LinuxQuestions.org
Welcome to the most active Linux Forum on the web.
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 12-10-2007, 04:03 PM   #1
Teln3t
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Dec 2007
Posts: 3

Rep: Reputation: 0
Please Help :(


I'm completely new to Linux, and im thinking about duel-booting a Linux distro on my new PC upgrade.


I'm an offensive security tester who's working in a private group as shellcode developer and network developer.


Can anybody give me advice in the Linux distro that would be right for me? I want a sleek, customizable distribution. I want to be able to customize everything from button color, wallpaper, layout, right-click menu. EVERYTHING!


Im in desperate need as im new to Linux. Please help, and thank you!
 
Old 12-10-2007, 04:13 PM   #2
elliott678
Member
 
Registered: Mar 2005
Location: North Carolina
Distribution: Arch
Posts: 977

Rep: Reputation: 74
Quote:
Originally Posted by Teln3t View Post
I want to be able to customize everything from button color, wallpaper, layout, right-click menu. EVERYTHING!
You can do that in just about every distro.
 
Old 12-10-2007, 04:18 PM   #3
Larry Webb
LQ Veteran
 
Registered: Jul 2006
Location: Crystal Beach, Texas
Distribution: Suse for mail +
Posts: 5,100
Blog Entries: 7

Rep: Reputation: 229Reputation: 229Reputation: 229
Your thread title needs to have your question there. To answer your question as far as I know any linux distro can fit your bill, its just different distros have different looks and behaviors. That is one of the beauties of linux, if you do not like it change it or if it is too much work to change switch distros to one that comes closer to what you want.
 
Old 12-10-2007, 04:19 PM   #4
Teln3t
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Dec 2007
Posts: 3

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 0
Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry Webb View Post
Your thread title needs to have your question there. To answer your question as far as I know any linux distro can fit your bill, its just different distros have different looks and behaviors. That is one of the beauties of linux, if you do not like it change it or if it is too much work to change switch distros to one that comes closer to what you want.
im startin to like linux already. But any distros you would recommend? Any that are solid and based around custimization?
 
Old 12-10-2007, 04:21 PM   #5
elliott678
Member
 
Registered: Mar 2005
Location: North Carolina
Distribution: Arch
Posts: 977

Rep: Reputation: 74
I think you should be focused on how it works more than how it looks. You can make any distro look and feel just about any way you want, with the right configuration, nearly anything is possible.

If you are willing to read and learn, Arch can be made into anything you want it to be.

Last edited by elliott678; 12-10-2007 at 04:22 PM.
 
Old 12-10-2007, 04:33 PM   #6
masonm
Senior Member
 
Registered: Mar 2003
Location: Following the white rabbit
Distribution: Slackware64 -current
Posts: 2,300

Rep: Reputation: 90
There is an entire subforum that deals with distros. Oddly enough it's called Linux-Distributions.

A good title goes a long way towards getting quality replies.

Asking the "which distro" question for the millionth time will result in nothing more than people tossing out their favorite distros. You have to evaluate them according to your own needs, wants, preferences, and knowledge level.

Distrowatch.com is a good place to start.
 
Old 12-10-2007, 04:42 PM   #7
peart
Member
 
Registered: Nov 2003
Distribution: Arch
Posts: 31

Rep: Reputation: 16
Offensive security tester? I find that offensive!

I'd say Arch is right up your alley, but I'm heavily biased It installs a base system that leaves you with nothing more than a command line. From there, you add only what you want using the package manager. You can customize every package to your liking using "abs", but 99% of them don't need to be changed. I have done a lot of distro-hopping, and Arch is the one that gives the sleekest install for sure.

This full-control approach is often intimidating to new users, though. You may want to start with something easier. Distros like Fedora or Ubuntu should work right out of the box. But they lack in the sleek department.

A good middleground would be Slackware. It's rather sleek, but still quite functional right after installation. I suppose it is the distro I would recommend to tech-savvy people such as yourself.

Don't worry about customizing your desktop, any distro will allow you to do that. Nearly all desktop environments (including KDE, XFCE, Gnome, and so many others) are entirely customizable. Just go check out kde-look.org, gnome-look.org, xfce-look.org, etc...

The best advice I have ever seen given is this: Find a live CD for a distribution that interests you, and take it for a test drive. If you don't like it, just throw away the CD. Nothing got installed on your PC, so there's no hassle.

Hope that helps,
peart
 
Old 12-10-2007, 05:10 PM   #8
chadl
Member
 
Registered: Sep 2005
Location: US
Distribution: Gentoo AMD64 Testing
Posts: 129

Rep: Reputation: 16
I like Gentoo for being completely customizable, and I use Gentoo... but you should most likely start with something a little less customizable until you learn to love the command line.
Arch is not a bad choice. The live CD suggestion is also a good one.
 
Old 12-10-2007, 05:58 PM   #9
David1357
Senior Member
 
Registered: Aug 2007
Location: South Carolina, U.S.A.
Distribution: Ubuntu, Fedora Core, Red Hat, SUSE, Gentoo, DSL, coLinux, uClinux
Posts: 1,302
Blog Entries: 1

Rep: Reputation: 107Reputation: 107
Quote:
Originally Posted by Teln3t View Post
I'm completely new to Linux, and im thinking about duel-booting a Linux distro on my new PC upgrade.
Since you are completely new to Linux, I would recommend Ubuntu. After you get a bit of experience troubleshooting and maintaining your system, then you will be better able to decide what distro you want for "customizing".

If this were a decision about what car to get, we would all recommend something safe, dependable, and easy to maintain (e.g. Honda Civic). You should learn to drive before you start trying to "customize" or you will spend all your time trying to fix what you broke with your last modification.
 
Old 12-10-2007, 06:05 PM   #10
AceofSpades19
Senior Member
 
Registered: Feb 2007
Location: Chilliwack,BC.Canada
Distribution: Slackware64 -current
Posts: 2,079

Rep: Reputation: 58
I would suggest going to distrowatch.com and picking a few distros out of the top ten and trying them out
 
Old 12-10-2007, 06:46 PM   #11
Teln3t
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Dec 2007
Posts: 3

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 0
Quote:
Originally Posted by David1357 View Post
Since you are completely new to Linux, I would recommend Ubuntu. After you get a bit of experience troubleshooting and maintaining your system, then you will be better able to decide what distro you want for "customizing".

If this were a decision about what car to get, we would all recommend something safe, dependable, and easy to maintain (e.g. Honda Civic). You should learn to drive before you start trying to "customize" or you will spend all your time trying to fix what you broke with your last modification.
Good advice, thanks. I'll do just that
 
Old 12-10-2007, 07:10 PM   #12
ehawk
Senior Member
 
Registered: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,257

Rep: Reputation: 48
Yeah, baby steps...

Your first distribution should be a live-evaluation CD that readily installs to the hard drive if you like what you see. Ubuntu is fine. Other possibilities:

PCLinuxOS
SimplyMepis
 
  


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



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

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:22 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