General Linux Chat and Small Questions v. I broke my Arch Install - Hardware & Software

[QUOTE=ben1066;43150735]Is there any good way to do that considering .Xresources for example isn't in a directory, or should I just symlink them all individually.[/QUOTE] Create a .dotfiles directory in your home directory, and move all your backed up files there, then symlink them. Initialize a repository in the .dotfiles directory, add, commit, done.

[QUOTE=ben1066;43150735]Is there any good way to do that considering .Xresources for example isn't in a directory, or should I just symlink them all individually.[/QUOTE] I haven't figured out a clever way to get around individual symlinks, but that's only a one time thing so whatever.

Probably sounds rather dumb, but I'd like to get into using linux. Such as running it, commands and such. I plan on first running it on a VM to try things out. Can anyone recommend a distro to start out with and where to go with it?

[QUOTE=FrankPetrov;43161199]Probably sounds rather dumb, but I'd like to get into using linux. Such as running it, commands and such. I plan on first running it on a VM to try things out. Can anyone recommend a distro to start out with and where to go with it?[/QUOTE] If you're brave and quick on learning, Arch Linux. If you want a smoother learning curve, Debian Linux.

[QUOTE=supervoltage;43161290]If you're brave and quick on learning, Arch Linux. If you want a smoother learning curve, Debian Linux.[/QUOTE] If you want a gentler introduction to Arch there is archbang too.

[QUOTE=ben1066;43161649]If you want a gentler introduction to Arch there is archbang too.[/QUOTE] I think Manjaro would fit there better. AFAIK Manjaro is more easy to set up, and is more flexible.

[QUOTE=FrankPetrov;43161199]Probably sounds rather dumb, but I'd like to get into using linux. Such as running it, commands and such. I plan on first running it on a VM to try things out. Can anyone recommend a distro to start out with and where to go with it?[/QUOTE] If you want to play around with Linux without dealing with the hassle of setup (which is half the fun!), you can get pre-installed images here: [url]http://virtualboxes.org/images/[/url]

[QUOTE=FrankPetrov;43161199]Probably sounds rather dumb, but I'd like to get into using linux. Such as running it, commands and such. I plan on first running it on a VM to try things out. Can anyone recommend a distro to start out with and where to go with it?[/QUOTE] Once you move out of the VM stages, if you're brave and really want to learn about Linux (such as the role of certain components and the pros and cons of each available option), there's also Gentoo. I'd recommend it as an option right out of the gate, but 1) it takes a bit of manual setup, and therefore requires a little bit of knowledge of Linux going into it and 2) it compiles everything, which is not a smart move in a VM.

so is there any actual difference between gedit and pluma?

[QUOTE=Little Donny;43169450]so is there any actual difference between gedit and pluma?[/QUOTE] Try out both extensively and then stick to the one that suits your needs the most.

[QUOTE=Little Donny;43169450]so is there any actual difference between gedit and pluma?[/QUOTE] Use sublime text. Also if you are going to use gedit disable backup files. They are a pain in the ass [editline]13th December 2013[/editline] [t]http://i.imgur.com/AMAlB6Q.png[/t]

[QUOTE=lavacano;43165309]Once you move out of the VM stages, if you're brave and really want to learn about Linux (such as the role of certain components and the pros and cons of each available option), there's also Gentoo. I'd recommend it as an option right out of the gate, but 1) it takes [B]a bit of manual setup[/B], and therefore requires a little bit of knowledge of Linux going into it and 2) it compiles everything, which is not a smart move in a VM.[/QUOTE] understatement of the year

Steam OS was just added to a Valve repo [url]http://repo.steamstatic.com/steamos/[/url]

The link I found was [url]http://repo.steampowered.com/download/[/url] not sure what to do with it though.

And here's the beta page [url]http://store.steampowered.com/steamos/bet[/url]

Would elementary OS Luna be good for a laptop that is somewhat low end?

I really really want to use Linux as my main OS but every time I try to switch I only last like a week I love Arch but I just can't adjust I guess

[QUOTE=Zero Vector;43176067]I really really want to use Linux as my main OS but every time I try to switch I only last like a week I love Arch but I just can't adjust I guess[/QUOTE] try something a bit more novice friendly, Kubuntu or Mint perhaps.

[QUOTE=danharibo;43176092]try something a bit more novice friendly, Kubuntu or Mint perhaps.[/QUOTE] well I understand Linux fairly well I think, I've installed Arch countless times and love it compared to any other distro I've used the problem is one night I'll be like "yeah I'm gonna switch to Linux" then I format my whole computer with it and 1-2 weeks later I format my computer back to Windows 8 because I'm just too used to Windows I have also converted my second drive (with my documents and such) from NTFS to ext4 and back so many times in my indecision [editline]13th December 2013[/editline] also I can't really replace things such as Photoshop, Unity, foobar2000, etc. [editline]13th December 2013[/editline] I also couldn't get XFCE to look decent no matter how hard I tried and never really could adjust to any other DE/WM

[QUOTE=Zero Vector;43176132]well I understand Linux fairly well I think, I've installed Arch countless times and love it compared to any other distro I've used the problem is one night I'll be like "yeah I'm gonna switch to Linux" then I format my whole computer with it and 1-2 weeks later I format my computer back to Windows 8 because I'm just too used to Windows I have also converted my second drive (with my documents and such) from NTFS to ext4 and back so many times in my indecision [editline]13th December 2013[/editline] also I can't really replace things such as Photoshop, Unity, foobar2000, etc. [editline]13th December 2013[/editline] I also couldn't get XFCE to look decent no matter how hard I tried and never really could adjust to any other DE/WM[/QUOTE] Pantheon (whats used in the Elementary OS) is in the Arch repos you could try that if your looking for something more cosmetic. [editline]13th December 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=robotman5;43175714]Would elementary OS Luna be good for a laptop that is somewhat low end?[/QUOTE] Depends what you're going to use it for really.

[QUOTE=Zero Vector;43176067]I really really want to use Linux as my main OS but every time I try to switch I only last like a week I love Arch but I just can't adjust I guess[/QUOTE] Run Arch in a VM. I use VirtualBox at work and it integrates very seamlessly with windows.

[QUOTE=robotman5;43175714]Would elementary OS Luna be good for a laptop that is somewhat low end?[/QUOTE] How low end are we talking ?

[QUOTE=Stents*;43174310]Steam OS was just added to a Valve repo [url]http://repo.steamstatic.com/steamos/[/url][/QUOTE] [quote] Origin: Valve Software LLC Label: SteamOS Codename: alchemist_beta Suite: testing Components: main contrib non-free UDebComponents: main Architectures: i386 amd64 source Update: - default nonfreecontrib udeb steam Description: Beta build of SteamOS 1.0 distribution based on Debian 7.1 Wheezy SignWith: [email]steamos@steampowered.com[/email] Log: /var/www/SteamOS/log/alchemist_beta.log [/quote] So, it's Debian-based. I'm definitely smug right now.

Blarg. VirtualBox does not like SteamOS. My laptop recognizes the EFI-bootable USB just fine but vbox won't. I eventually got vbox to boot off of a virtual drive with the installer files, but rather than bringing up the correct boot menu, it drops me at the grub command line where I can apparently do nothing.

[QUOTE=nikomo;43177076]So, it's Debian-based. I'm definitely smug right now.[/QUOTE] Debian is easy to develop distros on. [editline]14th December 2013[/editline] Just look at this sexy mother fucker [media]http://vimeo.com/49999396[/media] I'm going to install this on my laptop

DUMB QUESTION AHEAD: How do I boot Steam OS with a usb disk? I tried their instructions (Custom Installation) even though they don't make sense at all, booting without an MBR on the disk? [URL]http://store.steampowered.com/steamos/buildyourown[/URL] with their instructions, nothing happens. (i have no UEFI at this computer).

[QUOTE=Lyoko2;43179603](i have no UEFI at this computer).[/QUOTE] You can't boot it then, they require UEFI.

Would it not work to install wheezy then pull the packages from their repo?

[QUOTE=ben1066;43180492]Would it not work to install wheezy then pull the packages from their repo?[/QUOTE] Unless they've been hacking around with something integral.... It should.

It seems that there's no option to install Steam OS to a specific drive. I have a totally unused hard drive just sitting here for dual booting purposes and I can't use it!