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Windows to Linux

seanbranagh
Grafter
Posts: 1,236
Registered: ‎02-08-2007

Windows to Linux

I have been trying on and off for years to transfer to Linux on all 5 of my machines. I was hopeful when I tried PCLOS on my laptop so I took the next step and installed it on my main machine (the one I am using now). I installed it as dual boot with the existing Win XP Pro installation. Again as always I have hit a brick wall. I just cannot get the dual monitors to work the way I have them with Windows. In Windows I have it setup with the smaller 15" LCD as monitor 2 on the left hand side of monitor 1 (19" Wide LCD). Windows would remember which monitor to open certain applications like Outlook Express always on the smaller monitor. I just cannot get any of this to work on Linux. It never remembers the settings after a reboot and keeps switching the smaller monitor to 1440x900 so it does not come on again despite me setting it to 1024x768 and the bigger monitor at 1440x900. It also wont give me an option to have monitor 2 on the left hand side so I can drag the mouse in that direction onto that monitor as Windows did.
I am ready to go back to Windows again. I would compare giving up Windows to giving up smoking, you know the long term advantages far outweigh the effort but it is too easy to go back in the early stages!
40 REPLIES 40
Denzil
Grafter
Posts: 1,733
Registered: ‎31-07-2007

Re: Windows to Linux

What graphics card do you have? Nvidia has a good GUI utility for setting up multiple monitors which is fairly similar to the way you do it with Windows. Otherwise, you may have to manually add an option in /etc/x11/xorg.conf to specify which monitor is which side. I don't know enough to offer specific instructions off the top of my head, but a bit of googling may do the trick.
seanbranagh
Grafter
Posts: 1,236
Registered: ‎02-08-2007

Re: Windows to Linux

I have 2 Nvidia cards GeForce FX 5200 for the 19" monitor and GeForce2 MX/MX 400 for the 15".
Can I get this utility on the Nvidia website?
artificer
Grafter
Posts: 1,850
Registered: ‎11-08-2007

Re: Windows to Linux

come over to the pclinuxos forum.  quite a number of people have set up twinview, or xinerama, with nvidia and they can describe what you need to do.
seanbranagh
Grafter
Posts: 1,236
Registered: ‎02-08-2007

Re: Windows to Linux

Turns out that the NVIDIA GUI only works for graphics cards with dual output whereas I have dual graphics cards. I did however edit xorg.conf to get as close to the setup I was looking for as possible.
It is not exactly like I had it in Windows but definitely very useful, probably better when I get used to it. Then again if I wanted it exactly like Windows I would not have installed Linux  Grin
So that is one brick wall knocked down. Now on to the next one then eventually all the other machines. I really want to make the effort to switch this time once and for all!
artificer
Grafter
Posts: 1,850
Registered: ‎11-08-2007

Re: Windows to Linux

don't flog yourself to death over it.  it takes time to first learn enough linux to be comfortable installing and setting up and then all the applications to replace the ones you are accustomed to.  there are people so addicted to photoshop that they run it in wine.  me, i'd get familiar with gimp.
solve it one machine at a time, one app at a time and you'll amaze yourself how easily you get there.  you've paid the license for windows; might as well get your money's worth.
seanbranagh
Grafter
Posts: 1,236
Registered: ‎02-08-2007

Re: Windows to Linux

For me it would be Paint Shop and Dreamweaver. I think I would stick with Dreamweaver in Wine as there is no native Linux software nearly as good from what I have read. I have that working fine already.
The other big problem would be my Windows server. I currently use Active Webcam on it for my Swan Max IP Cam. Most other software does not support this camera model.
Time will also have to be spent moving all the media around the network while I repartition and reformat all the hdd's. I know I could leave them as they are (NTFS) but I would rather not.
My Linux webserver (Fedora 7) has been running now for almost 2 years. It NEVER crashes, NEVER needs rebooted and just keeps running without issue. Compared to my Windows server beside it which has caused more and more problems recently. That is the reason I want to switch to Linux for  all my machines aswell as the fact that eventually there will be no support left for XP (like Win '98) and I would rather stop using computers completely than use Vista!
Denzil
Grafter
Posts: 1,733
Registered: ‎31-07-2007

Re: Windows to Linux

Not familiar with Dreamweaver so can't comment on relative abilities, but <a href="http://www.kompozer.net/">Kompozer</a> is reasonably good. Try <a href="http://quanta.kdewebdev.org/>Quanta</a> as well.
VileReynard
Hero
Posts: 12,616
Thanks: 582
Fixes: 20
Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: Windows to Linux

I assume you use Paint Shop for photographic images?
http://meetthegimp.org/ does regular podcasts on Gimp - which could help with migration from PSP -> Gimp.

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

MickKi
Grafter
Posts: 543
Registered: ‎30-09-2007

Re: Windows to Linux

Quote from: Sean
For me it would be Paint Shop and Dreamweaver.

As it has been said, Gimp can do an awful lot and do it very well once you get used to it.
Also try Bluefish for html editing and if you can code a little bit KomodoEdit is very good (as diving straight into Vim with html syntax highlighting may scare even the bravest).
Here's a little review of html editors.
7up
Community Veteran
Posts: 15,824
Thanks: 1,579
Fixes: 17
Registered: ‎01-08-2007

Re: Windows to Linux

Personally after yet another failed bash with linux I can see myself staying with windows for the foreseeable future. Linux just isn't support friendly. They also don't like making things simple for people - unlike windows. While windows does have many faults (no-one can deny that) they have several advantages:
They know people will need support - and they offer it
They know people like simple - and most of windows is
They know people don't want to be setting it up 4 days after installing - Windows is done within hours.
Most software manufacturers are comfortable writing for windows. Few people know how to write for linux - even borland gave up on kylix.
Hardware drivers are plentiful for windows... Linux means putting up help requests on all sorts of forums, sometimes compiling the drivers yourself, needing to use the command prompt.... etc
Windows is point, click, done. Linux.... makefile, install, more commands, more switches, then config options that you don't understand etc etc etc
And you have to learn how to use it while working a full time job, commuting, making time for that special someone in your life, keeping the car on the road, doing housework....
Can I be bothered?
No!
I need a new signature... i'm bored of the old one!
Strat
Community Veteran
Posts: 31,320
Thanks: 1,609
Fixes: 565
Registered: ‎14-04-2007

Re: Windows to Linux

I can relate to most of that Smiley
Windows 10 Firefox 109.0 (64-bit)
To argue with someone who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead - Thomas Paine
7up
Community Veteran
Posts: 15,824
Thanks: 1,579
Fixes: 17
Registered: ‎01-08-2007

Re: Windows to Linux

I'm glad! Most people think I'm off my head when I argue that windows is the better choice. Despite windows having serious faults, linux like the Mac isn't perfect either.
Also my main gripe is that you can't just use it out of the box. It takes months just to learn the basics - because you have to learn to use it around living a normal busy life.
Windows... what can I say.... you can live a normal life AND .... USE a computer without too much trouble!
I need a new signature... i'm bored of the old one!
alanb
Grafter
Posts: 459
Registered: ‎24-05-2007

Re: Windows to Linux

That's not a criticism of Linux though. If you'd never seen Windows before, it would take you months to learn the basics, and so on.
The problem is that most people's thinking is topsy-turvy. You have to think about what you want to achieve and then choose the best system for your needs. That will to a significant extent be defined by your past experience and knowledge. If windows is best for you, then that's the right choice, and vice-versa.
Moving from Windows to Linux will for most people involve some compromises. As would going the other way. Because they're different. If the compromises are such that you don't want to make them, or can't make them, then it's right to stay with the operating system you prefer or know.
I've moved everything from Windows to Linux and I've had to make a few compomises and had to learn a few things. Some of which I'd rather I hadn't had to do, but on balance in my particular case I decided it was a better option (for me) than making some even bigger less desirable compromises to continue with Windows. For others, the motivation and end-result could be different.
zubel
Community Veteran
Posts: 3,793
Thanks: 4
Registered: ‎08-06-2007

Re: Windows to Linux

In my experience, I'm most comfortable using Windows on the desktop.   There would be just far too many compromises for me to make the switch to Linux in my everyday usage. 
However, that being said, I exclusively use Linux on the server.  I would rather have a server that is stable, reliable, easy to debug (when you know how!), low-bandwidth to administer remotely, and approximately 5 billion times more flexible that Windows (my own metric :P) when building complex multi-server deployments.
Each to their own, and each OS to it's own purpose.
B.