Omnimaga
General Discussion => Technology and Development => Computer Usage and Setup Help => Topic started by: Happybobjr on April 22, 2011, 10:06:49 am
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what is the best Linux to run.
It must be free
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Few Linux distributions are paid for ;)
Nowadays, many people run Ubuntu or Mint, which tries to provide a good balance between the latest greatest developments and stability, and is therefore usually a good choice for newcomers. Debian, the mother project of both, is more on the "stable" side (use older, less featured versions of programs, but stable). Fedora is significantly more on the "provide the latest greatest even if it's very unstable" (as were PulseAudio, KDE 4, etc. when they were introduced) side than Ubuntu is.
Let's also mention Arch, which is probably best used by mid-experienced and experienced users, and Sabayon, a somewhat less common choice but a decent one nevertheless. My own favorite distro is SimplyMEPIS, which is a Debian base with a number of newer packages.
http://distrowatch.com lists hundreds of distros, way too many to describe here. Unless you have specific needs, you should not stray from the "top 20".
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what is the best Linux to run.
It must be free
Yeah, most Linux are free :D
If you're used to Windows, I'd try Ubuntu, it won't shock you and it's pretty good (I use it).
If you are a terminal-freak go for Arch.
But there lots of them. I'd go for Ubuntu since it's the most popular one and you can easily find help with it.
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Another point for ubuntu, I have several distros running and it is by far my fav. If you are looking for customization I would go with debian though. It'n not much fun to set up(debian) on the other hand...
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I agree with everyone: Ubuntu for beginners, Debian if you want stability (such as servers), Arch Linux for more advanced users (like me) and if you want bleeding-edge software, and Gentoo or LFS for Linux freaks. I usually classify distros in these 4 categories.
Personally, I began with Ubuntu, then switched to Arch Linux and I have Debian or Ubuntu Server on my servers.
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I will probably be getting a laptop soon. I'm wondering which ditro of Linux is best for a begginner(to linux) who is used to windows XP/7 to start with
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Go with Ubuntu. You can't really be wrong with Ubuntu.
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Ehh... Ubuntu is a pain sometimes, and the guys who develop it are idiots. :P
Believe me, after years of using them, they almost always leave my system in a shambled state after an upgrade.
However, I've installed Mint Linux on another USB HDD, and I'm loving it. :D The main difference between Ubuntu and Mint Linux is that Mint Linux usually comes with more installed, and is (generally) ready to go, while Ubuntu may need some things installed/tweaked before you're ready to settle down.
Either way, Ubuntu (and my new preferred distro, Mint Linux) are both good to start out with. If you have experience in Linux (unlikely, since you're asking for a distro!), Debian and Arch are good choices, but expect a lot of terminal time before settling down.
It really, really depends on what you need. :)
P.S. - if this is going on a laptop, you should have an eithernet connection while installing, as well as when you are installing additional drivers for your Wifi card. (And in case you're wondering, Windows drivers != Linux drivers, so that driver CD isn't going to work for ya.) If you're not able to do this, research and download the proper Linux drivers for your Wifi card, and then install them after doing the necessary reboots and such for installing Linux. For Ubuntu/Mint Linux, you should look at downloading DEB files, preferably from the official repository for Ubuntu/Mint Linux at http://packages.ubuntu.com/ and http://packages.linuxmint.com/, respectively.
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I will probably be getting a laptop soon. I'm wondering which ditro of Linux is best for a begginner(to linux) who is used to windows XP/7 to start with
If you want to be technical, Windows 7 is the best for a person used to Win XP/7 :P
Linux by default assumes a bit more user knowledge than Windows, so...
In other words:
Absolute beginner: Mac OS X
Relative n00b: Windows 7
Normal user: Windows XP
Slightly advanced user: Ubuntu
Slightly more advanced user: Windows DOS
Proficient user and beyond: Linux
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I tired of windows and want a little more customizability and control.
I usually use XP but my XP is having problems so I am currently using Windows 7 and I don't really like it.
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I like Linux. I recommend Linux Mint at www.linuxmint.org for beginners, from there once you get used to it, there are hundreds of reasons to pick whichever OS you want.
I also recommend setting up a dual-boot situation. It's the "Install them side by side" option, and when you turn on your PC it will bring up a menu, with options.
@albert actually, with ndiswrapper, Windows Wifi drivers = Linux wifi drivers, but in most hardware cases outside of wifi and Video cards (don't worry, they're easy enough, esp. on Ubuntu and Mint), Linux will have a driver, usually auto installed or included in the kernel.
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Few Linux distributions are paid for ;)
There are paid ones??? O.O
I never used Linux, but I got told by many people that if I am not very tech-savy, I should start with Ubuntu or Mint. Before, people would only recommend me Ubuntu, but in the past two years it's more Mint.
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Few Linux distributions are paid for ;)
There are paid ones??? O.O
Yeah, Red Hat, for example. In fact, in Red Hat's case, it comes with paid technical support, the rest is free software. CentOS is exactly like Red Hat, but without the paid technical support and the branding. Many paid distros are like this.
I never used Linux, but I got told by many people that if I am not very tech-savy, I should start with Ubuntu or Mint. Before, people would only recommend me Ubuntu, but in the past two years it's more Mint.
Same, I saw people recommending Mint a lot more lately, saying it's better for Linux n00bs than Ubuntu, since more software you usually always install on Ubuntu after installation comes pre-installed.
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Slightly more advanced user: Windows DOS
PLEASE, please don't refer people to Windows DOS! :P (I'm going to assume you mean DOS, since the Windows "DOS" is the Windows NT/2000/XP/7 command line, which implies you installing it anyway.**) Although it is a fun environment for some old games, there's absolutely no way you can go online these days without using something "modern" like Windows, Mac, or Linux. :P Whereas the Linux CLI is pretty plentiful (assuming you have more than just a CLI shell), the DOS environment is a barren desert, unfortunately. That's why there's DOSBOX! :)
** OK, I'm lying. You *can* get a Windows CLI only interface, but only if you strip *everything* out, and the CLI only version is usually for building recovery tools and such on top of it - basically, not for general public use.
@albert actually, with ndiswrapper, Windows Wifi drivers = Linux wifi drivers, but in most hardware cases outside of wifi and Video cards (don't worry, they're easy enough, esp. on Ubuntu and Mint), Linux will have a driver, usually auto installed or included in the kernel.
Ehh... ndiswrapper is a bad bad idea (at least that's what I've been hearing), and should only be used if there is no or little (aka non-working) native driver support at all.
And for wifi drivers, I should also mention that you typically just need to download proprietary stuff. For me (Broadcom), I had to download firmware to get it working.
There are paid ones??? O_O
I never used Linux, but I got told by many people that if I am not very tech-savy, I should start with Ubuntu or Mint. Before, people would only recommend me Ubuntu, but in the past two years it's more Mint.
Yup - such include (without going too much into details) SUSE Linux (http://www.novell.com/products/desktop/), Red Hat Linux (http://www.redhat.com/rhel/desktop/), and the now defunct Linspire/Xandros Desktop (http://www.xandros.com/products/desktop/). The first two have been very successful at delivering this to businesses and such; the last not so much.
As for the sudden change from Ubuntu to Mint... Ubuntu recently (or should I say always) shows their ignorance to the community, refusing to fix bugs, making sudden irrational changes without community input, and focusing on pretty rather than the system core. You'd know there's something wrong when the "benevolent dictator" (Mark Shuttleworth) forces people to use a Mac OS like window toolbar and at the same time not making it as stable as a Mac. :P
And guess what? They're going to overhaul the GUI again.
Old: (10.10)
(http://apcmag.com/images/ubuntu10_625.jpg)
New: (11.04, next release)
(http://www.ubuntu.com/sites/www.ubuntu.com/files/active/02_ubuntu/U_homepage/U_11.04_ComingSoon_Banner_home-2.jpg)
(The release numbers jump from 10.10 to 11.04. It's formatted as YEAR/MONTH, and a release occurs every 6 months.)
In short, things aren't going in the right direction, and they've simply alienated the community, kinda like TI. /rant
Linux Mint, on the other hand, is based on the Ubuntu releases, but focuses on user experience (stability and usability, not fancy shmancy GUIs). The developers there try their best to patch up any flaws of the released Ubuntu, and make it easy on the user to use it. At the same time, they preinstall things like Java, DVD and MP3 codecs for media players, etc. This is likely why many Linux users (like me) suggest Linux Mint instead of Ubuntu, due to the battles we tend to have with the Ubuntu devs, and the pluses offered to new users to avoid installation hassles.
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thanks guys
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I'm trying out openSUSE right now, and I kinda like it.
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I'm trying out openSUSE right now, and I kinda like it.
I have tried openSUSE at school and it's just ok. period.
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I'm trying out openSUSE right now, and I kinda like it.
I have tried openSUSE at school and it's just ok. period.
Yeah, well, I tried out 11.04 on ubuntu, and it just kinda failed miserably, because I can't use unity. I'm going to change to something else soon, though.
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Ubuntu 11.04 Beta has a terrible bug! wxPython menubars don't show up on Ubuntu Classic.
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Ubuntu 11.04 Beta has a terrible bug! wxPython menubars don't show up on Ubuntu Classic.
I'm sure it has more than one atm.
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Ubuntu 11.04 Beta has a terrible bug! wxPython menubars don't show up on Ubuntu Classic.
I'm sure it has more than one atm.
I didn't meant it only has one... But that one is terrible for me. I have reported it though so I'm sure they'll fix it.
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Ubuntu 11.04 Beta has a terrible bug! wxPython menubars don't show up on Ubuntu Classic.
I'm sure it has more than one atm.
I didn't meant it only has one... But that one is terrible for me. I have reported it though so I'm sure they'll fix it.
I find it weird how it has so many bugs just starting out, though, ya know? I might try out Debian next.
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EDIT: a little bit ninja'd there... stick this in before scout and graph's list of comments
i may be wrong, but i think the "new gui" you're showing there is just the netbook (http://www.ubuntu.com/netbook) version of 11.04 which uses Unity rather than the desktop (http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop) edition.
if you decide on ubuntu, it's probably a better idea to wait until 11.04 is released in five days rather than start with 10.10 and upgrade (unless you don't intend to upgrade, that is). after installing you will have to get Ubuntu restricted extras, a package which gives support for stuffs with restricted copyrights (like mp3, avi, java, flash, etc). for customising, firstly you should choose which desktop environment you want (ubuntu, kubuntu, xubuntu, lubuntu, etc). if you end up chosing ubuntu, which uses gnome, then a great place to go for themes and such is gnome art (http://art.gnome.org/). there are plenty of other spots around the web which offer icons and things as well, so a few minutes of work can easily get you something like this:
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Scout, I wish, but looking at Ubuntu's record of fixing bugs, I'm going to say this won't be fixed until after it's released, when masses start screaming at the Ubuntu developers. I don't think they'll live for another release... :P
Shmibs, this is untrue. The reason why there's so much controversy surrounding this release is because the *desktop* version (not just the netbook, the DESKTOP) has Unity set as the default desktop shell. Lots of fun, eh? :P This stupidity has occurred a while ago, and has prompted me to move to Linux Mint, where the developers there value stability over design and fanciness.
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I can see Ubuntu falling off a cliff on April 28th. :P The backlash is going to be massive, and Ubuntu's going to slip from that sweet #1 position on Distrowatch. Nice job Canonical for screwing up what could've been something that could compete against Mac OSX and Windows 7.
Of course, there's always going to be another good one to take their place... *cough* MINT LINUX *cough* :D
Personally, I would avoid Fedora (it's crashy by nature), and take either Debian (you should be experienced!), openSuSE (not a bad choice), or my other personal favorite, Puppy! :D (experience is recommended as well) Puppy is a go-anywhere distro (not that the others won't do the same, since the kernel autoloads modules per device), and is very snappy fast. :D If you're looking for something more permanent (and not insecure, as it uses root), Linux Mint is my recommendation.
To be fair, Linux Mint does base itself off Ubuntu, sans stupidity (like the massive GUI changes and unstablility) and some additional tools and functionality as well. Though, they are planning to move away (LMDE, anyone?) and hopefully switch to Debian, or maybe even a separate distro on its own!
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Yeah, I heard from a friend they were to switch to Debian. That could be nice.
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I've heard about the switch to debian too.
I recommend Linux Mint as well, I'm using it on two (well now one since I accidentally fried the CPU on my desktop) computers, and the setup was really easy and most of the stuff I needed came pre-installed so I was immediatly able to start working on customizing instead of finding all the drivers etc.
Later on if you want the challenge I would also recommend Arch, which personally I love, but since I found it harder to manage my space with I moved away from.
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@Eeems: I thought you'd suggesting using OmnimagaOS :P
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Yeah, I wish we had an LFS for OmnimagOS.
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If you're already semi-comfortable wiht linux, I recommend Linux Mint Debian edition. It installs like normal, but has all the Ubuntu stuff torn out, it's all debian. Also, rolling release.
Only complaint I've ever had with mint: Python Menu loads very slow when certain things are in it. Otherwise, swap out said menu with another (takes ~3 seconds :P) and it's fine.
I think OmnimagaOS should be debian based, personally. The RPM system is less intuitive in my experience, than apt-get and dpkg. LFS can do debian-based stuff, I think, or at least have the package support.
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Yeah, I wish we had an LFS for OmnimagOS.
If it were usable I would, but it's nowhere near that place yet :PI think OmnimagaOS should be debian based, personally. The RPM system is less intuitive in my experience, than apt-get and dpkg. LFS can do debian-based stuff, I think, or at least have the package support.
Actually it's going to be Arch based if I remember correctly, Juju had taken over, but I don't know if he has done much with it yet.
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Fine with me :P
LFS isn't supposed to be useable. You're supposed to make something useable with it :P It's hard because it has to be to be called "From Scratch"
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Hm, I should make a LFS one of these days. That would be nice.
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Hm, I should make a LFS one of these days. That would be nice.
And I gotta find out what LFS is.
@Eeems: Wasn't it Open Suse? Why change to Arch?
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Hm, I should make a LFS one of these days. That would be nice.
And I gotta find out what LFS is.
@Eeems: Wasn't it Open Suse? Why change to Arch?
LFS == Linux From Scratch
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So looks like I'm the only Fedora user around here. :P
Fedora was the first Linux I had any experience with, but I adapted pretty well. I'd say it falls between Ubuntu/Mint and Arch in terms of user-friendliness: perhaps not as easy to get used to as Ubuntu or Mint, but not as hard to use as Arch.
It's a nice alternative to Debian-based systems: I personally think it's better than Debian-based systems, but that's just my opinion. I'd recommend looking into it though.
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@Eeems: Wasn't it Open Suse? Why change to Arch?
We can't get the OpenSuse to boot so Juju took over with Arch to solve things.
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I just started running Linux Mint on one of my computers and it looks great. I could use some pointers on getting used to it though
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What do you want to know? I'd be happy to help :)
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I just want to know enough to get used to it and be able to use it.
My main question is.
How does the terminal work and what can it do?
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If you're familiar with the Windows Command-line, the terminal is essentially a version of that on steroids. It allows you to use a more powerful scripting language and do pretty much everything on a system.
It works just like any other interpreter, except that the Bash interpreter happens to be close to the OS.
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How do the securities work?
what programs should I download
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Here (http://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/100) is a little tutorial about the terminal which I ( being a Linux newby myself ) find quite usefull.
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I would highly recommend either openoffice or koffice (preferably koffice) for microsoft office support. You should also ask Jonimus for help on setting up TiLP. You should get Wine and Mono for windows compatibility on most programs. Other then that I can't think of anything at the moment. You might like Docky though :)
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I would highly recommend either openoffice or koffice (preferably koffice) for microsoft office support. You should also ask Jonimus for help on setting up TiLP. You should get Wine and Mono for windows compatibility on most programs. Other then that I can't think of anything at the moment. You might like Docky though :)
I'd use Google Docs (http://www.docs.google.com) for online and OpenOffice for offline.
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Most distros have now switched to LibreOffice :)
I use Wine for a well-known reverse-engineering tool, but not Mono for anything.
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OpenOffice is pre installed in Linux Mint(at least it runs when I open a office file while running the liveCD)
What's Docky? Whats the difference between wine and mono?
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Wine reimplements part of Windows for Windows native code (C/C++/older Delphi/whatever, compiled to ASM) applications, while Mono reimplements part of the .Net framework for .Net (non-native-code) applications.