Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Simple to upgrade Linux distro

[R0b0t1]

On Sun, Jul 23, 2017 at 11:33 AM, Tom H  wrote:
> On Thu, Jul 20, 2017 at 10:01 AM, Dale  wrote:
>>
>> I've installed Linux Mint with Mate.
>
> Isn't Mate as heavy as Gnome on your low-powered box? Isn't it Gnome 3
> with Gnome-shell replaced by the Mate interface?
>

Gnome 3 has a lot of effects that are graphically intensive
(transparency and blending mostly, which older hardware has a problem
with). MATE is closer to Gnome 2, where windows just pop into
existence and slide around without much fanfare.

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Simple to upgrade Linux distro

[Dale]

Tom H wrote:
> On Thu, Jul 20, 2017 at 10:01 AM, Dale  wrote:
>> I've installed Linux Mint with Mate.
> Isn't Mate as heavy as Gnome on your low-powered box? Isn't it Gnome 3
> with Gnome-shell replaced by the Mate interface?
>
>

I have no idea.  I checked out Gnome many many years ago but I was just
looking around at the time.  I just think Mate will work for my friend
and if she likes it, then I'm happy with it. 

Dale

:-)  :-) 

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Simple to upgrade Linux distro

[Tom H]

On Thu, Jul 20, 2017 at 10:01 AM, Dale  wrote:
>
> I've installed Linux Mint with Mate.

Isn't Mate as heavy as Gnome on your low-powered box? Isn't it Gnome 3
with Gnome-shell replaced by the Mate interface?

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Simple to upgrade Linux distro

[Dale]

Dale wrote:
>
> A bit of a update.  I went to my storage building and found a lot of
> rigs mostly with parts missing but found one gem in the bunch that was
> all there.  I suspect someone put it there when I wasn't at home and
> knows where I keep them but it could be one I forgot about too.  Anyway,
> I got four 1Gb sticks of ram in and am running memtest right now.  So
> far, no errors.  It has a small hard drive in it but not sure if it will
> be big enough for everyday use.  May have to remove the one from the
> current rig she has.  It should be big enough for me to test some
> distros out tho.  ;-)
>
> Oh, single core running at 2.8GHz.  It ain't blazing fast but it's
> likely faster than what she currently has plus the memory will help a
> lot.  It's a older Dell.  It has that flip up front that covers the
> CD/DVD drives.  Some may recall all the torn up CD/DVD drives that
> caused.  :/ 
>
> Dale
>
> :-)  :-) 
>


A even better update.  That CPU has TWO cores.  That's better than one
core at least.  I wish it had a bigger CPU heat sink.  I like them to be
big and have large fans.  ;-) 

I've installed Linux Mint with Mate.  It's impressive so far.  Going to
plug in a camera and memory card and see what that does but so far, it's
pretty nice.  I haven't even figured out how to customize it and it is
pretty nice. 

The updater is GUI and easy.  It works a lot like Mageia since it gives
a little pop-up and you just click to tell it to go update.  This should
work well for her but might check out that Manjaro as well.  It sounds
Mandrake-ish.  lol 

Thanks to all for the suggestions and info.  I don't think Linux Mint
was even on the radar.  Mate sure wasn't. 

Dale

:-)  :-)

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Simple to upgrade Linux distro

[Dale]

Rich Freeman wrote:
> On Wed, Jul 19, 2017 at 5:26 PM, Dale  wrote:
>> I have a question or two on this.  The reason I went with KDE, I use it
>> and it is closest to being windozeish.  On occasion I read where some of
>> those other "lighter" desktops are 'feature rich' like KDE is.  Example,
>> plug in a USB device and it pops up with a menu to select from a lot
>> like KDE does.  Is LXDE or Mate like that?
>>
> To some degree I'd think Mate would offer this kind of experience.
> Lightweight options like lxde or xfce are probably going to fall
> short.  Full Gnome or KDE are are probably as close as you're going to
> get to a Windows-like environment.
>
> Another option I'd toss out there is ChromiumOS, though it isn't
> really intended as a mainstream option on non-Chrome hardware.  For
> $120 a Chromebook is pretty hard to beat, IMO (and a Chromebit or
> similar solution is even cheaper).  That isn't what you're looking
> for, but when relatives ask me about PC recommendations I tend to lean
> Chromebook unless they REALLY need to run thick applications, because
> they're basically zero maintenance and idiot proof.  Oh, and they're
> Gentoo derivatives.  :)
>
> Nobody seems to be mentioning full Ubuntu - assuming it performs well
> it should of course be considered as an option as well.  I'm all for
> Xubuntu but it might not be the best fit depending.
>


I found a slightly better rig.  I'm going to find a distro and see what
Mate looks like and acts like.  Heck, if her phone works, that is likely
all she plugs into USB except for a keyboard and rodent.  I think this
one still has PS/2 connectors for those tho.  Pretty sure it does. 

Thanks for the ideas tho.  I've heard of Mate but never seen it.  Heck,
I may end up switching if I find something I like.  :-D 

Dale

:-)  :-) 

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Simple to upgrade Linux distro

[Dale]

Dale wrote:
> Howdy,
>
> This isn't a Gentoo question but most everyone here used something
> before Gentoo.  I need a simple to upgrade distro for someone else. 
>
> A friend of mine had windoze XP, which is dead to M$.  She needed
> something and buying a computer or new OS is not a option, even tho she
> needs to upgrade that 10 or 12 year old thing she has.  So, I put Mageia
> on it a couple years ago, used to be Mandrake way back which is what I
> started with.  She has been doing updates every week or so since it is
> GUI based and pretty easy.  Tell it to update or just click the pop-up
> when it tells you one is available and when it is done, reboot.  Yea,
> windowish I know.  lol  Anyway, she did a update and now she can't login
> to KDE.  I drove up, hour away, and tried to figure it out.  It has
> changed so much, I'm pretty clueless.  It is NOT Gentoo by any means.  I
> renamed the user directory in case it was a config that the new update
> was hanging on but nothing.  It just won't let you login.  Also reset
> the password as well.  Thing is, I installed ICEwm during the install
> and it works.  It logs in but the screen doesn't refresh like it
> should.  You close a app, it's closed but it doesn't refresh the screen
> so it looks like it is still there.  The whole thing is weird.  Since I
> couldn't figure out what the problem was, I tried upgrading to Mageia
> 6.  Figured if it was a software bug, maybe that would fix it.  Nope. 
> So, she's using ICEwm for the moment but it is weird. 
>
> What I'm looking for.  Something that I can install fairly quickly from
> a DVD.  Rig is to old to boot from USB stick.  Something with a GUI
> update process that is fairly easy.  Uses either KDE by default or is
> easily installable, hopefully during install by default.  The big one,
> needs to be able to run on older hardware.  Her rig is something like a
> 2GHz single core CPU and around 2GBs of ram.  The drives are SATA but
> that's about the most advanced hardware it has.  The video is a built in
> Intel of some sort.  Nothing fast or even fancy for that matter.  Yes,
> I'm keeping a eye out for a newer rig but it is what it is right now.
>
> I've used Gentoo for so long, I don't know what other distros offer
> nowadays.  I figure that there are several distros that are graphical
> nowadays but also need good support for older hardware and easy update
> process.  Googling around isn't helping me much.  If I find something I
> like, no KDE.  If I find KDE based and a GUI updater, something else
> won't work.  I figure asking those who have personal experience would be
> best.  :-) 
>
> Thoughts?  Suggestions??
>
> Thanks.
>
> Dale
>
> :-)  :-) 
>

A bit of a update.  I went to my storage building and found a lot of
rigs mostly with parts missing but found one gem in the bunch that was
all there.  I suspect someone put it there when I wasn't at home and
knows where I keep them but it could be one I forgot about too.  Anyway,
I got four 1Gb sticks of ram in and am running memtest right now.  So
far, no errors.  It has a small hard drive in it but not sure if it will
be big enough for everyday use.  May have to remove the one from the
current rig she has.  It should be big enough for me to test some
distros out tho.  ;-)

Oh, single core running at 2.8GHz.  It ain't blazing fast but it's
likely faster than what she currently has plus the memory will help a
lot.  It's a older Dell.  It has that flip up front that covers the
CD/DVD drives.  Some may recall all the torn up CD/DVD drives that
caused.  :/ 

Dale

:-)  :-) 

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Simple to upgrade Linux distro

[R0b0t1]

On Wed, Jul 19, 2017 at 7:26 PM, Dale  wrote:
> R0b0t1 wrote:
>> On Wed, Jul 19, 2017 at 1:46 AM, Dale  wrote:
>>> Howdy,
>>>
>>> This isn't a Gentoo question but most everyone here used something
>>> before Gentoo.  I need a simple to upgrade distro for someone else.
>>>
>>> A friend of mine had windoze XP, which is dead to M$.  She needed
>>> something and buying a computer or new OS is not a option, even tho she
>>> needs to upgrade that 10 or 12 year old thing she has.  So, I put Mageia
>>> on it a couple years ago, used to be Mandrake way back which is what I
>>> started with.  She has been doing updates every week or so since it is
>>> GUI based and pretty easy.  Tell it to update or just click the pop-up
>>> when it tells you one is available and when it is done, reboot.  Yea,
>>> windowish I know.  lol  Anyway, she did a update and now she can't login
>>> to KDE.  I drove up, hour away, and tried to figure it out.  It has
>>> changed so much, I'm pretty clueless.  It is NOT Gentoo by any means.  I
>>> renamed the user directory in case it was a config that the new update
>>> was hanging on but nothing.  It just won't let you login.  Also reset
>>> the password as well.  Thing is, I installed ICEwm during the install
>>> and it works.  It logs in but the screen doesn't refresh like it
>>> should.  You close a app, it's closed but it doesn't refresh the screen
>>> so it looks like it is still there.  The whole thing is weird.  Since I
>>> couldn't figure out what the problem was, I tried upgrading to Mageia
>>> 6.  Figured if it was a software bug, maybe that would fix it.  Nope.
>>> So, she's using ICEwm for the moment but it is weird.
>>>
>>> What I'm looking for.  Something that I can install fairly quickly from
>>> a DVD.  Rig is to old to boot from USB stick.  Something with a GUI
>>> update process that is fairly easy.  Uses either KDE by default or is
>>> easily installable, hopefully during install by default.  The big one,
>>> needs to be able to run on older hardware.  Her rig is something like a
>>> 2GHz single core CPU and around 2GBs of ram.  The drives are SATA but
>>> that's about the most advanced hardware it has.  The video is a built in
>>> Intel of some sort.  Nothing fast or even fancy for that matter.  Yes,
>>> I'm keeping a eye out for a newer rig but it is what it is right now.
>>>
>>> I've used Gentoo for so long, I don't know what other distros offer
>>> nowadays.  I figure that there are several distros that are graphical
>>> nowadays but also need good support for older hardware and easy update
>>> process.  Googling around isn't helping me much.  If I find something I
>>> like, no KDE.  If I find KDE based and a GUI updater, something else
>>> won't work.  I figure asking those who have personal experience would be
>>> best.  :-)
>>>
>>> Thoughts?  Suggestions??
>>>
>> I second the suggestion to try Xubuntu, though you should also look at
>> Lubuntu (which uses LXDE). Sticking to Ubuntu based distributions
>> might be a good idea because there is a large userbase that has easy
>> to search for answers to common problems.
>>
>> Plasma 5 might load her hardware too much. Is MATE unsuitable? You can
>> also look for even lighter weight window managers and install them on
>> top of the default desktop environment, but most of them target power
>> users.
>>
>> https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/window_manager#List_of_window_managers
>>
>> R0b0t1.
>>
>>
>
>
> I have a question or two on this.  The reason I went with KDE, I use it
> and it is closest to being windozeish.  On occasion I read where some of
> those other "lighter" desktops are 'feature rich' like KDE is.  Example,
> plug in a USB device and it pops up with a menu to select from a lot
> like KDE does.  Is LXDE or Mate like that?
>

MATE is probably the closest to a stereotypical Windows setup and
looks better; LXDE should be technically sufficient but it's possible
to say it doesn't look very nice. I would actually expect more culture
shock going from Windows to KDE than Windows to MATE. MATE and Gnome 2
are fairly close to Windows XP in design, granted some things are
moved around. Gnome 3 is closer to Windows 8 and 8.1. Plasma 5
implements more of the things that one finds in Windows 10.

(Notably those desktop environments came out *before* the respective
Windows versions that share UI/UX design elements with them.)

When you get to the low end of desktop environments or window mangers,
they tend to clash with default window stylings and don't offer any
window chrome.  They were made by programmers with little or no
background in graphic design.

> The thing about her, she doesn't know a lot about puters but she doesn't
> mind clicking around to find a way to get things to work.  Example, she
> plugged her phone in and figured out how to download pics and stuff.
> Heck, I don't know how to do that myself.  Then again, my phone is so
> old, it may not can do that.  

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Simple to upgrade Linux distro

[Rich Freeman]

On Wed, Jul 19, 2017 at 5:26 PM, Dale  wrote:
>
> I have a question or two on this.  The reason I went with KDE, I use it
> and it is closest to being windozeish.  On occasion I read where some of
> those other "lighter" desktops are 'feature rich' like KDE is.  Example,
> plug in a USB device and it pops up with a menu to select from a lot
> like KDE does.  Is LXDE or Mate like that?
>

To some degree I'd think Mate would offer this kind of experience.
Lightweight options like lxde or xfce are probably going to fall
short.  Full Gnome or KDE are are probably as close as you're going to
get to a Windows-like environment.

Another option I'd toss out there is ChromiumOS, though it isn't
really intended as a mainstream option on non-Chrome hardware.  For
$120 a Chromebook is pretty hard to beat, IMO (and a Chromebit or
similar solution is even cheaper).  That isn't what you're looking
for, but when relatives ask me about PC recommendations I tend to lean
Chromebook unless they REALLY need to run thick applications, because
they're basically zero maintenance and idiot proof.  Oh, and they're
Gentoo derivatives.  :)

Nobody seems to be mentioning full Ubuntu - assuming it performs well
it should of course be considered as an option as well.  I'm all for
Xubuntu but it might not be the best fit depending.

-- 
Rich

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Simple to upgrade Linux distro

[Dale]

Neil Bothwick wrote:
> On Wed, 19 Jul 2017 10:48:58 +0100, Mick wrote:
>
>> Did you look at the logs?  Assuming this is a systemd OS try:
>>
>> journalctl
>>
>> to view the log.  Add -b to only see boot messages, -f to follow
>> current activity (just like 'tail -f' command), and -n 15 to see the
>> last 15 entries.
> A slight correction, -b shows messages since the last boot, not just boot
> messages.
>
>

I vaguely recalled reading about that on this list a good while back but
the command escaped me completely.  I avoid systemd here.  I have no
knowledge of how it does its thing or the commands to use to figure out
what was wrong.  I hadn't even thought about it until I got there and
realized it was a systemd OS. 

If only I knew then.  ;-) 

Thanks to both.

Dale

:-)  :-) 

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Simple to upgrade Linux distro

[Dale]

R0b0t1 wrote:
> On Wed, Jul 19, 2017 at 1:46 AM, Dale  wrote:
>> Howdy,
>>
>> This isn't a Gentoo question but most everyone here used something
>> before Gentoo.  I need a simple to upgrade distro for someone else.
>>
>> A friend of mine had windoze XP, which is dead to M$.  She needed
>> something and buying a computer or new OS is not a option, even tho she
>> needs to upgrade that 10 or 12 year old thing she has.  So, I put Mageia
>> on it a couple years ago, used to be Mandrake way back which is what I
>> started with.  She has been doing updates every week or so since it is
>> GUI based and pretty easy.  Tell it to update or just click the pop-up
>> when it tells you one is available and when it is done, reboot.  Yea,
>> windowish I know.  lol  Anyway, she did a update and now she can't login
>> to KDE.  I drove up, hour away, and tried to figure it out.  It has
>> changed so much, I'm pretty clueless.  It is NOT Gentoo by any means.  I
>> renamed the user directory in case it was a config that the new update
>> was hanging on but nothing.  It just won't let you login.  Also reset
>> the password as well.  Thing is, I installed ICEwm during the install
>> and it works.  It logs in but the screen doesn't refresh like it
>> should.  You close a app, it's closed but it doesn't refresh the screen
>> so it looks like it is still there.  The whole thing is weird.  Since I
>> couldn't figure out what the problem was, I tried upgrading to Mageia
>> 6.  Figured if it was a software bug, maybe that would fix it.  Nope.
>> So, she's using ICEwm for the moment but it is weird.
>>
>> What I'm looking for.  Something that I can install fairly quickly from
>> a DVD.  Rig is to old to boot from USB stick.  Something with a GUI
>> update process that is fairly easy.  Uses either KDE by default or is
>> easily installable, hopefully during install by default.  The big one,
>> needs to be able to run on older hardware.  Her rig is something like a
>> 2GHz single core CPU and around 2GBs of ram.  The drives are SATA but
>> that's about the most advanced hardware it has.  The video is a built in
>> Intel of some sort.  Nothing fast or even fancy for that matter.  Yes,
>> I'm keeping a eye out for a newer rig but it is what it is right now.
>>
>> I've used Gentoo for so long, I don't know what other distros offer
>> nowadays.  I figure that there are several distros that are graphical
>> nowadays but also need good support for older hardware and easy update
>> process.  Googling around isn't helping me much.  If I find something I
>> like, no KDE.  If I find KDE based and a GUI updater, something else
>> won't work.  I figure asking those who have personal experience would be
>> best.  :-)
>>
>> Thoughts?  Suggestions??
>>
> I second the suggestion to try Xubuntu, though you should also look at
> Lubuntu (which uses LXDE). Sticking to Ubuntu based distributions
> might be a good idea because there is a large userbase that has easy
> to search for answers to common problems.
>
> Plasma 5 might load her hardware too much. Is MATE unsuitable? You can
> also look for even lighter weight window managers and install them on
> top of the default desktop environment, but most of them target power
> users.
>
> https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/window_manager#List_of_window_managers
>
> R0b0t1.
>
>


I have a question or two on this.  The reason I went with KDE, I use it
and it is closest to being windozeish.  On occasion I read where some of
those other "lighter" desktops are 'feature rich' like KDE is.  Example,
plug in a USB device and it pops up with a menu to select from a lot
like KDE does.  Is LXDE or Mate like that? 

The thing about her, she doesn't know a lot about puters but she doesn't
mind clicking around to find a way to get things to work.  Example, she
plugged her phone in and figured out how to download pics and stuff. 
Heck, I don't know how to do that myself.  Then again, my phone is so
old, it may not can do that.  It's a old Motorola Razr flip phone which
I maxed out on contacts in my address book a while back.  I want it to
be easy for her but at the same time, she can figure things out.  She
also knows that as long as she is a user, she can't hurt much.  She
stays away from root except when doing updates. 

The biggest thing, her rig is old.  It's older than my older rig and
ancient compared to what I'm typing on now which is several years old
itself but has upgrade room.  lol 

Thinking about installing some of these on my rig and just seeing what
it looks like.  < thinking > 

Thanks.

Dale

:-)  :-) 

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Simple to upgrade Linux distro

[Dale]

Philip Webb wrote:
> 170719 Dale wrote:
>> This isn't a Gentoo question but most everyone here used something
>> before Gentoo.  I need a simple to upgrade distro for someone else. 
> I have Mint KDE & Mint Xfce installed to test things & show others :
> it's simple, fast & reliable in my limited experience.
> Mageia 6 has just come out, so why not install that ?
> -- Mandrake is what I used before I started using Gentoo in 2003.
>

She was on 5 and when I hit the wall, I went to 6.  We went and ate
supper and let it go for a couple hours and it still wasn't done
upgrading.  Still, same problem after it was done upgrading.  Someone
else mentioned it being a bug for the older hardware and that could be
it.  Could be that old video card isn't well supported or at all. 

I'll keep Mint KDE in mind.  I'm going to try to piece something
together but most of the stuff I have laying around is old or doesn't
work at all.  Not good options really. 

Thanks for the info. 

Dale

:-)  :-) 

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Simple to upgrade Linux distro

[R0b0t1]

On Wed, Jul 19, 2017 at 1:46 AM, Dale  wrote:
> Howdy,
>
> This isn't a Gentoo question but most everyone here used something
> before Gentoo.  I need a simple to upgrade distro for someone else.
>
> A friend of mine had windoze XP, which is dead to M$.  She needed
> something and buying a computer or new OS is not a option, even tho she
> needs to upgrade that 10 or 12 year old thing she has.  So, I put Mageia
> on it a couple years ago, used to be Mandrake way back which is what I
> started with.  She has been doing updates every week or so since it is
> GUI based and pretty easy.  Tell it to update or just click the pop-up
> when it tells you one is available and when it is done, reboot.  Yea,
> windowish I know.  lol  Anyway, she did a update and now she can't login
> to KDE.  I drove up, hour away, and tried to figure it out.  It has
> changed so much, I'm pretty clueless.  It is NOT Gentoo by any means.  I
> renamed the user directory in case it was a config that the new update
> was hanging on but nothing.  It just won't let you login.  Also reset
> the password as well.  Thing is, I installed ICEwm during the install
> and it works.  It logs in but the screen doesn't refresh like it
> should.  You close a app, it's closed but it doesn't refresh the screen
> so it looks like it is still there.  The whole thing is weird.  Since I
> couldn't figure out what the problem was, I tried upgrading to Mageia
> 6.  Figured if it was a software bug, maybe that would fix it.  Nope.
> So, she's using ICEwm for the moment but it is weird.
>
> What I'm looking for.  Something that I can install fairly quickly from
> a DVD.  Rig is to old to boot from USB stick.  Something with a GUI
> update process that is fairly easy.  Uses either KDE by default or is
> easily installable, hopefully during install by default.  The big one,
> needs to be able to run on older hardware.  Her rig is something like a
> 2GHz single core CPU and around 2GBs of ram.  The drives are SATA but
> that's about the most advanced hardware it has.  The video is a built in
> Intel of some sort.  Nothing fast or even fancy for that matter.  Yes,
> I'm keeping a eye out for a newer rig but it is what it is right now.
>
> I've used Gentoo for so long, I don't know what other distros offer
> nowadays.  I figure that there are several distros that are graphical
> nowadays but also need good support for older hardware and easy update
> process.  Googling around isn't helping me much.  If I find something I
> like, no KDE.  If I find KDE based and a GUI updater, something else
> won't work.  I figure asking those who have personal experience would be
> best.  :-)
>
> Thoughts?  Suggestions??
>

I second the suggestion to try Xubuntu, though you should also look at
Lubuntu (which uses LXDE). Sticking to Ubuntu based distributions
might be a good idea because there is a large userbase that has easy
to search for answers to common problems.

Plasma 5 might load her hardware too much. Is MATE unsuitable? You can
also look for even lighter weight window managers and install them on
top of the default desktop environment, but most of them target power
users.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/window_manager#List_of_window_managers

R0b0t1.

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Simple to upgrade Linux distro

[Neil Bothwick]

On Wed, 19 Jul 2017 10:48:58 +0100, Mick wrote:

> Did you look at the logs?  Assuming this is a systemd OS try:
> 
> journalctl
> 
> to view the log.  Add -b to only see boot messages, -f to follow
> current activity (just like 'tail -f' command), and -n 15 to see the
> last 15 entries.

A slight correction, -b shows messages since the last boot, not just boot
messages.


-- 
Neil Bothwick

Physics is like sex: sure, it may give some practical results, but
  that's not why we do it.Richard Feynman


pgpJsFXlXeb_y.pgp
Description: OpenPGP digital signature

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Simple to upgrade Linux distro

[Philip Webb]

170719 Dale wrote:
> This isn't a Gentoo question but most everyone here used something
> before Gentoo.  I need a simple to upgrade distro for someone else. 

I have Mint KDE & Mint Xfce installed to test things & show others :
it's simple, fast & reliable in my limited experience.
Mageia 6 has just come out, so why not install that ?
-- Mandrake is what I used before I started using Gentoo in 2003.

-- 
,,
SUPPORT ___//___,   Philip Webb
ELECTRIC   /] [] [] [] [] []|   Cities Centre, University of Toronto
TRANSIT`-O--O---'   purslowatchassdotutorontodotca

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Simple to upgrade Linux distro

[Mick]

On Wednesday 19 Jul 2017 01:46:36 Dale wrote:
> Howdy,
> 
> This isn't a Gentoo question but most everyone here used something
> before Gentoo.  I need a simple to upgrade distro for someone else.
> 
> A friend of mine had windoze XP, which is dead to M$.  She needed
> something and buying a computer or new OS is not a option, even tho she
> needs to upgrade that 10 or 12 year old thing she has.  So, I put Mageia
> on it a couple years ago, used to be Mandrake way back which is what I
> started with.  She has been doing updates every week or so since it is
> GUI based and pretty easy.  Tell it to update or just click the pop-up
> when it tells you one is available and when it is done, reboot.  Yea,
> windowish I know.  lol  

Most 'user friendly' distros these days use some kind of software/OS updater, 
like Synaptics.  Even MSWindows users can point and click with these and not 
hose their systems.


> Anyway, she did a update and now she can't login
> to KDE.  I drove up, hour away, and tried to figure it out.  It has
> changed so much, I'm pretty clueless.  It is NOT Gentoo by any means.  I
> renamed the user directory in case it was a config that the new update
> was hanging on but nothing.  It just won't let you login.  Also reset
> the password as well.  

Did you look at the logs?  Assuming this is a systemd OS try:

journalctl

to view the log.  Add -b to only see boot messages, -f to follow current 
activity (just like 'tail -f' command), and -n 15 to see the last 15 entries.


> Thing is, I installed ICEwm during the install
> and it works.  It logs in but the screen doesn't refresh like it
> should.  You close a app, it's closed but it doesn't refresh the screen
> so it looks like it is still there.  The whole thing is weird.

This sounds like a video driver/compositor problem.  My guess is some 
xorg/mesa driver was updated and the box is not able to process the latest 
code.  However, to make sure no hardware problem is present, I suggest you 
take a look inside and blow away any cobwebs from video card cooling fan and 
heatsink.  Removing and reseating the video card may also clean the contacts 
from any oxidization, which an old box may have.

Finally, if there is an Xorg.0.log on this box take a look at it to confirm if 
this is a video driver problem.  With systemd you would probably need to run:

journalctl -e /usr/bin/Xorg

(someone more knowledgeable with systemd could chime in here if I got this 
wrong)


> What I'm looking for.  Something that I can install fairly quickly from
> a DVD.  Rig is to old to boot from USB stick.  Something with a GUI
> update process that is fairly easy.  Uses either KDE by default or is
> easily installable, hopefully during install by default.  The big one,
> needs to be able to run on older hardware.  Her rig is something like a
> 2GHz single core CPU and around 2GBs of ram.  The drives are SATA but
> that's about the most advanced hardware it has.  The video is a built in
> Intel of some sort.  Nothing fast or even fancy for that matter.  Yes,
> I'm keeping a eye out for a newer rig but it is what it is right now.

Anything with KDE will be putting a load on older hardware.  I don't know what 
Mageia has changed in their distro to cause these problems, but if 
cleaning/reseating video cards, RAM modules, etc. does not fix the problems 
you observed, then it's time to blame the software.

Have a look at Mint with a KDE desktop:

 http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=3292

Or Kubuntu:

 http://www.kubuntu.org/

However, I would expect both of the above to require 256MB video card memory 
and capability for hardware video acceleration.  Really old video cards won't 
be able to provide this.  Also 2G RAM is the absolute minimum for running 
Plasma or Gnome.

If she can live without KDE, then I would recommend Lubuntu/Xubuntu:

 http://lubuntu.net/
 https://xubuntu.org/

These can probably run with as little as 512MB RAM.


> I've used Gentoo for so long, I don't know what other distros offer
> nowadays.  I figure that there are several distros that are graphical
> nowadays but also need good support for older hardware and easy update
> process.  Googling around isn't helping me much.  If I find something I
> like, no KDE.  If I find KDE based and a GUI updater, something else
> won't work.  I figure asking those who have personal experience would be
> best.  :-)
> 
> Thoughts?  Suggestions??
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Dale
> 
> :-)  :-)

I suggest she revisits the need to run Plasma, if her current hardware has 
reached the end of its useful life.  There's a bigger world out there and 
there will be replacements for many of the desktop features she currently 
thinks are irreplaceable.

-- 
Regards,
Mick

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[gentoo-user] [OT] Simple to upgrade Linux distro

[Dale]

Howdy,

This isn't a Gentoo question but most everyone here used something
before Gentoo.  I need a simple to upgrade distro for someone else. 

A friend of mine had windoze XP, which is dead to M$.  She needed
something and buying a computer or new OS is not a option, even tho she
needs to upgrade that 10 or 12 year old thing she has.  So, I put Mageia
on it a couple years ago, used to be Mandrake way back which is what I
started with.  She has been doing updates every week or so since it is
GUI based and pretty easy.  Tell it to update or just click the pop-up
when it tells you one is available and when it is done, reboot.  Yea,
windowish I know.  lol  Anyway, she did a update and now she can't login
to KDE.  I drove up, hour away, and tried to figure it out.  It has
changed so much, I'm pretty clueless.  It is NOT Gentoo by any means.  I
renamed the user directory in case it was a config that the new update
was hanging on but nothing.  It just won't let you login.  Also reset
the password as well.  Thing is, I installed ICEwm during the install
and it works.  It logs in but the screen doesn't refresh like it
should.  You close a app, it's closed but it doesn't refresh the screen
so it looks like it is still there.  The whole thing is weird.  Since I
couldn't figure out what the problem was, I tried upgrading to Mageia
6.  Figured if it was a software bug, maybe that would fix it.  Nope. 
So, she's using ICEwm for the moment but it is weird. 

What I'm looking for.  Something that I can install fairly quickly from
a DVD.  Rig is to old to boot from USB stick.  Something with a GUI
update process that is fairly easy.  Uses either KDE by default or is
easily installable, hopefully during install by default.  The big one,
needs to be able to run on older hardware.  Her rig is something like a
2GHz single core CPU and around 2GBs of ram.  The drives are SATA but
that's about the most advanced hardware it has.  The video is a built in
Intel of some sort.  Nothing fast or even fancy for that matter.  Yes,
I'm keeping a eye out for a newer rig but it is what it is right now.

I've used Gentoo for so long, I don't know what other distros offer
nowadays.  I figure that there are several distros that are graphical
nowadays but also need good support for older hardware and easy update
process.  Googling around isn't helping me much.  If I find something I
like, no KDE.  If I find KDE based and a GUI updater, something else
won't work.  I figure asking those who have personal experience would be
best.  :-) 

Thoughts?  Suggestions??

Thanks.

Dale

:-)  :-)