Which version of Linux is best for me?

reverse · 04-28-2007, 11:07 PM

It's such an irony in the whole "GUI-bashing" thing. One would think that GUIs are specially handy for Linux newbies but .. he'd be wrong. Newbies are supposed to use the command line in order to "learn Linux", and once they turn into experts, they should/can start using the GUI. </rant>

Hern_28 · 04-28-2007, 11:25 PM

Dunno, I kept bashing my GUI on a regular basis. Still do, just a little less often. Think i learned the most about linux trying to keep the GUI running ( due to my inept modifications )

rocket357 · 04-29-2007, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reverse

It's such an irony in the whole "GUI-bashing" thing. One would think that GUIs are specially handy for Linux newbies but .. he'd be wrong. Newbies are supposed to use the command line in order to "learn Linux", and once they turn into experts, they should/can start using the GUI. </rant>

Perhaps I should have made myself clear...my post was strictly in response to Electro's post about Gentoo. Would I recommend a Stage 1 Gentoo install on a 333 for newbies? Certainly not. (Even with a year's experience with RedHat6/7, that incident was very nearly my last experience with Gentoo).

I would recommend Linux newbies find a distro they're comfortable with. I would NOT, however, recommend they call it a day at that point...I'd recommend that newbies get comfortable, then branch out to continually push their comfort-zones. You can't stop learning when it comes to computers...often enough (whether it's a Microsoft operating system, Mac, BSD, or whatever) you'll find that just to stay "afloat" you have to learn more...consider when Microsoft migrated from the NT/9x division to unified NT when XP was released. Those users who had used 98 or ME were forced to learn a bit about the Windows NT "mannerisms" to keep using Windows, or they were forced to learn about another operating system.

In short, I was mentioning that I like Gentoo, and that it appeared that someone else had pointed to the same line of reasoning behind my preference for Gentoo.

patman_pato · 04-29-2007, 07:45 AM

i use openSuSE and Kubuntu when i actually want to get things done

and i switch to a whole bunch of distros when i want to experiment or fiddle..

Most people i know are quite impressed with ubuntu/kubuntu. These people are pretty new to linux ,but not complete idiots.

So this random LQ member whos never posted before, recommends ubuntu to start with... i doubt you'll be disappointed and it should keep you happy for a short while.

Chronothread · 04-29-2007, 03:59 PM

Thank you everyone for your time and explanations. I think I got what I needed and I'll try out a bunch of different versions. I just hope I didn't cause too much of a chaotic argument. But I guess argument is good as long as it's constructive. Anyway, thanks again.

Electro · 04-30-2007, 12:28 AM

Gentoo developers do not recommend starting with Stage 1 install. Stage 1 is meant to create a specialized setup for a particular system and it should be used with catalyst. They recommend Stage 3 install. I did a Stage 3 install and I still get the benefits of Gentoo.

In order to make a good GUI config tool. The config files have to be in a format that both the expert and the newbie can get a long with. XML is a good format for config files, but not the only format. Both experts that uses the command line and novice that uses GUI tools can configure with minimal problems. Present GUI tools to configure Linux does not do a good job since config files have infinite possibilities. GUI config tools should be written to use both ncurses and GUI toolkits (GTK, QT, wxWidgets). Config files should be saved in a format such as XML to ease both users.

tommcd · 04-30-2007, 04:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronothread

Hello people. I'm new to Linux in general and I was wondering what type of Linux I should use. I'm not really looking for something that's just really easy for beginners. I'm fine with something that's a little more difficult to use or something that's not a very stable version. Anyway, basically what I'm asking is: which version of Linux do you personally like best and why. I'll make my decision from that. Thank you for your time.

Just install ubuntu to get started. It is based on debian, and uses the same APT package management system. The ubuntu community is huge, and there is tons of easy to follow documentation.
After you get comfortable with ubuntu, and do some elementary reading on using the command line, then try your hand at any of the "hardcore" distros: debian, slackware, or gentoo. You may also consider:
arch: based on gentoo
zenwalk: based on slackware
sidux: based on debian unstable
Here is a very good back alley of the ubuntu forums where you can read about other distros from real users experiences:
http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=147

reverse · 04-30-2007, 06:46 AM

Just because the Ubuntu user base is "huge" doesn't mean it's also knowledgeable. Also, Arch Linux is not based on Gentoo.

patman_pato · 05-01-2007, 02:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tommcd

Just install ubuntu to get started. It is based on debian, and uses the same APT package management system. The ubuntu community is huge, and there is tons of easy to follow documentation.
After you get comfortable with ubuntu, and do some elementary reading on using the command line, then try your hand at any of the "hardcore" distros: debian, slackware, or gentoo.

exactly my thoughts. never heard of anyone disappointed with ubuntu, especially first time linux users.

penguinlinux · 05-07-2007, 09:53 PM

Hello-

I started using linux not too long ago and used knoppix, which is a live cd. So if you are just starting, permanent modifications are harder to make on the computer you are booting from. In my case, I found this easiest to learn from.

If you would like one to install on your hardrive, I would recommend Ubuntu. Maybe my opinion isn't valid on this because I haven't really used it before, but from what I have read and heard from a large crowd, it is one of the better distributions.

I wish you the best of luck concerning finding an appropriate linux distro for yourself.

-penguinlinux

srikar_gottipati · 05-08-2007, 12:16 AM

After nearly 4-5 months of experience and pain as a newbie,and breaking my head with 4 most popular distros, I can clearly say that Mandriva is the best of the lot. I had used Mandriva,Suse,Ubuntu and Fedora and personally, I suggest you to go for Mandriva. In user-friendliness and ease of use, Mandriva is next only to Windows. Also, you can make most of the things to work in the minimal time. No second thoughs, just download the Mandriva Spring CD and start using it. By the way, also use Suse, Ubuntu and Fedora at some later point of time, only then will you appreciate Mandriva.

reverse · 05-08-2007, 03:57 AM

Quote:

I can clearly say that Mandriva is the best of the lot.

I have used Mandriva, SuSE, Ubuntu, Fedora, Slackware, Gentoo, Debian, Arch Linux, RedHat, FreeBSD and others, and "I can clearly say that Mandirva is the" worst of the lot.

Har har har

srikar_gottipati · 05-22-2007, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reverse

I have used Mandriva, SuSE, Ubuntu, Fedora, Slackware, Gentoo, Debian, Arch Linux, RedHat, FreeBSD and others, and "I can clearly say that Mandirva is the" worst of the lot.

Har har har

Well, I know that Ubuntu is worst of the lot. It looks like a stone-age operating system and even Windows 95 can outperform it. Suse 10.2 is OK,but hangs so frequently out of the box. Never knew Mandriva was the worst, thats news for me. Anyways,Mandriva is still the best for newbies. Grab a Live CD of Mandriva Spring

blackspade · 05-22-2007, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AwesomeMachine

I don't understand why our members can't relax a little on this type of post. If you can't defend your choice of Linux distro it's not a very sound choice, at least not yet. Here's a quick review:

Supports most of the latest hardware, and easy to use:

Fedora Core 6, Fedora is a machine hog, but is a Linux standard.

OpenSuSe, but isn't much like Linux. The whole Idea of Linux is if you learn one distro you pretty much know them all. Suse seriously breaks this rule, and departs from practically everything in standard Linux. I learned on SuSE, but it was definitely the slow way to learn Linux.

Mandriva, probably one of the best. It's smaller than some others, but it's got all the good stuff. Most people don't need to work with genetic algorithms, design radio telescope antennas, devise hybrid iterative algorithms in a little known interpreted language, run embedded systems, or any of the thousands of things that are are packaged with the big distros.

Xandros and PCLinuxOS, these are puppy, pay Linux. If you're a real mouse puppy these are what you want. Both are attempts to place an 4 cylinder engine and automatic transmission in a Chevy Corvette. These are also good for people with attention deficit disorder because no thought is required, and there is a lot of entertainment built in. But, they work without much fuss.

Sort of supports the latest hardware:

Redhat, not quite as modern, but pretty close. This is good Linux. If you have the newest notebook computer this is probably not a good choice. Redhat is a rock solid system, but Fedora comes from Redhat and it's free.

Centos, Redhat copy, a little behind Redhat, small, but awesome looks and function. Mostly standard Linux.

Hard to use distros:

Gentoo - This thing is really for the geek who wants total control of something because it gives total control. Has proprietary packaging system, and excellent tools and documentation. Gentoo has a strong following, and it really works well, if you can get it installed. I believe Gentoo uses the pristine kernel sources from kernel.org

Debian, this is what I use because I'm really arrogant. I want three DVD's of packages, all 15,000 plus, because I need a lot of specialized software. This is absolute standard file system hierarchy, and unless you have another machine to go online with, this distro will not work for a newbie distro. It is designed for work. It's lean, mean, and crisp. It's got power to burn. The way I install it it takes up 8 GB of HDD for the / filesystem. I put everything but /home in root. Debian has the largest following of serious Linux users, and has been around longer than most. They probably also have the biggest staff. I used CD 1 of the set, and did a network install on one of the newest notebooks in existence and Debian Etch installed perfectly, without one single error. I had to tweak the system a little, but that is phenomenal. Debian will be the number one distro very shortly because it is standard Linux, with a few tools to make life easier.

Slackware, this is raw Linux, and probably the first distro with any noteriety. Running slack is like building your own car from parts. I kind of get into that, but slack is pretty much different than anything else. It errs on the side of stability, and works well for a server with the 2.4 kernel, which is much more stable than the 2.6 kernel. On a server you don't need a gui, so there isn't much that won't work with the 2.4 kernel.

The rest of the pack:

There are specialized distros for people who either get bored, or want a certain thing. Many of these are live CDs.

Well i first will admit most of this you think isn't true. But anyways ive been through them all and basically suse would be the best choice to learn on, buts its up to you. When peolpe say you will go through different distros they're right.
but suse was pretty fun and it IS linux haha.

tommcd · 05-24-2007, 02:14 AM

There are 2 types of distros imo:
1) beginner friendly:
ubuntu, suse, mandriva, pclinuxos, mepis, et al.
2) hardcore, more difficult to get up and running with:
gentoo, slackware, arch, debian, et al.
Obviously, a beginner would find it easier to start with a distro from category 1.
There are some distros which occupy a comfortable midpoint between the 2 extremes. From my (limited) experience zenwalk is the best example.