Hard Light Productions Forums
Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Thaeris on December 18, 2019, 04:50:30 pm
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Friends,
I fear my very, very old computer for simulation and modeling is nearing the end of its life, and it's time to replace it. In fact, its replacement is already on order:
https://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-laptop-17z-5nv50av-1
...With a few upgrades, I end up with a very respectable machine that costs under $700 USD. The problem now is Windows 10, which I refuse to suffer.
That leaves me with Linux, and the gigantic morass of options available. I have begun research, but a few extra pointers would be welcome. Seeing as HLP does have a few Linux users, I figured asking for some extra input here would be in good order.
On my end, Linux Mint and Manjaro look like good starting points. Ubuntu looks like it's starting to pull some MS-esque BS, so I've ruled that one out immediately. The current Linux Kernel looks like it will handle the hardware in the new computer (AMD Ryzen 5 3500U and Vega 8), though there could be BIOS issues to overcome first (AMD has apparently not released code for these chips either, further limiting performance; the Intel units apparently are in a similar boat) , so I'm not too worried. I assume the hardware issue will be a non-issue in a few months time - go back a few months ago and the Ryzen stuff looks like it wasn't working at all. Any additional input on this front would be good to hear.
In all, it would be nice to set up a system I don't have to worry about uninstalling any time soon. Granted, I get the impression that Linux is catching up with the new crop of hardware at the moment, so that angle may not pan out. However, I would like to ditch MS from this time forward, so something that can run the afore-mentioned simulations or CAD software efficiently is a priority. Regardless, this should be fun, or at worst, at least interesting.
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I used to dual boot with Mint, just for funsies...it was fine. I currently have Linux Lite running on a 10+ yr old laptop, which was pretty **** when it it was new... Mostly use it for reading papers while my main machine is running models. Works quite well for that, so you may want to think about that as an option for squeezing a little more life out of your old machine.
There are lots of reasons to not use Windows 10...but if your main complaint is about the UI, you might consider using Classic Shell/OpenShell. It fixes the start menu, explorer, etc, gets rid of most of the 'app' related cancer, and generally brings the UI back to a usable Win7-esque style. Honestly I can't use a Windows machine without it. Just another option, and one that would ameliorate your concerns about hardware/CAD software compatibility. Or, hell dual boot with Windows so you have something you know will work while you figure out which Linux distro to use.
Of course, I assume you're getting Win10 free with your new machine...if not, **** it.
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https://distrowatch.com/ is a good place to start researching imo. Of note is that the most popular distro on that webstie right now is MX Linux, which is a debian-stable based distro.
I'd personally go with any debian-based distro (or just Debian!) since the debian package system is easy to use (it's like a proto-app store) and debian is very compatible with lots of stuff. Of note is that SteamOS is based on Debian, if it's good enough for them it should be good enough for you :P
Can recommend classic shell for windows 10 as well. It's now openshell, mind (https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu)
Not too sure about CAD software. I know Autodesk doesn't bother with Linux at all. Check your vendors first.
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Thanks for the responses so far.
Concerning my old machine, if it ran indefinitely, well, that would be fine with me. It's not that it's good, but it worked at what I needed it to do. I just think it's going to go under (as in break), so getting a replacement was in order.
The UI of Windows 10 in general does not offend me. In fact, if I could get Windows 8.1 Pro to install properly on new hardware, I would buy another key for it if I could. However, MS is MS, and that's not really an option anymore. If Windows 10 has to basically be hacked continuously to protect user privacy, there is no way in Hell I will suffer to use it. Screw that.
Also, when I say CAD, I'm referring just to my modeling software (AC3D, etc.). Anything remotely similar to an Autodesk program I run on the new machine will likely be open source. I noted CAD simply as it describes the stuff I'd be interested in running - I get the impression that some distributions seem to be better oriented to handling certain types of hardware better or worse than others, so stating use seemed like a good idea.
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Here's another thing I was wondering about - FreeBSD. Does anyone here use it?
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Just use Ubuntu, honestly. I would recommend the kubuntu or xubuntu variants which just swap out the standard desktop environment for better ones — this is a modular component and so you’ll have essentially the same system. Ubuntu is far from perfect but if you start hating it enough to want another distro you should know enough to migrate fairly easily.