Planning to make the switch back to Linux

[garrettendi]

According to Wikipedia it can be loaded as an LV2 plugin?

[The Elf]

I just wish there was a clag free version of Windows, I don't want the MS Shop, nor the XBOX baloney or the weather or co-pilot and I really don't feel the need to log into a Microsoft account, I'd even pay extra to get an F1 version of Win11 and not an SUV tugging a caravan

There are free utility sites that will create installation configurations to do this (and more) for you, but I don't find it too onerous to uninstall all that rubbish after I have Windows running.

I have similar Linux problems with distribution versions. I have one distribution that will run my Plex server, but won't let me remote access it, and another that will let me remote into it, but won't run my Plex server.

Linux would do itself a lot of favours to get down to one version for all. I'm sick of having to guess which one will do what I need.

[garrettendi]

I have similar Linux problems with distribution versions. I have one distribution that will run my Plex server, but won't let me remote access it, and another that will let me remote into it, but won't run my Plex server.

Linux would do itself a lot of favours to get down to one version for all. I'm sick of having to guess which one will do what I need.

I get what you're saying but Linux is far too disjointed to have one version. The only common part across every distro is the Linux kernel (which is the only "Linux" part), and even then you have different versions. Real-time? Low-latency? Etc.

Then all the things that the user interacts with is stacked on top of the kernel. Do you want GNOME? KDE? Xfce? Do you want it to be headless? And that's just to start with the desktop.

To make a "one version for all" would require everyone agreeing on one set of components for this distro. And if everything is able to be switched in and out, so this one version can do both GNOME and KDE (for example), then really you might as well have separate distros.

[The Elf]

I have similar Linux problems with distribution versions. I have one distribution that will run my Plex server, but won't let me remote access it, and another that will let me remote into it, but won't run my Plex server.

Linux would do itself a lot of favours to get down to one version for all. I'm sick of having to guess which one will do what I need.

I get what you're saying but Linux is far too disjointed to have one version.

Which is precisely my point. This is what makes the eyes of 'normal' people glaze over.

Don't get me wrong - I do like Linux, but I have been tripped up time and time again by distributions that won't do what I need. Most people wouldn't have the patience it takes to figure it all out.

[garrettendi]

That's a fair point, and I would absolutely agree that Linux isn't for everyone.

[James Perrett]

According to Wikipedia it can be loaded as an LV2 plugin?

You are right - my son nearly always uses it stand-alone so that he can play it without having to fire up a DAW but he says that it does also install an LV2 version. He uses

https://flathub.org/apps/org.rncbc.qpwgraph

to route between programs.

[garrettendi]

He uses

https://flathub.org/apps/org.rncbc.qpwgraph

to route between programs.

Now that I was not aware of! It uses Pipewire as well!

[Folderol]

Linux would do itself a lot of flavors to get down to one version for all. I'm sick of having to guess which one will do what I need.

The problem with that is that it would become as bloated as Windows, with similar 'oddities' cropping up unexpectedly. I think we need better specialisation. We've all got too used to the idea of a general purpose computer.

[merlyn]

Pipewire solves the problem of having Pulse and JACK on the same machine. As far as the apps know, they are using Pulse or JACK. Developers don't have to write a new Pipewire client. They can leave their apps as they are, with a Pulse or JACK client, and Pipewire takes care of the routing.

[Drew Stephenson]

The problem with that is that it would become as bloated as Windows, with similar 'oddities' cropping up unexpectedly. I think we need better specialisation. We've all got too used to the idea of a general purpose computer.

As one of the few people* round here who doesn't have a computing background I couldn't disagree more!

* Or so it seems sometimes.

[OneWorld]

"The blues isn't about feeling better. It's about making other people feel WORSE, and making a few bucks while you're at it." - Bleeding Gums Murphy

"Huh, even my kettle sings the blues" - Incredible String Band

[OneWorld]

All these versions of LINUX makes it seem as you need one for Monday, and another for Tuesday, a middling one for Wednesday, a Thursdays Child one, then a Friday one, which will have fish with it and then Party Linux for Saturday, and Sunday Sabbath LINUX

[BWC]

The problem with that is that it would become as bloated as Windows, with similar 'oddities' cropping up unexpectedly. I think we need better specialisation. We've all got too used to the idea of a general purpose computer.

I agree. It's certainly possible these days to have multiple small, efficient, specialized, "task-specific" computers, and then they could be made much more reliable and easier to maintain.

[garrettendi]

Tbh I think there are a few Linux distros that are "general purpose" enough, while allowing the user to go deeper. Ubuntu, Mint and my own choice of elementary OS.

My itch to go further down the rabbit hole is available with these, but if a family member that knows little about computers wanted to move from Windows, I'd have no problem setting up something like Mint for them.

[The Elf]

If you come across a distro that enables me to have both a Plex server *and* VNC remote desktop access I'd be grateful for the knowledge!

[garrettendi]

Sorry, I don't have the answer to that particular problem! There must be a distro somewhere that fits that, but generally I stick to the main distros (although I have dallied with Damn Small Linux on occasion).

[James Perrett]

If you come across a distro that enables me to have both a Plex server *and* VNC remote desktop access I'd be grateful for the knowledge!

A quick search says that just about any of the major distributions will run Plex and VNC is included with many of them - although not often enabled by default. I'd be surprised if it was a problem unless you were using a more unusual distribution.

However, Ubuntu appears to support both as does CentOS and Debian.

Apparently Plex will even run on a Raspberry Pi - which definitely also supports VNC and Remote Desktop Protocol (we found RDP to be more efficient with Autosub).

[merlyn]

CentOS isn't a thing any more. It was a community version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It reached end of life in 2021. So don't use that.

Distributions are like a tree. There's a whole lot of branches and leaves, but really only a few trunks.

• Debian
• Fedora
• Arch

Most of the others are derived from those three. Ubuntu is based on Debian. Elementary OS is based on Ubuntu. Manjaro is based on Arch ...

Getting a Plex server and a VNC server running on the same machine is to do with configuration, not distro.

[James Perrett]

CentOS isn't a thing any more. It was a community version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It reached end of life in 2021.

I hadn't realised that - I used it quite a bit in the past with a particular piece of software which would only work on Red Hat/CentOS.

[garrettendi]

I hadn't realised that - I used it quite a bit in the past with a particular piece of software which would only work on Red Hat/CentOS.

Would it not work on Fedora?

[James Perrett]

I hadn't realised that - I used it quite a bit in the past with a particular piece of software which would only work on Red Hat/CentOS.

Would it not work on Fedora?

CentOS was the one that everyone used for that software at the time although I've no idea what they use now as I've not done any multibeam sonar processing for 8 years or more.

[The Elf]

If you come across a distro that enables me to have both a Plex server *and* VNC remote desktop access I'd be grateful for the knowledge!

A quick search says that just about any of the major distributions will run Plex and VNC is included with many of them - although not often enabled by default. I'd be surprised if it was a problem unless you were using a more unusual distribution.

However, Ubuntu appears to support both as does CentOS and Debian.

Apparently Plex will even run on a Raspberry Pi - which definitely also supports VNC and Remote Desktop Protocol (we found RDP to be more efficient with Autosub).

Can't get Debian to run Plex and Ubuntu refuses to run VNC (I tried all that 'easy fix' terminal gibberish until I was blue in the mouth, forehead and scalp). I tried several other recommended versions and could get nothing to work. I ended up on Ubuntu, but no VNC.

Didn't think to run Plex on Pi's own OS, but maybe that's worth a try at some point.

For the moment I have something that works, albeit not the ideal situation when I have to drag an HDMI cable across the floor to see its desktop.

Aaaanyway... this thread ain't about me... Let's leave it here.

[merlyn]

Kind of crackers to suggest that VNC doesn't work on Ubuntu. How would all those servers be administered?

There are a few versions of VNC server. I use TigerVNC and setting that up did involve editing text files. There are other versions.

[The Elf]

Kind of crackers to suggest that VNC doesn't work on Ubuntu. How would all those servers be administered?

Then I'm keen to learn how. I've had two Linux experts advising me - both gave up.

[OneWorld]

Kind of crackers to suggest that VNC doesn't work on Ubuntu. How would all those servers be administered?

Then I'm keen to learn how. I've had two Linux experts advising me - both gave up.

I know how you feel, I had a 'life' coach who told me to drop dead