Chromebooks can run mice. Also serial and Ethernet USB dongles. There are
some other devices, as well, and if/when I get around to testing them, I'll
comment.
Chromeboxes, just FYI, are about 6 inches on a side and only about 1.5"
thick. You won't lose much desk real estate to them. They require separate
keyboard, mouse (USB, usually) and screen. You pick the screen size. My
cousin runs hers using a 24" screen.
I can understand not wanting to run printing needs through the Google
cloud, although I personally have no problem with it. As previously
mentioned YMMV. :-)
I personally have no hard and fast recommendation for anyone regarding OS,
any more. But I do like to make sure people know the options that I have
found useful, because it often saves them lots of money and aggravation,
and the stores just steer folks to whatever system/OS on which they make
the best profit margin in most cases. Or that runs games the best if your
sales person happens to be a twenty-something guy. :-)
On Mon, Aug 1, 2016 at 7:44 AM Chuck Norcutt <chucknorcutt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
> Thanks, Scott. I'll have to study the Linux part. But I can already
> reject the Chromebook. I considered it long ago, in particular for
> being my banking and investments machine. But I decided that I wanted
> nothing to do with sending all of my printed output through the Google
> cloud. Instead, I took the old Dell Win XP laptop, converted it to Win
> 7 and the only websites that machine knows about are Microsoft update, 2
> banks and 2 investment houses. Cost was a copy of Win 7 and I can print
> as normal across my network and consider it reasonably secure given it's
> very limited usage.
>
> As to using Chromebooks or laptop size machines for everything other
> than photos that won't fly in this house as we're both addicted to our
> 24" screens and our computer desk spaces are already spoken for by the
> desktops that use those screens, keyboards and mice. We do have a Win 7
> laptop that is only used for travel but its screen is bigger than a
> Chromebook. But I'll have to think about that some more. We are
> sometimes in competition for the laptop when we travel. Maybe a couple
> of Chromebooks would work better unless a Chromebook can't use a mouse.
> Neither of us can make do with track pads and likely never will.
>
> But I will think much more on the Linux solution with Photoshop under a VM.
>
> Chuck Norcutt
>
>
>
>
> On 7/31/2016 6:55 PM, Scott Gomez wrote:
> > P.S. I print easily, including using Google Cloud Print, from all my
> > devices (Android phone, chromebook and desktop). Updates on Linux are
> > usually fast, no restart necessary operations. And separating the "Home"
> > partition in Linux from the rest of the OS partitions means I can do full
> > upgrades without affecting personal files (but I'm not dumb, or trusting,
> > enough to do them without making sure I've got a good backup, just in
> > case). Most mainstream Linux distributions now install more easily than
> > Windows used to, IMO.
> >
> > About the only drawback I've run into is that Virtual Box updates
> sometimes
> > lag kernel updates by a couple of days, meaning I sometimes have to wait
> to
> > be able to run Windows again if my timing is poor. That's nothing that I
> > can't live with.
> >
> > On Sun, Jul 31, 2016 at 3:47 PM Scott Gomez <sgomez.baja@xxxxxxxxx>
> wrote:
> >
> >> A couple of suggestions:
> >>
> >> 1) Save the desktop machine for running apps where a desktop machine
> >> really helps... like Photoshop
> >>
> >> 2) Consider a Chromebook (laptop equivalent) or Chromebox (lightweight
> >> desktop) for uses not requiring "desktop" hardware, such as email, web
> >> surfing and the like. Cheap, light, so far fully virus immune, and runs
> 8
> >> hours+ on a charge.
> >>
> >> 3) If considering running Photoshop in WINE under Linux, consider
> instead
> >> that Photoshop in a virtual machine (VM) under Linux is generally faster
> >> and more stable than with WINE, as the VM can be "pure" Windows. Virtual
> >> Box works well for the two programs I still use that I can't yet replace
> >> with Linux software, and XP actually installs (and even more... updates)
> >> faster than XP did running native on the same hardware. VMs also provide
> >> the ability to tweak the number of processor cores in use and the
> amount of
> >> memory allowed. Most modern machines can handle running this with ease,
> >> just buy a bit of extra RAM over that required to run the base OS (if
> >> running Virtual Box) or enough RAM to run both OS (if virtualizing an
> >> entire machine, as with VMWare). Both Virtual Box and VMWare have free
> for
> >> personal use versions.
> >>
> >> From personal experience, about the only time I run the Desktop machine
> >> any more (AMD 8-core processor, 16GB RAM, three hard drives, 27"
> monitor,
> >> currently on Fedora 23) is to handle photos: I've been using Digikam
> (photo
> >> management, including excellent keywording; and light editing) and GIMP
> for
> >> some time now and don't miss Photoshop at all. Workflow is different for
> >> GIMP as compared to PS, but I've been able to do what I need. There are
> >> quite a number of other very good photography software choices
> available.
> >> All the rest of the time I'm using the Chromebook. Who really needs more
> >> for email and web, and especially now that there are a number of
> >> applications that run on it even if a network connection is not
> available.
> >>
> >> As always, YMMV.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On Fri, Jul 29, 2016 at 8:15 PM David Thatcher <plusphoto@xxxxxxxxxx>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >>> On Fri, Jul 29, 2016 at 04:29:37PM -0400, Chuck Norcutt wrote:
> >>>> I can see that it will take quite a bit of effort to sort out the CPU,
> >>>> motherboard and memory thing but it appears that the top end i7 is
> about
> >>>> $100 more than the top end i5 (neither of which has a fan or
> heatsink...
> >>>> apparently to satisfy overclocking users who want their own custom
> >>>> cooling solution).
> >>>
> >>> Since leaving my old employer and starting my own business I spend a
> lot
> >>> more time at my desk. I have 2 desktops that run nearly all the time
> and
> >>> the stock CPU coolers are horribly noisy (and people on the other end
> of
> >>> the phone have commented!). My old machines are 'of retirement age',
> so
> >>> I have built new ones, this time with add-on low noise CPU coolers
> (made
> >>> by Noctua).
> >>>
> >>> davidt
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> _________________________________________________________________
> >>> Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
> >>> Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
> >>> Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/
> >>>
> >>> --
> >> ---
> >> Scott
> >>
> --
> _________________________________________________________________
> Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
> Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
> Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/
>
> --
---
Scott
--
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