bootman
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Typing useless posts on internet forums....
Posts: 9,358
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Post by bootman on Jan 23, 2017 11:29:18 GMT -5
What is your favorite distro and why? ...and since this is an audio based forum which distros have been good as a media server/player base? I have used Mint but then didn't after the hack and now I may give it another try. Discuss.  |
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Post by copperpipe on Jan 23, 2017 12:14:04 GMT -5
Any ubuntu based distro is probably great. I use a mix of xubuntu, but also check out elementaryos for a "mac" feel; very polished version of ubuntu. elementary.io/It says "purchase" but you can enter $0 and download it for free, especially if you're just "checking it out". All linux distros with a large amount of packages can serve as a media player base. Again, debian/ubuntu based distros work great. Pulse audio is the standard audio mixer in linux, but dropping down to alsa (which is what pulseaudio uses internally) can give the slightly better audio playback since then you avoid the mixing. |
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Post by copperpipe on Jan 23, 2017 12:19:43 GMT -5
Fun things you can do with pulseaudio: you play music on one computer and have it streamed to the network where any other linux computer can pick up the stream and play it back. You don't need any special programs or clients to do this, just pulseaudio itself.
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Post by ÈlTwo on Jan 23, 2017 12:29:11 GMT -5
Mint's developer has asked me not to use it, so I don't.
I like to run Linux Lite in a VR,
I've had AudioPhile Linux installed, but it's a pain in the a** because it's delivered as an image, not as a distro (GNU based),
Ubuntu is okay, and I've used elementary, as well as Zorin.
I also carry around a version of Puppy on a usb stick, just in case.
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Post by brubacca on Jan 23, 2017 12:54:10 GMT -5
I have played around with Linux several times dating back to Caldera Linux. I like Ubuntu bacause so many people use it that it is very supportable.
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Post by gld3gld3 on Jan 23, 2017 13:10:36 GMT -5
I have been using Lubuntu for my music server. It comes with a low-latency kernel installed, but the audiophile nervosa in me had to try using a real-time kernel. So I installed the real-time kernel package and it's been running great on my home-built fanless PC.
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Post by MusicHead on Jan 23, 2017 14:43:14 GMT -5
After many years of distro-hopping I settled on Linux Mint. Run LMDE for a few years (Linux Mint Debian Edition) because I got intrigued by the idea of a rolling distribution. Now it is a few month I switched to Mint 18 Mate and very happy with it. My laptop is a relatively old Samsung with a Dual Core I-3 1.2GHz Intel processor. I find Mate to be the perfect balance between KDE (not in love with Plasma) and the superlight desktop environments like XFCE or IceWM.
Just for fun, I also installed Antix MX on an ancient IBM T41 with a single core Pentium M. It works like a charm.
For even more fun, I have a USB 3.0 64GB flash drive in multiboot configuration loaded with a dozen different 32 and 64 bit distros, going from superlight stuff like Puppy Linux to a fully loaded Mint KDE.
Not using Linux as a media server, but just yesterday run into a weird issue: when I hook up my laptop to a TV via HDMI, I get video straight away but I have to manually select "HDMI stereo" in the Mixer to get audio.
I do not have that issue when I boot the same laptop in Win7.
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Post by copperpipe on Jan 23, 2017 15:39:37 GMT -5
Not using Linux as a media server, but just yesterday run into a weird issue: when I hook up my laptop to a TV via HDMI, I get video straight away but I have to manually select "HDMI stereo" in the Mixer to get audio. I do not have that issue when I boot the same laptop in Win7. What mixer are you referring too? Pulse audio? If so, then you just need to install "pavucontrol" and then run it. in the "Output Devices" tab you will find all your sound outputs, then just click the green checkmark beside the one you want to use as default from now on. In my screenshot below, it's the Big Ego.  |
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Post by MusicHead on Jan 23, 2017 16:28:39 GMT -5
Not using Linux as a media server, but just yesterday run into a weird issue: when I hook up my laptop to a TV via HDMI, I get video straight away but I have to manually select "HDMI stereo" in the Mixer to get audio. I do not have that issue when I boot the same laptop in Win7. What mixer are you referring too? Pulse audio? If so, then you just need to install "pavucontrol" and then run it. in the "Output Devices" tab you will find all your sound outputs, then just click the green checkmark beside the one you want to use as default from now on. In my screenshot below, it's the Big Ego. Thanks, I will try that. I am referring to the "Sound Preferences" windows that open when I right click on the speaker icon in the bottom panel. There is a tab named "hardware". In it there is a drop down list named "profile". The default is "Analog Stereo Duplex", which gets me video on the TV, but sound through the computer speakers. To get audio to the TV through HDMI I have to manually select "Digital Stereo (HDMI) Output" in the list. |
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DYohn
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Posts: 18,494
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Post by DYohn on Jan 23, 2017 16:43:10 GMT -5
I have learned to use Fedora only because Vortexbox is built on it.
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Post by knucklehead on Jan 23, 2017 16:53:29 GMT -5
I tried out Red Hat (forget the version) back in the mid-late 1990's. I was getting more than a little frustrated with Windows at that time. I got frustrated with Red Hat/Linux faster than with Windows so I stuck with Windows through all the iterations until Windows 10. What a load of crap that is. I've been using Ubuntu (16.04 LTS) for about 1.5 years now - I'm not going back to Windows. Ever!
I use DeadBeef or Clementine to play music. Both seem to be more than adequate and I don't need or want a server. No complaints in that area. I get the same slight distortion with VLC as I did with the Windows version.
But I do have a few gripes with Ubuntu - mainly the desktop. It sucks! I'd like something more like (are you ready for this?) - Windows - something similar to the XP & win 7 desktop. I like a horizontal taskbar styled layout. I've also not been able to find a BluRay burning utility. I have Brassero installed - it's kind of 'thin' on features and does not burn BR discs and I can't seem to get the over-burn option to display. I have a Win 7 Pro ISO that is 4.8gb and it seems Brassero doesn't burn dual layer DVDs so I can't burn a disc and load it on my laptop. I emailed Dell with zero response. MS - the same response. The over-burn option is grayed out with a message saying the ISO is too large even with the over-burn option enabled. Good Lord! At least LET ME TRY! I paid good money for the burner and I have a read only BR player as well. It's a PITA to boot into Windows whenever I want to archive photos and important files.
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Post by ÈlTwo on Jan 23, 2017 17:03:25 GMT -5
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Post by MusicHead on Jan 23, 2017 17:44:40 GMT -5
+1 for PC Linux OS. Used one of their last 32bit versions for the ancient T41 I mentioned in my previous post. Linux Mint Mate also has a clean and functional look, reminiscent of Windows. It is based on Ubuntu, so under the hood is pretty much the same. |
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Post by copperpipe on Jan 23, 2017 18:19:37 GMT -5
Thanks, I will try that. I am referring to the "Sound Preferences" windows that open when I right click on the speaker icon in the bottom panel. There is a tab named "hardware". In it there is a drop down list named "profile". The default is "Analog Stereo Duplex", which gets me video on the TV, but sound through the computer speakers. To get audio to the TV through HDMI I have to manually select "Digital Stereo (HDMI) Output" in the list. That sounds like a desktop specific config utility or applet, it might not have the ability to set a permanent default sink for pulse. "pavucontrol" is a better/more featured GUI for controlling pulse, I have always had good luck using it, ymmv |
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Post by copperpipe on Jan 23, 2017 18:24:27 GMT -5
Looks like "KDE". Ugh All the good apps (and themes!) use GTK these days, so I prefer a GTK desktop too. Of course, your definition of "good" might be different than mine. I just found that I was using 95% gtk apps so said "bye bye" to KDE and haven't looked back. Most often I use xubuntu, but I've also just done super small installs using: openbox -> windowmanager compton -> tear-free composite manager; shadows + fading windows tint2 -> system tray + task bar tintmenu -> my own java clone of xfce's whisker menu, specfically for use in tint2 feh -> background/wallpaper gmrun -> quick launch But then I still use mainly gtk apps. |
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Post by vcautokid on Jan 23, 2017 19:46:17 GMT -5
Wow, I have been out of step for years. I used Ubuntu with great results for my Music playback and some other tinkering. I might just get back in. Just a little bit.  |
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Post by audiosyndrome on Jan 23, 2017 22:49:59 GMT -5
I admire you software guys. I'm a retired hardware guy. Thinking about dipping my toe.....
Russ
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Post by MusicHead on Jan 23, 2017 23:27:08 GMT -5
I admire you software guys. I'm a retired hardware guy. Thinking about dipping my toe..... Russ I am actually an hardware guy, 26 years in the semiconductor industry and counting. If you are familiar with computers beyond just using MS Office and a browser, then you should not have major problems in giving Linux a try. Easiest thing to do this days is to try a Live USB flash drive. You make a bootable USB drive with your preferred distribution, pop it into one of your computer USB port, boot and there you have Linux running on your computer without touching the original OS and data. You can even create what is called a "persistent" file (usually up to 4GB) on the same USB drive, to save your settings and files. That way you have a complete, personalized version of Linux that you can keep in your pocket and run on any PC. It won't be as fast as a full installation on a HDD, but more than enough to be usable and give you an idea of whether you like it or not. |
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Post by qdtjni on Jan 24, 2017 8:07:59 GMT -5
Ubuntu and Debian works great for most things including audio stuff.
For corporate servers RedHat and derivates such as Oracle Linux is better IMVHO.
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Post by copperpipe on Jan 24, 2017 9:30:57 GMT -5
For corporate servers RedHat and derivates such as Oracle Linux is better IMVHO. Possibly; it's all the same software running in different distro's, so at that point it's a matter of what differentiates each distro. This comes down to (mainly) packaging system, any possible kernel tweaks, general stability (rolling releases vs stable releases), and long term support (can you call someone, how long (years) do they release updates for the software, but also community support in online forums etc). I never call anyone anyway, so that basically removes the only advantage of Redhat. Other than Java (which was developed long before Oracle), I won't touch anything from Oracle with a 10 foot barge pole. |
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