I have used linux for about 2 years now but only as servers. I am used to doing everything in a bash shell. Last night I installed redhat 9.0 on my PC to try out as a desktop system. I just have a couple quick questions for anyone out there using Linux for a desktop machine.

Do you guys use KDE or Gnome?

Any good themes for either, Mine looks ugly out the box?

Whats a good media player?

Is there a better distro to use for desktop rather than Redhat 9.0?

Personally - I prefer KDE to GNOME in general - I use KDE under Red Hat. - You can get other themes - one thing to look for using KDE under Red Hat is Evaraldos icon set - try it. From the KDE control centre under Red Hat you can also change the Window Decoration and Styles to suit.

Again - personally - Mandrake 9.1 or Slackware 9 are superior to Red Hat 9 (for me)

I don't use a desktop environment as I have found that the window manager fluxbox provides all I need.

The Red Hat distribution uses Gnome as default and Mandrake uses KDE by default, so they are tweaked for those desktop enviromnents.

There are various themes available for either. Check apt4rpm for easy installation of these in Red Hat.

xmms is my multimedia selection, see the mp3 link below.

# Red Hat links
Red Hat Linux Manuals
Get your mp3 support here
Maximum RPM
rpmfind
Easier software management: apt4rpm - Red Carpet
Red Hat 8.0 Tips & Tricks

# Red Hat 7.3 down configuration commands
setup leads to several configuration tools

# Red Hat 7.3 up configuration commands
Configure soundcard:
redhat-config-soundcard
Configure X server:
redhat-config-xfree86
Configure network:
redhat-config-network
Manage software:
redhat-config-packages

# Handling NTFS
New Technology FileSystem (NTFS) HOWTOs
Linux NTFS project

I have a copy of mandrake at home and I only installed last night. I might try mandrake instead i think. Thanks fro your answers.

OK, here are my Mandrake links, then

# Mandrake links
Mandrake home page
Mandrake Users website
Easy urpmi config for Mandrake
urpmi mini-HOWTO
Easy software management: Red Carpet
Maximum RPM
rpmfind
You didn't install the developmental packages? As root, command:
urpmi gcc
An Introduction to the Midnight Commander. You can install it by commanding:
urpmi mc
Midnight Commander home page

Do you guys use KDE or Gnome?

KDE

Any good themes for either, Mine looks ugly out the box?

A Slicker Style. You can find it at kde-look.org. I also use the slicker icons.


Whats a good media player?

xmms for mp3's and cd's. dunno about video files. haven't tried that yet.

Is there a better distro to use for desktop rather than Redhat 9.0?

I used RedHat 9.0 for a few days then switched to JAMD. It's based on RedHat 9.0 so you can still use shrike rpms, but its a really great "desktop" kind of distro. Worked a lot better than RH9 did for me.

trinity

[QUOTE]Originally posted by linuxturtle
> Do you guys use KDE or Gnome?

dropline gnome.

> Any good themes for either, Mine looks ugly out the box?

check out freshmeat and kde-look.org.

> Whats a good media player?

xmms (winamp clone) as Trinity said; MPlayer for video

> Is there a better distro to use for desktop rather than Redhat 9.0?

depends on personal preference and experience. try a few and see what works best for what you need.

I'm a dedicated blackbox/fluxbox man! Except that I've been running dropline gnome for days now. It's synaptical's fault.
Dunno.
xmms.
My screamingly biased subjective opinion is most any. If you mean a certain thing by that, I suppose Mandrake. But any distro can run any wm or ide, basically, which can be tweaked in any way and have any apps added to it. And what's best out of the box is completely subjective.

heh heh. Ph34r the Foot!

I was using Kde but when i tried out gnome it was literally 3 times faster so i switched over to gnome but i did like kde

One more question. I hear alot of people saying mandrake is the best for desktop systems but redhat is the most supported distro. So if I were to go with mandrake would I find problems later with support by software rendors, rpms and just in general? If so should I use something like jamd instead? Wich is a desktop version of Redhat?

I use both Gnome and KDE, but I use Gnome about three times more often than KDE. I've not used the others except maybe once.

For media, I use XINE exclusively, from music to DVDs. I'm planning on giving mplayer a shot though, since I was advised that mplayer is capable of playing DVDs more smoothly than XINE (my copy of XINE plays DVDs rather choppily).

For my Gnome and KDE themes, I designed my own. It's not hard at all. Most of the themes I found on the net were kind of... eh... crappy, IMO.

For distro, I use Red Hat 8.0 exclusively. Not that I wouldn't mind trying others, only that I downloaded just RH8's ISO files when I had broadband and now I do not have broadband. I don't believe that I will try RH9, as its hardware requirements seem a bit more stringent than any other distribution. But hey, if it works for you, it works for you.

Hi Linuxturtle

Personally - I wouldn't take it too seriously in terms of later support if your just trying things out at this stage - people often switch distros - try different distros out, dual/multiboot different distros - there's lots of scope for easy change from distro to distro - I'm currently multibooting - Slack 9, Mandrake 9.1, Red Hat 9, Vector 3.2 SOHO, Win98se (for games) - if I find something I dont like with one of those I tend to just use another for that situation - all my partitions are mounted fluently , so I just move around freely - Again personally I would just try out several distribtuions at the same time and enjoy getting to know thier quirks - you'll soon find a shoe that fits.

You can check out all the major Linux distributions and more at Distrowatch - currently around 140 of them :

Click here to go to Distrowatch

I agree with Skyline - you may switch, or whatever. And you can find rpms all over the place - it's not like Mandrake's hurting for that sort of thing. And any distro has great technical support - LQ. RH is just the Big Cheese but it doesn't mean they're the Only Cheese. Mandrake was a spinoff of RH and would probably be better supported than other derivatives like JAMD.