Post by sumgai on Mar 19, 2022 14:03:01 GMT -5
OK, so this is an update to a derailed thread started by pyrroz, and which as about a Katana amp he was about to purchase. Somehow he, cynical1 and I took the whole thing out into the weeds. That was here, but I'll be continuing the discussion/review in this new thread, in order to keep that derailment from detracting any further from pyrroz's main interest, that of the Katana.
So as the title notes, Zorin 16.1 is out, and I've upgraded to it. On my now freshly-made-into-my-old machine (the one I've talked about in the other thread), it ran fine. But a month ago, I snapped up an LG Gram at the local Costco at a ridiculously reduced price, and I've been smiling ever since. Zorin 16 worked on this new laptop, except that the mouse support was lacking. I checked the website for updates, and sure enough, point 1 was out for downloading. And it worked! The mouse (trackpad) works just as it should.
Interestingly, the Gram came with Win11 installed, and it's not bad looking. Still privacy invasive as hell, of course (we expect nothing less from Microsoft), but the user interface has improved quite a bit. In basic format, you can now pick either "modern" or "classic", without having to install 3rd party software. Doesn't do everything ClassicShell does, but it's pretty close. Copying files seems to be faster, but I've not run deep tests yet, only surface stuff to get a feel for it.
As you might guess, no internet connectivity, ever. I'll run Zorin (with Vivaldi) to get out, but when I need to use Office 2019, I'll fire up a VirtualBox virtual machine and let Win11 think it's in charge. One thing I do note is that it doesn't immediately start barking and whining when it can't find the internet upon boot-up. That's nice, they finally figured out that in some situations, a machine might be part of a network that doesn't allow internet access for company security reasons.
Whereupon, we return to Zorin. That now has a very Win10/11 like interface, and it can mimic either of them, or Win7, and to boot, do so in either 'modern' or 'classic' modes. Not a perfect imitation, but close enough to make the Linux desktop experience a pleasant one, instead of pissing off most potential users who don't really want to learn something all over again. The Core version has 4 basic setups that can be modified a bit, but the Pro version has a bunch more of them. Of course, the cheapness that defines my lifestyle says, no way, what I've got works just fine. So I can't comment on anything the Pro version might offer.
As to doing audio and/or video, I'm sure that what worked before will still work now, vis-a-vis running Linux-based software. But there is a new version of WINe, and I intend to check that out in the next few weeks. Specifically, I've always liked Audacity, and where I could just fire up the virtual machine, it's a bit of a kludge to go back and forth between the two OS's just to get something done. Better to keep it under one roof, if I can. Same thing with compressing files for archives - I tend to like 7-zip, but it's time to start checking out Linux comparables. It's taking me some time, perhaps longer then most afficiandos, to make the switch, but I will get there, trust me.
That's it for now, I'm sure I'll have more to report later on.
HTH
sumgai
So as the title notes, Zorin 16.1 is out, and I've upgraded to it. On my now freshly-made-into-my-old machine (the one I've talked about in the other thread), it ran fine. But a month ago, I snapped up an LG Gram at the local Costco at a ridiculously reduced price, and I've been smiling ever since. Zorin 16 worked on this new laptop, except that the mouse support was lacking. I checked the website for updates, and sure enough, point 1 was out for downloading. And it worked! The mouse (trackpad) works just as it should.
Interestingly, the Gram came with Win11 installed, and it's not bad looking. Still privacy invasive as hell, of course (we expect nothing less from Microsoft), but the user interface has improved quite a bit. In basic format, you can now pick either "modern" or "classic", without having to install 3rd party software. Doesn't do everything ClassicShell does, but it's pretty close. Copying files seems to be faster, but I've not run deep tests yet, only surface stuff to get a feel for it.
As you might guess, no internet connectivity, ever. I'll run Zorin (with Vivaldi) to get out, but when I need to use Office 2019, I'll fire up a VirtualBox virtual machine and let Win11 think it's in charge. One thing I do note is that it doesn't immediately start barking and whining when it can't find the internet upon boot-up. That's nice, they finally figured out that in some situations, a machine might be part of a network that doesn't allow internet access for company security reasons.
Whereupon, we return to Zorin. That now has a very Win10/11 like interface, and it can mimic either of them, or Win7, and to boot, do so in either 'modern' or 'classic' modes. Not a perfect imitation, but close enough to make the Linux desktop experience a pleasant one, instead of pissing off most potential users who don't really want to learn something all over again. The Core version has 4 basic setups that can be modified a bit, but the Pro version has a bunch more of them. Of course, the cheapness that defines my lifestyle says, no way, what I've got works just fine. So I can't comment on anything the Pro version might offer.
As to doing audio and/or video, I'm sure that what worked before will still work now, vis-a-vis running Linux-based software. But there is a new version of WINe, and I intend to check that out in the next few weeks. Specifically, I've always liked Audacity, and where I could just fire up the virtual machine, it's a bit of a kludge to go back and forth between the two OS's just to get something done. Better to keep it under one roof, if I can. Same thing with compressing files for archives - I tend to like 7-zip, but it's time to start checking out Linux comparables. It's taking me some time, perhaps longer then most afficiandos, to make the switch, but I will get there, trust me.
That's it for now, I'm sure I'll have more to report later on.
HTH
sumgai