Linux for home use without internet
 

I'm wondering what the most complete easy to use distro of linux is because I want to get away from windows and I don't have internet yet at my house so downloading a bunch of packages by hand at work is not such a great thing. I have FC3 on my laptop, but I no longer have the install discs for it. I can't get DSL/Cable where I am and dial-up would be worthless at a max of 9-16kps. Sattelite is going to be my option but I'm still in the process of remodeling my house and can't afford to shell out $600 to get the equipment yet. Can ya'll help? Thanks!

If I were you, I would just download Knoppix, or SLAX. Both are LiveRun distros that boot and run completely off the CD. When you finally get the internet up at home, then I would pick a permenate distro then. It'll be easier to let a distro like Ubuntu or Firefox set your internet for you then to do it yourself if your a newbie. I guess i'm no longer a newbie techincally, but even I have trouble with the internet side of linux... or windows for that matter.

If you must install something though, I would go with Fedora, Ubuntu, or maybe Arch.

Why maybeArch? Does it have problems? I'll download both Knoppix and SLAX and see which I like better. THanks!

Maybe becuase i've never pesonally used it. But, alot of people are starting to recomend for its ease of use around here. I just said maybe because I can't vouch for it personally.

Oh, ok. I'll look into it. Thanks again for your help.

Personally I'd go with the Knoppix 4 DVD as a basis, you can buy
it for around 3 dollars on e-Bay, and it's very complete in terms
of the packages it comes with....


Cheers,
Tink

I downloaded and checked out both Slax and Knoppix and I must say I am surprised at the completeness of Knoppix. Slax seemed more like a recovery cd than an OS, though I did like the fact that it was so small and didn't automatically boot into gui. Thanks a lot!

Great i'm glad I could help you!

How new are you to linux? If you know your way around the OS they I would recomend Ubuntu. And if you are willing to wait they will ship you as many cd's as you want; shipit.ubuntu.com

If you answer yes to most of these questions ubuntu might be right for you.

1) Are you able to install an operating system with a non-graphical installer?

2) Can you partition your hard drive using that same installer?

3) Do you like the Gnome Desktop enviroment? (kubuntu, or ubuntu with kde is available but they wont ship it to you)

4) Do you feel at home using the command line?

5) Did you awnser yes to all of these questions?


Ubuntu is a good distro, and they will ship you cd's free of charge (granted, it takes over two weeks), but by default they include as little software as possable (only a little more that slax)so without internet you may struggle



My next recomendation is MEPIS, it is another debian distro that includes about the same amount of software as Knoppix. It to is a live CD, but it is designed to be installed as a full disto, the live cd part is just for trying it out. You can buy a cd and have it shipped to you for about $10 (next day shipping). MEPIS is more centered around a newbie point of view and includes kde 3.4 and a full graphical installer (one of the easiest i have used)


The third and last of my recomendations is SUSE Linux 10.0. You can buy SUSE 10.0 for around $50, but that comes with 5 cd's, 1 DVD, an extensive printed manuel, and installation support. You can also download it for free, or buy burnt cd's of amazon for much cheaper. The main reason I recomend suse linux though, is because it is easy to use and comes packaged with a TON of software. It has a full graphical installer, and wether you use the 5 cd's or (if you have a dvd reader) the 1 DVD you will have all the software you ever need. To put it in perspective when you install SUSE you can search for software on the cd to install. A search for "word processor" brings up openoffice, kword, abiword, and textmaker. All fully functional office packages (replacements Microsoft Office).

If you are in doubt of what general distro to get try this link, it is a test that you take to tell you what distros you should like.

Glad I could help and welcome to the great linux community; the difference between linux problem solving and windows problem solving.

I actually could answer yes to none of those questions. I'm very new. I installed slackware to check it out, and it seems pretty good. I need to go through and configure my wireless mouse and my usb HD, but I've had to do that before. I checked out Arch, but quickly realized it's way beyond my level when I was looking at a blank screen waiting for me to write the configuration scripts. I need a good book on the basics of Linux, I'm thinking, just so I can familiarize myself with it better. I am determined to dump windows and go for linux. I've got SuSE 10.0 Live DVD, but I need a DVD-rom in my desktop to use it.

the suse live dvd will not install, it can only be used for testing. Are you willing to spend $50 for an operating system? I think you should. Since you are new to linux the manul and support will make your transition easy. Or, like i said get a MEPIS cd. its only one cd but has a lot of packages... and suse are very good for new linux users. PCLinuxOS is also good for makeing the transition.

EDIT: Did you take the distro test?

The zegenie site won't show for me. I was able to take another one and it said 100% Debian, and like 82% Slackware, so that's what I'm playing around with. I may get Debian later, but at 14 iso's, it's a bit much right now. I've got FC4 on my laptop and slackware 10.1 on my desktop. FC4 will work for right now as a workstation until I get more familiar with the command line and make the transition to Slack. I printed off a few books to go through, including: "From DOS/Win to Linux HOW TO", "Linux Newbies Administrator Guide", "Slackware Basics" and the "Slackware Manual Project". I also downloaded the rute book, so hopefully after tinkering with it and going through the books I'll learn something. Thanks to everyone who gave me some direction!

14 ISOs? Why is Debian 14 ISOs? Thats CrAzY :rolleyes: just like the fact that we have a jawa :jawa: emoticon, whats that for?

Forget that, try a Debian based distro instead like Ubuntu instead. Its only one ISO.

It's because it comes with about 18,000 packages built-in. Probably the most complete distro out there....

IMPO thats, i hate say it, just downright stupid. Its not like you can liverun 14 ISOs (700M x 14 = 9.8G, which is more than a dual-layer DVD), so why do that? Thats just a waste of CDs. Thats why they invented YUM, or Apt-get, or emerge. If your using a live run distro odds are you don't need that many programs, after all its LiveRun, its not meant for permenate use in most cases. If your installing without the internet, my bet is you still don't need that many programs, and as in this case, your internet is on the way.

Besides a computer without the internet is like a fish without water. Your just sitting there dead.