From Windows to Ubuntu

For a while I was thinking of moving from MacOS on the MacBook Pro to Ubuntu on the MacBook Pro and I prepared a remote boot option for this to be possible. Eventually I changed my mind and finally installed Ubuntu on the Windows HP machine. There are two reasons for this.

The first reason for which I decided to install Ubuntu on my HP laptop is that when I tried to play audio and use wifi on the Mac book pro there were issues. By running on an HP machine I have audio working, wifi working, and video playback.

The second reason for the move from Windows to Ubuntu on this machine is that I hardly use the windows laptop, so that’s why it makes sense to have Ubuntu.

A few weeks, or by now months ago, when I was initially thinking of doing this I was using a Raspberry Pi4 and then a Raspberry Pi5. Both had 8GB of ram. This seems to be the minimum requirement for a machine to run Ubuntu without crashing.

Playing with Pi

When I was playing with Raspberry Pi I was able to learn about a few work flows for installing things in a specific environment. I was able to follow tutorials and do one installation, and then another and another. In the process the process that had required me to follow instructions attentively was more relaxed. I could work on finding the most effective workflow.

The Niche

The issue that I came across, over and over, is that the Pi is niche. This means that there are specific versions of products that are ready to be installed on Pi, but that others are not.

GitKraken and Other Installs

When following a git tutorial I came across Gitkraken and I installed it on the Pi but it woukdn’t load. That’s why I considered using the Windows machine. Eventually, after it was a little slow I decided on getting a clean install of Ubuntu. I was then able to install Gitkraken and use it. I could also install the snap of immich, rather than the docker container.

Beyond Pi

My motivation to go beyond Pi, by installing Ubuntu, NixOS and other versions on the HP or Macbook Pro is that the Pi is nice but it has limited resources. I was browsing the Swisscom website and I found that it was struggling and getting ready to crash. With 4GB of ram the Pi4 and Pi5 crash.

By using the Mac Book Pro or the HP machine I have 16 gigs of ram, rather than 8 on the MBP and Pi devices. I also have the advantage that it is portable.

The next step will be to experiment with Ollama and other open source Large Language Models. This machine might have enough power.

And Finally

Replacing Windows with Ubuntu was very easy. Turn off the machine, turn it on and press esc for a few seconds, boot from the USB key. Within the time it takes to install I was on Ubuntu experimenting and learning new things.