Something different instead of Windows OS

I screwed up; Fixed it since.

mklink is Microsoft’s symbolic linking program for NTFS only. It’s like ln, but backward. I don’t prefer a completely clean desktop because I want to give that thing some purpose other than being an art piece, and those five commands do what ln does. Here’s the Linux equivalent;

ln -s ~/Documents ~/Desktop/Documents ln -s ~/Downloads ~/Desktop/Downloads ln -s ~/Music ~/Desktop/Music ln -s ~/Pictures ~/Desktop/Pictures ln -s ~/Videos ~/Desktop/Videos

For a newbie on either system, those links make it easy instruct users because you can always say “Go to desktop” as your first order, due to those symbolic links being there. Also it’s a nice way to sort a desktop full of crap; Drag to symbolic links, rather than a window.

Thanks for your help and reply @tiox,i am the only one that manage everything related to her PC;i really want to delete everything windows from her PC and she will be ok with the Ubuntu Mate OS cause is really easy to use. You said at the end of your comment ‘‘she could use Windows exclusively for Windows-only tasks within whatever other system you give her but that is the more complicated way of doing things’’.
That is something i really dont want,to have more windows OS headaches !!!
I will install on her PC Ubuntu Mate OS,just need the complete steps on how to install Dropbox on her PC;she only use dropbox to keep pictures as far as i know.
Thanks again and have a nice day !!!

:open_mouth::scream:Lol,internet is a really complicated thing to understand sometimes !!!

:person_with_pouting_face::thinking:

Thanks for your reply and help @FatDad47 very useful comment : Agreed, this is a very user friendly OS, I don’t think I would confuse my mom with terminal commands.
Even for me it’s really complicated to install software via terminal or network manager like the VPN i did install but i didn’t by my self,the tech support did it .
Thanks for your comment,have a nice day !!!

Thanks for the kind words @maro :thumbsup:
You said Dropbox can easily be installed via the Software Boutique,i have the CD but with the version 15.10 and i dont see any software boutique,i guess is available with version 16.04 LTS right ???
P.S i did quit from Windows,dont want nothing silmilar to windows back again :dizzy_face:

You can upgrade your 15.10 install to 16.04. I have had to do this in the past and it works nicely on a fresh install. Just takes a while and of course, internet access.

Update Manager should offer you a version upgrade to 16o4.

I am a “newbie” or relatively new to Linux and I find:

I often forget that the Linux community is a little larger than the local community collage online chat rooms and there are probably more than few fore whom English is not their first language. Maybe You?

Sorry, I forgot to mention that video was in English, but there are Spanish and German? (I thought I saw) available as well. I have watched several foreign language videos, some of the better ones use background music and foreign language subtitles.

While a picture can be worth a thousand words, especially one with a usable line command,
as long as the eyes work, I believe a" video" is priceless in any language for seeing how an OS works and looks before installing.

I watched a lot of reviews of every new (and quite a few older) Linux OS I could find, in any language, before choosing Mate. I plan on using the system for the duration of it support.

I knew when I saw first say Mate it felt familiar to me but did not know from where. I see it is designed to look like a windows product. I installed windows 8 when it first came out and my children begged me to remove it from the shared desktop pc so back to Windows 7 Pro it was. I never used Windows 8 enough to even remember what it looked like. Loading up my “play puppy” linux this morning, I figured it out. My play puppy is a slightly modified version of 5.50 MacPup. The Mate default home screen (dock centered on Bottom) looks similar to 5.50 MacPup, which is based on enlightenment e17 theme. Having used this puppy since it came out I have logged more hours on it than any other Linux OS, no wonder I liked Ubuntu Mate.

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Any Linux system can look like any other Linux system. The big thing about Ubuntu MATE for me was that it looked like the Ubuntu I used way back in 2009. But that alone didn’t convince me.

What convinced me, is that MATE is just as customizable as GNOME. I was already a MATE fan back when I was on Linux Mint, but I was not a fan of how restrictive it could be. Ubuntu MATE gives me the MATE desktop with Canonical’s full blessing, something that needed to happen ages ago but that was never a thing, and the only trump card Linux Mint had is now useless in my mind.

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Hello @Sexybaldguy

It's great that you want to get your mum to use Ubuntu MATE, I think she wont have to many problems if she only use computer for basic everyday things like Internet with Firefox, writing some documents and watching videos,...

When I first got Ubuntu MATE, my mum was scared to use id, because it looked different to Win 7, but she eventually found out that it's much faster on older pc and now even when she has dual boot option she always use UM and even know how to update the system :slight_smile:

My suggestion to you, try to install/set up OS the way you think she will use it, maybe set her up all the programs she will use next to Firefox if you keep default layout or tell/write her when she can find them in menu and disable things she might not need like bluetooth in the Startup applications.

Also do backup of all her files on pc, even if she has most/all on Dropbox, just to be safe and then chose option to erase Windows and install Ubuntu MATE.

When you upgrade to 16.04 as suggested by @anon42388993 you will find Dropbox in the new Welcome screen under Programs -> Internet with one click install among many other useful programs

If you’re trying to get someone away from Windows, making it look similar to Windows would be a nice start. Open mate-tweak, use Redmond theme and enable advance menu. That’s it.

Wish the default switcher had more configuration options and the capability to show progress inside taskbar buttons, but those are really Windows-specific touches.

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A good resource to learn about Linux is Freedom Penguin. The article written by Michael Huff “Finding Solace in Solus Linux” is about the Solus Project, another distribution which is designed with beginners in mind but still in early development.

Huff writes:
“Living inside an unfamiliar operating system is a little like being in another country. You know you’re not the first one there so you’re not going to die. Most likely. But you also know that it’s not always going to be hospitable. You’re going to stumble over things that you’ve yet to try. You’re going to see exotic places and experience some strange situations. And the natives in the forums aren’t always nice. Sometimes, they can be downright hostile and not at all charitable to those who don’t yet know the culture or the language.”

I know that we have suggested this but it is somewhat comparable to travelling without actually leaving the comfort of your hotel room. You are in another country but all you get to see is the distant view from your balcony. At some point you might want to leave the Windows aesthetics behind.

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First @tiox,my mom has 66 years old,i can’t be always around trying to fix everything related to windows,second,for me for & her will be easier to manage Ubuntu Mate cause it is really user friendly;i just will need to explain to her few things about how to configure anything,anyway,with Windows OS you need to buy a license for a good AV,you need to download too a software updater and a drivers updater cause windows itself doesn’t update everything and with Ubuntu that is something from the past;you save money & time and you avoid a lot of headaches …

Hi @ele,really appreciate your help and comments :thumbsup: yes,she only use the internet to simple things like surf the web daily,watch youtube videos and dropbox for documents and pictures of the family.
I think i can use my CD and then update the system to 16.04 LTS or burn a CD and install it.
She will not need to worry about update the system cause Ubuntu update itself when need it and warn you when there’s a new version to upgrade :v:
When you say ‘‘set her up all the programs she will use next to firefox’’ you mean a direct link in the desktop i guess ???
Thanks again for your comment,have a nice day !!!

Yes @maro and @tiox,i do get the point !!! you’re right !!! Thanks for your posts n’ comments,without the help of you guys and the community i will be lost,like an stranger in a strange land :scream:

Hi @anon42388993,the upgrade is available if i click on System - administration / software updater and i get the warning to upgrade to 16.04 .
I did talk with the owner of OSDisc.com and he told to that i will need to get few / hundreds of MB’s to upgrade the system to 16.04,so,yes,it will take some time,will do it when i can find the right time to not do things in a hurry :relaxed:
By the way … when the LTS of version 16.04 will ends ??? i want to buy the CD’s from me and my mom,i do love the original stuff :heart_eyes:

Well I have those programs I use the most on top panel for easy access like this

Or if you want to do like other suggested and use Redmond layout with enabled advance menu in MATE Tweak you can set it up like this


That's example if you want to include Dropbox on her layout. You have to first right click on those dots (that are part of Windows list) next to originally Thunderbird now Dropbox on pic and unlock it from panel to move it a bit more right and create space where you can drag Dropbox icon from menu to the panel like on photo and maybe delete programs she doesn't use like Thunderbird or show desktop.

You can also put them on desktop if you want, I just don't like icons there and was very happy to see I can have one without in Ubuntu MATE :smiley:

Also make sure to save panel layout when you are done changing so you can keep it that way and if something happen/goes missing ... go to some other panel and back to your saved ones on the top of the list saying Custom: ele's-tweak in my case.

Also you don't need to buy your OS any more you can just download Ubuntu MATE 16.04.1 LTS (supported till April 2019), make a donation to Ubuntu MATE (to keep improving and developing new things etc.) and once you get .iso file downloaded burn on USB or DVD (wont fit on CD) and there you have a the latest version of Ubuntu MATE :wink:

If you need more help with how to get started you can look here Ubuntu beginners guide, complete how to install and run first update

Another thing you don't need to buy 2 copies (if you chose that option) if you want to install on different computers. You still have original and legal OS, but can use it as many times as you want, no double paying again, you are not in M$ world any more :sunglasses: :upside_down:

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I would recommend ubuntu mate and zorin :smiley:

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Hi @ele ,thanks for all you comments and support :wink: i will try to follow all the steps you did suggest me !!!
I will need different CD’s cause my mom’s PC is service pack 2 / 64bits and mine is service pack 1 32 bits which is completely different one from another :grinning:
Have a nice day !!!

Thanks for the tip! I didn’t know about mklink on Windows.