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INDI Library v2.0.6 is Released (02 Feb 2024)

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

New to Linux... Which variant to install.

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Like the title says, I am new to the linux world and i am contemplating installing Linux along side Win 10 pro on my NUC. The reason for doing this is two fold. The first is, I would like to have the option of placing the NUC on the imaging rig and remote into it with an iPad or my MB Pro. The second reason is perhaps better driver support and control in Linux version of kstars versus the OSX versions. I do not know if there is a difference but I suspect as the project started with Linux it might be getting more attention. I currently run kstars on the MBP and it mostly works with version 2.9.8. However I still get stalls on ASI downloads. And random crashes I think are associated with my USB cable and/or ports. When I updated to 3.0.0 and 3.1.0 or 3.1.1 I lose the ability to use the sesto senso focuser and cannot connect to my QHY CFW3.

At this point I would like to try the Linux variant of Kstars but I would like to know what version of it I should install. I am a total newb to Linux and so something that is foolproof for beginners would be more ideal but also a version that hopefully the developers are on or are familiar with so I can try to replicate some of the tried and true set-ups.

What say you, Linux gurus?
4 years 11 months ago #37285

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think that many are holding back because which Linux 'version' (distro) is better is always a sensitive topic. So, just to break the ice: I would recommend Mint Cinnamon, mainly because you' re coming from Windows.
Some further consideration:
- NUCs come in a wide range of features. If your NUC , like mine, is at least i5 and with enough RAM Mint Cinnamon is not an issue. For lower NCUs you could need a lighter desktop environment (xfce or mate) or a lighter distro.
- Kstars / Ekos itself is part of KDE. It could be that a KDE based distro is more compatible (Kubuntu or other) with Kstars. For example I remember that last year some icons on Ubuntu Gnome were missing or not visible.
- I would anyway choose a Ubuntu (or anyway Debian) based distro because the package manager (software installer) that you'll need to deal with a lot, is widely used. Moreover Ubuntu (and compatible derivatives) are among the most used Linux distros, so it will be easier to get support from the community.

Again, read this as a personal opinion. Others will have much different advice.
Ferrante
4 years 11 months ago #37300

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I have tried most of them but the best one for me is the latest Lubuntu (LXQT based).
Fast, lightweight and integrates very well with Ekos/KStars. But it depends on the NUC architecture of course.
4 years 11 months ago #37302

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I thought that might be the case after no responses showed up. This clearly shows how much of a Linux newb I am! There seem to be a lot of distributions and even a site that seems to keep a score (distrowatch). I did not aim to open a battle and I am actually coming from the Mac world. This NUC that I ordered is the very first PC I have ever owned. I had spent a grand total of about 2 hrs in the windows environment over the coarse of 35yrs of using computers before ordering it. I find the OS quite awful and kludgey, but I wanted to be able to have access to the majority of Astro software, so I picked one up at the end of last year.

Here are the basic specs:
Intel NUC NUC7i3BNH Mini PC/HTPC, Intel Core i3-7100U 2.4GHz, 8GB DDR4, 250GB SSD, Windows 10 Pro, WiFi, Bluetooth, 4k Support, Dual Monitor Capable.

I was thinking of getting a separate 500gb drive and cloning the W10pro stuff over to a partition and then installing Linux and basically Kstars on it. The 12v power requirement will be more ideal for remote imaging while using the battery pack. I would like to be able to operate it wirelessly in headless mode from an iPad or my macbook pro. I am guessing that will require some additional software as well.
Last edit: 4 years 11 months ago by Ez W.
4 years 11 months ago #37307

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I tend to use Debian, but an Ubuntu-based distro is what I use. This makes getting the latest updates of kstars/EKOS/INDI as simple as adding Jasem's repositories.

To keep the desktop minimal, I tend to use XFCE (e.g., xubuntu). However, one of the updates to the window manager combined with an update to kstars, led me to install KDE. You can always load a distribution on a USB stick and try the live version before you install it. To keep things somewhat simple, try kubuntu first.
4 years 11 months ago #37308

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with those specs you can install any Linux distro. 8GB RAM in my experience can handle any linux desktop environment.
Not being windows a requirement, I suggest you browse to:
www.ubuntu.com/download/flavours
and choose the distro among standard Ubuntu, Lubuntu, Kubuntu or Xubuntu you like the most from the look and feel point of view.
Don't worry about picking a 'wrong' one, as Nmac you will end up testing more and more distros...

You have 250GB SSD, Windows 10 could be installed on a 20GB virtual machine on the same disk.

As you want to operate wirelessly from ipad you could also consider products that are designed with this is mind, like Stellarmate / Ekos Live:
www.stellarmate.com/products/ekos-live.html
Even though Stellarmate is running on raspberry PI only I think.
4 years 11 months ago #37310

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I tend to agree with FENRIQUES but please make sure to not use a Ubuntu distribution newer than 18.04 since (to my best of knowledge) newer versions are not fully supported yet by Jasem's repositories.


HTH, Wouter
4 years 11 months ago #37315

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Actually, I'm running 18.10 and it appears to be well supported.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Wouter van Reeven
4 years 11 months ago #37316

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I am using 18.10 too but I remember that some of the files, for example gsc and asi-common, had to be the 18.04 version, at the time they were the only ones in the ppa repository.
Aside from that, no problems at all. GSC is now available as a 18.10 version.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Wouter van Reeven
Last edit: 4 years 11 months ago by nMAC.
4 years 11 months ago #37318

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I upgraded from 18.04 to 18.10, and as you thought, asi-common is at 18.04.
4 years 11 months ago #37326

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