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Changing to Linux, what distrib. to use?
- Thread starter Drek
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Teknopathetic
Member
KDE. Gnome Sucks.
Gnome. KDE sucks.
Personally, I don't know what Distro you should use. My favorites are Gentoo and Debian, because you can choose what you install and you have these things, like, you can issue a command so this stuff happens and the computer automatically fetches some source or binary files to install a certain program.
For example, in Debian, you open a terminal and enter:
This would install a very nice Winamp-clone (even better than XMMS). It fetches the files from a server and installs them really fast on your system. With Gentoo, it's kinda the same, but instead of binary stuff (precompiled stuff you just put on your system, just like in Windows), it fetches source and compiles it and optimizes it for your system. Basically, in Gentoo, you build your entire system from source very easily. Thus, everything on your system is optimized and, theoretically, blazin' fast. But compiling from source takes time. So, everything you install, basically takes a long time unless you're on a fast system.
I used Gentoo for months but I realized that this whole optimization stuff is really not that much, so I went for Debian eventually. Installing stuff on Debian is really fast. On Gentoo, it was like "fetching file... compiling.. zzzzzzzz... take minutes!" but on Debian it's more like "fetching file... SLAM!!!!!!". It slaps all that stuff right on your system, just like in Windows.
If you don't mind this cool stuff, than you should go for Fedora or something. It's basically like RedHat. No idea how they install programs though. You probably have to go manually to a website to get an .RPM file, and then you have to install it. And then you would have to worry about dependancies but maybe they fixed that or something.
Just make sure you go for GNU Object Model Environment a.k.a. GNOME, unless your system is kinda slow.
Personally, I don't know what Distro you should use. My favorites are Gentoo and Debian, because you can choose what you install and you have these things, like, you can issue a command so this stuff happens and the computer automatically fetches some source or binary files to install a certain program.
For example, in Debian, you open a terminal and enter:
Code:
apt-get install beep-media-playerThis would install a very nice Winamp-clone (even better than XMMS). It fetches the files from a server and installs them really fast on your system. With Gentoo, it's kinda the same, but instead of binary stuff (precompiled stuff you just put on your system, just like in Windows), it fetches source and compiles it and optimizes it for your system. Basically, in Gentoo, you build your entire system from source very easily. Thus, everything on your system is optimized and, theoretically, blazin' fast. But compiling from source takes time. So, everything you install, basically takes a long time unless you're on a fast system.
I used Gentoo for months but I realized that this whole optimization stuff is really not that much, so I went for Debian eventually. Installing stuff on Debian is really fast. On Gentoo, it was like "fetching file... compiling.. zzzzzzzz... take minutes!" but on Debian it's more like "fetching file... SLAM!!!!!!". It slaps all that stuff right on your system, just like in Windows.
If you don't mind this cool stuff, than you should go for Fedora or something. It's basically like RedHat. No idea how they install programs though. You probably have to go manually to a website to get an .RPM file, and then you have to install it. And then you would have to worry about dependancies but maybe they fixed that or something.
Just make sure you go for GNU Object Model Environment a.k.a. GNOME, unless your system is kinda slow.
Ruzbeh said:
No. Not with Mandrake, anyway, and I don't see why any other RPM-based distribution would be any better. You use a neat little GUI tool to find the RPM you want to install, tell it to install it, and it fetches it (with any dependencies) and installs.
I'm sticking with Gentoo these days, though.
Fragamemnon
Member
Ubuntu or Mandrake.
Ugh ... Mandriva ... what were they thinking. I imagine the transvestite population of Linux users is pretty low, but do we need an entire dist. to attract them?
Anyway, I run Debian at home and apt-get's a dream. I've also heard good things about Ubuntu, especially in terms of user friendliness/bleeding edge software. Also, you shouldn't care about how easy an installation is. Getting any Linux distribution installed these days is incredibly easy. Getting it configured (X and sound cards seem to be the biggest hassle) is usually the hardest thing once your system is up and running.
As for Gnome vs. KDE ... I run KDE. Used to run Gnome, but now it just feels very bloated on my old PIII 600, while KDE 3.4 (?) runs quite nicely.
Nothing I've said is canon ... there's no real harm in just trying something (same goes for KDE vs. Gnome).
Anyway, I run Debian at home and apt-get's a dream. I've also heard good things about Ubuntu, especially in terms of user friendliness/bleeding edge software. Also, you shouldn't care about how easy an installation is. Getting any Linux distribution installed these days is incredibly easy. Getting it configured (X and sound cards seem to be the biggest hassle) is usually the hardest thing once your system is up and running.
As for Gnome vs. KDE ... I run KDE. Used to run Gnome, but now it just feels very bloated on my old PIII 600, while KDE 3.4 (?) runs quite nicely.
Nothing I've said is canon ... there's no real harm in just trying something (same goes for KDE vs. Gnome).
I've had SuSE 9.0 on my main PC for awhile P4, 512M ram, acutally been quite pain free. I also used to play around with an old version of Mandrade and old versions of Red Hat on some really old Pentium machines to try to get an idea of Linux was about. Compared to those, SuSE is very easy for somebody coming from the Windows world to pick up.
I just got a old Dell box from where I work, PIII 867, 128mb Ram. I tried to put Fedora on it, (all I could get my hands on was Core 1, no burner right now), didn't like it all. Went with a FTP install of SuSE 9.2, which went well, but I've been getting some strange crashes, and having some problems with internet connections with anything other than the KDE browser. I did add 128megs of memory, I thought maybe the memory was bad, I've tested it, it came out clean, so I don't know where to look next.
I just got a old Dell box from where I work, PIII 867, 128mb Ram. I tried to put Fedora on it, (all I could get my hands on was Core 1, no burner right now), didn't like it all. Went with a FTP install of SuSE 9.2, which went well, but I've been getting some strange crashes, and having some problems with internet connections with anything other than the KDE browser. I did add 128megs of memory, I thought maybe the memory was bad, I've tested it, it came out clean, so I don't know where to look next.
Frankly, Red Hat always sucked in every way aside from the fact that they put more money into development. Didn't stop other distros from basically taking all that effort and putting the good stuff in theirs. RPMs are the worst invention to plague an operating system, and the amount of effort other distros put in to hide their ugliness is testement to it.
I prefer gentoo, since it doesn't suffer from the Red Hat baggage most do and acts the most like FreeBSD. The focus on optimization as the primary benefit of a ports system is a pain in the ass though. The fact is, the primary benefit is ease of use (dependency tree is planned and organized instead of adhoc) and customization. FreeBSD offers binary packages for when that's not necessary (useful for large packages) but gentoo does not in any organized fashion, which is a pain.
If gentoo had an organized binary package system, I'd even recommend it to newbs. But since it doesn't, one of the more newb friendly distros is probably better. Mandrake and Suse seem to get most of the praise these days. Oh yeah and debian. I've never used any of them, so I can't comment.
I prefer gentoo, since it doesn't suffer from the Red Hat baggage most do and acts the most like FreeBSD. The focus on optimization as the primary benefit of a ports system is a pain in the ass though. The fact is, the primary benefit is ease of use (dependency tree is planned and organized instead of adhoc) and customization. FreeBSD offers binary packages for when that's not necessary (useful for large packages) but gentoo does not in any organized fashion, which is a pain.
If gentoo had an organized binary package system, I'd even recommend it to newbs. But since it doesn't, one of the more newb friendly distros is probably better. Mandrake and Suse seem to get most of the praise these days. Oh yeah and debian. I've never used any of them, so I can't comment.
I find OpenGL performs better in Gnome so I use that, despite liking KDE better
I recommend either Mandrake, Fedora (Red Hat), or Debian Linux...Mandrake and Fedora are good intros to Linux but I personally don't like them
Debian Linux is what I use and what I would recommend the most, though admittedly I ain't an expert on Linux
Here is the Debian installation I use:
http://www.debian.org/CD/netinst/
This installation uses 1 CD and downloads all the other files off of the internet...this particular installation is pretty confusing if you are migrating to Linux without prior experience (it also gives you a LOT of control over what you install...you should prolly stick to the following Debian install if you are interested: >> THIS <<
Use gentoo only if you really wanna learn Linux in one of it's most complicated forms...beast to get set up but really enjoyable when you get everything working just right (so I've heard...haven't messed with it personally)
I recommend either Mandrake, Fedora (Red Hat), or Debian Linux...Mandrake and Fedora are good intros to Linux but I personally don't like them
Debian Linux is what I use and what I would recommend the most, though admittedly I ain't an expert on Linux
Here is the Debian installation I use:
http://www.debian.org/CD/netinst/
This installation uses 1 CD and downloads all the other files off of the internet...this particular installation is pretty confusing if you are migrating to Linux without prior experience (it also gives you a LOT of control over what you install...you should prolly stick to the following Debian install if you are interested: >> THIS <<
Use gentoo only if you really wanna learn Linux in one of it's most complicated forms...beast to get set up but really enjoyable when you get everything working just right (so I've heard...haven't messed with it personally)
Teknopathetic
Member
I could *not* get debian to like my 9800 Pro at all.
I was under the impression that 'Radeon 9[X]00's weren't too Linux friendly in the first place...either way it works on mine =\ (well...in the case of my Radeon 9800 Pro, I've used a varient of Debian...my Debian PC has shitty integrated Intel Xtreme 2 graphics or something ¬_¬)Teknopathetic said:
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