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Linux may have saved me $1000

by theemperor
21 replies
Hi guys

Lots of talk about making money, but how about SAVING it?

I was considering buying a new PC soon as the old laptop (about 3 years old) has been crushing under the weight of windows and my bloated firefox etc.

This morning I decided to sort out another laptop I have - a netbook that had a virus. So it needed a reinstall but I decided to try Linux because I remembered how slow it went under Windows.

I must say I am extremely impressed with it. I used ubuntu and my aim was just to get a basic system to launch a browser and use it for surfing.

But Linux has come a long way since I last used it a few years ago. This distibution is so easy to use and it is very quick even on this very low spec PC (equivalent of a 6 year old PC probably because of the small processor and RAM).

And a major bonus is: - Linux is FREE !

If you are non-techie believe me once you have it installed it is very easy to use and there are plenty of forums out there to help. Just get a techie to install it. It is easier to install than windows in my opinion anyway.

So I reckon I no longer need a new PC. I just need to clear off Windows from my main laptop and stick Linux on there and get another good 2 years out of it.

Notwithstanding - there is some software I may need to keep windows around for but not much and I am sure I can find alternatives.

:p
#linux #saved
  • Profile picture of the author Jeff Elia
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    • Profile picture of the author Shazia Mirza
      Yup Linux FTW.

      Furthermore, you become a lot smarter in general when you use Linux (from a programmer's point of view).
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    • Profile picture of the author TG12
      Originally Posted by Jeff Elia View Post

      I am accustomed to Windows, but I installed few days ago Linux to my notebook. I like Linux because only few viruses working on Linux (mostly viruses working only on Windows).
      Watch the attacks on Port 22 if your computer is facing the internet though
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      • Profile picture of the author Jonas B
        Originally Posted by TG12 View Post

        Watch the attacks on Port 22 if your computer is facing the internet though
        do you know what the port is used for? and im pretty sure it is blocked by default...or isn't it?
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        • Profile picture of the author Daniel44
          Originally Posted by zebix View Post

          do you know what the port is used for? and im pretty sure it is blocked by default...or isn't it?
          It's SSH (Secure Shell) and by default on Ubuntu it isn't installed. It's like Remote Desktop for advance Linux users (let's you use another computers console, for example if you have a Linux server you don't use a GUI, just powerful commands)

          If it is open, you just need to make sure you have a secure password and you will be fine

          Daniel
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          • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
            Bradley,

            The students don't care if the monitors are heavy or old. (So are the teachers!) They only care that they know what's going on, and can communicate in a digital world.

            Hell, they'll probably make jokes about the "antique" hardware when they're not in front of it. I guarantee you, though, they'll love that old tech when they're out in the world and know how to use the new tech.

            Schools and senior centers. Home to our forgotten citizens.


            Paul
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  • Profile picture of the author Jake Gray
    A new linux user?

    Get use to Ubuntu then move onto more of an advanced
    system such as Gentoo. If you really want to get creative
    mess with obsd in a vb.
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  • Profile picture of the author kavi
    If you have an old machine, try lubuntu - http://lubuntu.net/ - it's a lighter version of ubuntu and is great to run on netbooks
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    • Profile picture of the author lkpub
      I haven't played with Linux in years... but maybe it's time I took a second look... I have a couple of old computers that struggle under Windows with limited resources... this may just be the answer to revive them again instead of sending to the computer graveyard! Gonna have to check this out... =}
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      • Profile picture of the author TG12
        I might give it another go. I have moments where I get bored and go to play with it. Ubuntu 11.04 just came out the other day, I like to think that by seeding the torrents I am helping the community. I love the idea of Linux and sometimes read the change logs on kernel.org just for the hell of it haha Im such a geek!
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  • Profile picture of the author Bradley J Anderson
    Originally Posted by theemperor View Post

    Notwithstanding - there is some software I may need to keep windows around for but not much and I am sure I can find alternatives.:p
    There are definitely a lot of open-source alternatives for Windows software. If there are some things you just can't do without, however, there are a few proggys that can help with that. You can read more about it here:

    Wine Review: Running Windows Applications on Linux

    You might also find these links helpful, as well:

    http://www.opensourcesoftwaredirectory.com/

    http://sourceforge.net/
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  • Profile picture of the author Donald77
    After a key-logger (its author, actually) stole $400 from my credit card i decided to never write my important passwords / numbers on my XP workstation.
    Can't recall its name but that was a virus designed to remove itself from the system after few days, so that when the antivirus' updates came out the workstation seemed clean.

    Today i also have a netbook with Linux Mint that i bought just for this kind of important activities.
    I will never login in my paypal / bank account using windows anymore.
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    • Profile picture of the author Bradley J Anderson
      Originally Posted by Donald77 View Post

      After a key-logger (its author, actually) stole $400 from my credit card i decided to never write my important passwords / numbers on my XP workstation.
      Can't recall its name but that was a virus designed to remove itself from the system few days, so that when the antivirus' updates came out the workstation seemed clean.

      Today i also have a netbook with Linux Mint that i bought just for this kind of important activities.
      I will never login in my paypal / bank account using windows anymore.
      Keyscrambler. Get it, install it, use it.

      http://www.keyscrambler.com/ks-windows/which-keyscrambler.htm

      It also helps to use a program such as Roboform, because then the fields are filled with no keystrokees.
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      • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
        Folks, for $159 plus shipping, you can usually get a low form factor desktop machine from Geeks.com that has 2-3 gigs of ram, a 500 gigabyte HD, a CD/DVD drive, keyboard and mouse, and plenty of USB ports.

        Drop any flavor of Linux on that puppy, and you've got a screaming work machine for less than the cost of a Wii.


        Paul
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        • Profile picture of the author TG12
          Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

          Folks, for $159 plus shipping, you can usually get a low form factor desktop machine from Geeks.com that has 2-3 gigs of ram, a 500 gigabyte HD, a CD/DVD drive, keyboard and mouse, and plenty of USB ports.

          Drop any flavor of Linux on that puppy, and you've got a screaming work machine for less than the cost of a Wii.


          Paul
          Very True!
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          • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
            Originally Posted by TG12 View Post

            Very True!
            I forgot to mention, those machines usually have Windows XP or XP Professional on them, so you can set them up as dual boot systems. Keep your Windows apps and have the extra utility and flexibility of a Linux system.

            I have a netbook set up that way (the ASUS with the 12-hour battery), and it's really handy.


            Paul
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        • Profile picture of the author Bradley J Anderson
          Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

          Folks, for $159 plus shipping, you can usually get a low form factor desktop machine from Geeks.com that has 2-3 gigs of ram, a 500 gigabyte HD, a CD/DVD drive, keyboard and mouse, and plenty of USB ports.

          Drop any flavor of Linux on that puppy, and you've got a screaming work machine for less than the cost of a Wii.

          Paul
          Well jeez Louise! I've been dying to test drive Linux for many years now, but the opportunity has never presented itself, unfortunately. With a machine that low in price, I think I'll take the plunge. If I don't like it (which I highly doubt) I can always switch it over to Windows and give it to my mother, or donate it to a person in need.

          I found one for $129 with no operating system on it.

          Thanks for the tip, Paul.
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          • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
            Bradley,

            You may need to sign up for their list. The deals change all the time. For example, today they've got an 18.5" monitor for $80 as the deal of the day.

            Wait for the one I mentioned earlier to crop back up, and you could have a not-too-bad system for $230 plus shipping. Which is very often $0.00...

            Or the Dell OptiPlex GX620 All-in-One Pentium 4 3.0GHz 1GB 80GB DVD±RW 17" LCD XP Professional for $250. Drop a cheap external HD on it, and you've got a killer system, too. Not as much screen real estate or ram as I like, but it's not bad for the price. It'll do ya fine for a Linux box.


            Paul
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            • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
              donate it to a person in need.
              Schools, dude. Especially in low income districts. They're screaming for this sort of thing, and it helps a lot more than one person per machine.

              I've seen tears in a teacher's eyes over a few machines I picked up at yard sales for $20 each and fixed up for them. It doesn't take much to make a difference.


              Paul
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              • Profile picture of the author Bradley J Anderson
                Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

                Schools, dude. Especially in low income districts. They're screaming for this sort of thing, and it helps a lot more than one person per machine.

                I've seen tears in a teacher's eyes over a few machines I picked up at yard sales for $20 each and fixed up for them. It doesn't take much to make a difference.

                Paul
                Actually, I thought of the same thing after I posted. At those prices, I will get a few of them and do just that. I have probably a dozen monitors in my basement that I could give them, as well. They're old, small, heavy and look like crap, but they do work, which is why I kept them.
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  • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
    I love Ubuntu. I use several windows machines but i do like my linux machine. It's so simple and reliable and i love that it even emails you to tell you it needs software updates.
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  • Profile picture of the author theemperor
    Thanks for the interesting replies. I am now running 8 tabs in firefox, installing something and listening to music. That would have killed Windows on this atom PC. Ha ha. Also installing stuff is ridiculously easy on here.

    I think I tried obsd and similar a few years ago. In those days hardware was less compatible with Linux and Linux was less idiot friendly. Also Windows 2000 was quite stable and nice to use so I was less inclined to change.
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