The Linux Experiment

Well it’s been a couple of months now since the start of Experiment 2.0 and I’ve had plenty of time to learn about Gentoo, see its strengths and… sit waiting through its weaknesses. I don’t think Gentoo is as bad as everyone makes it out to be, in fact, compared to some other distributions out there, Gentoo doesn’t look bad at all.

Now that the experiment is approaching its end I figured it would be a good time to do a quick post about my experiences running Gentoo as a day-to-day desktop machine.

Strengths

Gentoo is exactly what you want it to be, nothing more. Sure there are special meta-packages that make it easy to install things such as the KDE desktop, but the real key is that you don’t need to install anything that you don’t want to. As a result Gentoo is fast. My startup time is about 10-20 seconds and, if I had the inclination to do so, could be trimmed down even further through optimization.

Packages are also compiled with your own set of custom options and flags so you get exactly what you need, optimized for your exact hardware. Being a more advanced (see expert) oriented distribution it will also teach you quite a bit about Linux and software configuration as a whole.

Weaknesses

Sadly Gentoo is not without its faults. As mentioned above Gentoo can be whatever you want it to be. The major problem with this strength in practice is that the average desktop user just wants a desktop that works. When it takes days of configuration and compilation just to get the most basic of programs installed it can be a major deterrent to the vast majority of users.

Speaking of compiling programs, I find this aspect of Gentoo interesting from a theoretical perspective but I honestly have a hard time believing that it makes enough of a difference to make it worth sitting through the hours days of compiling it takes just to get some things installed. Its so bad that I actually haven’t bothered to re-sync and update my whole system in over 50 days for fear that it would take forever to re-compile and re-install all of the updated programs and libraries.

Worse yet even when I do have programs installed they don’t always play nicely with one another. Gentoo offers a package manager, portage, but it still fails at some dependency resolution – often times making you choose between uninstalling previous programs just to install the new one or to not install the new one at all. Another example of things being more complicated than they should be is my system sound. Even though I have pulseaudio installed and configured my system refuses to play audio from more than one program at a time. These are just a few examples of problems I wouldn’t have to deal with on another distribution.

-Sigh-

Well, it’s been interesting but I will not be sticking with Gentoo once this experiment is over. There are just too many little things that make this more of an educational experience than a real day-to-day desktop. While I certainly have learned a lot during this version of the experiment, at the end of the day I’d rather things just work right the first time.

Hosts: Aine B, Dave L, Jake B, Jon F, Matt C, Phil D, Tyler B, & Warren G

Missing in action: Dana H, Sasha D

Show length: 0:31:16

Description:

The fifth podcast from the guys at The Linux Experiment. In this reunion episode we kick off the second round of The Linux Experiment.

In this episode:

• New recruits.
• Plans for this experiment.
• And lots more!

Get the show:

• iTunes – Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes
• Podcast Alley – Subscribe to the podcast at Podcast Alley
• RSS Feed – Subscribe to the RSS for the podcasts
• Direct MP3 download – Grab the MP3 right here (right-click, save as)
• Direct OGG Vorbis download – Get the OGG right here (right-click, save as)

Listen here (explicit):

As Jake pointed out in the previous post we have once again decided to run The Linux Experiment. This iteration will once again following the rule where you are not allowed to use a distribution that you have used in the past. We also have a number of new individuals taking part in the experiment: Aíne B, Matt C, Travis G and Warren G. Be sure to check back often as we post about our experiences running our chosen distributions.

Rules

Here are the new rules we are playing by for this version of the experiment:

1. You must have absolutely no prior experience with the distribution you choose
2. You must use the distribution on your primary computer and it must be your primary day-to-day computing environment
3. The experiment runs from November 1st, 2011 until January 31st, 2011
4. You must document your experience
5. After committing to a distribution you may not later change to a different one

Achievements

For fun we’ve decided to create a series of challenges to try throughout the experiment. This list can be found here and may be updated as we add more throughout the course of the experiment.

Hosts: Dana H, Dave L, Jake B, Jon F, & Tyler B

Missing in action: Phil D, Sasha D

Show length: 0:54:52

Description:

The fourth podcast from the guys at The Linux Experiment. In this reunion episode we catch up on how each of us has been using Linux since the end of The Linux Experiment.

In this episode:

• Much praise for Linux Mint. Not so much for JollyCloud.
• The struggle between freedoms and functionality.
• Linux on phones and other mobile devices.
• Is Mac good enough for Linux nerds?
• Replacing Windows with Linux at work and home.
• And lots more!

Music:

Intro: “Can’t Get Enough“ by Fresh Body Shop found on Jamendo here.

Outro: “Doctor X” by Fresh Body Shop found on Jamendo here.

Get the show:

• iTunes – Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes
• Podcast Alley – Subscribe to the podcast at Podcast Alley
• RSS Feed – Subscribe to the RSS for the podcasts
• Direct MP3 download – Grab the MP3 right here (right-click, save as)
• Direct OGG Vorbis download – Get the OGG right here (right-click, save as)

Listen here (explicit):

Show notes:

1:00 – Praise and Laud for Linux Mint
3:00 – Thoughts on JollyCloud, Chrome OS and Netbooks
5:30 – The struggle between freedoms and usable software. Can you give Linux to normal people?
7:30 – Codec packs and why Linux is superior for HD Video playback
12:30 – Linux on phones, hating on Rogers Wireless, phone software freedom
22:00 – Teksavvy is the shit, and should pay us for advertising
24:00 – Dave sucks at computers and tries to blame it on Linux Mint
26:00 – Miro is awesome, but doesn’t install correctly under Ubuntu/Linux Mint. Also it’s German and fails at search
30:30 – Using a Mac for Linux nerds
34:00 – Fucking up an SVN trunk in 30 seconds or less
35:30 – Gaming on Linux? Buy World of Goo, you insensitive clods
40:00 – Using Linux at work when Windows is the norm
43:00 – Everybody hates Eclipse, Lotus Notes, and Zend Studio. Also, download Geany if you’re a web developer
48:00 – Thunderbird 3 is the best email client ever made, what are you talking about?
51:00 – Swype is great, and the battle royale between software and hardware phone keyboards
55:00 – James Ready 5.5, a fine Canadian brew (“a free James Ready if you go to that page?“)
58:00 – Does anybody still use KDE? We don’t. Also, who wrote YAST? Honestly.

Hosts: Dana H, Dave L, Jake B, Jon F, Sasha D & Tyler B

Missing in action: Phil D

Show length: 0:54:52

Description:

The third (and final?) podcast from the guys at The Linux Experiment. In this episode we reflect upon the last four months of constant Linux use and discuss the future of The Linux Experiment.

In this episode:

• A reflection on our own personal experiences with Linux.
• Would we recommend Linux? Is Linux ready for the desktop? Are we sticking with Linux?
• The future of The Linux Experiment.
• Bonus material.

Music:

“Handicapped Lover“ by Vicnet found on Free Music Archive here.

Get the show:

• iTunes – Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes
• Podcast Alley – Subscribe to the podcast at Podcast Alley
• RSS Feed – Subscribe to the RSS for the podcasts
• Direct MP3 download – Grab the MP3 right here (right-click, save as)
• Direct OGG Vorbis download – Get the OGG right here (right-click, save as)

Listen here (explicit):

Well it’s official, the year is now 2010 and we still don’t have flying cars.

The End

2010 also marks the end of The Linux Experiment. I can honestly say that the last four solid months of Linux use has taught me a lot. In reflection of this I decided to look back at what I had originally wrote about my goals of this experiment and see just how many of them I had accomplished.

• I will have learned enough of the ins and outs to be as comfortable within a Linux environment as I current am within a Windows one.
  • This one is a bit tricky to answer. I am far more familiar and comfortable with Linux now than I have ever been before. However I still do not understand a number of things. For example the Linux file system confuses me to no end. What is the difference between /bin/ and /sbin/? Or why do some things end up in /etc/ and others in /var/ or even /opt/? Clearly I have some room to improve here.
• My bonus goal is to have a fully functional, self-created, program that runs native to Linux.
  • This one I was actually able to realize. Not only did I have a native OpenGL program running, but in recent weeks I have even created cross-platform .NET/Mono based applications. In addition Linux has proven time and again that it is the platform for web development. I can definitely see myself utilizing it as such in the future.

Fedora

Fedora has been both a terrible nightmare and an absolute pleasure. I have had more problems getting things to just work on this distribution that I care to even remember. Yet time and time again there was something about Fedora that just kept pulling me back in. Perhaps it was the challenge of trying to master a power user’s distribution of choice. Or maybe it was just pure stubbornness. The fact remains that with the exception of Fedora 12 being incompatible with my graphics hardware there was nothing I haven’t overcome.

So would I recommend Fedora to someone? Well… yes and no. Fedora has a rock solid community and lives right on the cutting edge (what? I’m already running KDE 4.3.4??) but it does not make things easy. Now that most distributions have moved up to the 2.6.31 kernel there is really less of a reason for me to recommend the cutting edge simply as a way to get decent hardware support. Obviously if your machine is even newer than mine than perhaps Fedora is still your only stable ticket to that support, but for most users I think there are far better alternatives. Don’t get me wrong, I really do enjoy Fedora and from what I have read it has come a long way in recent years, I just don’t think I will be using it again anytime soon.

The Future

Today will bring some changes to my computing setup as I plan on removing Fedora and trying out two new KDE distributions, OpenSUSE and Kubuntu, just to see which one I prefer. In addition I will be dual booting with Windows 7 for the first time. I will be sure to keep everyone up to date with my experiences as I do so.

As we here at The Linux Experiment debate where to take the experiment moving forward, be sure to check back for updates on our new experiences!

Hosts: Dana H, Dave L, Jon F, Phil D, Sasha D & Tyler B

Missing in action: Jake B

Show length: 0:40:11

Description:

The second podcast from the guys at The Linux Experiment. In this episode we discuss our experiences with switching desktop environments.

In this episode:

• What our experiences switching desktop environments has been like (GNOME vs KDE vs XFCE).
• Clarification of Dana’s post.
• Our personal pros and cons of each desktop environment.
• What the hell Linux? A segment where we vent some of our frustrations.

Music:

“City Lights At Night“ by Revolution Void found on Free Music Archive here.

Get the show:

• iTunes – Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes
• Podcast Alley – Subscribe to the podcast at Podcast Alley
• RSS Feed – Subscribe to the RSS for the podcasts
• Direct MP3 download – Grab the MP3 right here (right-click, save as)
• Direct OGG Vorbis download – Get the OGG right here (right-click, save as)

Listen here:

Here at The Linux Experiment we are all about shaking things up. After all, we have committed to using Linux for four whole months just to see if we could! The next big thing that we are going to introduce into the experiment is a little environmental change. No I don’t mean the Al Gore kind of environment, but rather the desktop environment like GNOME or KDE.

For a week or so, leading up to the recording of our next podcast, each of us will be switching our current desktop environment to something else. The point is to once more branch out of our comfort zones a little bit and see if we don’t end up liking something else better!

Stay tuned!

Hosts: Dana H, Dave L, Jake B, Jon F, Phil D & Tyler B

Missing in action: Sasha D

Show length: 1:08:59

Description:

The first podcast from the guys at The Linux Experiment. It’s our pilot episode, so please bear with us on the length and the quality. We’re still learning how to use the Tux!

In this episode:

• What our experiences have been like so far.
• Dave L and Phil D compare experiences with openSUSE while Dana H and Tyler B contrast experiences with Fedora.
• What the hell Linux? A segment where we vent some of our frustrations.
• Shout out to mintCast

Music:

“Han Solo” by Superbus found on Free Music Archive here.

Get the show:

• iTunes – Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes
• Podcast Alley – Subscribe to the podcast at Podcast Alley
• RSS Feed – Subscribe to the RSS for the podcasts
• Direct MP3 download – Grab the MP3 right here (right-click, save as)
• Direct OGG Vorbis download – Get the OGG right here (right-click, save as)

Listen here:

We decided that we should have a mascot for the site and for the experiment so we cooked one up this afternoon that we would like to share with you now! His name is Dr. Theodore L. Engelbart which we think makes him sound important. Truth be told we just wanted a name with initials that matched The Linux Experiment. We did our best…

Yes, he IS a penguin mad scientist dressed in a lab coat

And just for fun we decided to include an ASCII art version, just for you. Click here to view that.

Technical details

• Created in Linux
• Created using KolourPaint initially
• Finished up using GIMP

Ted’s going to be showing up in a few more places moving forward so be sure and keep an eye out for him