Is it really worth it at this point? The distros that I've researched are SuSE, RedHat, and Linspire, but are any of them worth paying for? I want an OS for a new computer that a friend is building for me from scratch and I don't want to pay $200 for WinXP Pro. I want something that is compatible with the main things that I do on a daily basis (Surf the web, IM, write papers, use my camera). I'm not a complete moron, but I'm no where near progammer-smart. I just need something that works well and isn't buggy and outdated like the Win98 that I'm on at the moment. Any suggestions?
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Linux
- Thread starter Dreamfixx
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What about freebsd?
www.freebsd.org
There are no different distributions (just a single centrally controlled product) and installation was easy for me even though I'm inexperienced with unix. There is also ample documentation available on the website.
www.freebsd.org
There are no different distributions (just a single centrally controlled product) and installation was easy for me even though I'm inexperienced with unix. There is also ample documentation available on the website.
D
Deleted member 4784
Unconfirmed Member
Shogmaster
Member
Wake me up when Photoshop and Painter runs on Linux.
Shogmaster
Member
goomba said:
Run Painter? doubtful. links?
http://www.codeweavers.comShogmaster said:
Still, Photoshop and Painter support hasn't stopped you from trolling Mac OS. Also, the poster didn't mention Photoshop nor Painter as being relevant to him.
Shogmaster
Member
cybamerc said:
Wake me up when you can build your own Mac from parts via large OEM competition.
Who cares about him? I'm all about me.
BTW, I went to that site and they only have Painter 8 (not 9) and it's under "untested".
Also if this method saps performance, NO SALE!
wobedraggled
Banned
Anyone recommending freebsd or slack or gentoo to a noob it an idiot, and is just going to irritate the person.
Your better off with something like SUSE or Mandrake which have user friendly setups and setup hardware for you in a much more "windows-esque" way.
You may also consider Fedora, and remember you don't have to pay for linux as long as you don't buy a packaged version, even suse now has a free "user" edition.
Firefox for web
Gimp for photo editing
Openoffice for work related crap.
There are tons of audio/video players, with support for quitcktime/.wmv/ and divx.
Also there is plenty of gaaming and wine(x) will run a good chunk of windows crap if you still feel you need it
Dont think to much about the console, and just use the desktop, learn the stuff under the hood bit by bit, and you'll be fine.
Good luck man...
Your better off with something like SUSE or Mandrake which have user friendly setups and setup hardware for you in a much more "windows-esque" way.
You may also consider Fedora, and remember you don't have to pay for linux as long as you don't buy a packaged version, even suse now has a free "user" edition.
Firefox for web
Gimp for photo editing
Openoffice for work related crap.
There are tons of audio/video players, with support for quitcktime/.wmv/ and divx.
Also there is plenty of gaaming and wine(x) will run a good chunk of windows crap if you still feel you need it
Dont think to much about the console, and just use the desktop, learn the stuff under the hood bit by bit, and you'll be fine.
Good luck man...
We're just making him aware of options he might not have known about.
If he's researched various linux distributions he can research others as well as freebsd and maybe conclude that they're not for him (which is fine).
When I installed freebsd it autodetected all my hardware and I didn't have any problems. In fact, I'd never used a non windows system at the point when I tried it. Up to this point I still haven't used any of the popular linux distributions.
wobedraggled
Banned
Diffense said:
Sorry if I came across harsh, I just see that happening all the time, and it just spooks a potential user away because they are overwhelmed.
bsd is not for the faint of heart, neither is slack or even debian/gentoo or anything that doesn't have a nice pretty installer.
Look, I love Slackware... I've been using it ever since I ditched Red Hat when they went Fedora... but I would never in my right mind recommend it to somebody who just wants an OS with as minimal effort as possible. Gentoo is far worse.
Back on subject, you don't have to pay for any major distro except SuSE. Just download the isos and burn them to cd.
Back on subject, you don't have to pay for any major distro except SuSE. Just download the isos and burn them to cd.
wobedraggled
Banned
I haven't touched bsd in ages, but I have been though various flavors (free/net etc etc)
I'm technical enough so that I can run anything I want I was just stating from a non-technical standpoint.
I presonally prefer gentoo or Debian for the 'hardcore" or SUSE for a nice easy workstation setup.
I'm technical enough so that I can run anything I want I was just stating from a non-technical standpoint.
I presonally prefer gentoo or Debian for the 'hardcore" or SUSE for a nice easy workstation setup.
Download, don't buy (unless you like what you see and want to support the distro). Mandrake has tended to be my favourite desktop Linux, largely because it was the only one that supported my laptop out of the box way back when. Fedora or SUSE would probalby be perfectly respectable choices as well - we use Fedora at work and it seems solid enough.
So basically every program from Windows has an opensource counterpart? What about Quicktime and WMP? So far, I've discovered that:
OpenOffice=Microsoft Office
The GIMP=Adobe Photoshop
Firefox=Firefox (I stopped using IE ages ago, so no change there)
Thunderbird=Outlook Express
Gaim=AIM (I hate having this program, but I everyone else seems to use it with no problems)
Just need to know if I'm missing anything...
OpenOffice=Microsoft Office
The GIMP=Adobe Photoshop
Firefox=Firefox (I stopped using IE ages ago, so no change there)
Thunderbird=Outlook Express
Gaim=AIM (I hate having this program, but I everyone else seems to use it with no problems)
Just need to know if I'm missing anything...
wobedraggled
Banned
Dreamfixx said:
Mplayer will do quicktime and windows media
also there is an aol aim client for linux, or you can "wine" aim or trillian
Dreamfixx said:
I'm not trying to talk you out of Linux, as they are alot of great alternatives out there, but since you're already running Windows 98, you can buy the upgrade Home Edition of Windows XP for about $100 at places like Amazon, and probably cheaper when you shop around. The differences between it and the Pro version are minimal - mainly Pro has domain support, which you're not going to need in a home environment. It'll run all the apps, games, whatever you need in a familiar environment, and frankly it's not bad at that price. If you're looking for free, then absolutely go the Linux route...
D
Deleted member 4784
Unconfirmed Member
I don't see how Slackware could be any more complicated for someone to use than FreeBSD when it comes to compiling stuff.
i'm surprised no one's mentioned redhat yet. this is what i'm thinking:
-hardware compatibility is mucho importante for him because he hasn't specifically spec'd the machine for his distro (so, it should be a linux derivative)
-ease of use and installation is probably pretty important (then, redhat?)
definitely download, don't buy. if you're unhappy with whatever you end up with, grab another one.
knoppix is a great idea for experimentation, but it's not a very good long-term solution.
one last thought: do you know anyone that works for microsoft (maybe this is a stab in the dark - everyone i know works for ms or is going to work for ms, but i realize not everyone is like this)? it seems what you really want is the dumb, broken, but stupid-easy to get going and massively compatible option. copies of XP home are like 20$ or something through the MS store.
-hardware compatibility is mucho importante for him because he hasn't specifically spec'd the machine for his distro (so, it should be a linux derivative)
-ease of use and installation is probably pretty important (then, redhat?)
definitely download, don't buy. if you're unhappy with whatever you end up with, grab another one.
knoppix is a great idea for experimentation, but it's not a very good long-term solution.
one last thought: do you know anyone that works for microsoft (maybe this is a stab in the dark - everyone i know works for ms or is going to work for ms, but i realize not everyone is like this)? it seems what you really want is the dumb, broken, but stupid-easy to get going and massively compatible option. copies of XP home are like 20$ or something through the MS store.
On my old system I had windows 98. There's currently a partition for freebsd and a partition for windows98. This allowed me to experiment as I wanted to on the freebsd partition but use windows for productivity while I was still getting accustomed to the former.
Personally, I found the maze linux distributions confusing when I was looking for an alternative OS. I liked the centralized nature of freebsd with respect to application software and documentation.
Whatever new OS the OP decides on, it's going to be awkward at first.
Personally, I found the maze linux distributions confusing when I was looking for an alternative OS. I liked the centralized nature of freebsd with respect to application software and documentation.
Whatever new OS the OP decides on, it's going to be awkward at first.
D
Deleted member 4784
Unconfirmed Member
Hitokage said:
You're right -- my usual spelling is "shtuffz." :lol
If you're going to be a grammar nazi about it, though: My point was that I fail to see how Slackware is a poor suggestion when somebody has already made the suggestion of FreeBSD, which is pretty much all about compiling every program/application on there. If someone can handle FreeBSD then I don't see why Slackware would give them a headache.
D
Deleted member 4784
Unconfirmed Member
Quoting is fun. =D
EDIT: Program what though? @_x
EDIT: Program what though? @_x
D
Deleted member 4784
Unconfirmed Member
You're not even reading my posts. All I said was that I didn't see how Slackware could be any worse of a recommendation than FreeBSD and we got into a quote war. :lol I figured that Slackware was a better suggestion than FreeBSD, which is why I replied with it in the first place.
Liu Kang Baking A Pie
Member
Since you don't even know enough to know that just about every version of Linux is completely free, I'd say that going Linux is a bad idea.Dreamfixx said:
You have *got* to be kidding. I realize it's totally off topic, but I can't let this pass. I have a hard time believing that you've used both if you really think freebsd is more difficult in *any* way than slackware. 
Anyway, freebsd is really fricking easy. Just because the programs are often (but not always and not at all required) compiled on your local machine doesn't mean you have to put any thought into it. It just means they're compiled locally instead of on a farm.
Which they aren't anyways if you use pkg_add or portupgrade -PP.
If there's something difficult about freebsd, it's that most of it is done on the command line. But imo the port system is one of the most newb friendly ways of installing software of any unixish system. There is something to be said for having a complete dependency tree that automatically just *works* right on your local machine.
Anyway, freebsd is really fricking easy. Just because the programs are often (but not always and not at all required) compiled on your local machine doesn't mean you have to put any thought into it. It just means they're compiled locally instead of on a farm.
Which they aren't anyways if you use pkg_add or portupgrade -PP.
If there's something difficult about freebsd, it's that most of it is done on the command line. But imo the port system is one of the most newb friendly ways of installing software of any unixish system. There is something to be said for having a complete dependency tree that automatically just *works* right on your local machine.
THE EYE said:You have *got* to be kidding. I realize it's totally off topic, but I can't let this pass. I have a hard time believing that you've used both if you really think freebsd is more difficult in *any* way than slackware.
Anyway, freebsd is really fricking easy. Just because the programs are often (but not always and not at all required) compiled on your local machine doesn't mean you have to put any thought into it. It just means they're compiled locally instead of on a farm.
Which they aren't anyways if you use pkg_add or portupgrade -PP.
If there's something difficult about freebsd, it's that most of it is done on the command line. But imo the port system is one of the most newb friendly ways of installing software of any unixish system. There is something to be said for having a complete dependency tree that automatically just *works* right on your local machine.
And what about for those of us whose eyes glazed over attempting to read and understand that?
..and maharg hits the nail on the head. the thread starter wants to be using the most user friendly, braindead OS possible for the least investment. these are both terrible recommendations, and -haha i reversed waychel's and hito's stances. i did think it was weird that hito would be.. well, fuckTHE EYE said:
i still think a cheap copy of windows (2k is a possibility) is his best bet.
in fact, if he didn't already have the machine on order, i would've recommended mac os. well, it's still a workable situation anyways.
sonarrat said:
Ugh. There were several people discussing a side issue here, and I threw my two cents in. If I had intended my response to be readable to everyone in the whole wide world I would have made it much less technical.
It also would have come down to simply: Freebsd should not be dismissed as a newb-friendly system. Software installation is very easy in it. It should not be grouped with Slackware, which is more difficult almost by definition.
This thread is about linux and what distribution a newb who is unfamiliar with it should consider. A side discussion among people who know what they're talking about with regard to which one is best, or whether or not one should be included as a possibility, that has a high technical content is perfectly valid and not worth a seperate thread at all.
Suggesting win2000 is also, imo, a more disingenuous response than even slackware.
THE EYE said:
This "side issue" is still relevant to the original question. I think it's totally unnecessary to fence yourself in like that. That, and you seem to be pushing FreeBSD as something that should be considered for a newbie. Well, no command-line Linux can really be newbie friendly, I don't think. There's a certain amount of l33t-dom that you have to have before you can even think about fooling with a command-line system that requires more than putting a CD-ROM in a drive and clicking through a wizard.
Unless, of course, you buy a CD with documentation, or can download it, and have the time to read the documentation thoroughly (most don't).
alejob said:
That (from my experience) is the exception, rather than the rule (unless you count non-accelerated 2d graphics and simple web connection "working"). I'm sorry, but with a $200 graphics card and nice sound system, I'd like to be able to take advantage of it from the get go.*
*note - this was with fedora core 1. I've never touched linux since my experience with it.
Edit: And from a corporate perspective, Thunderbird is not a substitute for Outlook. It lacks many features that are absolutely vital in the corporate world. For simple home-based e-mailing, it's fine (which is something people shouldn't be using outlook for anyway).
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