Using Slax Linux, First Time Using Linux.

[RoboJoe32]

Every app I download is in some moon format (.tar.gz? wha?) and I can't extract it, so I find an extractor and.....what the hell? it's .tar.gz too?

Jane! How do I work this crazy thing!?


Ok, bad jokes aside, I need some help here. Plus wine doesn't seem to be running a damn one of my old apps.

 

[woogal]

just use 'tar zxvf filename.tar.gz' (or jxvf if it's a .tar.bz2 file)

 

[Klown]

Ok you've dived in way over your head by downloading slackware linux. But anyway: .tar.gz archives are usually source code releases which you need to compile. A brief guide:

1) Extract the archive
2) Go into the terminal and get to the directory where you put the archive
3) type './configure' (You will need basic-compiler tools)
4) type 'make'
5) type 'make install'


I'd recommend you use something simple like ubuntu for your first time due to the ease of installing packages via the synaptic package manager. The learning curve is quite steep but it's ok when you get going

 

[trooper]

Mandrake, That uses easy to use rpm files, Sort of like setup files.

Trooper

 

[yaustar]

Suse 9.2 is pretty good for newcomers as well... I think it uses the same RPM system...

 

[Rico]

Whereas Slackware is generally considered one of the most hardcore distributions around. You are diving face-first into the deep end here.

 

[RoboJoe32]

Gahhhh, no wonder this is a niche. More distributions than there are variations of windows or mac OS. And blame my friend, he suggested slax.

I'm going back to my clean and 3rd party patched XP, Had no trouble with it.

 

[spongebue]

Suse 9.2 is pretty good for newcomers as well... I think it uses the same RPM system...

​

FWIW, I thought SuSE 9.2 was good, but a little on the buggy side. 9.1 had fewer programs (though a large part of that was that I was using the Personal, not Professional version) but was as solid as a rock. The new 9.3 is my favorite, though. It has a lot of nice features, many a part of KDE 3.4, very stable, and has a lot of programs. The only problem I've had with it is that KDETV crashes on me after a while (not sure how long it takes, but I come back from school with a crash error)

Also, SuSE makes things really easy to install things on, with hardware and software. The only software complaint I have is KDETV crashing as I mentioned, and the only hardware complaint is that my surround sound integrated sound card doesn't work the way it should. It sounds fine for most things, but it doesn't use the subwoofer so all bass is from a couple of little speakers Also, it's hard to get good 3d accelerator video card driver thingies, but Linux isn't a huge gaming system anyway.

spongebue (your local SuSE Linux fanboy)

 

[Nilsiboy]

i use mandrake and like it very much
but sometimes the rpms are for another mandrake release and dont work...im quite sure ihave big loads of crap on my linux partition....im most likely the only linux user onthe world that has crap on a windows-esque level with linux

 

[aapje89]

use knoppix, very easy for newcomers to linux , or use whoppix

 

[Klown]

Ubuntu is great for newbies. Great community, lots of guides and stable.

 

[c0ncept]

I'd agree with knoppix, as you can run it off a cd without needing to actually install it. If you like linux after trying knoppix then go with SuSE to begin with and then maybe redhat or somethin once you've got the hang of it.

I actually bought SuSE a while back. But, as I need a lot of pc software for uni and can't be bothered with a duel boot, have never installed it for very long.