After trying to decide whether to use my Windows 10 (not 11 compatible...yeah...I know there are workarounds but I'm not interested in doing that) for a doorstop, a boat anchor or just wipe the drive and donate it, I'm going to download Ferenos and see what happens. Everything I do for work is on a Windows 11. It's going to be an interesting process to see whether I end up or Maybe I should add that to my "Prop Bets" Red Room thread...
Feren OS is a good choice. It's based on Ubuntu/Debian, which is rock solid, and uses the KDE desktop environment, which can emulate the look and feel of Windows with none of the downsides. Keep us updated! I'm always curious when I see longtime Windows users switch to Linux. It is a different world, but a lot of things will feel the same.
Installing Wine is a little convoluted. I'm sure I can work it out, but I don't have the time or inclination at the moment. Luckily it's not an emergency. This is something I'm just nibbling at in between more important stuff.
While I'm sure you're more than capable of figuring this stuff out, if you do need any help, feel free to ask. If you'd prefer it from a larger community instead, Ubuntu's support base is enormous. Hell, most stuff is solved thanks to Reddit. You can literally type something like "installing wine ubuntu" into Google and you'll get pages of help. Everyone needs it sometimes. I know I do.
We've made the total transition to Linux after the Windows 11 debacle. Linux Mint is our system of choice; it's Debian based through Ubuntu and really easy to use. I've toyed with a lot of Linux distros through the years, and I keep coming back to anything Debian based. YMMV.
I can't get Adobe Audition to work properly, although I did figure out how to open it with Wine. I downloaded audacity, but can't get it to open. Google Meets was rock solid. Mixed bag, but so far, nothing more than inconvenience since this is a backup computer.
Why I am shocked. SHOCKED, I tells ya. That you would impugn the sterling reputation of WinDoze . . .
I think so too. It's pathetically easy to use and a great replacement for Windows. The absolute hardest part to me was figuring out what Proton version to use for different Steam games I play, and Proton keeps a webpage with user feedback on that. That's it. The rest is dirt simple.
Indeed it is. I'm setting up Linux Mint on two laptops this week for several of my friends. They're sick of Windows. One of them had the bug where they couldn't even login, so I have to do some data recovery, and then I'm installing Linux Mint. He asked me if he could still play his Steam games and I was happy to tell him that 80% of the games on Steam now work with Linux and require no setup. Valve has done a bang-up job with making gaming on Linux easy and worry free.
Well I got Adobe Audition working properly after several hours of consulting with Co-Pilot (don't judge). I'm slowly getting the Linux machine into a position where it can fully backup my Windows machine. (See what I did there?) . The journey continues.
Okay, wait... did you mean to say you got Audacity working, or did you get Audition working on a linux box? In any case, cool. A suggestion that helped me years ago: don't look at linux and ask how it can simulate Windows; instead, decide what all you want to do and figure out how linux can do it. Subtle difference, but significant.
Got 'em both working. Audacity is free and it works. That's the good news. However where it used to be a fairly lean package it has evolved into something of a Frankenstein monster with more and more functions bolted on. All those neat functions not only make it bulkier, it also has become less user-friendly. Aside: I don't find any DAW's user friendly or intuitive. Some may be easier to learn but I can't think of one that can be used right out of the box without either guidance from Youtube "how tos" or direct assistance from experts. Moving right along...Adobe Audition 1.5 is perfectly good for the small amount of multi track editing I do, even though it's going on 20 years old. I can also record with it in a pinch. So the project is going fairly well. I have spent a grand total of $0 for materials or coaching. However, there has been a significant investment in time, but even at my advanced years, I have more time than money.
I should add that I dumped the FerenOS distro and switched to Mint. So far, I've been able to take CoyoteUgly's advice and work to set up things that I absolutely need. LibreOffice? Check. Audacity? Check. Video recording check. Adobe Audition 1.5? Check!!!! Getting that working was about as much fun as a root canal, but the effort was rewarded. So far, not bad. And I am learning a few things. I'll never be a hard core geek since all I care about is getting stuff to work, but there's no way to dive into a project like this without learning something.
<Edit out since I misread you. Glad you got Audition to work.> In any case, thumbs up, and tell Microsoft to kiss your ass.
Audacity was a problem with FerenOS but I think that was user error. Understanding what the software manager is for and how to use it properly is probably the biggest single breakthrough. The obstacle to a full changeover is that I do my business recording on Studio 1 and my mastering on Izotope's RX, neither of which have Linux versions. But maybe there's a workaround somewhere. In any case, it beats having a perfectly good computer gathering dust or contaminating a landfill.
I've not yet taken the leap; my main box is still running 10 but I want to get another SSD in the system so I can start shuffling data around before I download Mint and shatter Windows. My laptop came with 11 preinstalled (well before 11 got enshitified to hell and back), but it's one if I move it to another room, Bitlocker kicks in Thankfully, I don't use it too much, so it doesn't have too much of note on it besides a particular save and mod build of a Civ 4 mod.
The only existential thing wrong with Windows 10 is that it is no longer supported. That's it. If it were, I'd probably still be on it.
It is kind of a throwback to the Commodore VIC 20/64 days when you had to type in programs from a book or magazine. When it comes to my work, I want to step into my recording space, hit "R" and go. Having a separate machine set up to run Linux and trying to get it to do what I need it to is interesting and educational. Frankly I doubt that I will make a full jump any time soon, since the software that I need for work isn't Linux compatible...yet. But one thing I can do is record video snippets like this and do video conferencing in a more comfortable setting than my recording space (which is very cramped) and not really ideal for the purpose. Small win, but a win.
I'm not that far down the rabbit hole yet. One thing the Linux machine is going to be great for is for video conferencing and recording blurbs for my audiobooks. I can do that in my audio booth but it's not really set up for that and the stability of the audio booth video, which tends to drop without warning and the audio which is wonky. Yeah, I've checked the drivers. Anyway, I'm working my way to a flexible setup. That said, I'm sure there's a more cost effective way to do it, but this is a better use for an old computer than putting it in a landfill.
Linux is fun, been using it mainly for about 20 years. @MikeH92467, you're probably gonna have a few hiccups here and there and it may be a case of what you're used to using and what you're not, that's all fine and good. But I think you'll find that if you look around a bit Linux will have at least adequate software that in some cases excels the Microsoft counterparts. If you need anything shout out, I'm sure some of us can throw out some recommendations or solutions for ya.
I'll definitely keep the offer of help in mind. As of now, I'm in a pretty good place with this project. I've set it up as a video center where I can drop into the chair and hit "start recording" and Bob's your uncle! I'll find other uses I'm sure. I've been using Libre Office for years on the Windows machine(s) so I'm set for that and I'm well acquainted with Firefox, so browsing is no problem. So far, so good!
