Jumat, 17 Januari 2025

7 Raspberry Pi-Based Laptops and Tablets for Tinkerers

7 Raspberry Pi-Based Laptops and Tablets for Tinkerers

The Raspberry Pi is an extremely popular invention that enabled tinkerers to make interesting projects out of it.

You name it, and there must be a way for tinkerers to make it happen using the Raspberry Pi board. The possibilities are endless. Don't believe me? You can explore our list of Raspberry Pi project ideas to see what kind of projects exist.

That being said, the Raspberry Pi can also be used in arrangement to make a laptop you can use, or maybe a tablet. You can purchase some ready-made Raspberry Pi-based kits or choose to build it yourself following some project ideas out there.

Here, I have compiled all such options for you to take a look at.

🚧
The Raspberry Pi kits and accessories mentioned are available across various platforms. These websites may not have the best return/shipping policies. Please check them carefully before you make a purchase.
📋
The article contains affiliate links. Please read our affiliate policy.

1. RasPad

RasPad is one of the most popular Linux tablets out there. While it is extremely difficult to find it in stock on the official website, you can find several retailers/resellers making it available.

It is built to be used along with a Raspberry Pi device, which you have to purchase separately. Sure, it may not be a slim tablet, like the Android ones, but it is a fun portable gadget to put together and use.

You can install RasPad OS or any other Raspberry Pi operating system.

2. CrowPi Raspberry Pi Educational Kit

7 Raspberry Pi-Based Laptops and Tablets for Tinkerers

A portable Raspberry Pi-based kit that looks like a laptop, CrowPi by Elecrow is a decent option available to purchase.

It is compatible with Raspberry Pi 5. So, you can make use of the latest tech available to get yourself a portable Raspberry Pi device with a big 9-inch IPS touch screen.

You can connect a keyboard to it, install any operating system of your choice, and you have a portable laptop to mimic, even if it may not look the prettiest.

3. Piper Computer Kit

7 Raspberry Pi-Based Laptops and Tablets for Tinkerers

A Raspberry Pi-based kit tailored to provide a computer building experience where you end up with a device which you can use to learn and build stuff.

The kit is designed like there are puzzle pieces that you need to put together to learn as you build. It already includes a Raspberry Pi in the kit. So, you do not need to purchase it separately.

4. CrowPi L

7 Raspberry Pi-Based Laptops and Tablets for Tinkerers

CrowPi L looks relatively close to a laptop, and you have it as an assembled device without the Raspberry Pi.

It is compatible with Raspberry Pi 4B. So, all you have to do is get the board, and install it on its back side just like you would install a removable battery, yes, that easy!

You get an integrated camera + microphone, an 11.6-inch IPS screen, and a 5000 mAh battery to power the device.

You can choose to use it as a real laptop replacement or utilize it to build other projects.

5. Handeld Nano Pi 2

7 Raspberry Pi-Based Laptops and Tablets for Tinkerers

Unlike the above-mentioned options, this handheld Raspberry Pi device is a project idea that you can refer and build it yourself.

The project runs a Raspberry Pi 2 version board with an incredibly small phone-sized keyboard and screen. You can 3D print the chassis of the keyboard, screen, and the box using the files available. And, customize it for a newer Raspberry Pi board.

For instructions, you will have to check out its Thingiverse page.

6. CrowView Note

CrowView Note is a portable monitor with a keyboard and all the essentials, like microphone, camera, to turn any SBC like Raspberry Pi into a laptop.

Sure, you can use Raspberry Pi alternatives. But, I have seen people build Raspberry Pi laptops out of it on YouTube, just like this one:

When writing this, it was available as a Kickstarter product. So, it should be available when it's back in stock or at a later date again on its official manufacturer's website, Elecrow.

7. Raspberry Pi 500 Desktop Kit

Credits: Jeff Gerling

If you are not satisfied with any of the options available in the market, you can go for the Raspberry Pi 500 or its predecessor, Raspberry Pi 400, built on top of the Raspberry Pi 5 and 4 respectively.

It is not a laptop nor a tablet, but if you aren't concerned about the form factor, this can be a portable solution. All you need is a screen to connect to, as the keyboard is the entire computer.

With the kit, you get a mouse, a preloaded SD card with Raspberry Pi OS, and essential cables to connect to a monitor. You will find limited online resellers having it in stock.

Any Other Options To Consider?

You can build countless form factors when using a Raspberry Pi board to create a device. The ready-made options are always limited.

If you just want a lightweight hackable laptop to run Linux for your projects (not based on Raspberry Pi), you can take a look at PineBook that uses its custom SBC.

Not a tinkerer? And, looking for a mini PC? We have a list of Linux-based mini PCs as well:

11 Mini PCs That Come With Linux Pre-installed
Looking for a Linux-based mini PC? Here are the options that let you replace your traditional bulky desktop with a compact yet powerful mini PC.
7 Raspberry Pi-Based Laptops and Tablets for Tinkerers

💬Did we miss any of your favorites? Let us know in the comments down below!



from It's FOSS https://ift.tt/yTR9xLS
via IFTTT

Kamis, 16 Januari 2025

Adding Grouped Items in Waybar

Adding Grouped Items in Waybar

Waybar is the perfect top panel program for Wayland systems like Hyprland, Sway, etc.

It offers many built-in modules and also allows the user to create custom modules to fill the panel.

We have already discussed how to configure Waybar in a previous tutorial.

📋
I recommend you to go through the article first. It should make things easy to understand as you read on.

In this article, let's learn some eye-candy tricks to make your Hyprland user experience even better.

0:00
/0:11

Hardware Groups with Waybar with group module.

Grouping modules in Waybar

Those who went through the wiki pages of Waybar, may have seen a module called group. Unlike other modules (memory, cpu, etc.), this group module allows you to embed more pre-built modules inside it.

This is shown in the above video.

So, what we are doing here is grouping related (or even unrelated, as you like) modules inside a group.

Writing a sample group module

Usually, all modules should be defined and then called in the top bar on respective places as you require.

This is applicable to the group as well. Let's make one:

Step 1: Start with framework

First, define the group with a name and the structure:

"group/<groupname>": {
        ----,
        ----
}

The group module definition should be wrapped between the parentheses.

For example, I am creating a group called hardware to place CPU, RAM (memory), and Temperature modules.

🚧
The modules like cpu, memory, etc., that we need to add to a group should be defined separately outside the group definition. These definitions are explained in the Waybar article.

So, I will start the group definition at the end of my ~/.config/waybar/config.jsonc file:

"group/hardware": {
        ----,
        ----
}
🚧
In the JSONC files, never forget to add a comma to the end of previous module (},), if it is not the last item.

Step 2: Add an orientation

You already know that Waybar allows you to place the bar on the top, bottom, left, or right of the screen. This means, you can place your bar either vertically (left/right) or horizontally (top/bottom).

Therefore, you may need to specify an orientation for the group items using the key orientation.

"group/hardware": {
        "oreintation": "horizontal",
}

I am using a bar configured to appear at the top of the screen. Therefore, I chose “horizontal” orientation. The value for orientation can be horizontal, vertical, orthogonal, or inherit.

Step 3: Add a drawer effect

With orientation set, let's make the groups a bit neat by hiding all items except one.

The interesting part is, when you hover over this unhidden item, the rest of the modules inside the group will come out with a nice effect. It is like collapsing the items at once under one of the items, and then expanding.

The keyword we use in the configuration here is “drawer”.

"group/hardware": {
        "oreintation": "horizontal",
        "drawer": {
                ---
        },
}

Inside the drawer, we can set the transition duration, motion, etc. Let's go minimal, with only setting the transition duration and transition motion.

"group/hardware": {
        "oreintation": "horizontal"
        "drawer": {
                "transition-duration": 500,
                "transition-left-to-right": false
        },
}

If we set the transition-left-to-right key to false, the first item in the list of modules (that we will add in the next section) will stay there, and the rest is expanded.

Likewise, if left to default (true), the first item and the rest will all draw out.

Step 4: Add the modules

It's time to add the modules that we want to appear inside the group.

"group/hardware": {
        "oreintation": "horizontal",
        "drawer": {
                "transition-duration": 500,
                "transition-left-to-right": false
        },
        "modules": [
                "custom/hardware-wrap",
                "cpu",
                "memory"
                "temperature"
        ]
}

Here, in the above snippet, we have created four modules to appear inside the group hardware.

📋
The first item inside the module key will be the one visible. The subsequent items will be hidden and will only appear when hovered over the first item.

As said earlier, we need to define all the modules appearing inside the group as regular Waybar modules.

Here, we will define a custom module called custom/hardware-wrap, just to hold a place for the Hardware section.

So, outside the group module definition parenthesis, use the following code:

"custom/hardware-wrap": {
        "format": Hardware
        "tooltip-format": "Hardware group"
} 

So, when "custom/hardware-wrap" is placed inside the group module as the first item, only that will be visible, hiding the rest (cpu, memory, and temperature in this case.).

Step 5: Simple CSS for the custom module

Let's add a CSS for the custom module that we have added. Go inside the ~/.conf/waybar/style.css file and add the lines:

#custom-hardware-wrap {
     box-shadow: none;
     background: #202131;
         text-shadow: none;
     padding: 0px;
     border-radius: 5px;
     margin-top: 3px;
     margin-bottom: 3px;
     margin-right: 6px;
     margin-left: 6px;
     padding-right: 4px;
     padding-left: 4px;
     color: #98C379;
}

Step 6: Add it to the panel

Now that we have designed and styled the group, let's add it to the panel.

We know that in Waybar, we have modules-left, modules-center, and modules-right to align elements in the panel.

Let's place the new Hardware group to the right side of the panel.

"modules-right": ["group/hardware", "pulseaudio", "tray"],

In the above code inside the ~/.config/waybar/config.jsonc, you can see that, I have placed the group/hardware on the right along with PulseAudio and system tray.

Adding Grouped Items in Waybar
Hardware Group Collapsed
Adding Grouped Items in Waybar
Hardware Group Expanded

Wrapping Up

Grouping items is a handy trick, since it can create some space to place other items and make the top bar organized.

If you are curious, you can take a look at the drawer snippet given in the group page of Waybar wiki. You can explore some more customizations like adding a power menu button.



from It's FOSS https://ift.tt/lUSiwFq
via IFTTT

Taking Screenshots in Hyprland

Taking Screenshots in Hyprland

Hyprland is a highly customizable Wayland tiling compositor known for its eye-catching aesthetics and impressive performance. With such a high degree of customization, one important feature that many users seek is the ability to take screenshots.

Whether for sharing on social media or saving essential screen details for future reference, capturing your screen is an essential task.

In this article, we will explore various methods to set up screenshot functionality on your Hyprland installation.

First Option: Grimblast

Grimblast is an official Hyprland screenshot utility offering various options.

It is a shell script, that uses tools like grim and slurp to take screenshots.

Installing Grimblast

Before installing Grimblast, we need to get the required dependencies. On Arch Linux, use the following command:

sudo pacman -Syu jq grim slurp wl-clipboard libnotitfy hyprpicker
🚧
For other distributions, you should check the official program pages for installation instructions.

Grimblast is not available in the package manager of applications. To install, first go to the official repo of the project and go to the grimblast folder.

Taking Screenshots in Hyprland
Click on grimblast

Here, go to the script file 'grimblast' and click on it to access.

Taking Screenshots in Hyprland
Click on grimblast script file

Here, click on the download icon on the top-right corner of the code page to start downloading it.

Taking Screenshots in Hyprland
Download grimblast script
🚧
You should keep an eye on the project for updates/commits.

Once downloaded, go to the download location and give it execution permission.

chmod +x ./grimblast

Now, copy the file to a directory that is in your PATH.

sudo cp ./grimblast /usr/local/bin/

Using Grimblast

Grimblast has several useful options. We will be taking a look at some items in the table below:

Command Description
grimblast save active Save the screenshot of active window
grimblast save area Save the screenshot of a rectangular area selectable with mouse.
grimblast --notify copy active|area|output|screen Take the screenshot of respective area and copy it to clipboard and notify the user.
grimblast --cursor copysave area Copy the screenshot of the selected window area along with cursor to the clipboard. Also save the image to Pictures directory.

Grimblast supports the following area of screenshots:

  • active: Current active window.
  • screen: All visible outputs.
  • output: Currently active output/monitor.
  • area: Manually selected rectangular area/window.

1. Open the image in an editor

Grimblast supports opening the screenshot in a selected image editing application. By default, this is set as GIMP.

So, if you have GIMP installed, you can use the command:

grimblast edit area

The above command will take a screenshot of an area and open it in GIMP.

If you are using another image editor like Photoflare, you can use that program by configuring the GRIMBLAST_EDITOR environment variable.

On your ~/.config/hypr/hyprland.conf file, use the following line:

env = GRIMBLAST_EDITOR,photoflare

That's it. Now, when a screenshot is taken, it is opened in the selected editor.

2. Move the screenshot area

While taking region screenshots, you can move the screenshot view port. For this, when the screenshot key is pressed, and a region is selected, hold down the Space key without releasing the mouse click.

Now, without releasing the mouse click, drag the mouse to move around the screenshot area.

You can release the space key, and continue the resizing of the screenshot as well.

3. Add Grimblast Keybindings

You should be using Grimblast only through keybindings.

On Hyprland configuration file, add the line:

bind = , PRINT, exec, grimblast copysave area
bind = $mainMod_SHIFT, PRINT, exec, grimblast copysave output

The above command will save a screenshot of the selected area or window to ~/Pictures directory when you hit the PrtScr key. It will also be copied to your clipboard. The Super + SHIFT + PrtScr key will save a screenshot of currently active output, with the same will be copied to clipboard as well.

Second Option: Hyprshot

Hyprshot is an exclusive screenshot utility designed specifically for Hyprland.

It is a straightforward tool that does exactly what it's meant for: taking screenshots.

If you have read through the GitHub page of this tool, you will realize that it is primarily a shell script that serves as a wrapper around tools like grim, slurp, and others to take screenshots in Wayland environment. Furthermore, it is specially tailored to work with Hyprland, which is the most important thing here.

Installing Hyprshot

Before installing Hyprshot, first we need to get the dependencies. On Arch Linux, use the following command:

sudo pacman -Syu jq grim slurp wl-clipboard libnotitfy hyprpicker

Once the dependencies are installed, let's install Hyprshot:

yay -S hyprshot

If you are using any other distribution, go to the official GitHub page of Hyprshot and download the release file.

Once done, extract the archive file, and you will get a shell script file called hyprshot. Go inside the extracted location and make this script file executable:

chmod +x ./hyprshot>

Now, copy this file to a directory in your PATH to make it available everywhere.

sudo cp ./hyprshot /usr/local/bin/

That's it!

Setting Hyprshot

Once installed, it's time to configure. Open your hyprland.conf file using any of your favorite text editor.

nano ~/.config/hypr/hyprland.conf

Inside this file, go to the end and add a key binding for Hyprshot. To make everything look neat, we will create a section using comment called Hyprshot Screenshots.

# Hyprshot Screenshots
bind = , PRINT, exec, hyprshot -m region
bind = $mainMod_SHIFT, PRINT, exec, hyprshot -m window

Here, we have set two keybindings with the values. To take a screenshot of a rectangular region:

hyprshot -m region
💡
While selecting a region, without releasing the mouse left-click press the space and drag the mouse. This will move the selection area. A video is shown in the Grimblast section.

And to take the screenshot of an open window, you type in:

hyprshot -m window

There are other options available with Hyprshot, let's take a brief look:

Option Description
hyprshot -m window Take the screenshot of open window.
hyprshot -m region Take the screenshot of a rectangular region.
hyprshot -m output Take the screenshot of a selected display/monitor.
hyprshot -m active Take the screenshot of an active window.
--clipboard-only Use this option with other options to not save the image, but only copy to clipboard.

Did you know you can also freeze the screen?

An interesting use-case that you can pull off is to freeze the screen while taking a screenshot. For this to work, you should have hyprpicker installed.

Once you have Hyprshot and Hyprpicker, you can use the -z option to freeze the screen.

For example, to take the screenshot of a rectangular region with screen frozen, use the command:

hyprshot -zm region

To add this to the Hyprland config, use the keybinding command:

bind = , PRINT, exec, hyprshot -zm region

For those who only need to add it to the clipboard without saving, use:

bind = , PRINT, exec, hyprshot -zm region --clipboard-only
💡
If you have a notification daemon like dunst is running, Hyprshot will notify you about the screenshot.

Third Option: Flameshot

Flameshot is a great screenshot taking utility for Linux. But the default package available in the repos of distribution works mainly on Xorg-based distributions.

But, you can use the git version of Flameshot in Wayland-based systems like Hyprland. Let me tell you how.

Install Flameshot

First, remove any other Flameshot instance installed on your system (this is applicable for Arch users):

sudo pacman -Rs flameshot

Next, install the git version of Flameshot from the AUR. We will recommend using an AUR helper like yay to install the package.

yay -S flameshot-git

Wait for some time to compile the program and installation process to complete.

Once completed, you can open Flameshot from your app menu:

Flameshot offers better screenshot options compared to other items mentioned here. But, you should keep in mind that Flameshot is developed mainly for Xorg sessions, and the packaged versions may not work properly in Hyprland.

So, try out Flameshot as an experiment if you do not like the first two options.

Wrapping Up

While starting with Hyprland can be challenging for new users, you can do a great deal of things with ease, as mentioned above.

💬 How do you take screenshots on Hyprland? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!



from It's FOSS https://ift.tt/fkHDiw5
via IFTTT

Rabu, 15 Januari 2025

FOSS Weekly #25.03: Mint 22.1 Released, AI in VLC, Dual Boot Myths, Torvalds' Guitar Offer and More

FOSS Weekly #25.03: Mint 22.1 Released, AI in VLC, Dual Boot Myths, Torvalds' Guitar Offer and More

Linux Mint 22.1 codenamed Xia is available now. I expected this point release to arrive around Christmas. But it got delayed a little, if I can call it a delay, as there are no fixed release schedule.

Wondering what's new in Mint 22.1? Check this out 👇

6 Exciting Features in Linux Mint 22.1 ‘Xia’ Release
Linux Mint’s latest upgrade is available. Explore more about it before you try it out!
FOSS Weekly #25.03: Mint 22.1 Released, AI in VLC, Dual Boot Myths, Torvalds' Guitar Offer and More

And the Tuxmas lifetime membership offer is now over. We reached the milestone of 100 lifetime Plus members. Thank you for your support 🙏

💬 Let's see what else you get in this edition

  • A new Raspberry Pi 5 variant.
  • AI coming to VLC media player.
  • Nobara being the first one to introduce a release in 2025.
  • And other Linux news, videos and, of course, memes!
  • This edition of FOSS Weekly is supported by PikaPods.

❇️ PikaPods: Self-hosting Without Hassle

PikaPods allows you to quickly deploy your favorite open source software. All future updates are handled automatically by PikaPods while you enjoy using the software. Did I tell you that they also share revenue with the original developers of the software?

Oh! You also get a $5 free credit to try it out and see if you can rely on PikaPods.

PikaPods - Instant Open Source App Hosting
Run the finest Open Source web apps from $1/month, fully managed, no tracking, no ads, full privacy. Self-hosting was never this convenient.
FOSS Weekly #25.03: Mint 22.1 Released, AI in VLC, Dual Boot Myths, Torvalds' Guitar Offer and More

📰 Linux and Open Source News

Earlier, Kdenlive introduced AI feature and now VLC is adding AI subtitles.

AI Subtitles Are Coming to VLC— Get Ready!
VLC is adding the ability to generate subtitles with the help of AI.
FOSS Weekly #25.03: Mint 22.1 Released, AI in VLC, Dual Boot Myths, Torvalds' Guitar Offer and More

🧠 What We’re Thinking About

Linus Torvalds is proposing to build a guitar effects pedal for one lucky kernel contributor.

Linus Torvalds offers to build free guitar effects pedal
‘I’m a software person with a soldering iron’, he warns alongside release of Linux 6.13-rc7
FOSS Weekly #25.03: Mint 22.1 Released, AI in VLC, Dual Boot Myths, Torvalds' Guitar Offer and More

🧮 Linux Tips, Tutorials and More

Don’t Believe These Dual Boot Myths
Don’t listen to what you hear. I tell you the reality from my dual booting experience.
FOSS Weekly #25.03: Mint 22.1 Released, AI in VLC, Dual Boot Myths, Torvalds' Guitar Offer and More

👷 Maker's and AI Corner

ArmSoM AIM7 sets the stage for cutting-edge AI applications.

ArmSoM AIM7: A Promising Rockchip Device for AI Development
Harness the power of RK3588 Rockchip processor for AI development with ArmSoM RK3588 AI Module 7 (AIM7) AI kit.
FOSS Weekly #25.03: Mint 22.1 Released, AI in VLC, Dual Boot Myths, Torvalds' Guitar Offer and More

Usenet was where conversations took place before social media came about.

Remembering Usenet - The OG Social Network that Existed Even Before the World Wide Web
Before Facebook, before MySpace and even before the Word Wide Web, there existed Usenet. From LOL to Linux, we owe a lot to Usenet.
FOSS Weekly #25.03: Mint 22.1 Released, AI in VLC, Dual Boot Myths, Torvalds' Guitar Offer and More

📹 Videos we are watching


✨ Apps of the Week

What's so clever about KleverNotes? Find out:

KleverNotes Is A Practical Markdown Note-Taking App By KDE
That’s a clever markdown-powered editor. Give it a try!
FOSS Weekly #25.03: Mint 22.1 Released, AI in VLC, Dual Boot Myths, Torvalds' Guitar Offer and More

🛍️Deal You Would Love

Challenge your brain and have a blast learning with these acclaimed logic and puzzle games exploring key concepts of programming and machine learning.

New Year, New You: Programming Games
Have fun learning about programming and machine learning in this puzzle and logic game bundle featuring while True: learn(), 7 Billion Humans, and more.
FOSS Weekly #25.03: Mint 22.1 Released, AI in VLC, Dual Boot Myths, Torvalds' Guitar Offer and More

🧩 Quiz Time

Here's a fun crossword for correctly guessing the full forms of the mentioned acronyms.

Expand the Short form: Crossword
It’s time for you to solve a crossword!
FOSS Weekly #25.03: Mint 22.1 Released, AI in VLC, Dual Boot Myths, Torvalds' Guitar Offer and More

💡 Quick Handy Tip

You can search for free icons from Font Awesome or Nerd Fonts to add to panels and terminal tools like Fastfetch.

Ensure that you install the respective fonts, font-awesome and firacode-nerd on your system before using. Otherwise, they won't appear properly.

FOSS Weekly #25.03: Mint 22.1 Released, AI in VLC, Dual Boot Myths, Torvalds' Guitar Offer and More

On Font Awesome, click on Copy Glyph to copy the icon to the clipboard. And in Nerd Fonts, click on the Icons button to copy the icon to the clipboard.

FOSS Weekly #25.03: Mint 22.1 Released, AI in VLC, Dual Boot Myths, Torvalds' Guitar Offer and More

🤣 Meme of the Week

Yep, that happens. 😆

FOSS Weekly #25.03: Mint 22.1 Released, AI in VLC, Dual Boot Myths, Torvalds' Guitar Offer and More

🗓️ Tech Trivia

Wikipedia launched on January 15, 2001, as a free, collaborative encyclopedia. Created by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger, it grew to host millions of articles in multiple languages.

Today, it’s one of the most visited websites globally, embodying the spirit of open knowledge.


🧑‍🤝‍🧑 FOSSverse Corner

Would it be possible to learn to code after 50? Community members share their views and experience.

50+ and learning to code...?
I’m over 50 (became 50 on 28 October 2024) and, while I did do some coding in a grey past, I noticed I’m currently finding it difficult to pick it up. There’s so much to learn: Coding (in my case C++) The API of the relevant libraries I intend to use for my Amazing FLOSS Project™. 🙂 (In my case FLTK, and yaml-cpp). The language of the build system (CMake in my case). Some editor like thing with some creature comforts (in my case I’m going with sublime text). Git (including how to…
FOSS Weekly #25.03: Mint 22.1 Released, AI in VLC, Dual Boot Myths, Torvalds' Guitar Offer and More

❤️ With love

Share it with your Linux-using friends and encourage them to subscribe (hint: it's here).

Share the articles in Linux Subreddits and community forums.

Follow us on Google News and stay updated in your News feed.

Opt for It's FOSS Plus membership and support us 🙏

Enjoy FOSS 😄



from It's FOSS https://ift.tt/UTg3OQc
via IFTTT

Selasa, 14 Januari 2025

Don't Believe These Myths About Dual Booting Linux and Windows

Don't Believe These Myths About Dual Booting Linux and Windows

One of the superpowers of having a computer is dual booting. You can have two operating systems installed on a single computer, and switch between them at boot time.

If you are hearing it for the first time, I suggest you read our article on dual booting to learn more about the impressive capability.

And, the most popular option to dual boot is Linux and Windows. So, you can have the best of both worlds, without any compromises.

However, there are some myths surrounding this combination of dual booting. Here, I tell you the reality of the myths as per my experience with dual booting for more than a decade now.

1. Dual Booting Slows Down Your System

Don't Believe These Myths About Dual Booting Linux and Windows

If you have been dual booting for a long time, you must have come across this thought where some were convinced that dual booting affects your system speed.

Fortunately, it is not true, as you only use one operating system at any given time.

When you are greeted with the grub screen or dual boot screen with the two options, you merely choose what to load up for using your computer. It is either Windows or the Linux distribution.

Don't Believe These Myths About Dual Booting Linux and Windows
Dual boot grub screen of my computer

So, when you do pick one, the other remains dormant, until you reboot and select it.

It never slowed down my system, and it will not slow down yours.

2. Dual Boot is Only About Windows and Linux

Don't Believe These Myths About Dual Booting Linux and Windows

I have a dual boot Windows and Linux setup for my use-case, and that is the most common choice among users.

But, that does not mean that is the only possible choice.

You can choose to have two Linux distributions for dual booting, and you can also have two Linux distributions, and Windows. Something like this:

Don't Believe These Myths About Dual Booting Linux and Windows
Credits: It's FOSS Community

If I can think of a combination, I can do that, it is that simple.

3. You Cannot Dual Boot With Secure Boot

Don't Believe These Myths About Dual Booting Linux and Windows

When it comes to dual booting with secure boot, you are limited to certain Linux distributions that support it (and offer documentation for it). But, it is not impossible.

For instance, Ubuntu supports dual booting with UEFI secure boot enabled.

You can follow our tutorial on installing Ubuntu with Windows to get it done.

4. You Need Two Disks to Dual Boot a System

Don't Believe These Myths About Dual Booting Linux and Windows

While I admit that I utilize two disks for dual booting conveniently, but it is not what everyone does.

Plenty of users have just a single disk, and install the secondary OS to dual boot on a separate partition. Linux distributions have made it easy by offering an "Install Ubuntu alongside Windows Boot Manager" option during installation:

Don't Believe These Myths About Dual Booting Linux and Windows

You just have to be more careful when selecting the path to the bootloader, and the partition to install the OS. But, it is entirely possible.

5. You have to install Linux after Windows

Don't Believe These Myths About Dual Booting Linux and Windows

It is a no-brainer that most Windows users think of installing Linux as a secondary OS. I find it so peaceful for a change, even if you rely on some Windows-specific applications for work.

So, that is the popular norm. But, it also works the other way. If you have Linux installed already, you can install Windows later without any hiccups. Just like we have done here:

How to Install Windows After Ubuntu Linux in Dual Boot
When it comes to dual boot, the general idea is that you have a system preinstalled with Windows and then you install Linux alongside Windows. On the boot, you select whether you want to use Windows or Linux. How about the opposite situation? What if you have a system that
Don't Believe These Myths About Dual Booting Linux and Windows

Or, if you have nothing pre-installed. You can choose to first install Linux, and then Windows, it does not make a difference.

6. You Cannot Go Back to Windows Without Formatting The Entire System

Whether you have Linux or Windows installed currently, you can always go back to your favorite as the only option again.

Let us assume that you want to go back to Windows as your daily driver over your Linux distribution.

In such a case, all you need to do is add Windows as a secondary OS for dual booting and then remove format the partition that housed Linux, that's it:

Beginners Guide to Install Windows With Ubuntu in Dual Boot
This detailed article shows you how to dual boot Ubuntu with Windows 10, step-by-step, accompanied with proper screenshots.
Don't Believe These Myths About Dual Booting Linux and Windows

And, if you added Linux as the secondary OS to boot, and no longer want to use Linux. You can remove that too by simply deleting the partition/disk drive where you installed it. Here's some more information regarding that:

How to Uninstall Ubuntu from Windows Dual Boot Safely
This beginner’s guide shows you how to safely remove Ubuntu or any other Linux distribution from Windows dual boot.
Don't Believe These Myths About Dual Booting Linux and Windows

So, you can always go back to either of the operating systems as per your choice. You do not need to format the entire system to get rid of one.

Wrapping Up

I have been on a dual boot setup with Linux distributions and Windows for years now.

Yes, I might have put myself into trouble, thinking that I almost lost all my data. But, once you learn how to do it correctly, it is an interesting life.

💭 What do you think about dual booting? Let me know your thoughts on the same!



from It's FOSS https://ift.tt/Nmlp0ej
via IFTTT