Worthwhile migrating to Linux or Mac from Window platform?

I don't know about other people but I have ALL 3.

 

So I can tell you from experience that for audio, Linux is the way to go.  Linux Mint is a good choice if you are planning on using the computer for other things besides music.  If you "only" want to use the computer for music go with a distro that uses less resources like Lubuntu.  For the best sounding music software for Linux use Music Player Daemon.

 

I have a lot of background information, test info, set up info etc. on my web site

 

https://sites.google.com/site/computeraudioorg/

I totally agree with Dynobot. 

 

Are you going to use this netbook just as a music server or also for daily average use?

1. Make a coffee

 

2. Read this:

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/Computer-Audiophile-Pocket-Server-CAPS

 

3. Check out Voyage Linux, esp voyage-mpd, but only if you are comfortable at the command line. Having gone down that path, I can assure you that you can have a very good music server in place with nothing more than a netbook, an SD card and an external DAC. And patience - lots of it.

I'm not really an expert but I can help you along.  For the most part all you need is on my site, just PM me if you like.

 

Yes, I've used all three platforms. I run OS X and Linux at home. I haven't set up another music server yet (used to run one off a Mac), but intend to again. The reason I'm tending towards the Mac is because I already have an AppleTV (new model) and an iPad. I'll be able to use the iPad as a large remote control - something that I'd love. The Linux options look good, too, and I'd look at them seriously if I didn't already have the other hardware.

I dumped Windows some years back due to maintenance, reliability and upkeep. I still have to use Windows at work, and I'm glad there's an IT department. Both Mac and Linux, in my experience, have been maintenance-free (save for periodic updates) and I have uptime measured in years. I'll stick with both as long as they stay stable. If either gets flaky, I'll reconsider.

I'm running Ubuntu on my HP G60 laptop. It was originally a Windows 7 machine, but I am dual booting it with Ubuntu, but haven't actually used Win 7 since the day I put Ubuntu on it. It was a little rough at first, but now after about 2 months I am not looking back. It runs so smooth and efficiently, and I mean REALLY efficiently. I have 3GB of ram on my Laptop and I've never even seen 800MB of that being used. It's usually only using around 500-700MB of memory, which seems very lightweight to me. Seems perfect for a netbook to me.

 

I use Banshee for the Flac files on my laptop and for Shoutcast streams. I also do A LOT of streaming from Rdio.com(it's a subscription service like Rhapsody). It works great as a music player.

 

Of course you can optimize Linux Mint, but I would also consider the Linux Voyage mpd OS.

 

It's am already optimized light version of Debian that comes with mpd and that you can download from the Linux Voyage site.

Hi! Do you boot Linux from the SD card?

Long term I have always had problems running Linux from a USB or a SD card.

I just wanted to add two things.

 

1) People like to recommend mpd.

In reality, mpd is a horrible piece of software and you should probably stay away from it.

 

Try out xmms2 (uses a client/server model just like mpd)

(If you've heard of xmms, you need to throw away all impressions, because they are completely separate projects)

 

2) If you're running this on a netbook, I suggest you try out peppermint linux OS.

Can I ask you why?

 

For what I've read around, the bryston bdp-1 music server indeed uses music player daemon. Are there more than one?

 

 

 

It is interesting that someone would bash a software without having any valid claims or any claims at all.....LOL

 

Fact is, the overall majority of people love MPD for a reason.  It sounds great, and it gives the ultimate flexibility.

 

I have tried xmms2 and it is extremely buggy, not only that its impossible to completely remove.  I had to actually reformat my drive with a new install of Linux to get rid of it.