LinuxQuestions.org
Help answer threads with 0 replies.
Go Back   LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - Newbie
User Name
Password
Linux - Newbie This Linux forum is for members that are new to Linux.
Just starting out and have a question? If it is not in the man pages or the how-to's this is the place!

Notices


Reply
  Search this Thread
Old 08-11-2004, 11:02 PM   #1
NoMoreWindows
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Aug 2004
Location: Yukon, OK
Posts: 3

Rep: Reputation: 0
Which Linux version is the best for a newbie??


This may turn out to be more detailed than I suspect, but I am willing to read every post and take it all into consideration....

I admit that I was (am) a hardcore Windows user. But Windows is really more of a bad habit than a need or dependency. I WANNA QUIT WINDOWS! My first (of many, MANY questions, I am sure), is WHICH version of Linux is best suited for a newbie who is so used to the "point-and-click" of Windows?? I would like to gradually wean myself off Windows and learn how to actually administer Linus successfully, so any hardcore Linux OS wouldn't be right for me. Any suggestions on how to gradually emerge myself into the fascinating world of Linux??

Thanks for the input.
 
Old 08-11-2004, 11:22 PM   #2
ppuru
Senior Member
 
Registered: Mar 2003
Location: Beautiful BC
Distribution: RedHat & clones, Slackware, SuSE, OpenBSD
Posts: 1,791

Rep: Reputation: 50
Search around in LQ for answers to similar threads.

My 2c .. get Mandrake. and yes, Welcome to LQ and Linux.
 
Old 08-12-2004, 12:06 AM   #3
2damncommon
Senior Member
 
Registered: Feb 2003
Location: Calif, USA
Distribution: PCLINUXOS
Posts: 2,918

Rep: Reputation: 103Reputation: 103
There are a lot of threads about choosing or using different distributions.
This may be a good place to start.
Basically, choose a major distribution, dual boot with Windows, check out articles here and fool with your Linux install, decide where to go from there.
Good Luck.

Last edited by 2damncommon; 08-12-2004 at 12:23 AM.
 
Old 08-12-2004, 12:19 AM   #4
masand
LQ Guru
 
Registered: May 2003
Location: INDIA
Distribution: Ubuntu, Solaris,CentOS
Posts: 5,522

Rep: Reputation: 69
hi
for a newbies i think u should be comfortable iwh xandros ,pretty much the same looks as windows and to go further that that u can try
mandrake,>-->>redhat-->>slackware------ >>debian--->suse.--->>LFS

also as a newbie u can lok into knoppix

regards
 
Old 08-12-2004, 12:50 AM   #5
FrostBot
Member
 
Registered: Jul 2004
Location: Canada
Distribution: Kubuntu 10.10
Posts: 134

Rep: Reputation: 15
Take a look into Xandros.
 
Old 08-12-2004, 01:53 AM   #6
minm
Member
 
Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Canada
Distribution: suse 9.2
Posts: 582

Rep: Reputation: 30
I would say SuSE, i'm a huge newbie and i'm slowly learning Linux through SuSE. Mandrake is pretty good too
 
Old 08-12-2004, 01:57 AM   #7
cybrnetico
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Jun 2004
Location: So. Califas
Distribution: SUSE, Vector (trying)
Posts: 4

Rep: Reputation: 0
Your taking the jump also. IF you like knoppix live cd try Libranet because they are both debian based.

Good Luck
 
Old 08-12-2004, 02:57 AM   #8
cppkid
Member
 
Registered: Jul 2004
Location: Pakistan
Distribution: Ubuntu
Posts: 185

Rep: Reputation: 30
I've tried many but i like Fedora. And one thing more, Don't think that you are a new user so you must go for a Window like linux distribution. Just choose anyone, all are not much same, just a little interface difference, Anyway just choose any, You will adjust yourself in a week. So just make a choice don't consider that it looks like windows or something. I think if any distribution looks like Windows, you must develope hate about that
Just start with any eassyly available, and i recommend you to use the distribution that your friend or nearest person use, So that if you got some problem you can get instant help. And once you get use to one distribution, You will not find it hard to switch to other.
 
Old 08-12-2004, 03:37 AM   #9
masand
LQ Guru
 
Registered: May 2003
Location: INDIA
Distribution: Ubuntu, Solaris,CentOS
Posts: 5,522

Rep: Reputation: 69
what i think it may take some time+frustration if a newbie straightaway jumps to some hardore linux distro

for example the problems faced could be

--mounting drives

--lilo

---installation woes

----no sound in REDHAT 8.0 and above

---network connection/internet

---installing new packages

while using Xandros for a newbie it is very easy to install,listen play music etc etc .

but this is not good for development in linux

after that he can jump to some good distro

regards

gaurav
 
Old 08-12-2004, 05:19 AM   #10
rm6990
Member
 
Registered: Aug 2004
Location: Canada
Distribution: SUSE 9.1 Pro and Debian Testing on Server
Posts: 469

Rep: Reputation: 30
Depends what you are looking for.

If you just want a desktop OS that gets things done, no command line AT ALL....and are willing to cough up a yearly fee....go with Linspire and CNR, they make Linux easier than Windows in my opinion, although if you like to fiddle with settings and stuff u will be very bored with Linspire, I know I was, that's why i switched to fedora.

If you want a true and free Linux distribution that doesn't involve too much hand holding, stick with the major ones such as Fedora, Mandrake, SuSE, Debian and most of the Debian based distros like Xandros and Libranet are good.
 
Old 08-12-2004, 06:09 AM   #11
mjolnir
Member
 
Registered: Apr 2003
Posts: 808

Rep: Reputation: 99
As mentioned above you have a lot of options. Do searches for Live CD and
dual booting. Xandros is nice and has excellent support for winmodems.
If you have an extra windows box, lycoris is very easy to network and will
d/l and install updates (rpms) almost magically. After that consider mandrake.
As always backup anything important first.
 
Old 08-12-2004, 06:20 AM   #12
eyasko
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Aug 2004
Location: Fort Edward, NY
Distribution: Red Hat Linux 9
Posts: 1

Rep: Reputation: 0
Hello, all. I have been using Red Hat 9 for 6 months now, and have found it very user-friendly after setup. And, there is a HUGE wealth of docs out there on it, too. So if you don't mind reading a bit, I think RH is very powerful and a good choice.
 
Old 08-12-2004, 08:33 AM   #13
Eagle_Seven
Member
 
Registered: Aug 2004
Distribution: Suse 9.1 Pro
Posts: 54

Rep: Reputation: 15
This has been said before, but the documentation with Suse is extensive and quality. If anything, you will be able to read your way to linux administration with the suse documentation. However, Suse likes to charge for that documentation. Still, its a good platform to learn on.

Oh, and one hint:

No matter how "easy" your installation claims itself to be, you're bound to have some type of conflict/problem.

People say Suse installs extrememly easy, but not if your bios rejects the Grub MBR!!!!!

So whatever distro you go for, give yourself a day or two to install, just to get around the kinks. And if it does install flawlessly, you've got lots of time to learn.
 
Old 08-12-2004, 08:44 AM   #14
masand
LQ Guru
 
Registered: May 2003
Location: INDIA
Distribution: Ubuntu, Solaris,CentOS
Posts: 5,522

Rep: Reputation: 69
first of all see that the distro u r using supports all your hardware
because later on this will drive u crazy.
 
Old 08-12-2004, 09:08 AM   #15
gkneller
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Jan 2004
Location: UK
Distribution: Slackware & Debian
Posts: 27

Rep: Reputation: 15
As others have said, it depends what you want to achieve...

If you want to learn Linux 'properly' (meaning lots of command line usage!), here's what I recommend:

Go to a computer fair and buy an old, cheap computer to experiment with until you get your confidence up. You could dual boot if you want, but when I was learning the basics I always had a worry in the back of my mind that I was going to inadvertently destroy my Windows partition - a separate PC lets you experiment freely. You should be able to pick up something like a PII 400 and a KVM switch very cheaply.

Then, download rute, and install something like Vector Linux, which is a cut down version of Slackware with a simplified installation procedure (it just dumps everything on the CD to the hard drive). This won't provide any hand-holding at all, and the learning curve will be pretty steep at first, but IMO it's definitely worth it.

This is more or less what I did, and although it was tough at first I think it gave me a better idea of what Linux is all about than I would have got from a more user-friendly, GUI oriented distro.

However, if you want a drop-in replacement for Windows that you can start using productively right away, this probably isn't what you want.
 
  


Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off



Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
newbie -- have no vmlinuz.version.h file roshk Linux - Software 2 12-31-2004 08:27 PM
Newest/Best version of Linux, newbie here Caldrin Linux - Newbie 5 07-24-2004 03:35 PM
Newbie & Linux dufus wants to know: which Linux version has the best GUI? Ma-fia Linux - Newbie 20 03-04-2004 09:59 PM
Which version of FreeBSD? (For a newbie) GloVe *BSD 9 10-23-2003 07:56 AM
Newbie questions about Linux (compatibility, which version, etc.) gomer1701ems Linux - Newbie 1 02-09-2001 01:45 PM

LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - Newbie

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:14 AM.

Main Menu
Advertisement
My LQ
Write for LQ
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute content, let us know.
Main Menu
Syndicate
RSS1  Latest Threads
RSS1  LQ News
Twitter: @linuxquestions
Open Source Consulting | Domain Registration