Linux notes from DarkDuck

15 Jan 2015

My business has been saved by Zorin OS

I just recently decided to "relocate".

I just started a company with a very tight budget. I was just tired of being a slave to the system so, I drained the account and decided to go for it.

One of the things that I required was a computer. I didn't have the funds left after getting the necessary tools to get one. Now, I'm in my early 40's and my grandparents offered me their old one.

You could only imagine how old that was, it's a Dell Dimension 3000. It still has the old boob tube type monitor. Quickly I said Yes! It had Windows XP on it. I went out to the local computer store and spent money I didn't have to obtain all the necessary software to keep my business going.

About a week after I got everything up and running, the notices started coming. At first I thought it was one of those scams but quickly I found out it was true. They were ending support for my operating system. Terrified I tried to get other operating systems but none would work.

My son gave me his old laptop to use however it's missing the v button, the / button, an arrow to the right, and the dvd drive is broken. But I push on. Still looking for operating system and being upset with windows, I vowed I would find something else. I searched long and hard then I found Zorin OS!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank you! You made my transition from windows to Linux so easy to figure out. I'm extremely happy to say I will never return to Windows. Because of you guys there, my business has been saved! I quickly realized that I don't have to be forced to follow Windows. There are other options.

I now have 2 computers at my home office and one laptop that all run Zorin.

This is a guest post by Larry Adams, which took part in the joint Zorin OS contest.

30 Dec 2014

Linux Antique

I have mentioned several times that my acquaintance with Linux started somewhere in the XX century, long before it became a part of our everyday life. It was in a form of Linux distribution downloaded from the Internet, and in a form of CD I bought from a stall on one of the markets in Moscow.

I have recently found the CD I bought that time.

Let me introduce you to Linux Antique, aka Red Hat 5.2 KDE.

I hope you like the Linux history.

And if you want to buy a Linux disk for yourself, you can always use a service from Buy Linux CDs site.

23 Dec 2014

DarkDuck wishes you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hello to all my readers!

Year 2014 has almost gone. It was difficult for many of us. It was full of pleasures for many of us too.

It was turbulent and difficult for myself. There were many changes in my personal life, in my work, in my location. But I cannot say that there were no nice moment. They were.

Let's leave all bad memories in 2014, and let's hope for good times in 2015!

Merry Christmas!

Happy New Year!

I wish you all the best in the coming year!

Stay tuned to Linux notes from DarkDuck.

4 Dec 2014

Zorin: That is Flexibility!

I will start off by saying that I am a 67 year old retired male who is only moderately computer savvy.

I started out using Linux with the Mandrake version about 8 years ago as an experiment. I was upset with Windows 95 & 98 because it would continuously freeze up and eventually would ruin the hard drive. Not to mention the virus problems.

I tried Lindows for a while because I liked their repository and the ease at which one could download and install programs. After a few years Lindows which had changed its name to Linspire was discontinued so I switched to Ubuntu with the KDE GUI desktop.

About 2 years ago I tried Zorin 6.0 and have used it and upgraded it on one of my computers since. I especially like the Zorin OS desktop experience because I can change it to look like Windows 7 or like Mac. That is flexibility! I also enjoy the Ubuntu type repository system!

I feel that anyone who has never tried Linux and wants to convert over to Linux from Windows should try a Linux system that is most like Windows - that would be Zorin.

This is a guest post by Harry S. Durham, which took part in the joint Zorin OS contest.

23 Oct 2014

We would like to thank the Zorin OS team

I'm currently working as the only IT staff member at a small neighbourhood council that is dedicated to helping our neighbours as much as we can by providing various services such as reconditioning schools, parks, and in my case computers.

Now recent we received a huge batch of laptops (Lenovo Thinkpad T60) as donations. We use these laptops so they can provide online and local training to youth workers so they can learn work skills and etiquette that will be essential for them to advance their careers professionally. The issue we are currently facing with these laptops is that the hardware is rather low end and that they were originally designed to work with Windows XP, which unfortunately recently stopped being supported.

Thanks to Zorin OS I was able to breath a new life into these laptops while providing a very similar environment to the end users so that they can feel right at home and continue their work without suffering from freezes or crashes and with greater performance and security to boot.

On behalf of the neighbourhood council, we would like to thank the Zorin OS team for their commitment on an extraordinary software that we hope will be going strong for years to come.

This is a guest post by Cesar Escoto, which took part in the joint Zorin OS contest.

14 Oct 2014