and drawing apps don't have the tweaks that electrical drawing does.
I use Web-based email generally which of course is OS independant. Does the job I need.
I can't recall just what it was about Thunderbird but I ditched it after around a week or so of fighting it as just didn't like it. I haven't used Outlook for many many years but I quite liked its portability. Last 'corporate' client like that I use was Lotus Notes, a real heavyweight but actually very good once used to it.
Linux is on the Desktop along with Windows 7. I am typing this on my Laptop/Tablet which is Windows 8.1 and no plans to change.
 
If you want an email client
Try EPIM
It has other features as well but you can then view emails offline
 
Dont confuse Windows and Microsoft programs Trev, I don't think the Office suit will be dying off any time soon but will continue moving to browser base rather than apps.

Is this the wrong time to mention Windows 10 S? :)
 
I use Visio for electrical diagrams rather then flow charting. I will check out the Libra Draw but most flow charting and drawing apps don't have the tweaks that electrical drawing does. [...]
Perhaps a CAD package or something like Dia diagram editor would do the job. However, I'm just searching the 'net here for appropriate terms and haven't any experience of most of the packages DuckDuckGo suggests. HTH, Geoff
 
Very few folk i know use any of that stuff other than letters or pictures pasted for school work in libra.
Most folk i know only want email and web face book etc.
 
Very few folk i know use any of that stuff other than letters or pictures pasted for school work in libra.
Most folk i know only want email and web face book etc.
That's the thing. Nowadays for 99.9% of people, a home computer tends to be just a tool to browse the internet, read emails and occasionally print them out, and anything like word processing and spreadsheets are available via things like Google Docs.

And for those people, the Operating System is totally irrelevant (and as it should be really. When you drive a car you don't need to know what OS the cars ECU is operating under). In the old days I used to be into PCs big time and built, upgraded and sold them but I really don't care about processor speeds, overclocking, interface standards and whatever. I just want the stupid thing to work!
 
I was like that with windows and fund it wrecking my tiny brain and stopped after xp which of course was bilt not by m/s but nat tecnology.
Then my mate who looked after about 500 servers and most of the pc in gov agreculture switched me to linux ubuntu,well from here i distro hoped to mint then lite which i have a good control over from early days.
Now here is the bottom line,no viruses no crashes easy to update and easy on the eye with as my chum says a quiet screen by the way of no bells or whistle shouting and pinging we things across the screen when sending e mails etc,it just works and thats all i want.
Also i can get old pc for buttons like this one im using which is duel core 3000 processor and 8 gig but will run 100% on two,cost to door from ebay £27 now thats what i like.
Linux does what it says on the tin & free.
 
I have tried LINUX and in many ways I liked it but I had a few "fatal" issues..
The use from a memory stick worked fine and had drivers for Broadcom NWcard and USB to RJ45 adapter
So I went for a full install..The above 2 and something else (Forget now It was 12 months ago) simply did not work
I am capable and search for solutions but although they were offered I could not unpack and use
The laptop was an HP Stream 14 with 2GB RAM and only 32GB HDD
Also Google Drive was a problem and WINE did not work
I need a windows package to copy POIs to my TomTom.

I now have a shiny Nearly New ASUS Transformer (tablet/laptop) which runs windows fine So No need for LINUX
It is ideal for travelling ..When at home I can use the HDMI out put to a spare TV (Better image and sound)
However I do agree that all the software in the repositories is very good
Many good substitutes for Windows and some better.
My device has a touchscreen onscreen keyboard and I can use bluetooth mice and keyboards if I need
The accompanying keyboard simply clips off and on so I have 2 (or more) operating modes
  • Normal windows ie full laptop mode with keyboard attached
  • Tablet mode with keyboard detached on screen keyboard and Tablet icons
  • A mixture of the above 2
So far very happy with it and about half the cost of a "MS Surface" and keyboard included
 
Yes satnags are a problem with linux though im sure there is a way as on lite there is a programe to run a full windows install within it do do such tasks,something i will have to look into.
There is a linux distro which is the same code as windows also which will let you run all win programes as normal.
 
Program use
Libre Office mainly the Spreadsheet component.
All my MoHo travels etc are on SS's
Also various accounts
Use Writer for letters with headed "notepaper"
Use draw for odds and ends
For simple photoediting IrfanView is great as you can batch resize but also cropping and quickfix
I like EPIM for my email It is a client and so downloads messages to the laptop and has the usual PIM functions as well
Points of interest ..Generated on the phone using Maps.me then imported into Google Maps (My Maps)
Now looking for a simple video editor to use.
Mainly to join smaller clips but also "Cutting room tasks" and titles and a footer
I also use Evernote as it is synched so can open on other devices or simply retrieve data
It is a nested notebook program which allows images as well as text EPIM has the same but it is not synched (unless you pay)
 
With regard to running on any old hardware, if you want current releases with a lot of disco's now you need 64bit hardware or you will be on an older release. I normally only use Linux for monitoring stuff at work and use server version with no graphic interface at all but last week I installed Lite (I think it was) on an old Acer Once for someone and being 32bit I had to use old version 3.6 then could upgrade to 3.8 once it was set up.

Latest version are into 4 something aren't they Trev?
 
I have tried LINUX and in many ways I liked it but I had a few "fatal" issues..
The use from a memory stick worked fine and had drivers for Broadcom NWcard and USB to RJ45 adapter
So I went for a full install..The above 2 and something else (Forget now It was 12 months ago) simply did not work
I am capable and search for solutions but although they were offered I could not unpack and use
The laptop was an HP Stream 14 with 2GB RAM and only 32GB HDD
Also Google Drive was a problem and WINE did not work
I need a windows package to copy POIs to my TomTom.

I now have a shiny Nearly New ASUS Transformer (tablet/laptop) which runs windows fine So No need for LINUX
It is ideal for travelling ..When at home I can use the HDMI out put to a spare TV (Better image and sound)
However I do agree that all the software in the repositories is very good
Many good substitutes for Windows and some better.
My device has a touchscreen onscreen keyboard and I can use bluetooth mice and keyboards if I need
The accompanying keyboard simply clips off and on so I have 2 (or more) operating modes
  • Normal windows ie full laptop mode with keyboard attached
  • Tablet mode with keyboard detached on screen keyboard and Tablet icons
  • A mixture of the above 2
So far very happy with it and about half the cost of a "MS Surface" and keyboard included
Your 'Transformer' sounds similar to my HP 'Splitx2' I bought brand new 4 years ago for under £300.
Basically a 13.3" Tablet which clips into a Keyboard Dock which also contains a 500GB HD, Extra Battery, HDMI and USB Hub and SD Card Reader.
81S%2BvTh9GRL._SL1500_.jpg


And it looks and works better than the Apple Mac Probook thing I bought in 2012 for the OH which was 3 times the price as a refurb unit. (will NEVER buy an Apple computer again!)
 
Similar but not quite
I have a 256GB SSD and USB2 ALSO USB3
4GB ram and indeed it flies.

I too think apple are overpriced and overengineered and overated
BUT I have never used or owned one
 
With regard to running on any old hardware, if you want current releases with a lot of disco's now you need 64bit hardware or you will be on an older release. I normally only use Linux for monitoring stuff at work and use server version with no graphic interface at all but last week I installed Lite (I think it was) on an old Acer Once for someone and being 32bit I had to use old version 3.6 then could upgrade to 3.8 once it was set up.

Latest version are into 4 something aren't they Trev?
Lite now on 4.2 ltr and 64 bit only,Peppermint or mint xfce is on 32 bit.
Many of the big distros are now 64 but there are some 32 bits still out there though some would require a PHD to get them installed,the big 5/6 64 bit ones are a breeze to install in about 20 mins with a graff interface ,about 5/6 questions to do and you must be hard wired to internet.
 
Just got the latest Windows 10 feature update this morning, took over 4 hours to install but thankfully now working ok.
 
And seeing as I really was disliking how Windows 10 was going and the inability to stop updates
You can stop Windows from updating, if you ever go back to it then post on here and I'll explain how ;)

Regards,
Del
 
With regard to running on any old hardware, if you want current releases with a lot of disco's now you need 64bit hardware or you will be on an older release. I normally only use Linux for monitoring stuff at work and use server version with no graphic interface at all but last week I installed Lite (I think it was) on an old Acer Once for someone and being 32bit I had to use old version 3.6 then could upgrade to 3.8 once it was set up.

Latest version are into 4 something aren't they Trev?
Debian still do a 32bit version
"and use server version with no graphic interface at all"
The best way to use Linux IMHO

Regards,
Del
 
You can stop Windows from updating, if you ever go back to it then post on here and I'll explain how ;)

Regards,
Del
post away as others use Windows 10.

(be interesting if you have a method that works though - the various techniques already generally proposed are not that foolproof TBH)
 
post away as others use Windows 10.

(be interesting if you have a method that works though - the various techniques already generally proposed are not that foolproof TBH)
The easy way (saves editing the registry and disabling services), Why you would want to disable them is beyond me though, I don't think the security risks are worth it :unsure: No use blaming Windows for security problems if you don't install the updates :(

Regards,
Del
 
Just got the latest Windows 10 feature update this morning, took over 4 hours to install but thankfully now working ok.
Latest update on lite 4.2 took 3 mins to coplete,speed rock solid and no bugs or crashes and free is why for what i require i turned to linux.
 

Users who viewed this discussion (Total:0)

Back
Top