Which OS should I use for my new laptop?
 

I am most definitely a Linux Newbie. I hadn't ever heard of it until the beginning of this year and I never looked into it until a month or so ago. I'm pretty good with computers, I've always used Microsoft and have used Apple some. So if it's something about computer's I will probably know it unless it's very detailed, but if it's something about Linux I probably won't so bear with me. I am getting an HP dv6z-7000 Laptop. I'm custom ordering it with an AMD Quad-Core A8-4500M processor, 6GB 1600MHz DDR3 System Memory, and a 750 GB 7,200 RPM Hard Drive. If there are any other details you need let me know. I want to use Linux software on it. The computer is just going to be an everyday use kinda thing but I want to be high performance and very fast. I'm wondering what the best Linux operating system for me is. I also would like to know if it's possible to get Microsoft Office on it without having to buy a completely new one. So any help you can give me would be much appreciated. Thanks. :)

It's always up to only you. There are tonns and tonns links you can find here and on other websites about choosing your first distro.

Why do you need MS Office on GNU? OpenOffice/LibreOffice can handle *.doc files well.

Hi BloodyDream. Everyone in this forums use their computer for different stuff so each one of them have their favorite Operating System base on their need. As you will find out each GNU/Linux base OS has its own thing that the software is good for.
That being said I would suggest you to try different Operating System then decided for your self base on which one is the one that works best in your computer and make more sence to you.

You can download the ISO file of a distro and try it on your computer from the CD, without installing it just like a test drive.
Here are the links to some GNU/Linux Operating Systems I would suggest you to try
www.ubuntu.com
www.linixmint.com --------> Make sure you get one with the codecs already include so you can play media files in your PC
http://software.opensuse.org/122/en ------> get the live Gnome or live KDE ISO files Codecs are installed manually after installation

O.k so download the ISO file, then burn it in a CD or DVD as image then boot your computer from the CD or DVD, Test them all and only do a full installation of the one you liked best.

Good luck to you!

Welcome to the forums!

Mint and Ubuntu are probably the most popular beginner distributions, give them a try as Live CD/Live USB!

Also try googling "linux distro chooser quiz" and you'll find some fun multiple-choice tests people have created to answer that very question.

Here is a good comparison of the Top 10: http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major

Regarding MS Office, some Windows software can be run on Linux using an emulator called Wine. Here is what the Wine website has to say about MS Office: http://appdb.winehq.org/appview.php?appId=31

However you can run LibreOffice or OpenOffice no problem in Linux.

Keep in mind that LibreOffice and OpenOffice are not 100% compatible with MS Office. Yes they can OPEN .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx files, etc., however the majority of the time the formatting and equations will be all screwed up. You can use them to read MS Office docs, but I definitely wouldn't try editing or writing with them if you plan to submit the MS Office-compatible results anywhere.

As for OS selection - make a few live CDs/USBs and try them out. See which ones work out of the box with your wireless card, video card, etc., versus which ones have issues. That will probably be the main deciding factor.

Re Libre/Open Office: actually the latest versions are pretty good.
For more complex docs etc you may have some issues eg Excel macros, but writing a doc shouldn't be a major problem.
Some people have managed to rescue stuff that MS won't open, and each different version of MS Office has issues with other versions.
Your best bet is to try it and see.
If you use complex docs you may need to dual boot with Ms or try it in Wine (no idea if it works from there).

If you want/need to learn the underlying cli, here's a good tutorial http://rute.2038bug.com/index.html.gz

Welcome to LQ :)

Thanks guys, this definitely helped. I think I'm going to try mint, Ubuntu, and debian. And figure out which I like from there. As for the MS office thing. I am very good with it and know a lot about it so that's why I'd like to keep it. Again, thanks for the help. :)

I imagine the laptop will come with Windows? If so, your hard drive is easily big enough for two OSs, just shrink the windows partition and dual boot once you find the linux distro you want to use.

FWIW - OpenSUSE has worked very well on my laptop.

Also - Mint and Ubuntu are both based on Debian, so you're really just looking at three variations of the same distro, with different desktop environments and different approaches to administration. I would recommend throwing some variety in there as well...try an OpenSUSE live disk, maybe CentOS, Salix, etc.

Hi & Welcome!

Mint is nice; I downloaded the ISO file burned it to dvd and tried it for a few days.
Here's the link to the Linux Mint website:
http://linuxmint.com/

Ubuntu is also; like Snowpine mentioned a popular distro for beginners.
Ubuntu 10.04 with Ultimate Edition is exceptionally nice. It was my main OS for 2 years.

Good luck to you!

If you are a newbie,using debian is difficult.Be sure to read installation instruction before installing.After installing you have edit repos then only you can install any programs from internet repos.
After installing
open terminal.
type
su (This command gives root user rights)
Give your root password.
gedit /etc/apt/sources.list (this command opens repo list file in gedit)
Delete everything and
Paste repos in file. (get the repos from debgen.simplylinux.ch )
Save the file(don't use save as)
Close the gedit
In terminal type
aptitude update (this updates package list)

Make sure you create a partition for the /home directory, where your personal files will go, and encrypt it. Otherwise, stolen computer = stolen data, and laptops are very popular with burglars! Mint will do it for you when you install.

Bloody Dream:

Here is the link to the Debian website and the installation instructions.

The first guide is for 32-bitPC i386
The second guide is for 64-bit PC amd64
http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/installmanual

Take your time and have a great day!;)

I have a quick question, I'm about to download Ubuntu and I want it downloaded onto my USB. How do I download it to that instead of straight to my computer?

Are you installing to usb?

Good morning, Bloody Dream. Let me add to the chorus welcoming you to the Forums. :)

Are you trying to create a bootable USB flash drive? If so, you will find instructions here: link

If you are simply trying to store the ISO file on your flash drive without making it bootable, all you need to do is insert the drive's USB connector into a USB port on your computer and select it as the download location for the ISO.

Please do not hesitate to post here if you encounter any problems or have questions. Good luck with this journey - it must be a very exciting time for you!

Lawrence