Setting up Linux. Easily
For years, I’ve tried to move over to linux as my main operating system. After trying distro after distro and duel booting I think I finally have a solution.
Originally I found Ubuntu to be the distribution that has the most palatable flavour for an Amigican and then a Windows guy. However with the later distributions they have moved away from the traditional Gnome style interface to a more tablet friendly version, which just as with Windows 8; I find a nightmare to work with.
The solution was there for to go with Linux mint. Originally based on Ubuntu, this distribution keeps with the plain and simple Gnome interface. The automatic installation of drivers and updates gives Mint an edge over ubuntu as-well.
However the problem with Linux is always that various apps won’t run, even on wine/crossover; I’m thinking about Photoshop and Visual Studio. Which for me as a .Net developer is a must have. I’ll address this issue in the next post.
The set-up process for mint couldn’t be more simple.
After downloading the ISO from http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php and It’s installed to a USB Drive using the ‘USB universal installer‘. Restarting the system and booting that device will launch a ‘live’ version of mint; giving you the full operability of linux. You also start the install process from here. You also need to check for proprietary drivers such as those used by nVidia, Mint should inform you that these are available to install.
Getting your Linux box Windows friendly.
Once installed and updated, there are a few applications/add-on’s that I deem a must have for any ex-windows user:
Accessing Microsoft Exchange on Linux.
Mint comes preloaded with Mozilla’s Thunderbird. by default it’s not capable of accessing Exchange. However thanks to a an extension called ‘ExQuilla for microsoft exchange’ it’s possible to access an exchange mailbox, calendar and address book. A must have for someone surrounded by a professional windows environment.
RDP (Remote) into a windows pc on Linux.
No doubt at some point you will need to remotely access a windows pc. A PPTP VPN connection can be established via network settings so.
I chose xfreedrp, available from the synaptic installer.
What I also do is create a script on my desktop so that I don’t have to remember all the details every time I want to connect. See Below:
xfreerdp -u Username -d Domain -g 1300x800 -p Password 192.168.253.XXX