migration windows to linux

[focaldepth]

Thanks for suggestions.

I should not speak too soon. (Lucky I am not superstitious(cross my fingers)).

BUT....

I ordered an HP laptop from Ebuyer without Windows(£180), yesterday evening, arrived this morning. Installed Ubuntu, kstars, indi, stellarium, and a bunch of other stuf.

Plugged in, HEQ5, SXH18, SX Filter wheel, Polemaster, SX Costar, game controller, ASI 174.

Guess what, they ALL worked first time.

Linux just isn't fun any more, no more rebuild kernel down load source, fix deliberate mistakes..make files....Too easy.

 

Just a few things I am stuck on, I suppose I should read a manual or something:

Joystick slew rate.

Filter colour names.

Scripting.

12V charger for this laptop.

 

We're off to Dalby on Thursday, I wonder if I will have it all set up and working.

 

Oh and my Windows 10 laptop has finished another update, and it works as well. I will have to reload the astronomy serial port drivers but that is expected.

 

 

[Stub Mandrel]

OK then Linux bods...

I have an old windows laptop here (used to run Vista). Nothing of value on it.

What do I have to do to it so I can load it with Linux and appropriate software to control my mount (including guiding) and (ZWO and Eos) cameras?

Or is it anon-starter as I have a ZWO ASI120MC?

[Dr_Ju_ju]

Nope, sounds Ideal.....

The only hiccup being what flavour of Linux...

I like Ubuntu Mate, others may disagree, but each to his own. You start by going here http://dailylinuxuser.com/2014/11/the-ultimate-ubuntu-mate-installation.html  and following the instructions.....

After installing, play around, if you break it, it doesn't matter....  Then we can move onto installing Indi\Kstars etc. 

 

 

[focaldepth]

Depend on the USB speed, my ZWO is USB3.0.

Linux usually runs on quite modest hardware but can't perform miracles.

To give it a go, download the UBUNTU usb image, use RUFUS (under windows) or DD(under linux) to copy it to a USB. boot from the USB and try it in live mode..

If that work re-boot and install, most of the install questions are easy to answer.

[stash_old]

43 minutes ago, focaldepth said:

To give it a go, download the UBUNTU usb image, use RUFUS (under windows) or DD(under linux) to copy it to a USB. boot from the USB and try it in live mode..

Totally agree and if your like it then use the same to install as it gives you both options - try or install.   

IMHO For the record Indi is not a panacea - it has many failings and the Doc is poor - fact. E.G. Does work with SW AZ (inc AZ GTI) mounts UNLESS you use Synscan App on Windows or Android LOL - whats the point of that.  

SW EQ mounts should be ok as that's been well tested !

Kstars I like!!!

Good Luck worth a try - Clear Skies !!!

[Stub Mandrel]

Thanks folks, I'll start tomorrow...

[JamesF]

Just upgraded my desktop from Mint 18 to Mint 19, now it's been out a few weeks.  I did a reinstallation from scratch as I've been carrying about a lot of junk going back quite a few years.  Appears to have gone relatively painlessly though I still have a few things to reinstall.

The one thing that's irritating me at the moment is that my marble mouse isn't working quite as it was.  There'll be some configuration I've forgotten somewhere, but fortunately I have a copy of everything from the previous /etc saved away for just this eventuality.

James

[packnrat]

can a laptop run after wipeing a factory hard drive of everything?

as micro crap, the labeled name of the computer (dell, costco, samsung, etc) installs (in there programming) so much trash and the (***) up dates nobody wants or needs.

so can one clean the hard drive and only install the programs one wants, or needs for ONLY a telescope, and camera.

NO internet connections. NO connections to any other items.

[JamesF]

One way or another you're going to need some sort of operating system there, be it Windows or Linux or something else.

James

[Dr_Ju_ju]

…. following on from James, even a minimal OS will require some 'junk' to make the system work, e.g. network connection of  some sort (Its how most modern software interacts as a client - server relationship, whether locally or to remotes).

And as time moves on and software gets 'fixed' It will also need updating...

But it is possible to install minimal systems e.g. a MinWin OS is only 39Mb, but it will only do one task, and no desktop etc.

[stash_old]

Its called DOS ? LOL

[alacant]

On 4 August 2018 at 20:58, stash_old said:

Kstars I like

Yeah, looks and feels great. Probably the best framing, plate solving, capturing, guiding and scheduling most of us will ever be able to afford. All under one roof. Makes the competition feel decidedly 1990s. Getting there from the Windows world is a however a battle few win.

I wonder if there'd be interest in a beginners indi-ekos thread?

Cheers and clear skies...

Edited August 14, 2018 by alacant

[stash_old]

44 minutes ago, alacant said:

I wonder if there's be interest in a beginners indi-ekos thread?

i would vote yes :=)

[alacant]

3 hours ago, stash_old said:

i would vote yes :=)

Which forum? 'Getting started with imaging' would be good but whenever I've posted there, it's been moved here to 'Software'.  Ideas?

[fozzybear]

3 hours ago, stash_old said:

i would vote yes :=)

I too would vote yes as I have RPI3 and struggling a little to tweak the little devil....

[fozzybear]

6 hours ago, stash_old said:

Its called DOS ? LOL

back in the day you had IBM DOS and MSDOS the later bill gates creation and from there it all started...… who remembers os2/warp?

 

Edited August 14, 2018 by fozzybear
addition

[wimvb]

INDI/Kstars is software, but also equipment control, not just imaging. If you want a beginners thread, maybe the beginners' equipment subforum would be a good place. 

4 hours ago, alacant said:

Getting there from the Windows world is a however a battle few win.

As Jasem Mutlaq remarked on the astro imaging channel, it's for those who don't mind a little tinkering. Imo, if you can set up the hardware, you can install the software. (Or buy a StellarMate.) Installing INDI under ubuntu isn't difficult, and there are guides. Some on this forum:

And very similar on a Rock sbc

 

[alacant]

6 minutes ago, fozzybear said:

I too would vote yes as I have RPI3 and struggling a little to tweak the little devil....

Ok. Thanks. I've asked the moderators for advice citing 316676 onwards.

Let's see if we can get something going to encourage those wanting to move to the authentically very dark side:)

[JamesF]

6 minutes ago, fozzybear said:

back in the day you had IBM DOS and MSDOS the later bill gates creation and from there it all started...… who remembers os2/warp?

 

And even in the days of DOS there were variants of UNIX that didn't look an awful lot different to how Linux and similar look now.

I remember OS/2 Warp.  Only recently I ditched an IBM "luggable" (PS/2 P70, perhaps?) that I found in the loft that I think ran it.

James

[fozzybear]

12 minutes ago, JamesF said:

And even in the days of DOS there were variants of UNIX that didn't look an awful lot different to how Linux and similar look now.

I remember OS/2 Warp.  Only recently I ditched an IBM "luggable" (PS/2 P70, perhaps?) that I found in the loft that I think ran it.

James

state of the art in them days and costing thousands. I had a Compaq laptop more like a double brick mono screen 640kb ram dam it was fast for fortran….. for me was a ps/2 mod 50 with os/2 warp as a desktop at work.... for the ps/2 70's I think they made a tower version as a server as well....

[alacant]

29 minutes ago, wimvb said:

nstalling INDI under ubuntu isn't difficult,:

...and if you're finding ascom on Windows 10 challenging... Indi on Ubuntu?!

Anyway, let's see if we can bring SGL style tolerance and understanding to the matter...

[fozzybear]

9 minutes ago, alacant said:

...and if you're finding ascom on Windows 10 challenging... Indi on Ubuntu?!

Anyway, let's see if we can bring SGL style tolerance and understanding to the matter...

+1

[stash_old]

12 hours ago, JamesF said:

there were variants of UNIX that didn't look an awful lot different to how Linux and similar look now

Thats because thats where Linux came from it was a rewrite - written to use the i386 chip as "main stream" Unix players (Bell etc) didn't do an I386 version (I386 was cheap).

And before MSDOS there was CDOS(C/CPM) which ran a windows environment (Not M/Soft) and could be networked together - which was a descendant of CPM  - none of this easy stuff - lots of switches ,Interrupt settings - and that was just on the device LOL. It was a pity CDOS didn't beat MSDOS/IBM(PS/2) as it was way ahead - but just proves,IMO, the best tech does not win in business. But then DOS was known as "Dirty Operating System" LOL

I perhaps understand why Indi charges for Stellarmate OS but I dont agree especially as the h/w is from a charity and the software (Ubuntu/Indi) is free - Now if they went public and "crowd funded" then maybe things would progress faster IMHO.

I do understand Indi  Jasem Mutlaq supports Stellarmate OS so I guess he has to be rewarded for his hard work/time ?

Lets face it those who have a working Ubuntu version on RPI (or other SCB / variants) could just pass on their working images for others to write to a SD Card and start using with very little changes. More people would try Indi - maybe!

+1 for the thread

[Stub Mandrel]

27 minutes ago, stash_old said:

It was a pity CDOS didn't beat MSDOS/IBM(PS/2) as it was way ahead - but just proves,IMO, the best tech does not win in business.

Hardly! I still have nightmares about CPM, all the complexity of managing a 1980s mainframe on your desktop...

[JamesF]

2 minutes ago, stash_old said:

Thats because thats where Linux came from it was a rewrite - written to use the i386 chip as "main stream" Unix players (Bell etc) didn't do an I386 version (I386 was cheap).

Oooh, there were quite a few actually.  Minix must have been one of the first actual PC architecture i386-based ones (though I don't think it was ever much more than an academic thing) along with Xenix (Xenix had been around for years on x86 processors prior to the i386 and I think actually might have originated within Microsoft).  SCO UNIX (which again ran on the i386-based PC) grew out of Xenix and only after that Linux and the x86 BSD clones came along.  I remember using some Xenix-based TI machines back in the day.  I have a nagging feeling Siemens or Nixdorf (they "borged" each other at some point in the late 80s I think) had some sort of i386 Xenix box too.  And Sun ported SunOS, too!  I only ever used their 68k and Sparc based systems, but I'm sure they offered an i386-based system in the late 80s.  For some reason my brain wants to associate it with the name "Roadrunner", but I can't recall why.

James