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Author Topic: Anyone gone totally Linux?  (Read 2735 times)

KX4OM

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Re: Anyone gone totally Linux?
« Reply #30 on: January 23, 2021, 07:18:34 PM »

Filling in a few blanks:

I used the PC-based software for TurboTax for years decades, but I have been using the online browser-based TurboTax for several years.

Eagle Cad (now Autodesk Eagle) is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. I've used the free version since  version 4, in both Windows and Linux.

GNU/Octave is available for Windows, Mac, Linux and BSD. It is compatible with many Matlab scripts. Several Octave articles have been featured in QEX.

Ted, KX4OM





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W7XTV

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Re: Anyone gone totally Linux?
« Reply #31 on: January 23, 2021, 07:38:53 PM »

If someone took the time/effort to go thru all the ham radio software listed in the eHam product reviews they would find only a small number of them run natively on Linux.   

This includes the popular mainstream multi-function logging suites like DXLab, Ham Radio Deluxe, etc.

Choose the best applications to do what you need or want then check system requirements to determine what OS they run on.  Selecting an OS then trying to find applications to best meet our needs is backwards.

Don't forget, the FLDigi suite of software is one the best sound card digital softwares there is. And it worked very well on Linux. I used to run it on Puppy Linux, which was only a little over 100MB at the time. Ran it off a thumb drive, operating system and all.

FLDIGI works great, but that visual interface is butt-ugly.  The Fast Light Toolkit (FLTK) is obsolete, and has been for years.  The current stable version (1.3.5) hasn't been in active development for several years, but 1.4 still has not been released.  1.3.x goes back to 2008.  In fact, other than FLDIGI, I wonder if anyone else is even using it.

I've been shocked for a long time that the authors (or someone else) hasn't upgraded it to a modern toolkit like GTK 3 or QT 5.
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AA6YQ

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Re: Anyone gone totally Linux?
« Reply #32 on: January 23, 2021, 11:26:39 PM »

If someone took the time/effort to go thru all the ham radio software listed in the eHam product reviews they would find only a small number of them run natively on Linux.   

This includes the popular mainstream multi-function logging suites like DXLab, Ham Radio Deluxe, etc.

Choose the best applications to do what you need or want then check system requirements to determine what OS they run on.  Selecting an OS then trying to find applications to best meet our needs is backwards.

Don't forget, the FLDigi suite of software is one the best sound card digital softwares there is. And it worked very well on Linux. I used to run it on Puppy Linux, which was only a little over 100MB at the time. Ran it off a thumb drive, operating system and all.

FLDIGI works great, but that visual interface is butt-ugly.  The Fast Light Toolkit (FLTK) is obsolete, and has been for years.  The current stable version (1.3.5) hasn't been in active development for several years, but 1.4 still has not been released.  1.3.x goes back to 2008.  In fact, other than FLDIGI, I wonder if anyone else is even using it.

I've been shocked for a long time that the authors (or someone else) hasn't upgraded it to a modern toolkit like GTK 3 or QT 5.

Some developers prioritize functionality, robustness, performance, freedom from defects, and usability over appearance. Upgrading to a new toolkit would come at a cost of delayed functionality or other virtues that the FLDigi developer evidently considers higher priority.
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G8FXC

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Re: Anyone gone totally Linux?
« Reply #33 on: January 24, 2021, 01:49:01 AM »

...

Any particular lack of functionality that cause you not to be convinced by the Linux options?  AFAIK, libsdrplay runs on Linux and allows complete control of the RSP1A.

It is mostly a question of presentation and usability - my requirements of an SDR package are not very high. Both SDRUno and SDRConsole have good user interfaces and fully exploit the functionality of the RSP1A.

Looking at it from the broader point of view, I guess that my problem with Linux is difficulty in implementing what I would describe as an "integrated PC controlled shack". On Windows, I run either MicroHAM or Win4ICOM which both implement port sharing, allowing me to have multiple applications connected simultaneously with the rig. On top of that, I run either Win4ICOM or FLRig to give me CAT control of the rig (I never touch the front panel controls). I run Log4OM V2 for logging which gets the frequency and mode from the radio via port sharing. I also run some combination of FLDigi, WSJT-X and JS8Call for digi-modes. I have an SDRPlay RSP1A connected to SDRUno to give me a high resolution panadaptor on one of the two wide screens connected to the PC - it locks to the rig over OmniRig and I can see signals on the panadaptor screen, point to them with my mouse, click and the rig tunes to them. I run a DX cluster client (these days I use the one built into Log4OM) and, again, can tune to a reported DX station with a simple point and click.

Now, I'm sure that people will come along to tell me that this can all be achieved under Linux, but I have tried - twice now - and it is very difficult to get full coverage. Under Windows, it is easy - a standard set of applications that all cooperate with little effort to produce a very ergonomic integrated PC controlled shack.  It was absolutely wonderful with Win4ICOM at the core, but Tom is not interested in building a version of that which works over CI/V and I simply cannot get the RF reliably out of the 7300 USB port!

Martin (G8FXC)
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KC2RGW

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Re: Anyone gone totally Linux?
« Reply #34 on: January 24, 2021, 05:48:48 AM »

I’ve run Linux as my desktop going back to 1995 and it became my career not long after that.

I am currently back running Windows 10 (dual boot system) on a daily basis for a few reasons.

SDR software for the Anan just won’t run on Linux, the main project is a Windows only platform and the open source packages made were never completed so they do not have the full function for all the voice processing etc.

Firmware updaters, memory programmers, are almost entirely proprietary and Windows only, so things like the Kenwood ARCP software or the Icom programming software or the Motorola CPS software and on and on require Windows.

Before anyone talks about running a VM, though things are a bit better now, I’ve had a lot of issues in the past with timeouts on USB to serial devices when program writes are done through virtual machine hardware emulation layers. This can brick a device. I’m not a fan of doing any firmware/programming via virtualization layers.

For Mac and Linux users interested in an SDR transceiver, the ExpertSDR2 software for the SunSDR series works great cross platform but the radio is not an Anan equivalent, it’s very good but not the Anan for sure.
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KT4WO

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Re: Anyone gone totally Linux?
« Reply #35 on: January 24, 2021, 07:45:23 AM »

Been on Puppy then Xubuntu for ~10 years---- Never looked back.

Even my YL loves it(after using Vista...haha)

There are programs that you  have to give up but
95% of those have a Linux alternative I have found.
And Linux can have a steep learning curve at first.

I do have a older W7 machine for Motorola software.

YMMV but at least try.
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NA4IT

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Re: Anyone gone totally Linux?
« Reply #36 on: January 24, 2021, 05:33:47 PM »

I’ve run Linux as my desktop going back to 1995 and it became my career not long after that.

I am currently back running Windows 10 (dual boot system) on a daily basis for a few reasons.

SDR software for the Anan just won’t run on Linux, the main project is a Windows only platform and the open source packages made were never completed so they do not have the full function for all the voice processing etc.

Firmware updaters, memory programmers, are almost entirely proprietary and Windows only, so things like the Kenwood ARCP software or the Icom programming software or the Motorola CPS software and on and on require Windows.

Before anyone talks about running a VM, though things are a bit better now, I’ve had a lot of issues in the past with timeouts on USB to serial devices when program writes are done through virtual machine hardware emulation layers. This can brick a device. I’m not a fan of doing any firmware/programming via virtualization layers.

For Mac and Linux users interested in an SDR transceiver, the ExpertSDR2 software for the SunSDR series works great cross platform but the radio is not an Anan equivalent, it’s very good but not the Anan for sure.

"CHIRP" has come a long way in being able to program many different radios, and runs well on Linux.
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K4MPW

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Re: Anyone gone totally Linux?
« Reply #37 on: January 25, 2021, 09:16:25 PM »

Yes, for ham radio i use fldigi on a 4gig thankpad T61 running Lubuntu. On my main desktop
computer I use Debian Testing. I have used Linux since the mid 90's. I am a programmer
and use open source software which has revolutionized free and open production quality
software. There is quite a bit of quality Linux based Ham radio software which we can utilize
and experiment with.
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AC7CW

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Re: Anyone gone totally Linux?
« Reply #38 on: January 28, 2021, 08:14:52 AM »

Note: Elecraft's K4 runs Linux internally
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KD7RDZI2

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Re: Anyone gone totally Linux?
« Reply #39 on: February 14, 2021, 01:50:33 PM »

My three computers at home are pretty old, 10 years old, an old iMac, a Mac laptop (with hardware issues), and an old Windows machine I inherited from an estate.  I've used Macs for a long time, but now I read that Apple is going to a new chip (M-1).  This is the second switcheroo.  They went from Motorola to Intel, eventually stranding a lot of my software, and now they are going from Intel to M-1, which will also strand a lot of software, probably most of it on my old Macs.  I should also say that I am retiring soon, and that my Mac at work is really old, too. 

As far as ham radio goes, I'm using the old Windows PC.  I'm running HRD on it, but my guess is that the computer's days are numbered.

So, I'm toying with the idea of keeping the iMac in good repair for legacy stuff from work, but going with Linux-based computers into the future/retirement. 

So, I'd like to have a discussion with hams here who have gone totally with Linux for their personal computing needs, how do you do digital, rig control, the stuff that HRD does.

Thanks

Jay

WSØY, formerly WDØEGC

If your processor is 32bit there is available Ubuntu 18.04LTS. If you have a 64bit machine, just install the Kubuntu 20.04LTS and automatically upgrade to future releases. I found installing Kubuntu 20.04LTS absolutely flawless. You might think replacing the original hard-drive with a SSD to enjoy an even quicker system.
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KX4OM

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Re: Anyone gone totally Linux?
« Reply #40 on: February 15, 2021, 09:31:30 AM »

Not totally Linux here. The use cases don't stand up to it.

Linux on all of the Raspberry Pi machines and one big 2008-vintage high-spec tower with multiple hard drives, currently used as a file server and for CAD and graphics work. Windows 10 on two laptops, one dual-booting Linux for flexibility; the other with Win XP and Linux virtual machines via VirtualBox, as well as Hyper-V being tested on it. One 2002-vintage Dell tower with XP for parallel and serial port needs. Two business machines running Windows 10.

Ted, KX4OM
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KD6VXI

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Re: Anyone gone totally Linux?
« Reply #41 on: February 28, 2021, 02:16:19 PM »

Here's one 'distro' for li ux in iso format

https://sourceforge.net/projects/kb1oiq-andysham/

There are others but googling 'Linux ham radio iso' will return some info on them.

Even the debian ham radio admins have put out one.

I've run Linux off and on since the late 90.  We used to talk about 'this is the year for Linux on the desktop' all the time.

For some things, Linux is great.  However the days when Linux would turn your lowly decade old machine into a powerhouse are over if you're using an X server on it.  It will run about the same speed as windows, give or take.

But try it.  'Worser' things have been tried in the past.  And almost everything you'd need is in Andy's distro above.

--Shane
KD6VXI
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KF5LJW

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Re: Anyone gone totally Linux?
« Reply #42 on: March 01, 2021, 07:46:37 AM »

but the quality of amateur radio related software available for Linux is simply not good enough.

No quality expected from amateurs. Just some bubble gum and tape. 
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KD9CPB

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Re: Anyone gone totally Linux?
« Reply #43 on: April 10, 2021, 01:35:09 PM »

I'm a bit late to the party, but spent some time putting https://kd9cpb.com/linux together earlier in the Spring, figured some of you interested in this topic might find helpful.

Agree that there's still a lot of work to do on quality Linux software to totally replace a Windows machine, but I'm really excited to see where things go with the next generations of Raspberry Pi hardware. Today's Raspberry Pi 4b doesn't have enough horsepower to be my only computer in the shack for now, but I'm really hoping the next generation of those will!
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PU2OZT

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Re: Anyone gone totally Linux?
« Reply #44 on: April 11, 2021, 05:22:33 AM »

If someone took the time/effort to go thru all the ham radio software listed in the eHam product reviews they would find only a small number of them run natively on Linux.   

This includes the popular mainstream multi-function logging suites like DXLab, Ham Radio Deluxe, etc.

Choose the best applications to do what you need or want then check system requirements to determine what OS they run on.  Selecting an OS then trying to find applications to best meet our needs is backwards.

Happened to be needing N1MM, just once, to try if could log contacts after participating in a contest, well... forget Linux -Arch Manjaro in my case.
Happened to be needing a logging software, tried to install some, under a few other previous Linux distros, to no avail.
However LoTW works so fine under Linux, no need to upgrade it.

Anyway, there are so many relevant sites that simply do not accept Linux, a Linux-Only battle is a lost one.

As it seems, living in a poor country isn't an incentive for authorities (them all greedy losers, beginning with our beloved Anatel) to focus on Linux software.

Oliver
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