Moving to Linux

[Mike Watterson]

I have successfully migrated Thunderbird Profiles. It's better to install 3rd party plug in, in Windows, and export everything. Then import to the new default profile on Linux.

Vbox is in the Software Manager. Never had any trouble installing it.

You do (as in Windows) need to install VM client tools in the guest OS. You need to map COMx: to the appropriate /dev/xxxxx (USB and physical serial have different names).

[ppppenguin]

I copied my Thunderbird profile on Windows directly across to Linux. Apart from the pcks11 problem it was painless. I expect by Firefox profile to be likewise when I do it.

There's a lot of Vbox items in the software manager but it's not at all obvious which one(s) you have to instal. i know that if you get the right one it will automatically deal with any dependencies. I'll be porting the actual VMs over from a Windows PC so that shouldn't cause any trouble. I'm reasonably au fait with using the settings in Vbox. I don't need the guest OS to have access to anything except a few folders on the host and in some cases to the internet.

[ppppenguin]

I used the package manager to download Virtualbox and it also installed a few other files. Seemed to instal OK but it's not there in the list of applications on the main menu. If I type "virtualbox" at the command prompt it starts OK. How do I get it in the menu and/or as an icon on the screen?

I realised I needed the extension pack so installed that. I've managed to start an existing VM but I haven't yet been able to see files on the host OS. i used to do this with a W7 host. Any thoughts?

[Mike Watterson]

You can easily edit the menu, though I don't know WHICH menu system you have.
The files is options in application and/or installing client utilities.
Even adding/removing my USB DVD drive as a DVD drive for Client XP is simple.
Also copy/past is an optional option.

Edit.
Hmm. Screen shot doesn't work if menu open.
It's the last icon in System Tools (not System) on my menu

I've the more classic style single column menu with submenus. The default install might be the less useful Win10 style multicolumn menu.
The "Panel Properties" has a choice of three start menus on Mate.
Other desktops are different.

It's slow to open the VERY first time you use it after log on, as it generates a new cache of icons, possibly.

[ppppenguin]

I'm currently using the Mate desktop with its own menu. I think other programs have been added to the menu automatically on installation. This looks like the way to get a shortcut on the desktop: https://superuser.com/questions/1219947/...t-18-or-up

I'm running older Xilinx software in the VM but keeping all the project files on the host. This works well with XP guest and W7 host. I think this page gives me the answers for XP guest and Linux host: https://www.howtogeek.com/187703/how-to-...irtualbox/

[Mike Watterson]

No, Mate has THREE different menus of its own. Weirdly the default one seems most awkward. See Panel Properties.
I don't use desktop shortcuts at all now, except for mounted removable drives and network shares. I have an autosizing, autohiding panel on each of the four sides.
Top is "start menu", workspaces, running programs and some short cut icons like terminal.
Bottom has tasktray (BT, Speaker, LAN/WiFi, Calendar/clock), status icons, disk manager etc.
Left = Local. Shortcuts to local stuff used everyday inc. lock/log out/shutdown
Right = Remote. Shortcuts to Browsers, Remote Terminal, Remote file transfer, Software Manager.

Software Manager is to be preferred to Synaptic Package Manager unless stuff isn't in it. Metapackages (incs of all bits) clearer.

Adding a desktop short cut is pretty simple.

[ppppenguin]

I've got the Vitual Machines working OK so I thought I 'd try compiling the same Xilinx job that I've been using for experiments. It took 48 minutes on my main PC under 64 bit W7. I think I've already said I was astonished when on the same PC it took 25 minutes in a 32 bit XP VM. I've jst run it on my Linux testbed PC which is about 30% as powerful (using Passmark CPU comparison) as my main PC. It took 40 minutes! In other words on a physical PC that's 3 times slower than my main PC, running in a VM, it still beats running native on my main PC.

I must try it on my old main PC which runs XP 32 bit. It's nominally about the same speed as my Linux testbed PC.

I suppose I ought to allow for the effects of SSD versus spinning rust HDDs. On Linux testbed eveything is on SSD at the moment. On main PC the OS and programs are on SSD, data is on HDD. Virtualbox is on the SSD but the VMs are on the HDD, not the SSD. While quite a few files are used while compiling a job I think the really heavy duty stuff is purely executing in RAM. My main PC has enough RAM that it's unlikely to be paging to disk.