A classic one - how does look your desktop?

[Cybermonkey]

So I moved on to Mint 17 (on my main desktop). I do really like that zoncolor multi theme ...

[Cybermonkey]

This is my second desktop PC, it's a small form factor Acer Aspire X1700. It was remaining from my shop so I use it at home now. OS is a Xubuntu 14.04 LTS (32 Bit) using the same zoncolor theme as my Mint installation. Display is only 19" with 1280x1024 pixels resolution.

[Cybermonkey]

I changed my second desktop PC's theme to a more Mac-like.

[Cybermonkey]

My new desktop - I am using now Ubuntu MATE. Behaviour is "Cupertino". And, yes, that are two displays, each 1920 x 1080 pixels.  (I scaled down the screenshot ...)

[Tomaaz]

I'm back to Linux (Peppermint 7) and I'm going for minimalism this time. 

[Cybermonkey]

My main desktop is still the same Ubuntu Mate but I have now a Xubuntu 32 bit installation on an external USB HDD. A bit more like those OS from Redmond.

[Mike Lobanovsky]

This is my Ubuntu 12.04 LTS:



and this is my elementaryOS Luna:



(both downsized brutally by Photobucket).

[jbk]

hi Mike
what exactly is elementary OS?
I went to their website but could not find basic info, tell me about it, do you run this frequently or just to explore from time to time?

[Mike Lobanovsky]

Hi jbk,

eOS is a lightweight and fast Ubuntu-based Linux distro being actively developed by a bunch of GUI-oriented professionals. It isn't just a repackaged castrated parent but a fresh look at what a contemporary OS should be like if it aims for competing with Windows and Mac OS X on the desktop and laptop markets. A lot of apps have been re-written completely from scratch including the system window manager, browser, and more.

32-bit v0.2 Luna was their first stable publicly available release while their 64-bit v0.3 Freya (formerly called Aurora) was still unusable and full of bugs as was Ubuntu 14 itself back at that time. Now they are enjoying their latest v0.4 called Loki.

You've been probably looking for the info in the wrong place. Please retry here, read through the Blog (click top left of the page), and don't be shy to pay them $0 (after all, that's what Linux is all about, ain't it? ) to get your download and explore the OS yourself.

I am not an active Linux user but rather a born Windozer and I just couldn't miss the opportunity to fulfill my sacred duty of pulling a Linuxoid leg when I saw one or two in this topic.

[ScriptBasic]

Mike,

I'm all for building a better, easier to use and open Windows (like) environment.

[Mike Lobanovsky]

Mike,

I'm all for building a better, easier to use and open Windows (like) environment.

But there is one!

[Tomaaz]

what exactly is elementary OS?

A couple of years ago there was a lot of talking about elementary OS as a really good looking and well designed (GUI) distro. Unfortunetely, its developers did a really strange and well... stupid thing. On their blog they called all people who downloaded the system without making a donations cheaters. The system is based on Ubuntu and, IMO, there are betters alternatives. My favourite is Peppermint OS. It's an easy to use, friendly and light distro based on Ubuntu LTS. Its desktop environment is a mixture of LXDE, Xfce and, I think, Mate. It's really nice distro. And don't listen to this bulshit that Peppermint OS is something similar to Chrome OS. No, it's a fully featured Linux distro plus some web-oriented features.

[Tomaaz]

But there is one!

Yes, but there are several problems with ReactOS:

1. It's been in development for eighteen years and it's still on alpha stage.
2. The distance between Windows an ReactOS is huge and it's getting bigger, instead of getting smaller. It looks like Win98 what was fine eighteen years ago, but now? Also, I wouldn't count on compatibility with modern Windows applications. The ones from 98/XP era may work, but it's a bit to late for that.
3. Wine provides better compatibility at the moment.

[Mike Lobanovsky]

1. It's been in development for eighteen years and it's still on alpha stage.

Money would've done the trick quickly but Russians are miserly in everything that's not related directly to their bellies.

2. The distance between Windows an ReactOS is huge and it's getting bigger ...

Nope. In fact the distance between Windows XP and ReactOS is getting smaller and smaller with every passing day. Currently ReactOS is aiming for full compatibility with Windows Server 2003 but it has the means to disguise itself as any pre-Vista Windows build that a program may expect.

It looks like Win98 what was fine eighteen years ago, but now?

Nope again. It's a matter of taste. I'm spending 50% of my coding time in Windows Classic under every Windows OS build I have. But if you want some system-wide skinning, ReactOS has been ready to offer you some for a few years alredy (the images I'm posting date back to 2013/14):

Also, I wouldn't count on compatibility with modern Windows applications.

What do you mean, modern? There's so much available under 32-bit Windows that one can hardly explore a tiny fraction of the whole lot before one finds exactly what one's looking for!

The ones from 98/XP era may work ...

Nope again. XP will work but 98 very likely won't. ReactOS has a WinNT kernel -- the best the mankind has been able to develop so far.

... but it's a bit to late for that.

Nope all the time. Tip of the day: did you know that MS is still automatically upgrading their XP customers? All ATM machines in my country are using Windows XP as their OS and I'm not hearing of any plans for the situation to change any time soon.

3. Wine provides better compatibility at the moment.

Nope all the way. Wine derives much from ReactOS and vice versa. The cooperation is very, very close. But Wine is nothing but a VM (whatever they may claim) always having ready-made solutions from its underlying Linux layer while ReactOS works with bare metal. The complexity of the tasks is simply incongruous.

[Tomaaz]

Money would've done the trick quickly but Russians are miserly in everything that's not related directly to their bellies.'t mak

Possibly, but it doesn't change the situation - things are as they are.

Nope. In fact the distance between Windows XP and ReactOS is getting smaller and smaller with every passing day.

Win XP, you say? That's great, but I was talking about Windows in general and that only proves my point. When ReactOS project started Win XP hadn't been even released. Today it's a pretty old system that is slowly disappearing. And they're still trying to get there.

Nope again. It's a matter of taste. I'm spending 50% of my coding time in Windows Classic under every Windows OS build I have. But if you want some system-wide skinning, ReactOS has been ready to offer you some for a few years alredy (the images I'm posting date back to 2013/14):

I'm not gonna argue about it. It's a matter of taste.

What do you mean, modern?

Really? The ones that are being created (or even think of) now, for example? That includes the new versions of existing programs.

Nope again. XP will work but 98 very likely won't. ReactOS has a WinNT kernel -- the best the mankind has been able to develop so far.

No Win 98!? I loved that system. Much more than XP! (I'm serious)

Nope all the time. Tip of the day: did you know that MS is still automatically upgrading their XP customers? All ATM machines in my country are using Windows XP as their OS and I'm not hearing of any plans for the situation to change any time soon.

And what? Is the XP in these machines going to be replaced by ReactOS? The new ATM machines will come with ReactOS? I can't see your point.

Nope all the way. Wine derives much from ReactOS and vice versa. The cooperation is very, very close. But Wine is nothing but a VM (whatever they may claim) always having ready-made solutions from its underlying Linux layer while ReactOS works with bare metal. The complexity of the tasks is simply incongruous.

This is how things may look in theory, but not so long ago I was listening to the podcast where people did compare ReactOS and Wine. They noticed a progress, as they were finally able to install and run ReactOS, but Wine, in practice, still offered much more compability. And no - I can't give you a link to that podcasts as I listen to tons of podcasts and I do not take any notes about what I heard where. You can simply believe me or assume that I'm lying and call me a liar and a troll. Up tp you.