linuxgeek: [LINUX_Newbies] What I've been up to with Linux lately

No one is posting much lately so I'll just ramble a bit about some of my recent Linux doings here.

A few months back I got a new (to me) computer and I set it up as my junk garage system. It is the first dual monitor system I've ever had, so I am a total newbie in that regard. Today other than blue people on YouTube all of that seems fine to me. I sure hope that gets fixed someday.

I set this box up with Debian GNU/Linux and I'd like to share a strategy I've been employing with some success lately in regards to doing that. What it boils down to essentially is don't be afraid of the "expert" install. I think the stuff is poorly named. I'm no expert and it works for me. I think it'd be better if they called it the custom install, or something.

Going "expert", picking nothing, then installing packages I want once the machine is running yields me a system more to my liking than going with a regular install and choosing the desktop environment. Now I'm not saying the package manager hasn't dragged in a bunch of cruft I don't want, but there is less of it than regular installs leave me with.

It does help to be somewhat familiar with Linux though, and know what one wants in order to do this. Maybe that is what they mean by expert? I don't know. Not really my take on what expert means but I'm not going to argue semantics.

My really big mod with this system has been running the Trinity KDE desktop on it. I've still some kinks to iron out there but overall I'm thrilled to have the desktop I want, as opposed to what is being foisted off on users today. I've never liked Gnome, and I don't care much for the new KDE. Without FOSS choice I'd be stuck running one or the other now. Smile, it'll grow on you, right?

Nah, I'd rather have what I want.

Anyhow, I put up an article on another site about some dual monitor arms I made for this box. Maybe someone here will get a kick out of looking at that.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Under-Shelf-Dual-Monitor-Support-Arms/

Not really Linux related per se, but that is the Linux system I'm talking about here. Marvel at my dual display Quake Darkplaces engine running on it:

http://www.instructables.com/file/F1DW328H347FJ9O/?size=ORIGINAL

Oh yeah! Die! Die! Die! Who says you can't game on Linux?