Hi my name Teckno, and I was a Microholic.

but Ive recently switched to linux and it feels great. I'm currently using mandrake 9.2 and while it seems ok, it has its short comings. the main thing is that it keep locking me out of stuff and I don't feel in control.

anyway heres what I'm looking for:

I'm the only one using this computer so security is not an issue

a nice GUI. while text mode makes me feel uber geeky, I like the simple point and click operation like in windows.

something that follows the rule of KISS
I like the games in mandrake but I really don't need tons and tons of apps filling up my
menus.

I use my computer for three things; games (lots of games), multimedia (music, DVDs, etc..), and since I'm home schooled and get all my lessons off the Internet, I need good Internet support and office suite (I'm now using OpenOffice and ffirfox, both are ok but I'm having alittle difficulty). I also like to do light programing and graphic design.

getting a barebone distro and getting the apps individually is fine with me, I just want good support.

something that looks somewhat complete (unlike much of what Ive seen)

easy, simple, but keeps me in control.

any suggestions?

Have you.....
Looked at our Distro Review section?
Looked at Distrowatch?
Searched LQ? This is a question which arises in a variety of different forms at least 4 times a weekk.

internet support depends very much on the modem you own
so posting your configuration wouldnt be a bad idea

Sounds like you would like Slackware. Follow XavierP's advice and go to the Distro Reviews, check out the Slackware reviews there.

Peace,
Siri Amrit

I did checked out slackware, but its not very GUI focused, unless im mistaken
quick smooth and easy operation is what im looking for

my rig
Abit-NF7 (-S I think) (Nvidia chipset) (crappy chipset fan is slowly distroying itself)
AMD AthlonXP 2700+ (about 2.1 GHz)
512 Mb Duel DDR ram
sound blaster live platium
GeForce 2 video card
56k V.92 Best Data Winmodem (now a Linmodem)
Toshiba DVD-Rom, ‎CyberDrive 16x CD-R/RW
40 gig maxtor harddrive
all drives IDE, although mobo can support SATA

that might be a little more then you were asking for but I like brag

even i am looking for a linux which is easy to use with a nice gui. i am a newbie to computers and couldn't understand the reviews.

i have asus motherboard
amd athlon 2000+
512 dd ram


plz someone specify nice linux disb and also download link to it

Hi, Teckno. I'm lousy at commandline, but even I can use Slackware. It has the simplicity you want, so I recommended it. I don't recommend it for someone who has little or no experience at all with Linux, though. (santosh82, you will need to read these boards for awhile, or Distrowatch.com . Your question has been posted and answered many times already.) I often use the system tools in KDE for stuff, and most configurations done in Slackware involve editing the files in /etc. That can be done using a text editor like kedit, gedit, etc, not necessarily Vi. I can add groups or users using the tools in KDE, or using groupadd, useradd in a terminal. There are a few commandline tools that work better than the gui control center in Mandrake, like configuring Alsa for sound. Mandrake sound has always been a pain, but sound in Slackware sets up like a breeze. Slackware has a reputation for being non-gui, but really when you use it you're using KDE or Gnome or something, just like the other distros. Setting up X with XF86Config, and installing the NVIDIA drivers if you need them is probably the most commandline insensive stuff you would ever have to do.

Gui tools like the Mandrake Control Center "seem" simple, but they often confound you if they won't let you do what you want. I could never get the Mandrake firewall to work right, and it wouldn't let me work with another firewall. It always left my printer port open no matter what I did. I couldn't even uninstall it for some strange reason! I had to find it in the system and rename it. You can have the false simplicity of gui configuration tools with layers of complexity they create, or real simplicity like Slackware offers, that may involve direct editing of some configuration files. And often that editing merely consists of adding or removing a " # " from a line...

You say you want good support. I've noticed that the most knowlegable people in these boards usually seem to be Slackware users. The Slackware forum is the most helpful forum I've found.

You seem bright. I bet you could use Slackware and run circles around me with it inside of 2 weeks!

Peace,
Siri Amrit

thanks tigerflag

one last question though, the real bugger with mandrake is that it keep locking me out of every thing, like just today I was saving some pic to my desktop, but they where only accessable to root. im tired of always changing file permissions. how does slackware handle this stuff?

fyi: I did check out distro watch and the other sites mentioned before I posted. but they all lacked a good guide compareing all the big distros. I dont have time to read through massive reveiws on each one.

I've never had a problem like you describe.
I've set permissions by editing the /etc/fstab file using kedit. Just make a group called "users", add youself to it, then edit the /etc/fstab file using kedit to add the word "user" for whatever device you want ot be able to access.
I've changed permissions for directories by using the SuperUser file manager in KDE, right clicking on the directory to see the properties of it, and changing the permissions there. I know it isn't the UNIX way, but like I said, I'm lousy at commandline...

HTH,
Siri Amrit

If you want a distro that's just right for you, why not try something like Slackware, Debian, Archlinux, or Crux...these types of distros can be customized to your exact configuration, once you get the hang of them.

You can install only what you want, when you want. I've tried them all and still use them. They offer pretty good support also, but Arch & Crux support comes mainly from IRC and their web site forums.

Any distro can have a nice GUI...you may just have to set up a desktop.

I would tell you, if you're a beginner...try out xandros.

Nice GUI...easy installation...

Good for starting.

Fedora is also great.

FWIW, I just spent last evening playing with the new SuSE 9.1 Pro, trying to make a dual-boot setup with my Slackware. "Trying" is the operative word here. The installer was very pretty, but harder for me than Slack's straightforward, simple tools. I didn't want to install a bootloader with SuSE, but the interface was so confusing I must have selected wrong and it did it anyway. Slack lets me choose with great simplicity. After installing SUSE, I couldn't boot Slackware.
Then SuSE wouldn't play nice with my /home partition, KDE and DCOP were broken, it was all a mess. I had to boot with my Slackware installation CD, re-write Lilo for the MBR, change permissions for my users because SuSE had locked me out of my own account... And I was able to do these things because using Slack taught me how. Mandrake didn't teach me anything except how to use the Mandrake tools.
I went one night without my Slackware and was awake half the night, terrified I wouldn't be able to get it back. Slack lets me make it into anything I want, and doesn't get in my way while doing so...

Peace,
Siri Amrit

thank you all, it seem slackware is the way to go.

I think you'll like it once you get used to it. There are a lot of great people inthese boards who willl be happy to help you with questions you may have.
I suggest that when you install, you use the Newbie setting. Required packages are installed automatically, and any other packages have verbose descriptions to help you decide if you want them or not. And when you select printer tools, choose Cups or LPRNG, but not both. For some reason they conflict with each other. That's the only problem I've ever had with Slack.

Have fun!

Siri Amrit