The last poster wins

[Thor.]

You rage slept, only explanation.

[ub3rman123]

6 hours of calculus does that to you.

[billyro]

6 hours of calculus? How have you not gone insane? :blink:

 

Speaking of study, I just got my first bit of uni work today (even though it's still the orientation week) so... woohoo? :unsure:

[ub3rman123]

I think I have already. Wheeheeheehee!

[billyro]

I don't blame you! :P

 

 

 

Anyway, my next blade shall be Shimsil:

 

 

http://puu.sh/71QmI.png

 

 

So far I have completed Fury, Temreki, Magebane and Clanbringer. I've also started working on the Winterwound Dagger, but I'm thinking about scrapping it and starting fresh.

[Werne]

I wanted to install a dual boot of Ubuntu, then I got reminded that my mouse won't work with it and I gave up.

Try Ubuntu 14.04 from a live USB, support for Sharkoon mice has been added with Linux 3.11.2 and 14.04 is on Linux 3.13.0 so it should work without a problem (sadly, 13.10 is using Linux 3.11.0). Trusty is going stable in two months (currently in development stage, should be frozen soon), it's unstable compared to Debian Wheezy but it's a marvel of stability compared to Win8, so I'd say it's good. And the best thing is, it has a 5 year support cycle starting from April. :thumbsup:

 

There's also another way - you could recompile the kernel yourself with the needed fix (#define HID_MAX_USAGES 64000) on an older Ubuntu version, then remove linux-image-generic and linux-headers-generic packages, that way you don't update your kernel/headers from Ubuntu servers and stick to your own, no need to recompile the kernel on each update. You stick to your own and don't have to recompile even if you leave the packages since custom kernels always stay on top of the GRUB boot list, but if you remove those two you have less stuff to download when updating.

 

Note: Compiling the kernel on Ubuntu can occasionally be a pain in the arse, so if you ever think about doing it, download Ubuntu's linux-source package through apt (apt-get download linux-source-3.13.0) and not the one from the kernel archives. It also takes quite a while to compile the image/headers and pack them into a deb archive, nearly 30 minutes on my octa-core while Debian's kernel compiles in 10 minutes.

 

Your... Mouse won't work with Ubuntu? I can understand programs and such, but a mouse?

It's a Sharkoon, and that means getting it to work on Linux is a problem (at least on kernels prior to 3.11.2). Sharkoon has no support for Linux, and by no support I mean none what so ever, even Microsoft's products have Linux support but not Sharkoon (kinda funny if you ask me).

 

It's a reason I won't be getting any of their hardware. I considered getting one of the Sharkoon mechanical keyboards but since they have no Linux support, I'll be getting a CoolerMaster one instead, even though it's color scheme is ugly as hell. F*** Sharkoon. :dry:

 

 

 

And speaking of mice, I need a new mouse, my current one is falling apart. Anyone care to recommend any decent ones?

Edited February 19, 2014 by Werne

[billyro]

Ok, serious question, but what is the appeal of Linux? It has compatibility issues with both software and hardware, requires effort to make it work and just... seems like a waste of time. Okay, so I don't know much about Linux (very little in fact) but I do know that it has a lot of customisation available to those who wish it. Is that the main reason for getting it?

 

As you have probably deduced over the months, I am a very lazy person. Setting up an operating system that requires me to put work into my computer, doesn't function with a lot of programs and accessories, just so I can make it look pretty... is not my thing. :confused:

 

Someone enlighten me: why use Linux?

 

 

And, on a less "point fingers at" topic, Shimsil is done!

 

 

http://puu.sh/724rj.jpg

 

 

... Unless, as always, there are any improvements I can make? Sorry that I keep asking, but I like making things as good as they can be. :)

[Werne]

Ok, serious question, but what is the appeal of Linux? It has compatibility issues with both software and hardware, requires effort to make it work and just... seems like a waste of time. Okay, so I don't know much about Linux (very little in fact) but I do know that it has a lot of customisation available to those who wish it. Is that the main reason for getting it?

 

As you have probably deduced over the months, I am a very lazy person. Setting up an operating system that requires me to put work into my computer, doesn't function with a lot of programs and accessories, just so I can make it look pretty... is not my thing. :confused:

 

Someone enlighten me: why use Linux?

In a spoiler cause it's a big text.

 

There are four reasons why I use Linux - stability, hardware support, freedom of customization and OS support. Also security (unless you deliberately activate one, you can't get a virus on Linux), trust issues (I got no faith in Windows, I only ever had problems with it), and the fact that I hate using something that doesn't fit the way I use my machine.

 

Let's take Debian for example, Debian Stable (currently Wheezy) is regarded as a "workstation operating system", the only OS that comes close to it in stability is Red Hat (again, Linux-based). Issues with software are a subject to debate, while some software doesn't exist for Linux, there are very often alternatives, sometimes even more useful alternatives (Windows for example has partitioners that are unavailable for Linux, but none of them come close to Linux's parted and fdisk, or it's GUI-based GParted). Plus, suftware issues are OS dependent, while Ubuntu and Fedora may have problems with software, Debian won't, software packages are tailored on per-OS basis, not every OS has an identical package.

 

Linux also features a large plethora of programming languages out-of-the-box, which is why it's regarded as "programmer's OS".

 

When it comes to hardware support, some hardware is unsupported but hardware that is performs spectacularly well. While Win7 can't make full use of a quad-core and Windows server can run a total of 128 concurrent threads, any Linux-based system can take full advantage of up to 64 threads per x86 processor (I think it's somewhere around 128 threads for ARM and Sparc/Loongson units). It's fully multithreaded, so my 8-core is utilized to it's full potential. Another thing is RAM - Windows 8 can utilize up to 128GB of RAM, Linux can utilize up to 64 petabytes of it. Regular hardware (aka, what most PC users use) is mostly supported, and once configured correctly it will run just as well as it does on Windows.

 

Linux is also lightweight which is something I like, and some Linux systems can run from as little as 52MB RAM and a 300MHz CPU. Full-blown systems run blazing fast on modern machines, somewhat on-par with OS X in responsiveness and light years ahead of Windows 7. As I'm writing this, Debian uses 432MB RAM and 1% CPU using all threads, Win7 on my system uses 3% CPU and 1.7GB RAM the moment it boots, and that's just using two cores, open a program and Linux registers activity on all cores while Win7 is still stuck on two. And it can also run without a hard drive, from a live media like a CD/DVD or a USB flash drive (among others). Plus, Linux runs in microwaves, fridges, cellphones, GPS devices, TVs, even most modern cars, that's how much hardware it supports.

 

It also supports something I very much like to tinker with - Arduino. It's a small computer-controlled electronic circuit for making advanced circuitry and devices that is fully supported on any modern Linux system, even older ones. For someone who likes to fiddle with electronics, it's an awesome little thing to play with.

 

Customization is not there only to make it pretty, it's there so you can tailor the system to your needs. You can turn it into anything you want, and by that I do mean anything, you can even change the way the internals of it work. It can range from a programming OS, workstation, CLI system, a multimedia station, server, supercomputer system, anything - Linux works the way you want it to work. And if you want it to look pretty, there are nearly a hundred different GUI overlays with tens of thousands of themes and tweaks - thinner/thicker taskbar, multiple taskbars, icon/pointer appearance, color scheme, internal workings of a GUI shell, anything can be modified.

 

As for OS support, those who support Linux systems won't ask you to turn your PC off then on again, those guys have years of experience with UNIX/Linux systems and they know every tiny bit about them, even the source code. If they can't help you get the system up and running, not even god can help you. You break a Linux system and you can fix it, there is no "if it doesn't work, re-install it", no lost data. And when a new OS version is released, you simply update the repository cache and download the upgrade, no re-install needed.

 

Finally, it's free in every sense of the word. I can't actually argue against something that costs me nothing, gives me freedom to do anything I want to it, and still makes stuff work perfectly. I even bought hardware with complete Linux support when built my current machine, now any Linux works perfectly out-of-the-box while Windows chokes and needs drivers for wifi/LAN/USB and support patches for AMD's FX-series (so much for Windows hardware support, eh? :laugh:).

 

To me, those are the reasons I use it. Not to mention the only time I experienced a crash (be it software or system crash) is when my RAM started dying which is hardware fault, Debian has been completely stable from the day I installed it and shows no signs of going bonkers. I'll take stability over simplicity any day, I lost too much data I cared about in Windows' fits. I got the time to learn how to use and modify Linux, and I got the smarts, so I thought what the hell and it turned out alright.

 

By the way, there's Ubuntu and Linux Mint for those who don't like to fiddle with their system and like things simple, they work pretty much like Windows - install and go, Mint even looks similar to Windows.

And, on a less "point fingers at" topic, Shimsil is done!

 

 

http://puu.sh/724rj.jpg

 

 

... Unless, as always, there are any improvements I can make? Sorry that I keep asking, but I like making things as good as they can be. :smile:

Damn, that looks awesome. :ohmy:

 

And damn, you keep reminding me that I suck at making textures. :facepalm:

 

 

 

EDIT: I got 15 minutes to learn and fully understand quadratic equation. *breathes in deeply* I need to be one with insanity. :sleep:

Edited February 19, 2014 by Werne

[ub3rman123]

I just go to Goodwill and buy five mice at a time, and use the best one.

[Vindekarr]

I just go to Goodwill and buy five mice at a time, and use the best one.

 

lol.

 

You'd probably save money by buying on really good mouse. I bought a G9 Logitech in ~ 2007 that's as good as the day I bought it, and is the oldest surviving component in my rig. It's not going anywhere either; there are zero technical issues with it, the case is still clean and it's good for another couple of years yet.

 

I've got a similar story with my Razer Naga; it does duty with my laptop and replaces the G9 when I play MMORPGs(the G9 lacks a keypad) The Naga would be going on three years old, and it's absolutely immaculate. Like the Logitech, it can be dismantled which means it's easy to keep clean; just unsnap the grip and give the whole thing a wipe-down. Again, absolutely no mechanical traumas; it's still under warranty, too.

 

Both cost < $100 USD and have given more than two years loyal service; the Logitech has given about eight and the Naga is rated for about that as well. I can really recommend the nicer mice; you get what you pay for, and the Naga and G9X are both absolutely exemplary.

 

Here we have one of a slew of Naga models. Prices range from ~ $28 USD to this, the $99 Ultimate. The Ultimate is ludicrously customisable, and smarter than some computers I've owned. You can adjust everything, in real-time, and even have the mouse intelligently change settings based on a variety of factors. You can even change the lights to any colour in the spectrum or have a rainbow effect. Plus, it's really comfy to hold; it's all soft and velvety.

 

http://img1.digitalversus.com/produits/117/10808/razer-naga-epic.jpg

Edited February 19, 2014 by Vindekarr