Mailserver
Write to us at Linux Format, Future Publishing, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA or lxf.letters@futurenet.com.
International Linux install day, installing beside Windows, install Node-RED, installing on Dells. Everyone’s installing us.
Windows Mate
I’ve been running Linux for some time. I usually buy your magazine at my local bookstore. Most of my current computers are a few years old and I’m pretty comfortable installing Linux on a Windows 7 box. But I really need to update my desktop and all of the new computers are running Windows 10.
I’d like to see an article on any problems one might encounter buying a Windows 10 desktop and installing Linux on it. I don’t want to brick a perfectly good computer. I’m going to replace Windows since I normally use my desktop as a Samba and MySQL server. I’m running a Mint Mate box, but am open to moving to one of the other Mate distros. TerryHaimann
Neil says
We started running an “Escape Windows” issue a few years back, which seemed to be popular with readers. If Microsoft attempts to roll out new versions of Windows we tend to try and pump out an updated version to help people install Linux alongside it or replace Windows entirely. The reality is that on a new Windows system, installing most SecureBoot supporting distros (Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, RHEL) is no harder than freeing up 30GB or so on the Windows partition.
The main headache is when people decide that they’re going to start playing with more obscure distros that don’t support SecureBoot, don’t play nicely with UEFI boot partitions, or they install Windows afterwards and cross their fingers that it all works. Narrator: It didn’t.
Red Les
Many thanks to Les Pounder for his great tutorial on Node-Red ( LXF231). I struggled initially because I couldn’t access the GPIO from my Pi. It took many hours to get to the bottom of it, which turned out to be a /dev/gpiomem privilege problem. I’m running physical computing classes with some pupils at my local high school. This gives an IOT option that’s remarkably quick to get going.
Should you say Raspbian “Jessie or Stretch” rather than the latest release? I thought I was up to date with “Wheezy”, but trying to install node-red made me realise that I wasn’t supported and needed to upgrade my system. StuartGordon
Neil says
Glad to hear you both enjoyed Les’ work and that you managed to get over your problem. Really, half the real learning is getting problems solved, don’t you think?