Trying Linux...again...

[Urbz]

alrighty, here's the scoop.

 

I have tried a few versions of linux, and hated them all. Mandrake, redhat, ubuntu, knoppix, the works.

It really left me with an unpleasant taste in my mouth because they all seemed really amateurish as far as look and ease of use...and this was when i used windows before i was an OS X user.

 

I'm looking to try it once again (because I have no life whatsoever!).

You never know when you will like something and fall in love. Plus I want to understand how linux works...compiling programs, checking out drivers, just like what i did with OS X and became a permanent user of it!

 

So i would like suggestions on which distro to try. I last tried a live ubuntu cd like last summer, but i hear tha it is a really good distro...

 

I am looking for a professional looking Linux which will work nicely on my computer (a laptop with an intel chipset and wifi and pentium m 1.73ghz... but i mean more along the lines of performance and overall speed/feel). It doesn't need to come with too many programs, i will build my app list as i use it more and more, so he concern is just an OS that looks good, is speedy, eficient to use no matter what i decide to use it for, and has the whole package...sorta a mainstream-ready linux.

 

Thanks,

 

Urby

 

PS also give suggestions on which desktop thingy to use: KDE, Gnome, etc. Thanks!

[domino]

If you think anything has changed the past 4 months, then you are mistaken. Images, fonts, basically the things you saw last time i still used. The only new thing in development is xgl/compiz. Again, it's not guarrantee that you will not break you install playing with it.

 

The "what's the best for you" question can be found on previouse threads.

[alicheusz]

I think that there is no good option for you. Linux is mostly base on some hobbyist work. There is no way that he will be as good as some commercial os because there is no one so deeply involved in developing it, there is two diverent thing. Developing for many and developing in free time. (developers don't spent as much time as it would be doing this same thing in job) Most of Linux is this second.

There ale two distro that I can recommend you if you wont try anyway but don't think that you find they as integrated and polished as OS X, but they give you more flexibility instead

 

Ubuntu

SUSE

 

These two distribution has some big company involved in his developing. Suse is more innovative there is Novel involved in his development, and most interesting projects for Linux come from NOVEL also, these are things like XGL, Mono

 

Ubuntu make Linux more polished, ready out of the box, this distro take best Novel work and adopt it in his distribution and much more of course. My personal choice is Suse but Ubuntu have some advantages over it,

 

- in ubuntu you can use everything that is on SUSE,

- is much simpler to try new thing on ubuntu because there is very big community, there is awesome ubuntu forum that cover everything that you would try on Linux. For Suse I don't find such as place(I use ubuntu forum if I want to try something and try to adopt solution on SUSE SLED)

- every new program make package for ubuntu and sometimes for SUSE (democracy player is one of them)

there is much more packages for Ubuntu

everyone speak about it, try search on Digg there should be some special section for Ubuntu

- Ubuntu use gnome 2.14 and SUSE 2.12

- Automatix

- ubuntu grow very fast http://www.google.com/trends?q=SUSE%2C+Ubu...ll&date=all

 

Then why I use SUSE SLED instead Ubuntu Daper. I just find it more polished, they fit more my needs. SUSE have awesome Yast configuration program You don't need to use terminal to configure and setup you computer. I think that I need much less time to setup everything, and this is less paint full.

[bwhsh8r]

Try PC-BSD, I have tried out alot of forms of linux, and they just did not do it for me, but pc-bsd is secure, powerful, and has great performance on even the crapiest of hardware. I have installed it on my hdd because i liked it so much. I could go on about how much better it is than linux and all... but i digress.

 

 

 

max

[RobNyc]

Just use Ubuntu.

[BRP]

Ubuntu. It's nice, it's "fast enough", the setup is easy enough, it's okay as far as I'm concerned (and I've only ever seen other people use it!)

 

I use Gentoo, but I don't recommend it as you seem to want to have stuff up and running in a few minutes as opposed to a few hours + tinkering.

 

I recommend KDE (and therefore Kubuntu).

 

Of course, the laziest way I've ever installed Linux was to use KNOPPIX and the command knx2hd. Bam, a working Debian system with 70-99% of what people want to have in a system, all in a matter of minutes and only a little bit of unavoidable partitioning setup.

[tha_toadman]

Kubuntu is slick and simple. Basically just Ubuntu with a KDE interface instead of that nasty GNOME interface (in my opinion).

 

I've been using it at work for about 3 months now and it does everything that i need it to. www.kubuntu.org -- check it out.

[Urbz]

alright i'm gonna try a few things, thanks a lot for all the responses!

The first thing i'll try is ubuntu... it has a pretty big...um...following, so it should be fairly simple to obtain things for, etc.

Then i'll probably try pc bsd just because i've never worked in a true bsd operating system before, and also it uses something that looks a lot like kde (or is it flat-out kde?) and i'd like to decide which i like more: gnome or kde.

 

i'll download ubuntu now and install it soon.

By the way, do i still have to create a whole bunch of stupid partitions just for linux? i remember like a swap file partition and like 2 other ones...i HATED doing that so much...i could never understand why bother with all the trouble.

[bwhsh8r]

alright i'm gonna try a few things, thanks a lot for all the responses!

The first thing i'll try is ubuntu... it has a pretty big...um...following, so it should be fairly simple to obtain things for, etc.

Then i'll probably try pc bsd just because i've never worked in a true bsd operating system before, and also it uses something that looks a lot like kde (or is it flat-out kde?) and i'd like to decide which i like more: gnome or kde.

 

i'll download ubuntu now and install it soon.

By the way, do i still have to create a whole bunch of stupid partitions just for linux? i remember like a swap file partition and like 2 other ones...i HATED doing that so much...i could never understand why bother with all the trouble.

 

 

PC-BSD runs plain vanilla KDE desktop enviroment, although you can also install gnome on your own if you decide to... Linux requires 2-3 partitions (i forget) pc bsd only requires one because it puts the bootloader and everything in "sub partitions" that you do not have to alter and will never notice, so it is just one partition... oh, and pc-bsd is like a n00b bsd, because they have packet management (although you can use the freebsd ports system too) witch is good to learn it... freebsd comes with no gui and a text based installer, if you prefer that.

 

 

max

[johnniecarcinogen]

You really just need a root (/) partition and a 1gig swap.

[domino]

If you go ubuntu, download the "Text Installer" CD. It allows you to install GRUB on any partition you like. It's easier to maintain if you don't like it over-writing your windows or mac boot loader.

[Urbz]

Question: Will pcbsd be able to run all linux programs?

And what is compatibility like between desktop environments?

[bwhsh8r]

Question: Will pcbsd be able to run all linux programs?

And what is compatibility like between desktop environments?

 

 

Yea, its got a good linux compatability layer from what ive heard, allmost all of the programs have ether been ported in the freebsd ports system (over 10,000 pieces of software) and there are alot of options with pc-bsd's pbi system too, i got one of everything that i needed through pbi... but it does have a linux compatability layer, plux all the ports and pbis, but id assume that the ports and the pbis would run better...

 

What do you mean compatability between desktop enviroments? it comes with KDE, and you can install Gnome if you want too, and at least the KDE runs just fine, no performance penalty, im not sure about Gnome beause i prefer KDE so I stuck with it after trying both on SuSe 10.1. Im sure taht there is a guide on how to do it...

 

 

here is a good web site : http://forums.pcbsd.org/index.php

 

max

 

Edit: I just looked it up, all the pbis are compiled for KDE so i doubt youd be wanting to run Gnome... unless you want to use the ports system where you have to manually resolve all the dependancies...

[Elv13]

gentoo is the hardest linux, if you take a command line install (highly recomanded by me) and built everything from scratch (stage 2) (and manual kernel compiling) you will learn ALOT about of how linux work. But dont worry, like other distro gentoo have a good package manager with the best software base of all distro without any change. Of cources there is not "base" setup, you built everything and choose all package by yourself (dont worry about dependency, its automatic)

 

It is also the fastest if you know what you are doing (not the first install, but the second, when you know what you want and how to optimise). For learning driver and the base of linux and command line, gentoo is the best.

[johnniecarcinogen]

Question: Will pcbsd be able to run all linux programs?

And what is compatibility like between desktop environments?

No it won't run all linux programs and there are alot more drivers for linux including 3d acceleration.

 

EDIT: I was wrong about mono.

[bwhsh8r]

No it won't run all linux programs nor newer languages like mono, the apps writen in mono, and there are alot more drivers for linux including 3d acceleration, not to mention linux offers XGL if you have the 3d acceleration.

 

But yes, I like PC-BSD too. Linux is just evolving faster.

 

 

there are debates about that, but i think that is because most ccomputer literate people have heard of linux, but at least for me, i had never heard of BSD, and all the bsd's except PC and Desktop are all text only untill you put on your own gui, witch i do not like, theyre security is unmatched tho, and code purity is good, but its what you like.... i like both but prefer BSD... and I dont care that i dont have the 3d acceleration, because i have full transparency on all my windows and menus, with out adding anything, and i use xp for gaming (since all games are developed for windows, im sorry, but there are no benifits of running games on open source oss)

 

oh, and ati even on linux sucks.... because the drivers suck... you can run them in the compatability layer with no performance drop, but they are bad.... i am an ati fan, but if you want open source os as the only ones, go with nvidia at this point... the merger with amd might or might not fix this... who knows?

 

 

max

[johnniecarcinogen]

there are debates about that, but i think that is because most ccomputer literate people have heard of linux, but at least for me, i had never heard of BSD, and all the bsd's except PC and Desktop are all text only untill you put on your own gui, witch i do not like, theyre security is unmatched tho, and code purity is good, but its what you like.... i like both but prefer BSD... and I dont care that i dont have the 3d acceleration, because i have full transparency on all my windows and menus, with out adding anything, and i use xp for gaming (since all games are developed for windows, im sorry, but there are no benifits of running games on open source oss)

 

oh, and ati even on linux sucks.... because the drivers suck... you can run them in the compatability layer with no performance drop, but they are bad.... i am an ati fan, but if you want open source os as the only ones, go with nvidia at this point... the merger with amd might or might not fix this... who knows?

 

 

max

I'm an ATI guy too. While this has long been the case, in 2005 Linux support greatly improved. BTW a new fglrx was released friday. (8/27)

[domino]

I'm an ATI guy too. While this has long been the case, in 2005 Linux support greatly improved. BTW a new fglrx was released friday. (8/27)

still no direct rendering under XGL server. This one is mostly for X1xxx cards.

[bwhsh8r]

I'm an ATI guy too. While this has long been the case, in 2005 Linux support greatly improved. BTW a new fglrx was released friday. (8/27)

 

 

 

thanks for the hint.... i just use the vesa drivers because there is nothing that i need the 3d for and im waiting for the ati drivers to get somewhere close to the nvidia ones in quality.

 

 

 

 

max

[ampTK]

If you have patience, and don't care to read, I recommend gentoo, It's a pain to install, but the install instructions are good, and the community support is great. Also the new live CD makes installing gentoo relatively easy.

 

And installing software is as easy as it gets, something that n00bs are often terrified of.

[lord_muad_dib]

If you have patience, and don't care to read, I recommend gentoo, It's a pain to install, but the install instructions are good, and the community support is great. Also the new live CD makes installing gentoo relatively easy.

 

And installing software is as easy as it gets, something that n00bs are often terrified of.

agreed totally. once you get "used" with USE flags you just have to wait for compile time

 

most of times with stable packages you will never have compiling problems

 

and if you get some... just surf gentoo forums and you'll solve'em asap.

 

don't you wanna compile? use precompiled package!

 

if you wanna learn linux behaviours gentoo is the right choice

[domino]

The problem is, some people try and learn to use too many nix systems and they confuse themselves down the road. They spread themselves too thin and instead of concentrating on one particular distro, they try 2 or 3 in a month. Learning that way isn't gonna happen. I know enough to get by with redhat and Debian. I know a 3rd nix system would make my head explode and everything i learned from RH and Debi is lost.

[bwhsh8r]

Howd the ubuntu install go? and when are you going to install pc -bsd? thanks

 

let us know how it goes

 

max

[DarkCarnival]

alrighty, here's the scoop.

 

I have tried a few versions of linux, and hated them all. Mandrake, redhat, ubuntu, knoppix, the works.

It really left me with an unpleasant taste in my mouth because they all seemed really amateurish as far as look and ease of use...and this was when i used windows before i was an OS X user.

 

I'm looking to try it once again (because I have no life whatsoever!).

You never know when you will like something and fall in love.

 

Funny.. I have the exact same situation, with OSX that is. Every now and then, I get the urge to retry it, telling myself that it couldn't possibly be as bad an experience as last time, but it is (tried 10.4.3 and 10.4.6).

Chances are mate, that if you didn't like it the first time around, you probably won't like it the second time either.

 

Plus I want to understand how linux works...compiling programs, checking out drivers, just like what i did with OS X and became a permanent user of it!

Sorry to disappoint you, but unless you've been using xcode to compile a crapload of opensource apps that you wanted on OSX but couldn't have straight away, then you haven't been compiling apps per se. All I see when I look at the update threads and ATI driver threads is moving a couple of files around and rebooting, heh.

 

I am looking for a professional looking Linux which will work nicely on my computer (a laptop with an intel chipset and wifi and pentium m 1.73ghz... but i mean more along the lines of performance and overall speed/feel).

Most distributions are far more speedy than OSX ever will be on regular pc hardware. It's got something to do with the terrible inefficiency of the OSX kernel (and the crippled *nix behind it all). Safe to say, Apple should never ever try to write a kernel as they do a bad job.

If your Linux feels slow on the booting, it's probably because most distributions are jampacked with already installed servers. Try disabling a few after install (especially fedora core and the likes have a lot of servers set to start up with the machine)

 

PS also give suggestions on which desktop thingy to use: KDE, Gnome, etc. Thanks!

People will tell you one or the other. It's a matter of personal preference really. There's KDE and Gnome as the two big choices. XFCE and Fluxbox are speedier choices (though not recommended as initial choices!).

You can check out http://gnome-look.org and http://kde-look.org to look at some themes if that plays a role in your decision.

 

Have fun

[hujan]

I use FreeBSD and it seems to be the best server that I have down here. The server has up almost 2 years now fully operate 24x7 without shutting down or restart!

 

but if u wish to use it for personal home use, trust me, it will make u insane...waste