/silicon/ - technology

lets get started with linux!

I just installed OpenBSD on my mobile machine and probably already killed every security measure by adding countless libraries and programs I don't even know, yet need to get comfortable with it and gain speed in workflow.

Call me a hipster, but now I understand why people happily accept hours of compiling and fixing. It's a pleasure to get the system working and to see the results. It's worth the work and in the end you feel like you just built your own son. And he shall be born with pain and blood and sweat.

Never surrender!

>>5
This Anon gets it.

>>5
install gentoo

>>7
We really don't need these memes here.

>>8
whats a meme?

>>9
"install gentoo" is a meme, gentoo is not.

A better way to put what I mean might be that this is not 4chan.org/g/.

>>10
The concept of Gentoo is in fact a meme. Gentoo itself arguably is too.

>>10
>this isnt /g/
Good. Its so bad now and im not sure who to blame for it.
>>11
there are few reason I would take the time to compile from source for the small amount of speed you get running the program unless in a large production environment and then you have other issues. so i fell like both, installing and using gentoo are bad ideas.

>>12
so, how do you feel about LFS ?

>>11
It's just easier with Gentoo to get the software with all the compile-time features you want. Lots of security hardening you can do. Also compiling yourself is more secure than trusting binaries and channels that provide them. It's not just few percents of speed. I would also say, if you don't have 1 machine doing all your compiling you're maybe doing it wrong.

Also installing Gentoo is a learning path.
That said, >>7 is just cancer here by spouting it like a useless meme.
Gentoo is a serious fucking business.

>>13
I havent used it but i like the concept. I generally use a debian based distro just due to familiarity and ease of use. however I do find that there are a lot of programs and general bloat attached to each one from the creators personal library. I would really just like one that has a packman and WM/DE and you get the rest yourself.

>>2
Those two images are a bad way to learn how to use a shell interface.

Short of reading a book, what's important is learning to use apropos(1) to find installed programs and man(1) to read their documentation.

Also it assumes way too much about specifics. They say "cat > file - places standard output into file" but who reads it might not know about file descriptors and the standard output file descriptor, or what cat(1) does. It doesn't says most shells will overwrite files with > by default.

And if you're gonna install something from source you might want to read a supplied "readme" file and not just blindly do "configure," "make" and "make install."

>>16
I agree with you that for a hardened system or a production server reading the read me/ man and source is a necessary part of understanding what is going into and therefore out of your environment is a mandatory part of working with linux. but for some one just learning or playing with the system the main part is understand how these basic parts work together and can interact with functions like pipes. this is something that, while available in windows, is much more heavily used and valued in a *nix environment.
while I do whole heartedly agree, I was aiming this thread more towards the beginner and hobbyist than a professional user despite the best practices you mentioned.

>>17
Please don't post such pictures, they promote stereotypes.

>>18
What are you, a moderator?

>>18
No

>>20
No.

What are you, a /g/oy who likes to show they are a moderator

hehe

How do I know which Distro is right for me? I've been looking into getting Linux since it seems fun to mess around with, but I'm not sure where to really start. I'm not tech savvy, will that hinder me from going forward with using any of them?

>>59
Ubuntu, or if you have older hardware, Xubuntu

Xubuntu is better, xfce is way less annoying than unity.

>>59
knowing what you actually want out of an OS is a good start. as other posters have said *buntu distros are a good place for start.

>I'm not tech savvy, will that hinder me from going forward with using any of them?
no.

>>75
Hey, you can't expect beginners to just know what they actually want out of an operative environment.

>>21
Nice bayer dithering

>>59
Manjoro.

>>59
Check out deepin. 15.1 Ive been running it for a few years and have found that the new release is the smoothest thing I have ever used.

What's the point? If you want privacy and security because you really need it (for real reasons, not because you don't want the botnet to see your collection of animu and hentail), you can just live boot something like TailOS.

Most people seek easiness and software support, and we can't argue that both Mac OSX/Windows has much better software support, a bigger user base and is arguably much easier to use in general that GNU/Linux or BSD.

Except tweaking the aesthetics of your GNU/Linux [to brag about how your memeOS looks much better in /desktop/ threads], rare miscellaneous shit and open source, you already have 99% of users that haven't much interest of running a different OS than Windows or Mac OSX because they aren't try hard tweaker and just want something that works.

In the end, the most important thing is not the OS, but the tools you use. You can also use open source software on Window/Mac OSX and fix the botnet with shit like this http://goo.gl/TBzG91/ if you want. People completely discrediting mainstream OS just because of "mah privacy" and "mah freedom" are just the computer science version of feminists.

No wonder that GNU/Linux or BSD are used by a minority. It has its good points but most people don't specially need it, although if you don't do productive tasks and just browse Internet, your OS choice then doesn't matter much. Also, if you are a retard and have problems with your Windows or Mac OSX, don't think GNU/Linux or BSD will magically solve all your problems.

Call me a shill if you want but that's just my opinion on what OS is the most work efficient after having used each OS.

Some infographics I found useful

>>332
Sushi Roll these are great! Might I ask where you found them/if there are any more?

>>334
I haven't found many good linux related infographics unfortunately. These are pretty much all I saved. Man pages are great for everything anyways.

There are a few more performance tool graphics on Brendan Gregg's homepage: http://www.brendangregg.com/linuxperf.html

Guess I'll post a few more tech related graphics.

>>335
Thank you very much!

>>331
>What's the point?
When I run proprietary software, I don't know what is being run. It could be anything - something malicious or just plain badly coded - and I have no way of knowing. I don't like this so I use an OS which gives me the most chance of getting rid of these intrusions while balancing usability, i.e. OpenSUSE.

Free software also encourages better programming because one's mistakes are public and can be fixed by anyone who bothers to fork it. Software usually targeted at Windows is often noticeably bloated, e.g. Skype which uses hundreds of MBs of memory even when idle. uTox (open-source) is currently using 39 according to htop - a real improvement.

Free software is just better really.

>>331
When windows seven finally comes off life support and my only choice is W10 or fucking mac, linux will be my only choice.
Until then I'm pretty happy with win7 so I guess I agree.

>>14
>compiling yourself is more secure than just checking the hash and program size
If you can somehow make the assembled code include all the same features plus malicious features and get a hash overlap while still having the same size program, I'd be more than just impressed.

>>331
>Most people seek easiness and software support,
Appeal to bandwagon, but Ubuntu is much easier than Windows or Mac OS.
>and we
Don't say "we". You've already revealed yourself to be a win-rainbow roll.
>can't argue that both Mac OSX/Windows has
have*
>much better software support
[Citation needed]. Having more steam games does not count as better software support. Who the fuck uses Ms Office in 2016 anyways?
>a bigger user base
Objectively wrong. Linux is the most used Kernel in the world, and GNU/Linux is ran on basically every server on the planet, with Android/Linux being ran on nearly every phone.
>and is arguably much easier to use in general that GNU/Linux or BSD.
"Arguably" aka wrong. My grandmother manages to use Antergos without problems, but can't use Windows for the life of her, and struggles to navigate MacOS outside of the web browser.

>>331
>he thinks turning off telemetry is going to fix the botnet and backdoors on his system
The Snowden leaks confirmed backdoors in Windows before telemetry was a thing. Tech illiterates get the fuck off my board reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
>he uses botnet URL shortener to link us shit

>>331
You clearly haven't used linux
better software support? one of the best features of linux that windows lacks is the software support. windows doesn't have such a thing as a software repository. So you have to chase them all over the internet and pray it's not computer AIDS.
With linux you just need a command.
As of ease of use, most distros come with an automated installer and a desktop environment that works just as if not better than, those of windex.
There's more to it but meh I'm too lazy to defend an OS family that is itself much more solid than that enterprise non-standard closed source insecure OS you're using

>>382
Android doesn't have even 50% of the global market share, so to say Android is ran on nearly every phone when iOS is the most common phone, is a misconception.

>>384
Dude, where in the hell are you downloading your applications from? If you download from an official source and not Softpedia (or another virus ridden site) you shouldn't have issues, and even if you do happen to get a virus, install anti-malware and anit-virus. Not difficult. Linux has issues because while it is better than Windows by a long shot, it still has it issues with user freedom and privacy (remember amazon and ubuntu?).

>>331
>better software support
yes it may have more software, but when a good chunk of that software is paid or crap, its hard to defend that point. MPV and MOC, blow away any default movie player ever made. GNU/Linux have a community that maybe has less applications, but the quality is significantly better.

>except tweaking the aesthetics
you can rice on any OS, GNU/Linux just allows the user to have more customization.

>open source software on Windows/OSX will fix the problem
when a computer's OS has a backdoor and collects user data, I think not matter how hard you try to change it, it is always a better idea to switch to GNU/Linux. GNU/Linux and BSD aren't used by a minority either, as android phones run on a custom linux os, and nearly every server runs on GNU/Linux.

I like finding random bullshit programs on the internet. I just scan them with my AV before installing. Only doing stuff through some app store or 'official source' doesn't sound very nice at all to me.

>>399
I do that. Sometimes I just hop on Github, type in random words and try stuff out.

I found this neat game:
https://github.com/dlowe/death
and this ultra-lightweight Tetris in the terminal:
https://github.com/troglobit/tetris

Compiling from source can be a pain but, once you've got the hang of it, it's very rewarding.

>>413
can you post that background

it looks really comfy

>>415
Yup, it's on >>417 in the desktop thread.

It's a frame from the Studio Ghibli film 'Kiki's Delivery Service'. That is a work of art.