Desktop Linux for Everyone
Preview interview subject Jack Wallen weighs in on the Librem 5 phone, which will run Linux (it’s produced by Purism).
Mobile hardware is a tough market to crack. Especially here in the United States. But I’m curious if a device like this is more viable in developing markets. Assuming the hardware isn’t too expensive. And assuming the project gets funded (it’s not even at 20% of its crowd-sourcing goal yet, as I write this).
Keith has a lot of great information in here. For instance, his multi-monitor i3 setup is interesting. I only have one monitor, but I often consider adding a second. Although I’m a bit claustrophobic, so I’m not sure how well that would work for me. Keith also brings up a lot of great tools for live-streaming.
You can find more of The Linux Setup here.
You can follow Linux Rig on Google+ here and follow me on Twitter here.
My name is Keith. I’m an aspiring software developer. Currently, I work retail in an electronics department, but my hobbies consist of programming and creating Linux-related video content.
You can find my YouTube channel here. I mostly record Let’s Plays. I also livestream on both YouTube and Twitch.
I should also mention my website where you can find a link to join my Discord channel. There’s also https://ghostsquad57.com/servers, which is a list of game servers I run on my dedicated server.
Why do you use Linux?
Why not? I started with Windows, but then I heard of an alternative called Linux, so I tried it out.
At first, I actually hated it, but over time it grew on me, and I haven’t looked back since. I love the whole Linux ecosystem: the idea of package managers providing a secure and convenient source for software and the openness of software which allows me to actually read the source code for the programs running on my hardware.
I wasn’t into programming until I started using Linux. Linux subtly exposed me to the world of programming by offering interfaces that really gave me control over my hardware and the software running on it.
So I guess I use Linux because it inspires me.
What distribution do you run on your main desktop/laptop?
My gaming/workstation uses Arch Linux. My first distro was Ubuntu, but I didn’t really agree with Canonical’s direction with the desktop, so I switched to Debian, which I used for two to three years before switching to Arch. I use Arch because I find it simple and I like my main machine to stay as up-to-date as possible.
My server uses Ubuntu Server. My original choice of server distro was Debian, but after trying out Ubuntu Server, I really liked it. I preferred Ubuntu’s configuration defaults over Debian’s, and overall I feel that Ubuntu Server is easier to just drop in and start using.
What desktop environment do you use and why do you use it?
I use the tiling window manager i3 on my main machine. The reason I use it is because I find it a great compromise between being functional and lightweight. I’ve used GNOME, KDE, LXDE, and Xfce. Xfce was my favorite of them all but I realized I really didn’t need a graphic-heavy desktop environment, so I started trying out lightweight alternatives and finally settled on i3. I really like how it doesn’t get in the way. I can easily switch between window layouts and navigate windows with the keyboard instead of having to constantly take my hands off the keyboard to use the mouse for window navigation.
My server doesn’t use any DE or any graphical interface; it’s purely terminal driven 🙂
What one piece of Linux software do you depend upon? Why is it so important?
That’s such a hard question to answer. Really, my daily operations require the use of such a variety of software, that it’s hard to single one out. So, I’ll just give a rundown of the ones I use the most, and why:
Tmux: The ability to create new instances and split terminal windows is a remarkable feature. I also love that Tmux instances run as a daemon, so if my SSH connection drops, the terminal session will remain and I can re-attach myself to that session and continue where I left off.
FFmpeg: The Swiss Army Knife of media, it’s truly an amazing accomplishment. FFmpeg is my go-to software for encoding and conversion of media files.
OBS: Open Broadcast Studio is a great piece of software for streamers, and it’s also great for offline recordings as well. It’s my go-to for recording videos.
Vim: I started using Vim two years ago and at first I didn’t understand it, but after some time I quickly understood why people love it so much. The quick keystrokes, as well as the
extensibility of Vim are great. Being able to delete an entire line by simply pressing ‘dd’ is quick and effortless.
Zeal: You can see it in the screenshot for my desktop. It’s an offline documentation browser. It’s a fantastic program. If you’ve ever heard of Dash for Mac OS, it’s basically that, but it’s available on Linux and Windows. Zeal also has some awesome IDE plugins.
What kind of hardware do you run this setup on?
My desktop specs:
I’m really a fan of cube cases, and I’m very happy with the HAF XB EVO. Although, to be honest, I prefer small form factor builds. I’m also a fan of conserving space.
My Server Specs:
I’ve been wanting to build a dedicated server for years now, but a few months ago I finally decided it was time to do it. So I took the old i5-3550 I had, purchased the smallest case I could find off Amazon, and built one. A local computer store had a used Intel Pro NIC for $10. Before I purchased it, I verified that it was genuine and not a knockoff.
I spent a lot of time debating what I’d use for the case. Originally, I wanted to use a 1U or 2U rack, but space and noise were a concern, so I ultimately decided to go for a mini-ITX build instead.
I was very disappointed with the performance of the stock Intel CPU Cooler, so I purchased the Silverstone Tek Super Slim CPU Cooler. The Silverstone cooler was actually smaller than the stock cooler, and performed better.
Will you share a screenshot of your desktop?
Sure!
I have i3 configured in such a way that there are no borders between windows or any windows decorations. I even set the i3bar (which is usually at the top of the screen) to toggle mode and have it hidden most of the time.
I jump from programming and monitoring the servers to gaming quite often, and that’s another reason I use i3. i3 makes it so much nicer to switch between monitors; simply Mod+1 (the “Mod” key being the Windows or super key) and I’m now focused on the first monitor. Mod+2, and I’m now focused on the second. And because i3 is keyboard-driven I can move focus between windows with a simple keystroke, and not have to waste time reaching for the mouse.
Dual-monitor mode.
The physical desktop.
The server.
Interview conducted November 30, 2016
The Linux Setup is a feature where I interview people about their Linux setups. The concept is borrowed, if not outright stolen, from this site. If you’d like to participate, drop me a line.
You can follow Linux Rig on Google+ here, follow me on Twitter here, and subscribe to the feed here.
Lee, among other things, is the developer behind Texpander, a way to turn abbreviations into full-blown blocks of text, sparing you the wear and tear of typing the same things over and over again. Lee is also a Unity fan, or at least he was in November, before Canonical announced they were switching Ubuntu back to GNOME.
You can find more of The Linux Setup here.
You can follow Linux Rig on Google+ here and follow me on Twitter here.
I do a couple things. I run a few online businesses and focus on online marketing and e-commerce. There are more details on my site.
Why do you use Linux?
I really like the level of control you get with Linux. If something doesn’t work quite like you want it to, you can usually write something yourself in just a couple lines of code—like Texpander.
I’ve gotten a fair amount of interest in the way of emails and even a few Github pull requests for Texpander, which has been fun.
What distribution do you run on your main desktop/laptop?
I’ve tried a few other distros, but the default Ubuntu seems to work the best on my Oryx Pro. I don’t know how to explain it, but for whatever reason even other desktop environments that build on Ubuntu are less stable on my Oryx Pro than the normal Ubuntu it ships with. For example, Audacity crashes and freezes a lot more even on Ubuntu GNOME or Linux Mint.
What desktop environment do you use and why do you use it?
For the above reason of stability, I generally just use Unity. I’ve tried Cinnamon and GNOME, and like both of them better in terms of their visual appeal, but the Oryx Pro really seems to like the base Ubuntu/Unity setup. So, I just stick with Unity and install the Numix theme and icon set. That makes things look a little better. I also like the Arc theme, but generally keep falling back to Numix. It seems to be the most comprehensive and all the apps seem to work great with the Numix theme and icons. Sometimes the Arc theme would make some apps look a little wonky.
What one piece of Linux software do you depend upon? Why is it so important?
The one piece of software that I couldn’t use Linux without is Google Chrome. I rely on a lot of Google services and without Chrome it just wouldn’t be possible to get things done. I’m constantly on Hangouts, sharing docs in Google Docs, etc. As far as native Linux apps, I use GitKraken a fair amount with BitBucket and GitHub, but I spend the vast majority of my time in Vim and on the command line.
What kind of hardware do you run this setup on?
I have an Oryx Pro laptop from System76.
Will you share a screenshot of your desktop?
Here’s a screenshot of me in Vim with Toggl opened up for tracking time.
Interview conducted November 21, 2016
The Linux Setup is a feature where I interview people about their Linux setups. The concept is borrowed, if not outright stolen, from this site. If you’d like to participate, drop me a line.
You can follow Linux Rig on Google+ here, follow me on Twitter here, and subscribe to the feed here.
I talked a lot about Pop!_OS last week.
Rafael Lino, who you might remember from this interview is playing with it, and is cautiously optimistic.
I appreciate that Kelly is a Linux missionary, helping people to discover its beauty. I also appreciate Kelly’s love of MATE, which is beloved by so many. But mostly, I appreciate that Kelly does a lot of video work on Linux. Video production has come a long way on Linux and it’s nice to see Linux as a viable alternative for people who don’t want to be in the Mac ecosystem.
You can find more of The Linux Setup here.
You can follow Linux Rig on Google+ here and follow me on Twitter here.
My name is Kelly Williams. I’m a freelance web designer and computer technician. I have been working on computers since the late 90s. I went to high school in Sheldon, Iowa, a small town in the corner of the state. I graduated in the class of 2000. In high school my principal had a bunch of computers in the basement of the school that were old. They wanted someone to go through them to see what works. I did it for fun and that is where I started my career in computers. The computers were Apple IIGSs: fun, simple to use, and simple to work on.
I enrolled in college for computer science. Once I was in college I got introduced to Linux, which was fun. My college instructor used Red Hat 7.1 on the machines in the lab with a Windows 2000 Professional dual-boot. From there I tried every distribution of Linux I could get my hands on. I tried Slackware, SUSE, and Red Hat, and I liked them all. I was reading an article about a version of Linux that I was interested in trying; it was Ubuntu. It was simple and best of all it was free. I had an old computer at home and I installed Ubuntu. I sat there and learned the Linux environment. Now I use Linux daily for office work, web development, photo editing, video editing, and to play video games.
I have introduced Linux to people and had them tell me they like Windows better. Others, like my mom, have Linux on their computer (hers isn’t even that old). It give me satisfaction to know that if my mom clicks on the wrong thing on her computer, she is not going to catch something that will damage her computer. I have some friends that have Linux and use it for daily tasks. I helped one friend build his first desktop. He had always wanted to try Linux so I have taken him under my wing, helping him understand Linux and its abilities as an operating system.
I also have a YouTube channel for whenever I get an idea to share something or to make a product review. Here are my various outlets:
It’s free, you can set it up anyway you want, and the best thing is it’s secure. I use it to diagnose hardware issues. Linux also has some great tools to recover files from a hard drive that is corrupted and cannot be recognized.
What distribution do you run on your main desktop/laptop?
Ubuntu.
What desktop environment do you use and why do you use it?
MATE! It is like the old classic GNOME that was in Ubuntu 10.04, which was my favorite Ubuntu version. It’s fast and can run on older hardware.
What one piece of Linux software do you depend upon? Why is it so important?
That’s a hard question for me answer. These are the three programs that I use the most, except for Firefox:
LibreOffice. It’s what is being used to type this interview as well as all of the notes that I have ever typed about Linux. Every time I install a system for someone, I always install LibreOffice so that they have an office suite installed. LibreOffice gives me the ability to get my work done.
Kdenlive. It’s a great video editor, priced right (free!) and better than Adobe Premiere.
LightZone. I use it to edit my photos that I take with my Canon T6i. It’s better than buying Lightroom from Adobe. I post those pictures on Flickr.
What kind of hardware do you run this setup on?
I have two laptops running Linux.
One is a Dell E6510 with Ubuntu 16.04. It’s my daily driver. I use it all the time. It has good battery life and it lightweight. I traded it for an Asus laptop, which felt like a tank and was too big for me. The Dell is a simple machine to work on. It has one single screw between you and full access to its hardware. Since I got it, it has been updated twice. The first thing I did was upgrade it to 8GB RAM and then last year I put an SSD in. The specs are i5 Dual Core, 8GB RAM, and 120GB SSD. Yes it’s a small SSD, but all I do with this machine is documents, photo editing, and it can do some light video editing as well.
The other is an Asus R500v with Mint 18. I have been wanting to upgrade this machine to an SSD. I really just use it for for 1080p video editing and playing Nexuiz and Open Arena. The specs are i5 Dual Core, 8GB RAM, 320GB hard drive, Nvidia 610m GPU and an Intel 4000 graphics.
Will you share a screenshot of your desktop?
Yes. It’s simple and it’s clean. No clutter.
Interview conducted November 2, 2016
The Linux Setup is a feature where I interview people about their Linux setups. The concept is borrowed, if not outright stolen, from this site. If you’d like to participate, drop me a line.
You can follow Linux Rig on Google+ here, follow me on Twitter here, and subscribe to the feed here.
As I mentioned yesterday, I’m using OpenSUSE Tumbleweed on an old laptop. There seems to be a lot of discussion around the best way to update Tumbleweed. And the community, to its credit, is asking for clarity.
But so far, so good for me two days in (knock wood).
I’m just so impressed by GNOME. I recently installed OpenSUSE Tumbleweed on an old laptop and the GNOME experience there is great. It’s almost like an operating system in and of itself. For me, that’s a good thing. It lets me explore different distributions, and use different distributions, while maintaining a consistent user experience across my machines.
Allan Day’s post (you might remember Allan from this interview) explains how this is possible.
Apropos of last week’s Emma Marshall interview, I learned from a commenter that System76 is working on its own operating system (that seems to be based on Ubuntu).
It’ll be interesting to see if (and how) this catches on.
“I think Microsoft has recognized over the last couple years that maybe the creative community isn’t as locked into the Mac as many people think it is,” said Jan Dawson, an independent technology analyst. “There’s this window of opportunity for Surface to get in there — and even if that window closes with some of Apple’s upcoming devices, I don’t think Apple has that market locked up.”
I agree that the creative community is willing to move on from Mac, but I think/hope many will give Linux a long, hard look. It’s fast. It’s easy. And the price point is pretty sweet. And hardware becomes much less important when the operating system isn’t bogging things down.
I’m not a Fedora person, but I’m always rooting for the project. I’m not surprised 26 is yet another solid release.
