I am very much the same way - I have an iMac and Macbook Air but recently built a dual boot Win7/Linux box. Originally I went for Win7 since I had had enough of running some Ham aps under VMWare on the mac. Now I find myself mostly in Linux mode for Ham use - I use Elementary OS as my Linux “distro” of choice because I can configure it more to look like OSX. Linux has a lot of Ham support, more than OSX probably, and I can configure fldigi without issue to operate digital. I still have not given up the mac since I am also a photographer, and Photoshop is not available under Linux, so the iMac is still my workhorse photo machine.
For an old machine, I’d most certainly try Linux - try eOS, or other Ubuntu distro like Mint. Paul AF5BV On Mar 28, 2014, at 9:21 PM, Phil Wheeler <[email protected]> wrote: > I'm with Don on this one. I use two Macs, with OS X 10.9.x, for most of my > work -- but both have Windows 7 installed in dual boot configuration, because > Windows has better support for some needs -- like ham radio and managing my > GPS map loads to name two. My workhorse ripping and burning machine is a > 5-year old Dell running Win 7 (was XP) because I can use very fast optical > drives with it and I prefer the software on that platform. And my ham shack > machine is a $280, 10.1" HP running Win 8.1; it does all the Elecraft support > quite well, as well as digital modes. > > But I do have a Raspberry Pi running Linux :-) > > 73, Phil w7ox > > On 3/28/14, 7:05 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote: >> I have tried Linux. It is just fine for those who have computers that are >> not networked to each other and do not need access to files on other >> computers on a network. Yes, for Linux geeks, it can be made to work, but >> discovering just the right 'tweeks' for Samba can be frustrating. >> >> If all one wants is a computer to do email and surfing the internet, Linux >> is an extremely good no cost solution, but if integration into a Windows >> Network is part of your operation, I suggest that you upgrade to Win 7 or >> Win 8, there are just too many hurdles to leap in that situation with Linux. >> Besides, most ham applications are Windows based, and several do not run >> well under Wine. Getting COM port assignments when using Wine has been an >> exercise in frustration for me, most recently with USB adapters. Maybe I am >> just not "geek enough", but it was frustrating and not successful. >> >> Linux may be good (and getting better), but it is not the cure for all ills. >> As I indicated, it is a good, no cost solution for old Win XP computers >> that will be used primarily as standalone computers for email and internet >> surfing. For that I like Linux Mint with the Mate desktop - it is quite >> "windows-like" and can be easily used by users who are transitioning from >> Windows. >> >> I have 8 computers plus a file server on my network that talk to each other, >> all running Win 7, but 2 of them dual boot to Linux Mint for those >> occasional excursions for things that do not work on Windows - but those are >> not mainstream items, they are "sideshows". The workbench computer and the >> ham shack computer are the only 2 with that dual boot installation. >> >> 73, >> Don W3FPR >> >> On 3/28/2014 8:59 PM, JohnE wrote: >>> Its just the Universe telling you its time to try Linux.... >>> >>> On 03/28/2014 05:27 PM, Edward R Cole wrote: >>>> If you need upgrades to SP3 for win-XP, you may be too late. >>> >> > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[email protected] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to [email protected] ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [email protected]
