mini Linux distros

[Tomaaz]

No, what I mean is what you can see in the attachment. The problem is that this package doesn't come with other necessary tools which doesn't make sense, because everybody can download binaries from FreeBASIC website... Forget it - I decided to try it because no other Linux distro I've tried came with FreeBASIC in repos. I'm not a FreeBASIC user.

..back to Windows (real OS) and continue to learn GUI programming in C .. 

The same old story. Grab an unpopular/obscure distro, fail to make it work, call Linux not a real OS.

Good luck with C, anyway. Post about the progress you're making, from time to time. 

[Mike Lobanovsky]

Grab an unpopular/obscure distro, fail to make it work, call Linux not a real OS.

LOL, I know not of any MS Windows build or distro that I would ever need to make work. I've enjoyed them all OOTB without stirring a finger.

Go figure now why every Windozer tends to call Linux not a real OS, really.

[Richly]

I recently added a Chromebook to my collection of laptops. I'm quite impressed with it; and with Chrome OS....fast, easy to use and navigate...no unnecessary bloat...

[jj2007]

Linux is actually an interesting concept: You don't install an application as you would do in Windows. Instead, you download the source and compile it to install it. If the respective toolchain (C++?) for the 300+ Linux versions is compatible with all application sources, the concept could work just fine.

[Aurel]

yes LINUX is in general very crappy
including so called "mainstream distros"

[Tomaaz]

LOL, I know not of any MS Windows build or distro that I would ever need to make work. I've enjoyed them all OOTB without stirring a finger.

Sure. If Windows is not pre-installed, all you need to do is to say magic words ("Windows is a real OS" is the latest version?) and the system magically appears on your hardware within seconds. It's just a shame they haven't implemented the same method for updates. 

Linux is actually an interesting concept: You don't install an application as you would do in Windows. Instead, you download the source and compile it to install it. If the respective toolchain (C++?) for the 300+ Linux versions is compatible with all application sources, the concept could work just fine.

Another "expert". Compiling from source is one of many ways you can install software on Linux and it's neither the most popular or the easiest one. Google for Appimage, Snap, Flatpack, DEB etc. Neither of them requires compiling. Do you know how to install Firefox on any Linux using the same download? Just unpack downloaded archive, put Firefox folder wherever you want and... that's it.

EDIT Several years ago, I decided to do a fresh Windows 7 install on my laptop. Never again! Nothing worked out of the box. No wi-fi, no sound. Screen resolution was limited to 800x600 or less. I had to use another computer to get required files and informations from the web. Took me several hours to make the system just work. Average Linux install is 30 min. together with configuration and installing additional apps. But maybe I'm just extremely lucky. Maybe...

[Tomaaz]

Just an example. I wanted to try Newlisp on Porteus 32 bit. On Newlisp website the only download for Linux is a 64 bit Debian package. So, I need to compile Newlisp from source, right? Wrong. I downloaded 32 bit Debian package from the Debian packages website, unpacked it and moved included binary to my /bin/ folder. Works without problems. It's not a rocket science. It's not more complicated than downloading, let's say, FreeBASIC for Windows.

[Richly]

I'm probably just thick but I never managed to install Mint on my older laptop 

Tomaaz, would you consider doing a video to show dummies like me how it's done? I want to uninstall Windows 10 (too bloated for this laptop) and try out Mint.

Or if you know of a video that you could point me to?

Be warned though, it will have to be very simple and in layman's terms for my brain to be able to cope with it (and quick to accomplish with what little time I have).

Only if you have the time and the inclination though; don't worry if you don't 

[Tomaaz]

This one looks OK - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJSNkTCoV6Y.

[Aurel]

yes LINUX is in general very crappy
including so called "mainstream distros"

[Tomaaz]

No. 32 bit binary that is included in a debian package will works on virtually every 32 bit distro.

[Aurel]

32 bit binary that is included in a debian package will works on virtually every 32 bit distro.

well,,, that is good to know (Y).....(Y).....(Y)

[Tomaaz]

The problem with FreeBASIC is that it's not a standalone tool and this package doesn't provide additional tools (GCC, assembler etc.). There is no point to have a package like that, because you can download FreeBASIC from its website and run it with the same result. It will display all the options, help etc., but, without these additional tools, you won't be able to produce final executables. This package is useless.

[Richly]

This one looks OK - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJSNkTCoV6Y.

Thanks Tomaaz, I'll go over it during the weekend

[Tomaaz]

John on Allbasic about Windozers calling Linux not real OS.

While they post on their Android Linux or Apple Unix phones to a website running the same.

Knockout! 100% true.  But of course, Aurel will not accept it, because for him the real computing is "writing" a GUI "app"  that is basically a copy of a basic template from an IDE abandonned five years ago.