Best Linux Distro?


GPJosh

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What is the best Linux distro for some one who is new to Linux but doesn't like learning Linux command prompt commands any more than needed?

EDIT: What are the different Distro's pros and cons?
 
Well, speaking from someone who's tried Mandrake and found it as easy as... well, Windows, at least to get something that you can work with working, that's fairly good. But since I haven't tried other distros, I can't really say more than that.
 
i think i tried suse last time it was okkkkkk but i soon switched back 2 windows all the time + in the end formated the linux partition
 
Read up on the different distros sites they tell you their pros and cons.

Its linux, you are never going to get away from the command prompt, although I think Lindows/Linspire has the most limited use of such things, designed specifically for transitioning windows users. They have their own "Click n Play" software. (I dont really like Lindows but you may)

I enjoy the command prompt, I use it even when I dont "have" to. I use it to navigate though folders and files, its so easy to use really once you get the hang of it. Like an advanced DOS.
 
GPJosh posted on May 19 2004 at 04:34 PM said:
I like using dos but don't like using it as my main method for getting around the OS. ;)
Nah the command prompt is usually used for installing/uninstalling software, or running an app as a user other than the user that is logged in.

Or of an app fails to start or install, or crashes ever, its a good idea to run it from the command prompt so you can see the error output.

Or if you require/want to use certain commandline flags you need to use them from the command prompt. (Example: if I try and install the wxDesigner RPM by double clicking on it, nothing happens. When I use the command line I get a big list of dependancies that it requires that it thinks I dont have (which I do), so the only way to get it to ignore its dependancy checks during install is to use it from the command line like rpm --nodeps -i myprogram.rpm

For me, its easier to type in a path real quick, than it is to manually navigate through directories until you get to the proper one. (especially with the Tab completion of file and directory names) But I grew up on dos / unix so I am very familar with the interface and feel at home in it.

For the most part, for the common user (once you get everything set up properly), I would say you only really need to use the command prompt for installing / uninstalling (with a few exceptions).
 
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NssOne posted on May 19 2004 at 05:32 PM said:
I did RedHat 9. It shows you that Linux ain't all it's cracked up to be and still just as difficult as working with Windows.
Redhat is far from the best example of linux, they completely destroy gnome and kde, making their own cusomized versions. Its just not a great distro to base your opinions off of. Its ok for common useage, but not to base your opinion of linux off of.

And for me, linux IS all its cracked up to be,

1. Its fast.
2. Its free.
3. Its open source.
4. Its secure.
5. It has a library of hundreds of thousands of free, open source software.
6. Its fully customizable and optmised to your specific hardware. Down the the custom compiled kernel and optionally the bootstrap.
7. You have complete control over every little aspect of your system, nothing is hidden from you or requires 3rd party software to find the hidden features, most everything is in the form of plain, flat text files that you can edit with settings programs or just a plain notepad app if you choose. You dont like the window manager? Choose a different one. You dont like the kernel? Choose a different one. Its all about choices.
8. Its not Microsoft.
9. Its not Microsoft.
10. Its not Microsoft.

Those last 3 being the most important to me.
 
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haha

I found an article about a guy wo gave his wife a task of installing Windows 2000 and Mandrake 9.2 and complete several tasks such as connecting to the internet, setting up the email client etc. She did more things for Mandrake then Win2k...

So, I am giving mandrake a try... :)
 
Put it this way my GF (not an IT person at all) found it easier to put Mandrake on her laptop and get the WiFi working then with Windows ;).

I use a mix of Windows, *nix and other platforms and I find Gentoo and Mandrake to both be very good Linux distro's (Gentoo is NOT a new user distro though).
 
I like Gentoo :) It was pretty easy for me to install, and the only problem was waiting, since I decided to do a Stage 1 install. And it was the first time that I installed Linux myself (the other time was with someone who knew a bit about linux, installing Redhat 9).

Pros:
Emerge
Optimized
Bragging rights ;)
No Micro$oft (every linux has this :p)

Cons:
Waiting (unless you do Stage 3 installation)
Need a good internet connection (unless you do Stage 3)
Hard to install (?)
 
rcx21000 posted on May 20 2004 at 07:45 AM said:
I like Gentoo :) It was pretty easy for me to install, and the only problem was waiting, since I decided to do a Stage 1 install. And it was the first time that I installed Linux myself (the other time was with someone who knew a bit about linux, installing Redhat 9).

Pros:
Emerge
Optimized
Bragging rights ;)
No Micro$oft (every linux has this :p)

Cons:
Waiting (unless you do Stage 3 installation)
Need a good internet connection (unless you do Stage 3)
Hard to install (?)
Still a lot of waiting with stage 3. KDE + XFree86 + its depenancies takes 15+ hours to compile.
 
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I want to give Gentoo a try in due course, but prolly not til after the exams. I really want to fiddle about with eMerge. Plus I want Linuxed internet eventually. Eventually.
 
Btw, for those who havnt tried linux before (like me :D), I just tried Knoppix (link) and it's an excellent way to try it out. Really want a linux partition now. Managed to download the German version first though, so make sure you save the version with "en" in the download name if you want to English version and "de" if you want the German. B)
 
Only reason I don't switch to Linux is the missing driver for my pen LCD monitor :(
I've looked everywhere, nothing could be found.
Damn. :(
 
Dozer posted on May 20 2004 at 02:28 PM said:
Btw, for those who havnt tried linux before (like me :D), I just tried Knoppix (link) and it's an excellent way to try it out. Really want a linux partition now. Managed to download the German version first though, so make sure you save the version with "en" in the download name if you want to English version and "de" if you want the German. B)
Knoppix also comes in handy as a Linux/Windows rescue disc. But it is a good Linux advertisement, to try linux out without installing it. Although you have to take into account that knoppix is running from the cd, and using your memory for a virtual ram disk, so performance wont be super

Linux really isnt as bad as some M$ fanboys like to make it look. Its great. Not something you should instantly switch to from windows. But its very nice to have along side windows, and maybe you might just find yourself spending more time in linux then windows, and then one day you realize you havent been in windows in over a month, and its just taking up space. :) (hey it could happen, happened to me!)

Only reason I don't switch to Linux is the missing driver for my pen LCD monitor
I've looked everywhere, nothing could be found.
Damn.

If I physically had that monitor here, I could probably find something to get it running. It is one of those obscure pieces of hardware though. Linux is getting so much better with hardware, hell I remember a couple years ago it wouldnt even support half of my hardware without some major tweeking, and now everything is detected perfectly, installed automatically, and runs like a dream.

And now that more and more companies are making linux drivers (or atleast helping out with all the needed specs and information for others to create drivers), linux hardware support is amazing. Most importantly, and most noteably is nVidia and ATI supporting linux with full driver sets for their hardware. It wasnt too long ago that we didnt have any sort of 3d acceleration what so ever (this was one of the MAJOR reasons for the lack of linux game support). nVidia and ATI are life savers. Linux support is growing so fast now, that when I purchased my motherboard, it came with a driver cd that contained both linux and windows drivers for everything, and even contained a great library of linux software, it was awesome. (never actually used that disc because linux detected and installed all my hardware automatically, but hey its cool to have nonetheless) Some obscure hardware is still unsupported, but its getting there.

You should have seen linux just five years ago, it was a mess, only hardcore people could use it for their primary OS, no acceleration, bad hardware support, spotty software library, ugly installers that failed half the time. (this is the linux that M$ fanboys use for their comparison) But now, all of that has changed, its great now and only getting better, each day new great things happen, more hardware support is added, more software is developed, more game companies choose to make linux versions, more and more major comanpies move over to linux from windows.

Now you can buy full PCs with linux as your OS (usually for $200 less than the same PC with windows!) or download linux for free, install it and have a blast. For about 90% of your software, there are great linux alternatives, but even if you dont want those alternatives, there is Wine & Codeweavers, which lets you run Office XP (and other MS office versions), Excel, Lotus, Dreamweaver (and many other macromedia products), etc...

"Here's a cheap trick to play on an audience - especially one drawn from the business community. Ask them how many use Microsoft software. Virtually every hand in the room will go up. How many use Apple Macs? One or two - at most. How many use Linux? If the audience is drawn from corporate suits, no hands will show. Now comes the punchline: who uses Google? A forest of hands appears. 'Ah,' you say, 'that's very interesting, because it means you're all Linux users.' Stunned looks all round."

The computing engine that powers Google is the largest cluster of Linux servers in the history of the world.
 
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Akuma no Houkon posted on May 21 2004 at 01:54 AM said:
You should have seen linux just five years ago, it was a mess, only hardcore people could use it for their primary OS, no acceleration, bad hardware support, spotty software library, ugly installers that failed half the time. (this is the linux that M$ fanboys use for their comparison)
I have :)
Once upon a time, i've installed Suse Linux 2... pretty nice, but pretty unusable at that time ;)

Then I tried again with 4.0, 6.2, 8.2.
I use Linux for servers, but can't switch on my workstation for that missing driver :(
 
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Linux is good and all but I would hate if it ever hit the mainstream. I mean where would all the people that code for a living go? I think its a great hobbiest OS though. I got it running but theres a problem with my laptop display. It was detected in Mandrake 8.1 but when I upgrade any higher it doesn't detect it. Which is kinda weird.

Do you think it would help if I installed 10 over 8.1? 10 also has some of the drivers for my network card. So it should go well.
 
CrazyDesi posted on May 20 2004 at 07:01 PM said:
I mean where would all the people that code for a living go?
What are you talking about?

There is absolutly no rule that says you cannot program for a living on linux. Most people just choose to develop for free on it, kinda like us GP32 developers make games & apps for the GP32 for free.

There is only one thing that forces your apps to be free and that is if you choose to use other peoples source code or toolkits that are released under certain licences.

There are plenty of commercial apps and games for linux, look at Qt, Krylix, Unreal Tournament 2004, Quake 3, The SIMS, and many more commercial games and apps.

Its a very common misconception that you cant develop commercial apps or games for linux.

I got it running but theres a problem with my laptop display. It was detected in Mandrake 8.1 but when I upgrade any higher it doesn't detect it. Which is kinda weird.

Not detecting your display? You mean the monitor itself? (well 'lcd screen' on a latop) Or the actual video card? It shouldnt have a problem detecting your monitor, but if it does, just set the information manually, monitors are universally supported hardware, they dont need drivers (unless its a special monitor like EvilDragons) the OS just needs the sync rates and some supported video modes.

If you mean you videocard, well choose a generic vesa driver and install the proper driver after installation, not to difficult.
 
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