[GTALUG] Advice -- Building Debian 8 PC To Replace Win XP PC;

[Steve Petrie, P.Eng.]

Hello Giles,

Thanks for your response.

My comments are inline below.

Steve

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Giles Orr via talk" <talk at gtalug.org>
To: "GTALUG Talk" <talk at gtalug.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2016 9:31 AM
Subject: Re: [GTALUG] Advice -- Building Debian 8 PC To Replace Win XP
PC;


> On 26 July 2016 at 21:27, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk
> <talk at gtalug.org> wrote:
>> | From: "Steve Petrie, P.Eng. via talk" <talk at gtalug.org>
>>
>> | I donlt really have a few weeks to spare. I need to get the Linux
>> PC up
>> | and running, so I can get back to the rest of my life.
>>
>> If you are not used to Linux, and you are used to Windows XP, and you
>> don't have weeks to spare, you really should think carefully about
>> switching to Linux.
>
> I wanted to back Hugh on a couple points: switching to Linux if you're
> not familiar with it isn't something to be done quickly.  Windows
> 7/8/10 would also have a learning curve, but the proprietary programs
> he speculated you might have will work, whereas they probably won't
> with Linux.
>
> Linux is a fantastic OS and I encourage you to use it ... but expect a
> learning curve.
>

Please see my remarks to Hugh on the same subject.

I look forward to enjoying the climb up that Linux learning curve.

What I find especially encouraging about this GTALUG dialogue, is how
careful everyone is being not to oversell the ease of the switch to
Linux. If I were a very computer-naive user (I'm not) I would be very
lucky to get with GTALUG for advice.

>> I have no idea of the longevity or robustness of blu-ray disks.
>> Consider
>> diversifying to external HDDs.
>
> I nearly chimed in with this option earlier: my backup method is
> multiple external (spinning) HD drives, some of which are "portable,"
> ie. 2.5".  With rsync, full backups are very fast - after the initial
> synchronization.  And with the 2.5" drives, off-site is very easy.  I
> tote one to a friend's place most weekends.  The initial cost may seem
> a bit high, but the capacity is immense (up to 4TB even on 2.5" these
> days), the backups are easy and fast, and the reliability is
> excellent.
>

"Easy, fast, reliable" sounds pretty tempting to me.

Thanks to advice from GTALUG, I'm prettly close to abandoning my
nostalgic love for SCSI tape backup :)

If I can be comfortable with portable hard drive resistance to
mechanical shock ... And if a 2.5" portable drive will fit in my very
small off-site storage box ...

I would need two portable backup hard drives (one on-site and one
off-site). I estimate a cost of $375 for a SCSI controller card together
with a (used) VXA tape drive. Plus the cost of tape cartridges, of
course. So I'll have to see what 2 x 2.5" portable HDDs will cost. 1 TB
capacity drives should be sufficient.

> -- 
> Giles
> http://www.gilesorr.com/
> gilesorr at gmail.com
> ---
> Talk Mailing List
> talk at gtalug.org
> https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
>