Viability of using a Pyra as a hybrid/main computer?

[Arctic20]

Old atoms from the dark netbook days and atoms now are on completely different levels. Atom cherry trails are pretty decent for what they are. They are cheap and get the job done and can run plenty of games within reason. Performance is nice for daily tasks as long as windows is clean (I had to reinstall Windows on my 2 in 1 to gain reasonable levels of performance, not sure why it was choking out of the box). I need something better though for gaming reasons, an i5/mx150 would compliment me just fine.


It's a budget mobile chip but SO much better of atoms of old which I would argue were borderline unusable unless linux was slapped on them.

 

[levi]

Personally, I'd argue that most CPUs are unusable unless you slap a decent OS like Linux* on it.

Spoiler

Or AmigaOS or RISC OS if you wanted to be obtuse

 

[Arctic20]

Personally, I'd argue that most CPUs are unusable unless you slap a decent OS like Linux* on it.

Spoiler

Or AmigaOS or RISC OS if you wanted to be obtuse

If it were up to be I'd be rocking out to Xubuntu instead of windows 10 but game support....but with the specs I'm wanting I guess performance difference would be very negligible anyways.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B075...2dd9364f34f6&pd_rd_w=X83pd&pd_rd_i=B075FLBJV7

 

[TrashyMG]

Spoiler

Or AmigaOS or RISC OS if you wanted to be obtuse

I obtusely resemble that spoiler remark.

 

[Arctic20]

Even if I don't know how to code I like to think I am still one of the target markets for the pyra. I like messing with devices and with how open the pyra is I could go nuts and do all sorts of stuff. It would suit me better than a GPD win because I'd rather have a full size laptop with a dedicated gpu for windows games.

Plus I want to learn linux, I've been wanting a Linux pc for a long time.

Will the pyra be running Debian testing or stable and will it be the latest version? What about upgrading to future Debian releases?

 

[Grench]

Plus I want to learn linux, I've been wanting a Linux pc for a long time.

If you're looking forward to the, "challenge of learning Linux," prepare to be disappointed. It's easier to learn than Windows 8 or 10 were/are and, generally, you only really have to use the command line if you really want to.

Will the pyra be running Debian testing or stable and will it be the latest version? What about upgrading to future Debian releases?

To my understanding the current OS for the Pyra is Debian Stretch. Stretch is stable.

 

[Arctic20]

If you're looking forward to the, "challenge of learning Linux," prepare to be disappointed. It's easier to learn than Windows 8 or 10 were/are and, generally, you only really have to use the command line if you really want to.


To my understanding the current OS for the Pyra is Debian Stretch. Stretch is stable.

I don't want an OS to be a "challenge" in the sense it's a chore to even use it, I meant more like learning some of the command line since a lot of Linux users swear by it.

 

[Grench]

I don't want an OS to be a "challenge" in the sense it's a chore to even use it, I meant more like learning some of the command line since a lot of Linux users swear by it.

Yep, and sometimes it's far faster to just open a terminal and type what I want. BUT - that USED to be something that I/we had to do. Now... the mainline distributions have become good enough in the GUI that it is perfectly possible for someone to set up a machine and be a Linux user without having ever typed a thing at the command line.

I just didn't want you to overestimate the challenge then be disappointed that it's really not that hard. The Pyra should be pretty usable by just about anyone who has used any computer in the last 10 years - and even most of those that haven't.

 

[Arctic20]

Yep, and sometimes it's far faster to just open a terminal and type what I want. BUT - that USED to be something that I/we had to do. Now... the mainline distributions have become good enough in the GUI that it is perfectly possible for someone to set up a machine and be a Linux user without having ever typed a thing at the command line.

I just didn't want you to overestimate the challenge then be disappointed that it's really not that hard. The Pyra should be pretty usable by just about anyone who has used any computer in the last 10 years - and even most of those that haven't.

You said windows 10 is harder than Linux though, is it really? Well I guess xfce is more straight forward so I kinds answered my own question. But at the same time the search bar on windows 10 is amazing.

 

[TrashyMG]

You said windows 10 is harder than Linux though, is it really? Well I guess xfce is more straight forward so I kinds answered my own question. But at the same time the search bar on windows 10 is amazing.

I have to say being almost a decade removed of using Windows, trying to debug something on my parents Windows 10 machine was a bit difficult as everything seemed to change location wise. I wonder which OS would fare best to people with no experience or familiarity in either system. Most Linux Distros now can install so easy and come with every tool you need including an Office Suite.

 

[Arctic20]

I have to say being almost a decade removed of using Windows, trying to debug something on my parents Windows 10 machine was a bit difficult as everything seemed to change location wise. I wonder which OS would fare best to people with no experience or familiarity in either system. Most Linux Distros now can install so easy and come with every tool you need including an Office Suite.

I would say chrome os is the easiest overall and most people don't need anything more than chrome os since the web covers pretty much every typical task except for games and that leaves people who must use high end productivity software

 

[trix]

In my experience, people learning to use a computer for the first time have an easier time with Linux by far.

As an example, look at the process of installing something basic, like a free program that can make a CD. On Windows, you open a web browser, go to a search engine, search for what you're looking for, sift through the results for something free, if you're cautious (and on Windows you should be, this is where you look up reviews of whatever you decided upon and whatever website is offering it for download to ensure no malware or scams or crappy software, find the website of the software you want, find the correct Download link, download the setup program, run it, click Next a few times, choose where to install it, agree to some crap you didn't read, click next more times, then finally it's installed. If you want to run it you either look through the start menu (under a subfolder that is often named after the company that made it, hopefully you saw who made it right?) or use a search feature to find it by name.

In Linux, you open your software repository, search for what you want (or just click the category), look through the list of (mostly free) software with screenshots comments and ratings right there in the list, pick one, click Install. To run it you open the menu and look under the correct category, as it's organized for you automatically.

That's just one example. There are a ton of ways that make Linux much easier to learn than Windows, if you've never used either.

 

[Arctic20]

In my experience, people learning to use a computer for the first time have an easier time with Linux by far.

As an example, look at the process of installing something basic, like a free program that can make a CD. On Windows, you open a web browser, go to a search engine, search for what you're looking for, sift through the results for something free, if you're cautious (and on Windows you should be, this is where you look up reviews of whatever you decided upon and whatever website is offering it for download to ensure no malware or scams or crappy software, find the website of the software you want, find the correct Download link, download the setup program, run it, click Next a few times, choose where to install it, agree to some crap you didn't read, click next more times, then finally it's installed. If you want to run it you either look through the start menu (under a subfolder that is often named after the company that made it, hopefully you saw who made it right?) or use a search feature to find it by name.

In Linux, you open your software repository, search for what you want (or just click the category), look through the list of (mostly free) software with screenshots comments and ratings right there in the list, pick one, click Install. To run it you open the menu and look under the correct category, as it's organized for you automatically.

That's just one example. There are a ton of ways that make Linux much easier to learn than Windows, if you've never used either.

And I'd like to add that various desktop environments put your programs in their own sections on the start menu based on what the program is.

I'll use peppermint OS as an example

 

[spud42]

In my experience, people learning to use a computer for the first time have an easier time with Linux by far.

As an example, look at the process of installing something basic, like a free program that can make a CD. On Windows, you open a web browser, go to a search engine, search for what you're looking for, sift through the results for something free, if you're cautious (and on Windows you should be, this is where you look up reviews of whatever you decided upon and whatever website is offering it for download to ensure no malware or scams or crappy software, find the website of the software you want, find the correct Download link, download the setup program, run it, click Next a few times, choose where to install it, agree to some crap you didn't read, click next more times, then finally it's installed. If you want to run it you either look through the start menu (under a subfolder that is often named after the company that made it, hopefully you saw who made it right?) or use a search feature to find it by name.

In Linux, you open your software repository, search for what you want (or just click the category), look through the list of (mostly free) software with screenshots comments and ratings right there in the list, pick one, click Install. To run it you open the menu and look under the correct category, as it's organized for you automatically.

That's just one example. There are a ton of ways that make Linux much easier to learn than Windows, if you've never used either.

i have had smatterings of linux use since around 1999. never as my main os. i do agree that in that time it has gotten so much better but i must disagree with you about installing a programme.
I installed debian Jessie on my acer netbook when it was announced that the Pyra would be using it. It took forever to even find out HOW to add a program let alone actually install it. The list does not have friendly pictures and programmes i tried to add had multiple parts or dependencies that i just had to hope the packet manager found. which it did not in several cases . several programmes i had to abandon and choose another that did install.
opening a terminal ad typing sudo apt get xxxxxxxxxxx is all well and fine IF you know the exact thing you are after.
also you overstate the steps and complexity of a windows install

 

[trix]

I was not describing opening a terminal and using the console package manager, but rather the GUI. Debian comes with a graphical package manager that does include screenshots and the rest.

As for dependencies, it's been a couple of decades since I've had a package manager fail to resolve dependencies automatically. And I've used Linux exclusively since 1992. I'm not sure what you are trying to install, but clicking the Install button in the graphical package manager always works for me.

 

[Grench]

I was not describing opening a terminal and using the console package manager, but rather the GUI. Debian comes with a graphical package manager that does include screenshots and the rest.

As for dependencies, it's been a couple of decades since I've had a package manager fail to resolve dependencies automatically. And I've used Linux exclusively since 1992. I'm not sure what you are trying to install, but clicking the Install button in the graphical package manager always works for me.

The only recent package that I've had fail to properly install dependencies is, of all things, Steam. It has gotten better, but it wasn't that long ago that installing Steam on a 64bit computer required all sorts of bending sideways and manual package installs. More recently there was a Debian update that auto-removed some of Steam's dependencies on 64bit computers. Yeah, I believe that got fixed. Graphics driver installs can be annoying, but have gotten better.

But for everything other than Steam in the repository, it's pretty clean - and even Steam seems to be smooth now.

 

[benoitb]

Agreed that for someone with no prior knowledge of computing, Linux can be easier to use. My mom uses XFCE without too many issues.
Still the menus and especially the filesystem are difficulties. My aunt and mom are doing pretty well with Android phones, they don't need to understand the filesystem to pass images from the camera to emails for exemple. I'd say the hierarchy is "mobile OSs" easier than typical Linux desktop easier than Windows. And to me MacOs is the most difficult. I was lost when trying to find my around it.

 

[Arctic20]

Having a package manager is definitely awesome. I tried a live Linux mint image a couple years ago and everything was in one place to download. Steam, Firefox, ect.

 

[rygD]

noobs

 

[canseco]

About the Pyra, i see it more as a replacement for a mobile/tablet and laptop (not a powerfull one), but i don't think it would be a good replacement for my desktop PC with Linux, unless we convince some devs to port some popular games, not asking for the entire catalog, more than 4000 now only on Steam,

XFCE is nice for people coming from the WinXP experience, but Plasma 5 (aka KDE) is better for people coming from the Vista, 7 era.

The search bar, apart from finding programs and recent documents, works as a calculator (2+2=4), currency exchange value (50eur = 59.66 USD, same for GBP, CAD, JPY), etc.

If everything is minimized, i just type and it shows up, or Alt+F2 to launch it.

And those are just a few features that i don't see on other desktop operative systems.