Linux masterminds. Get in here.

  • Thread starter Dennisch
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@TenEightyOne -- I think the answer to your question is, "yes." However, it seems NTFS is not very fast under Linux, so I suppose I should make "/home" separate from the shared partition and use the NTFS partition (or the original Windows partition) for general shared storage and Windows games.

EDIT: I've settled on something I like: 96GB for Windows by itself, 728GB for Windows games and all my junk, and 128GB set aside for the Mint partition, swap partition, and Linux stuff.

And Mint is installed and running. :)
 
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I could get used to this. What a contrast between wrangling Windows 10 and setting up Mint Cinnamon -- getting a new OS configured to my preferences hasn't been that simple since Windows 98. Windows 10 left me with a million things to turn off, uninstall, bypass, opt out of, or disable, and I know it will take any opportunity it can get to pester me more and undermine my authority. Its UI design is so messy and obscure I'm not sure I've even tracked everything down yet that I want to change. I cannot stand its ribbon interfaces and labyrinthine redirections. "User friendliness" tends to make things harder for me.

Meanwhile, Mint Cinnamon is very close to what I want and expect from an OS out of the box. It shares most of the functionality I appreciated about Windows 7 (with a few clever enhancements) and otherwise stays out of my way.


Oh yeah, and Mint got me to try Firefox again since it came pre-installed (I've been on Waterfox). I may stick with it in Linux, but on Windows 10 Firefox is damned slow on the same hardware and internet connection. :odd:

EDIT: Opting for Waterfox on Windows 10 did the trick.
 
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Anyone looking forward to the Seeed Beagle V? I don't know a huge amount about Linux, I have dabbled back in the day while at Uni with some Unbuntu builds and also had a little notebook running MeeGo at its original launch in 2010.

From what I can gather the Beagle V is quite an interesting proposition.
 
Finally, I seem to have gotten around a problem preventing me from updating my Nvidia driver until now. I was getting the black screen issue, even in recovery mode, forcing me to restore with TimeShift from a USB boot to roll back to a version 450 driver. I was stuck with that driver since December.

This fix did the trick for me, and it seems to be helping users with different symptoms with Nvidia hardware, so I am linking it here in case it may help someone here. 👍
 
I just took the plunge on getting something going in Wine, and I'm so glad I did because I finally have my beloved GraphicsGale back on my main desktop! I tried a dozen alternatives under Linux and I still have found nothing better than Gale, in Windows or Linux. It's the ultimate "Goldilocks" image editor for what I need; not too elaborate and cumbersome, not too basic, covering the essential features (eg. layers, color manipulation, alpha channel) with a practical traditional UI.

All I did was grab the version of Wine that appeared on "Editors' Picks" in the Software Manager, and after a brief snag (because nothing pointed me in the direction of using the terminal to install/run Gale...but I've learned that's taken for granted in the Linux world), it was done. Easy. Easier than I expected. 👍
 
BobK
As @Naveek Darkroom says, Linux is much more secure than Windows. It's also a smaller target for the malware writers; they aim at the systems that 80% of the world uses, which is Windows. Linux users tend to be collectively more knowledgeable which makes it an even harder target. Would you write a virus that could potentially affect 1000 systems, or 10 systems?

As for the keyboard, there's a very good possibility that the manufacturer didn't write a linux driver for it so basic functionality would work but not some whistles and bells. This kind of thing is unfortunately not uncommon in the linux world.
Click to expand...

15 years ago, there were very few malware for Macs.
Now they do have them as people started to use them as "Status Symbols" so criminals thought this is an easy mark.

Also with Linux, many changes that need to be done, need SUDO level access.

Any vulnerability will be quickly patched out as well, faster than in windows.

Derp, didn't see that your post was in 2016.
 
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Ok.

I have a challenge for the people who like to screw around with Linux. And especially light weight Linux like Lubuntu.

I have an Intel Atom running for the various silly nonsense, and it's running on 16.04. That distribution is no longer supported, but as I can't get any of the later distributions to work remotely, through VNC, and this time the other communities aren't very helpful, I'm stuck on 16.04.

If anyone has any spare time to get something else lightweight and LTS working through VNC, I would be mighty grateful. Oh, and please tell me the simple steps you took. :lol:
 
Dennisch
Ok.

I have a challenge for the people who like to screw around with Linux. And especially light weight Linux like Lubuntu.

I have an Intel Atom running for the various silly nonsense, and it's running on 16.04. That distribution is no longer supported, but as I can't get any of the later distributions to work remotely, through VNC, and this time the other communities aren't very helpful, I'm stuck on 16.04.

If anyone has any spare time to get something else lightweight and LTS working through VNC, I would be mighty grateful. Oh, and please tell me the simple steps you took. :lol:
Click to expand...
Have you tried LXLE?
Its based off Ubuntu 18.04
So 2 years newer so you might have a better chance to get things working than something that is pretty much EOL.

First command that you should really run is
Code: 
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
and update everything before installing anything new.
 
So, I found something that works on 20.04 lightweight flavours. I have VNC access on Xubuntu.

Shamelessly stolen from here : Aldo Fregoso

1. Install Vino

Code: 
sudo apt get install vino

2. Configure Vino. Since there isn't vino-preferences anymore, gsettings can be used.

Code: 
#
# Display all the preferences
#
gsettings list-recursively org.gnome.Vino

#
# [x] Allow other users to view your desktop
#     NOTE: This setting was removed
#
gsettings set org.gnome.Vino enabled true

#
# [x] Allow other users to control your desktop
#     NOTE: Reverse Boolean
#
gsettings set org.gnome.Vino view-only false

#
# [ ] You must confirm each access to this machine
#
gsettings set org.gnome.Vino prompt-enabled false

#
# [ ] Require the user to enter this password
#
gsettings set org.gnome.Vino authentication-methods "['none']"
gsettings set org.gnome.Vino vnc-password keyring

#
# [x] Require the user to enter this password
#
# Step 1. Ask for password (NOTE: Only tested with `bash` and `zsh`)
echo -n "VNC Password: " && read -s password < /dev/tty && echo ""
# Step 2. Set the preferences
gsettings set org.gnome.Vino authentication-methods "['vnc']"
gsettings set org.gnome.Vino vnc-password "$(echo $password | base64)"
# Step 3. Clear the `$password` variable
unset password

#
# [ ] Automatically configure UPnP router to open and forward ports
#
gsettings set org.gnome.Vino use-upnp false

#
# Show Notification Area Icon
#
# ( ) always  // Always
# (o) client  // Only when someone is connected
# ( ) never   // Never
#
gsettings set org.gnome.Vino icon-visibility client

3. Disabling encryption (optional)

Code: 
gsettings set org.gnome.Vino require-encryption false

4. Make it autostart.

Code: 
xfce4-session-settings

Check Desktop Sharing (GNOME Desktop Sharing Server) under the Application Autostart tab.

If the Desktop Sharing entry is missing, you will need to add it by running the following command:

Code: 
$ sudo cp /usr/share/applications/vino-server.desktop /etc/xdg/autostart/vino-server.desktop

5. Test it, it most likely works.

Code: 
$ /usr/lib/vino/vino-server --sm-disable

Restart and go have remote fun.
 
I have a question!

Say for instance I have a Windows game that I've tried to play on two different distros using Proton by adding the game to Steam. On Debian it works fine, but on Manjaro the game tries to launch and tells me a directory it needs doesn't exist, even though it does. I've tried chmod -r(-R? Can't remember) 777 on the game folder but couldn't think of anything else I could do... Any thoughts please?
 
neema_t
I have a question!

Say for instance I have a Windows game that I've tried to play on two different distros using Proton by adding the game to Steam. On Debian it works fine, but on Manjaro the game tries to launch and tells me a directory it needs doesn't exist, even though it does. I've tried chmod -r(-R? Can't remember) 777 on the game folder but couldn't think of anything else I could do... Any thoughts please?
Click to expand...
chmod +x <filename> will give you execute permissions, maybe that is what's missing?


Jerome
 
Jump_Ace
chmod +x <filename> will give you execute permissions, maybe that is what's missing?


Jerome
Click to expand...
That's what chmod -R 777 was for, to set read, write and execute permissions on everything in the game folder just in case. Oh and at this point I'd like to make it clear that I was booting Manjaro as a live installation on a flash drive so nothing is saved, which is why I was happy to go ahead with what is normally a terrible idea... (I'm the only user anyway, though)
 
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I have moved from Linux Mint to Ubuntu. I need to get used to the Ubuntu GUI but it already feels a lot smoother than Mint.
 
I need some assistance because I'm pulling hairs out of my head that I no longer have.

I'm bringing the Minecraft server back to life, running on Lubuntu 16.04 (didn't bother with an update) and to make it easy for myself I want a clickable icon to start the server. Yes, lazy. Usually to make that work I use this :

Make a new text-file named something.desktop and write this in there:

Code: 
#!/usr/bin/env xdg-open

[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Terminal=false
Exec=java -Xms12G -Xmx12G -jar paper.jar --nogui
Name=Minecraft
Comment=click
Icon=/home/meinkraft/Pictures/icon.png

make the file executable (chmod +x Minecraft.desktop)

Changing the Terminal from false to true doesn't make a difference.

It has been a while since I made one of these and I probably am missing something, it isn't important as I can fire up the server through the terminal, it's just annoying that I can't get it to work with my fancy creeper icon.

3d-creeper-minecraft-icon-256.png
 
Dennisch
I need some assistance because I'm pulling hairs out of my head that I no longer have.

I'm bringing the Minecraft server back to life, running on Lubuntu 16.04 (didn't bother with an update) and to make it easy for myself I want a clickable icon to start the server. Yes, lazy. Usually to make that work I use this :

Make a new text-file named something.desktop and write this in there:

Code: 
#!/usr/bin/env xdg-open

[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Terminal=false
Exec=java -Xms12G -Xmx12G -jar paper.jar --nogui
Name=Minecraft
Comment=click
Icon=/home/meinkraft/Pictures/icon.png

make the file executable (chmod +x Minecraft.desktop)

Changing the Terminal from false to true doesn't make a difference.

It has been a while since I made one of these and I probably am missing something, it isn't important as I can fire up the server through the terminal, it's just annoying that I can't get it to work with my fancy creeper icon.

3d-creeper-minecraft-icon-256.png
Click to expand...
Right clicking on the posted image says the filename is proxy.webp . Make sure the actual image is a .png .
 
BobK
Right clicking on the posted image says the filename is proxy.webp . Make sure the actual image is a .png .
Click to expand...
After reading my post, I see that I should be a bit more clear. :lol:

The icon part works, it's a png, and the textfile turns into the icon, but the executable part doesn't. I can click it all I want but nothing happens. I get no program start but also no error.
 
Dennisch
Exec=java -Xms12G -Xmx12G -jar paper.jar --nogui
Click to expand...
I guess either java or paper.jar cannot be found. Try opening a terminal and execute (paste and press enter) the bold line above, you can tell from the error message which one it is. You will need to give the full path to either file or both to make it happen.

Hope this helps!
 
tarnheld
I guess either java or paper.jar cannot be found. Try opening a terminal and execute (paste and press enter) the bold line above, you can tell from the error message which one it is. You will need to give the full path to either file or both to make it happen.

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...
Completely forgot to respond, but that works. I can fire it up through the terminal, it's just that I used to use the bit in my first post to make a executable icon, but now it just doesn't work.

When I click on it nothing happens, no error, nothing. I'm confident I'm missing a step, but I have no idea what.
 
Dennisch
Completely forgot to respond, but that works. I can fire it up through the terminal, it's just that I used to use the bit in my first post to make a executable icon, but now it just doesn't work.

When I click on it nothing happens, no error, nothing. I'm confident I'm missing a step, but I have no idea what.
Click to expand...
Hmmm, strange. I still suspect that when clicking on the icon, the paper.jar file cannot be found. The desktop file might be executed in a different environment where the paper.jar file is not in the path and cannot be found.

Can you try to put in the full path to paper.jar into the desktop file? You can open a terminal and find out the path to paper.jar by entering 'where paper.jar' or 'which paper.jar' or by just searching for it with the usual file manager methods.
The line should look like:
Exec=java -Xms12G -Xmx12G -jar /full/path/to/paper.jar --nogui

You can also try to execute the desktop file itself in a terminal and see if the error will be visible there in the output. Open a Terminal, navigate to the place where the desktop file is located and enter ./something.desktop and press enter.
 
tarnheld
You can also try to execute the desktop file itself in a terminal and see if the error will be visible there in the output. Open a Terminal, navigate to the place where the desktop file is located and enter ./something.desktop and press enter.
Click to expand...
On my system the shell interprets the .desktop file as a script and fails.
 
BobK
On my system the shell interprets the .desktop file as a script and fails.
Click to expand...
Hmmm, maybe you don't have the xdg-open program installed? I think it's in the package xdg-utils for Ubuntu.
The first line is called Shebang and tells your shell with wich program to open/interpret the file.
xdg-open should open any file using correct/configured application, so xdg-open document.pdf should open the PDF using your PDF viewer. But the .desktop files are not very standardized, so the format might not be valid on your system.

After reading through the docs in the links above, there should also be a validation program:

desktop-file-validate something.desktop

might output some clues why the file is not working.
 
tarnheld
Hmmm, maybe you don't have the xdg-open program installed? I think it's in the package xdg-utils for Ubuntu.
The first line is called Shebang and tells your shell with wich program to open/interpret the file.
xdg-open should open any file using correct/configured application, so xdg-open document.pdf should open the PDF using your PDF viewer. But the .desktop files are not very standardized, so the format might not be valid on your system.

After reading through the docs in the links above, there should also be a validation program:

desktop-file-validate something.desktop

might output some clues why the file is not working.
Click to expand...
Actually I do have xdg-open et al on my Slackware 14.2 system, but it doesn't appear to be configured to handle .desktop files.

On my linux mint (ubuntu derivative) system, xdg_open somefile.desktop works. But ./somefile.desktop fails, unsurprisingly, which is what I understood "run from the command line" to mean. Yes the permissions are 755.
 
tarnheld
Can you try to put in the full path to paper.jar into the desktop file? You can open a terminal and find out the path to paper.jar by entering 'where paper.jar' or 'which paper.jar' or by just searching for it with the usual file manager methods.
The line should look like:
Exec=java -Xms12G -Xmx12G -jar /full/path/to/paper.jar --nogui
Click to expand...
tarnheld
You can also try to execute the desktop file itself in a terminal and see if the error will be visible there in the output. Open a Terminal, navigate to the place where the desktop file is located and enter ./something.desktop and press enter.
Click to expand...
Nothing happens. No error, no message.

But.

I now have it working.

Make a new text-file named Minecraft.desktop and write this in there:


Code: 
#!/usr/bin/env xdg-open

[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Terminal=false
Exec=java -Xms12G -Xmx12G -jar paper.jar --nogui
Name=Minecraft
Comment=click
Icon=/home/meinkraft/Pictures/icon.png

make the file executable (chmod +x Minecraft.desktop)

Right click on Creeper, properties. Desktop entry tab. Fill in the working directory line (/home/meinkraft/Minecraft/) and it works.

See? I missed a step. :lol:
 
BobK
Actually I do have xdg-open et al on my Slackware 14.2 system, but it doesn't appear to be configured to handle .desktop files.

On my linux mint (ubuntu derivative) system, xdg_open somefile.desktop works. But ./somefile.desktop fails, unsurprisingly, which is what I understood "run from the command line" to mean. Yes the permissions are 755.
Click to expand...
Sorry, i currently don't have access to a linux system to try out. But reading the xdg-open docs it seems it will eventually hand over to your desktop environment's file opener. So maybe that's where the error comes from?

But if xdg-open somefile.desktop works on the terminal, this is very strange indeed, as executing the file itself should do basically the same thing. :confused:
 

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