(SOLVED) Zorin cd as a sandbox

Hi:
I am interested in testing out Scrivenor, an authoring program, in Linux. It is commercial in Windows and Mac, but the Linux version is still in beta. The reviews are mixed, some people say it is great, others say it trashed their machine. I don't want it to trash my Zorin 6 LTS machine, which is now just as I want it.

So my question is whether I can use the live CD, or DVD (which I have) as a sandbox to test the installation. Specifically, what I would like to do is:

1. Boot into my live (uninstalled ) system.
2. Use Synaptic or maybe a terminal if that doesn't work, to install the Scrivenor .Deb file to the live system (will this work? )
3. If the Scrivenor Application works then I shut down the live system, and install Scrivenor to my production system
4. If the Scrivenor Application doesn't work I shut down the live system and forget about Scrivenor, and go back to my regular production system with no harm from the buggy Scrivenor install.

It sounds like a great way to test software one is unsure of. Is it???
If not, is there a way to set up a sandbox and test out programs I can test before exposing my main system to them?

Thanks guys
Jojo

Hi Jojo,

try "Virtualbox":

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/VirtualBox

You should be able to install the .deb packages using "Gdebi" in a Zorin live CD but how well it will work is anybodies guess!.

Hope it helps.

Regards Wolfman

Can't say for sure but on a previous release of Zorin the Web browser chooser was able to 'install' Opera in live mode and it worked in live mode - all I can suggest is 'Give it a try!'

Thanks Wolfman and Swarfendor437 for the quick and useful replies. I'll try both options and report back. My first try will be the live mode as that is easier to implement than installing a Zorin VM on my Zorin host. Still, the VM seems like more of a sure thing and more of a solution that will let me work with the app for longer. In this case I just want to see if Scrivener will work at all so I'll give the live mode a shot. As Swarfedor437 says, either it will work or it won't. No harm no foul.


all the best
Jojo

Hi jojo

What you can definitely use is a live Zorin with persistence to a USB stick.
I find MultiSystem is the best linux apt. for this.

Cheers Auldyin

I have installed half life 2 on a live boot...

but I would strongly suggest using virtual box instead, then you can configure everything on the virtual box exactly (or extreamly close to) the way you have it set up on your real machine. This well really only make a difference when you do something that requires reboot, like a kernal upgrade or something like that.

Then when it perfectly matches your live system, you can copy the disk image, somewhere safe, and then you have as many sandboxes as you need.

Auldyin wrote:Hi jojo

What you can definitely use is a live Zorin with persistence to a USB stick.
I find MultiSystem is the best linux apt. for this.

Cheers Auldyin

Another vote for MultiSystem here too!

Hi Auldyin:
Thanks for the suggestion and thanks to Swarfendor437 seconding it. I'll check out MultiSystem.

If I have it right, I can create a live Zorin CD or USB (preferred) and have some persistent storage on the USB that contains Zorin, install the Scrivener program in the persistent storage and then have the program and any documents I create from Scrivener stored on the USB and available whenever I boot from the USB.

That would be totally awesome if it is true. If not please correct what I wrote.

Thanks
Jojo

That IS correct (I have never tried persistence - or rather my impatience got the better of me and I removed my USB whilst it was creating 'persistence' which seemed forever - might have just been a hardware issue in respect of moi ... or lack of patience!

Yes you can create a live Zorin with up to 4GB of persistence storage. You will need a good fast USB stick of at least 4GB. Zorin has a built in program in System Tools - Administration - Startup Disk Creator you can try. You can add, remove, change programs and settings etc. you can also do Zorin updates but usually a kernel upgrade will cause problems.

Cheers Auldyin