Which version of Linux to use

[gore]

Which version of Linux?


This is a text written in Vi, by gore, because I'm tired of seeing this question everywhere. Almost every message board I go to has at least 100 questions asking "Which version of Linux should I get?"

This should help clear up a few things since no one ever listens when we say "It depends on what you would like to do with it". So I am going to go over a few versions of Linux, name some strong points, and try and give some opinion on what they tend to do well.

Linux itself is nothing but the kernel. That's why people put "Distros" of Linux together. They take the kernel, sometimes customize it, and then load it with software they think people would like.

Some software almost always comes with Linux; Vi, Emacs, Links, and Bash. All of these are included in almost every distro of Linux I've ever used.




Now to start with the distros:



I'm going to start with what I know best:


SuSE Linux:
=========================================



SuSE Linux is in my opinion the best of the best. It comes with more programs than any Linux distro in the world, even Debian. It's easy to install, partitions Windows for you, and you also get a fat list of software.

SUSE has become "OpenSUSE" and is now a community project. Novell bought SUSE and has been doing a lot of work to make it the best out there. You can still buy SUSE if you want support for the non business related versions, and you can also buy corporate and business aimed versinos from http://www.novell.com/linux

Buying SUSE, you still get huge and nicely done manuals and instructions, but I haven't seen the stickers for a while. The number of CDs isn't AS big but is still pretty large. You can also download DVDs now if you want all the stuff it used to come with, which I recommend. However if you don't have a DVD burner, and or you just don't want to download that, you can get the LiveCD, install it, and set up a NEW option in YAST to download free packages from the net that you do want.

Basically you'll install whatever you want, and then when you get to the finished desktop being done, you can add sources to YAST2 to look for software and download stuff that wasn't on the install media.

SuSE installs fairly quickly, and also comes with YAST2 as it's confuguration tool. YAST2 does everything from install, remove, and update software, to setting up security, and setting up the SuSE2Firewall.

SuSE Linux comes with a gigantic amount of software. There is almost nothing you need to download. It comes with about 8 web browsers, 30 editors and document editors, instant messaging tools, about 12 Window Managers, MP3 tools, you get the idea.

SuSE is great for everything unless you work for Microsoft and are trying to make people think Linux has no software or nice looking interfaces. SuSE can be used as a server, a workstation, music creation desktop, MP3 server, imaging station, graphic designing, web design, programmer workstation, anything really.

SuSE doesn't really have any bad points, it has great hardware detection and support, and it comes with so many packages it's hard to really find a problem. Just make sure you do a custom install. You should do it when you have free time too. Going through 5,000 software packages can be time consuming.

It can take a bit to learn how SuSE does things, but if you are like me and can read a manual you'll be fine.

All around, SuSE can be used for anything.

Another thing, don't let anyone tell you another version of Linux is "more reliable" than SuSE, or more secure. SuSE has more security tools than any distro I've ever seen. There are about 200 tools just for security.


I don't want this to turn into a big SuSE ad, but it is my favorite distro. It comes with a lot, has a lot to offer, and is cheaper than Red Hat Linux.

Right now I would like to remind everyone that most of this is just an opinion. I'm just trying to give an opinion on which version of Linux can be used for what. Any distro can be used for just about anything you'd like, but some are geared more towards a specific topic. Like trusted and server Linux Operating Systems.

These obviously have been tweaked for use in a server, or secure environment. Any other version of Linux can do this too, but these usually have a modified kernel to match what was asked of the operating system.



Red Hat Linux:

==========================================

Red Hat Linux is by far the most popular distribution in the US. Anyone can walk into Best Buy, or even sometimes super markets, and see Red Hat Linux on the shelf in the software section. I've seen Linux even at Target. Which is like a big K mart store.

Red Hat Linux has done some good for Linux in the form of the "RPM", or "Red Hat Package Manager". Which makes installing software a lot easier. But before Red Hat takes a bunch of credit for this, remember that Debian has a package installation utility too.

Red Hat has the RPM which is nice, and also nice because you can use it with Mandrake, SuSE, and a few other distros. SuSe of course can use RPMs, and .deb packages also. .deb packages will be discussed later, as they deal with Debian.

Red Hat was one of the first Linux companies to make a Linux distro aimed at being easy to use, which is probably how a lot of people used Red Hat as the first Linux distro they ever tried.

This is also probably why Red Hat is so popular; A sort of brand loyalty was formed when they booted up for the first time.

Red Hat comes with a decent mixture of programs to use, and also has a firewall on the installation CDs. Personally I don't like how much they charged for the distribution, and now they have dumped the home users completely for more money making corporate users.

Another annoying thing about Red Hat is the annoying RHN, or Red Hat Network account you have to have to update anything. If you think that scheisse paper clip from Microsoft Office is annoying, just try red Hat Network out, you'll almost apologize to the paper clip.

This may sound biased against Red Hat, and it's true, it is, but with good reason. Red Hat had the ability to give support for users who were new to Linux, and they did for a while, but now they have completely dumped all of them.

They have however stolen the name Fedora so they could have a freely download able distro of Linux. Fedora is the exact same as Red Hat, except the annoying Red Hat Network account is no longer needed, Thank God.


Charging a bundle for their Distro, and stealing ideas like Fedora, is what made me refer to Red Hat as "Red Hat XP". It's the only other Operating System on the shelves that has a 200 dollar price tag.

Red Hat also has no MP3 abilities. You have to actually download it. I still am not sure why this is the most popular distro. It is still Linux though.....Under all that "Red Hat tape", Pun intended... So it can be used as a server or workstation, or desktop machine.





Slackware Linux:

====================================

Slackware Linux is what most people go to after using Linux for a while. I'm not sure why, but who cares really? Slackware has a horrible reputation for being hard to install. I completely disagree with this as I have yet to read a manual, and I have made a tutorial on installing it step by step.

The installation is text based and slightly resembles the Free BSD installation. The Slackware distro is completely free, and is a very good distro.

It can take some getting used to, but it is an amazing Linux to use. It can be used as a server, workstation, desktop, or whatever you can think of. It doesn't rely a lot on GUI based tasks but this of course can be configured.

Also, the OS needs to be updated manually. I guess Slackware is a pun, as you can't Slack using Slack. Slackware does not come with as many programs as some distros, but it comes with enough. You can download and install whatever you want really. It's an all around good distro of Linux.

Some updates have happened with Slackware too; When you install now it makes a boot USB instead of a floppy... Probably because most laptops and desktops don't even have a floppy anymore now.

Also you can use swaret and a list of other tools for Slackware to do the updates and things for you if you need your hand held.






Mandrake Linux, now Mandriva:
=============================================



Mandrake Linux is a very good distro. It's easy to use for beginning users of Linux, and comes with a fair share of software too. It comes with a nice firewall, a nice GUI, and can be used as either a server, workstation, desktop, or a box you want to learn Linux on. It comes with a good assortment of media applications, so using it to listen to music and make digital images in GIMP are good ideas.

Mandrake has been around a while now, and although it is Red Hat compatible, you can rest assured the Red Hat price, and RHN account are no where near this Distro. Very good.

Mandriva / Mandrake have also made improvements as well; You can buy a USB version of it that runs off a USB device too, which is kind of cool, and they have done the same thing a lot of Linux companies are doing:

Make a community version, and a paid version. This doesn't mean much other than you can get either one and they'll do very similar things. The paid version I DO recommend if you're new to Linux, because you'll get better support than if you try using Linux forums where people will just tell you to read manuals. This is also changing though as people are starting to be a little more helpful than before.





Debian Linux:

====================================

Debian Linux is one of the most amazing distros in the world. The install is text based but it is great. The .deb package management works very well, and updating, installing, removing, and upgrading are simple. Debian is very elegant. It works very well at almost anything you want it to do.

It can be a server, a workstation, desktop, development box, anything. It also comes with an amazing amount of software. If you want to do it, Debian can probably help you get it done. Don't let the installation scare you. It's mostly pressing Enter.





Gentoo Linux:

=============================


Gentoo Linux is what happens when you mix BSD and Linux. It can be very good, but if you're completely new to Linux, and not feeling like walking on the hard core side; Leave it alone. The install is not as bad as people say it is if you get the stage 3 install.

This however is a nice distro...or at least it is IF you want complete and utter control over everything:

You can load the system from scratch. Which isn't fun unless you enjoy it.

You can set this up completely by hand, which some people like....But for some reason I really don't see how sitting around installing for 3 days is helpful. I don't need to set up my boxes like this, so I don't.

However for those of you that have tried it, you can see it is reliable.... Just like BSD and Linux are already. This is more or less if you want to try Linux and BSD at the same time. The "ports collection" and "update world" are stolen from Free BSD.

The initial boot screen you see was taken from SuSE. Gentoo Linux is like a big mixture of every Linux and BSD OS in the world. It's got a Linux kernel, Linux commands, BSD based commands, and generally is used by power users and elitists that think bragging rights mean something.

I personally don't like it. I know this may shock some of the readers, but I don't. If I wanted to use BSD I would install BSD. If I wanted to build the system from scratch....You know..

If you really want to do everything by hand, then this is very much so something you should try, but, if you don't have the 3 days or so of your life that you will never get back, and don't really have time to do something like this, and don't give a rat's furry ass about bragging rights, then maybe it is not a distribution for you.

OK, so I was somewhat serious. It is a good distro, but personally, I think Debian is way more powerful. apt-get install, apt-get upgrade, apt-get update... And so on... Give you just as much power I think. And besides, Debian has a cooler install screen! I mean, who doesn't like that pic of Tux holding a beer mug?!?!?

In all fairness, Gentoo works very well at a lot of tasks. If you decide to use this, talk to Shrekkie / Raiden, and get on his good side. He is to Gentoo, what I am to SuSE: An elitist.

Personally, Gentoo is a lot like Debian and Slackware Linux. They are completely easy to get freely, and built to be more reliable than pretty.





Turbo Linux:

=========================


Turbo Linux is a nice distro. It is more popular in Asian countries, and has very good support for people who speak those languages. Turbo Linux is nice, and has an easy install. It is aimed more at business users than desktop or server use, but any Linux distribution can do either.

I have not had a lot of time to toy with this one, but it seemed very nice. It could use more applications, but it is still nice. If you work in a company, and you need to upgrade the desktops and workstations with a new OS, you may want to have this on your list of "try outs".






ASP Linux:

===========================


ASP Linux is another I have not had time to toy with much. On the bright side, I have yet to read an installation guide, and I installed it easy....Then again I did the same with Debian, Slackware, Free BSD, and most others.

The install has an XP style theme to it, which looks nice, and also is fairly efficient at finding hardware and so on. The install went fine.

If you're bored and want to play with a spare box, I would recommend this to anyone.

-----------------------------------------

A lot of new updates in the Linux world have happened since I first made this post. For one thing, LiveCDs seem to be all the rage now, and a lot of distros are just LiveCDs to show your friends how leet you are =) lol.

I've updated most of the points in here with newer info now, and if you are in fact new to Linux, or you haven't tried it but want to do so, and aren't sure what to use, feel free to reply to this thread with some distros you want to know about. If I can, I'll answer questions about them, and if I've used them, I'll add them to this post so you can get a better grasp of it.

A lot of members here use Linux so finding help shouldn't be a problem. Just remember that some people DO get a little pissy about someone asking a question you can find an answer to simply by googling for it.

So for you who are new to the world of UNIX in general, try these:

http://www.google.com/linux

This is a way to search google for Linux related materials to help you out in your search for whatever you're looking for.

http://www.google.com/bsd

This one is the same but for BSD related searches.

Most of the problems people might have are generally well known with very easy fixes, so you shouldn't have to worry much.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, this is about it for the time being... I think this is long enough for now. I did not get to add Ice Pack Linux because I hardly used it, and didn't want to give an opinion on something I hardly worked with. I also left out Open Linux.

I left a few out actually... Mainly because I had no time to actually test them.

So to everyone reading this:

If you have used Linux before, and actually used it, not just installed it and don't know about it, but actually have used it, and would like to give a review on it, feel free to add to this list. The more that gets put here, the less likely we have to look at ANOTHER damned "Which Linux" thread on the front page.

So, write a review and post it!

[Und3ertak3r]

Finaly an excuse to Nail Gore to the Board...

[the_JinX]

Good work Gore !

I've bookmarked this to give to people asking that same damn question..


and as for slackware.. there is something else very good about it..

the fact that you don't have to be a subgenius (http://www.subgenius.com/) like me to use it ;)

[gore]

LOL, ok, everyone add The_Jinx to your list of Slackware people. Reading my tutorial is recommended if you are a complete newbie to Linux but want to start Slackware off. Also thanks to who ever moved this. Almost forgot about this forum. It was good to have it on the frnot page though for a few.

Now, maybe this can become sticky if more people add to it. So come on guys, add some more to this! Personal experiance, links, opinions, anything.

Heh, what do you meen by nail me to the board man? ;)

[MemorY]

Sticky! Sticky! Stickyyyyy.:)

[cgkanchi]

/me adds myself to the list of slackware people. I normally use Slackware, but since I got my new hard disk I decided to try Mandrake. It's quite nice actually, but as far as I can see, it's no Slackware. In short, Slackware ROCKS!!!! (BTW, Slack also has a package management system). It's just a tar.bz2 file that contains a text file with default locations. Nice for intermediate users. Also, if you need to learn Linux, Slack is one of the few distros that will teach it to you inside out. SuSe/RH/Mandrake might be very easy to use, but you don't need skill to use them, if you know what I mean.

One thing you forgot to mention about Debian. Last I checked, getting packages from the stable tree lands you with out of date packages with lots of vulnerabilities, so you might want to get stuff off the semi-stable (whatever it's called) tree.

Nice work Gore.
Cheers,
cgkanchi

[Lansing_Banda]

Just thought I would cover Some Bootable Linuxes

Knoppix -

Knoppix is debian based so expect that here. It is a great system to use for recovery of files, doing network tests, or just showing a friend what linux looks like with no adverse effects. It boots right off you your cd-rom device and doesn't interact with your filesystem at all. The hardware detection is top notch and is better then many hd-install distros. Has many nice utilities included so you can do whatever you would normally do with linux. It also has a very nice install script which makes installation a breeze if you would like a HD install.

Knoppix - STD

This is basically the same thing as Knoppix but the packages are aimed more at network vulnerability testing/hacking. The menu is organized into very nice organized tools and a fine RTFM at the very end of each folder. This also has the same install script and just like Knoppix, it makes a fine desktop and when run on the cd makes an excellant firewall (it comes with shorewall installed).

Damn Small Linux -

Once again, this is Knoppix. This distro was made to fit on to a buisness card cd-r so that users could carry it around in case they needed linux on the fly. It boots very nicely, has good hardware detection, and will run on just about any system imagenable. It uses very little system resources and it will also install to a hard-drive. The .iso is 50 mbs and the installation will take up about 250-300 mbs. A great thing to have in your pocket.

These are really the only bootable linux systems that I would recommend to anyone. There are others like Suse's live evaluation, Mandrakes bootable OS, Bonzai (which is more or less the precurser to Knoppix), Beehive, WarLinux, and more. If you would like to check them out go here:

http://www.distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=cd

[gore]

http://www.rocklinux.org/screenshots.html

Thought I would add this so people could get a look at ROCK Linux.

Thanks to whoever got my thread sticky ;)


http://www.rocklinux.org/router.html

Turning it into a router that boots from CD, then loads into RAM disk so you can take the CD out. Cool huh?

http://www.rocklinux.org/drock.html

This is for desktops.

http://www.rocklinux.org/download.html

This is where you get it.

[gore]

I decided to give links to Linux installation tutorials that have been written by members here that I just dug up. Most of the ones are from me, because I pretty much just searched for them and grabbed a few others too, but after you choose which one you want, these links may help you in the installation process, so, enjoy:





This first one was made by Er0k a while back for installing Slackware Linux 9.0. I think it is a good tutorial so I'm listing it here:





http://www.antionline.com/showthread.php?forumid=678&threadid=246557







This was my first tutorial I had ever written, it is on the installation of SuSE Linux 8.1 Professional. All of this should be fine for 8.2, except in 8.2 you can update it before it even boots for the first time. Anyway, here it is, here:





http://www.antionline.com/showthread.php?forumid=678&threadid=244244







This is my latest tutorial. It goes step by step through the installation of Libranet Linux. Libranet is based on Debian, and is a nice distro. It's part of my series called "Installing OSs with gore; Making Linux installs easier". You can read it right here:





http://www.antionline.com/showthread.php?threadid=253990&highlight=installing+linux






This is my tutorial for installing Slackware Linux 9.1. This was one where my main goal was showing slackware is no where nea as hard to install as most people think. You can read it right here:







http://www.antionline.com/showthread.php?forumid=678&threadid=251388








This tutorial was written by....*Checks how to spell it* Rewandythal. I think it looks good, so I'm adding it here too. Enjoy everyone:







http://www.antionline.com/showthread.php?forumid=678&threadid=132528







Of course I'm not done with my OSs installs. I plan on making quite a few more, and some for BSD. AND, MAYBE, one for Solaris ;) I have no free time right now though, I'm in college, and I just started another semester.


I recommend everyone reading my SuSE Linux install tutorial, there is a post there by Shrekkiee, and he admits to liking more than Gentoo in it. He may not admit to it anymore, but he himself used to be with me in support for SuSE Linux.


If you want Gentoo, you're going to have to ask Shrekkie, as I refuse to help install that. I'v installed it one time, maybe two times, and I just do not like it. It may be stable, but as I'v said a million times; So is every other Linux and BSD distro.

Maybe Shrekkie will write a tutorial for Gentoo. Anyway, if you have a version of Linux you would like to install, and it does not have Gentoo on the package, and would like a tutorial to help you out, just reply here, or shoot a PM my way, and I'll see what I can do.

If you have an OS that is not Linux, but would still like a hand installing it, again, let me know, and I'll see what I can do. In the last 3 months I have installed:

Redhat Linux 7.3, 8.0, 9.0,
Mandrake 7.1, 9.1, 9.2,
Slackware 3.6, 8.0, 9.0, 9.1,
SuSE Linux 8.1, 8.2,
Windows XP,
Windows 2,000,
Free BSD 4.0, 4.7, 4.9, 5.0, 5.2,
Fedora Linux,
ROCK Linux,
Gentoo,
Libranet,
Ice Pack,
Windows server 2003
Debian


I think that's it. I install OSs almost once a week, and sometimes 7 times in one day. I have almost 55 OSs now, and I use all of them all the time. I install one of them, play with it for a few hours, and while it's doing something, I format another box and put another one on there, and then I'll finish playing with the other one, and format that. I have installed 12 OSs in one day.



I play with them alot. I used to have a box I formatted about twice a week. Now I have boxes I format anywhere from 3 times a day, too once every 2 weeks. Right now I'm in the process of doing a test on Slackware and Windows XP, so, sadly, I have no SuSE Linux installed right now.



I had my HP Pavilion with SuSE Linux 8.2 Professional, with a 53 day uptime, untill a power outtage took that from me. I use Reiser FS for those of you who want any proof it can stay up. Right now that box has Slackware loaded on it. And this one I took Slackware off and loaded XP on to do a few tests. Nothing fancy, just something for my own interest/entertainment.

Damn this post is long, sorry about that. But again, if you have an OS you would like a tutorial for, please reply here, and I'll see what I can do.




Upcoming tutorials I plan on doing very soon:



Installation of Mandrake Linux 7.1. - For people who still have this, or just want to play with an older distro so they can see how much Linux as an OS has matured. Also 7.1 had WAY better themes than 9.2 does.




Installation of Mandrake Linux 9.1 - I saw alot of improvements in this over 7.X




Installation of Mandrake Linux 9.2 with gore - I make Installing Linux fun! ;)



Installing SuSE Linux 8.2 Professional - Because it is the shit.



Installing Free BSD 4.7, 4.9 and 5.0. - A step by step tutorial to destroy the myth that Free BSD is at all hard to install.



Installation of Ice Pack Linux OS - A nice distro not many seem to use.



Installation of Red Hat Linux 7.3, 8.0 and 9.0. - Installing Red Hat Linux in text mode, and GUI mode. And Maybe I'll do an extended part where I take you through the world of Fedora.



Installation of Vector Linux.




Installation of ASP Linux.



Learning to configure and secure SuSE Linux with gore. - A guide to securing, and learning to configure SuSE Linux.


Configuring Linux with Vi. - Learning to configure Linux from a command line using Vi.




Lol, Well, that's what I have planned as of right now.

[MemorY]

Your thread gets appriciated everywhere;)

http://introonline.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=17&t=203&st=0&#entry757

[gore]

:o

Me?!?!?!?!? Mean?!?!?!?!?!?!

Lol, thanks dude.

[pwaring]

Having used most of the distros mentioned so far, I thought I'd mention experiences in with the following:

Red Hat: Slow but stable, consumes more memory than I'd like but has top-notch hardware detection and lots of pretty GUIs for network configuring etc. A good choice for a newbie or someone looking to make the next step but doesn't want to jump in at the deep end.

SUSE: Worked ok for me, had some hardware problems and I don't like that blasted lizard appearing all over the place. :) Very similar to Red Hat in that it works well for newbies, is easy to install but still hogs memory a bit too much for my liking (although that might partially be down to KDE3).

Mandrake: In my experience, it either works great or goes belly up at installation. Very easy to use installer that can either guide you through or let you make choices if you're familiar with Windows and know how to partition your hard disk. Personally, I've had lots of problems using Mandrake on two machines, but the rest of the time it's worked fine.

Debian: Another one which is great when it works and sucks big time when it doesn't. Everyone boasts about how great the package management system is, but the releases are few and far between and you have to either do a dist-upgrade, use backports.org or install the software yourself to keep up to date. Debian didn't seem to like my network card at first (weird, because every other distro detected it and setup DHCP correctly) or my monitor/graphics card (had to edit XF86Config numerous times, which is not really a good thing). I would never recommend Debian by itself to a first-time user because of the difficulty of installing and also Debian users seem to be very defensive if you ask why something isn't working properly.

Slackware: The best distro I've found for making the jump from newbie to intermediate user. The text-based install scares people off sometimes, but it's really simple to follow and you can completely automate the package selection/installation process if you want (there are several modes from newbie to expert, to chose from, plus you can install everything without prompts if you want). The two disc 9.1 set that I have came with a good selection of Window Managers, including the latest versions of KDE and Gnome, and the only problems I've ever had were with my new LCD monitor - easily fixed by editing a couple of lines in XF86Config (yes, I know I criticised Debian for this, but with Slackware there were only one or two lines to change rather than half the file).

Gentoo: Ugh. I couldn't even get past the initial install stage - this has got to be the most unhelpful distro I have ever tried. If I wanted to try BSD, I'd install Free/Open/NetBSD. All the other distros guide you through step-by-step, whether this be through nice GUIs (SUSE probably wins hands-down in this area) or text-based prompts. I was also put off by the attitude of some people on the Gentoo forums, and the fact that the developers apparently file bugs with their kernel in the Red Hat bug tracker. :)

FreeBSD: Not really Linux but in a similar boat. Never managed to get X working properly but I would like to get a test box running just to see how it works with a GUI. Installation was similar to Slackware except for the problems of X.

Knoppix: Great for hardware detection prior to installing another distro or for showing off Linux to someone on their machine without installing it. You can even do a hard disk install, but whilst this worked for me, I didn't think it provided enough features.

In case you're wondering I'm a Slackware convert from Red Hat/Fedora (although I still use Red Hat on my laptop because it's what we use at uni and it's so much easier to standardise on one distro - but I may switch in the future). I miss up2date, but Fedora has the excellent yum for anyone who wants to keep their system up to date.

[hard candy]

Another new distro, www.mepis.org , actually easier than WinXp to install if you have nvidia graphics. Is a live cd (so you can try it first), you boot up, click install, make and resize partitions with a graphical gnuparted, install it, then reboot. Last time I did it took about 15-20 minutes and was ready to go. Nvidia drivers automatically configured. Debian based, uses apt-get and has alien installed to convert rpms, tgz, etc to debian packages (example , alien -d yourpackage.rpm, then click on the package when alien is finished and kpackage pops up to install it ). Uses KDE and ICEWM as default desktops. Automatically sets up guardog firewall and some other security measures. Very well-thought-out distro. Nice site. Free, donations/registraton accepted.

[Info Tech Geek]

Originally posted here (http://www.AntiOnline.com/showthread.php?threadid=253721#post741459) by bluthund
Does anyone have any opinions (open onions) about Linspire and Xandros.

Along w/ TurboLinux they are all really nice distros for Beginner Linux users to try. The only fall back is the whole CNR under linspire which does not let the individual have the whole linux installation feel. The only other thing is neither of the distros are free. I would download LinspireLive free off of any P2P (It is there bootable CD version they offer free) and give it a try.

[pwaring]

Linspire is nice, but wouldn't give me any options in the install process and just assumed that I was an American (therefore failing to install the British dictionaries and setting my timezone to CST or something). I know it's meant to be simple, but I would at least like to be able to specify one or two options.

[Info Tech Geek]

That is a great point, have you posted anything on the Linspire forums about that issue? I know there are many international users and that would be something to bring to their attention.

[pwaring]

I've never visited the Linspire forums - I only installed it to see if it was any good. The fact that they always log you in as root with no password by default (this shouldn't even be an option, never mind the default!) and assumed I was an American put me off using it.

[instronics]

just try red Hat Network out, you'll almost apologize to the paper clip.
Ouch! That must hurt alot. So far SuSE has filled all my needs. I admit i did have a large grudge on suse when they switched from 7.3 to 8.0, since the system has changed a bit. Until version 9.0 i loved version 7.3, but version 9 has really improved a great deal. I still remember SuSE from version 6, and loved it from that day on. I have tried freeBSD, which i found to be nice, bad thing is i could only get my hands on one distro, and that was the buggy version 5.0. Since im on dialup, i cant get it here at my location. I might if i look harder though. I have tried mandrake, i really dunno why, but i just hate it. No real reason i guess, its just that im too stuck with SuSE. I also tried gentoo... but i dont think im going to play with it. If i ever want to move on to a more 'hardcore' *nix, then i will get slack or bsd for it. Anyways, excellent thread there Gore, it was a very interesting read.

Cheers.

[Spyder32]

Yeh, was an excellent read. Anyway's my dealing's with OpenBSD have been nothing short of amazing. Easy installation IMHO and I find browsing to be alot better. I mean, that's aside from the OS being extremely stable and capable of performing all the task's I do and then some.

[Mitt3ns]

Throw in Ubuntu in there - for people looking for an easy download and install linux.

[gore]

When I made this Ubuntu didn't exist ;)

[gore]

OK, did some updates on this thing, made it look better and fixed some typos and added some newer info to it, and took out my cuss words. Or most of them.

[Trevoke]

*clears throat*
Gentoo is teh rock!
Okay, okay, I'll be quiet now.

Just one thing : there is only one installation type supported in the Gentoo handbook now, and it's stage 3. Therefore, the "3 day orgy of compiles" is a thing of the past, thank god, unless some idiot thinks that he can really make his system faster by recompiling EVERYTHING with his new CFLAGS. Hell, I'd probably do it just because I can.. *chuckle*

The Gentoo developers have quite an attitude, but I am constantly amazed at the amount of work they get done on the distro. In a way, it's bad : you can't afford to miss anything or you're set back.. But the distribution is always up to date.

On the other hand, I guess I'll know to pimp SUSE to my friends now.. It'd be cool if you did a review of Ubuntu as well.

[edit : and don't talk to me about Dettux, I installed the ****ing thing! :D ]

[gore]

Last I heard you'd given up on detuxx ;)

Ubuntu may get reviewed as it's becoming very popular. I installed it on a few boxes to see why but what I saw was Debian with a different name and no root account. Of course a better review can be done later. I'm just not sure why Ubuntu is so popular.

[Trevoke]

I can't tell either. I installed Debian to test it and I kinda liked the interface -- but I'm now so used to Gentoo's portage that it's hard to change. I certainly don't see any point in dissing a distribution anymore.

But define "given up" ! I brought it .. mostly .. up to date. I think I gave up on the glibc update because I realized that the proper way to upgrade would have been to upgrade all the tools slowly, version by version, and episodically installing a new glibc and compiling against that.. But I did get to compile my own kernel ;-) So it was a victory of some sorts.

[aphexius]

I use Ubuntu 5.10, So far i like very much. :)

[preacherman481]

Hi fellow Linux enthusiasts,

I was using the Stumble! Firefox extension to check out new Linux/Unix sites, and I came across this page:
Linux Distribution Chooser (http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/index.php) .

This site takes the user through a series of questions designed to match him or her up with the best distribution for his or her skill level and hardware needs. Other factors are also considered.

Only 17 distributions are presently included. But according to the site, they seem to be open to suggestions for others.

If you know someone who is considering Linux, it might be helpful to point them to this site. It might also be helpful to keep in mind here at AO when people ask the perpetual question: "What distro should I use?"

[gore]

Note:

I've merged the post Preacherman made with this thread as it's basically the same topic, and of course easier to find. I do what I can to keep this forum of all othwers streamlined and easy to search.

[deftones12]

if you can run slackware, you can run anything. :)

[shatteredsoul]

A very good post. I have to agree with Gore about all of them but Suse. I can't stand it for some reason or another. Personally I'm playing around with gentoo, portage rocks. And no, I didn't do the 3day-compileeverything install.

[eoin09]

can someone give me a lowdown of their opinion of whether to go for ubuntu or kubuntu (and their differences) and how both compare to Suse?

Thanks

[jockey0109]

May be I am too young and do not know too much about the Linux OS, but I know there are people who are COMPLETELY new to Linux. So for them I would say that as far as I have tried Linux, the number of distros of which is nowhere near to what other members here would have tried but for the sake of comment I would list them up as:

1> SuSE 9.1: This was the first Linux OS that was ever distributed at a large scale in India by a Computer magazine: Digit. Actually I had to format my whole hard disk for more than 16 times before getting it installed and that is what I think almost every new user goes through (with a fewer number of formats though ;)). Anyway that was pretty good if I leave the problem I faced due to Missing ALSA drivers which were not available till then.

2> XandrOS: This was my second distro and I installed coz the punch line read: "Making Linux work for you!". But what I got was nowhere near to friendly interface rather than Icons like Windows. Had crippled functionality; I couldn't burn my CDs even!

3> Gentoo: Actually I never installed this thing. All I ever did was to boot from the CD which actually was a LIVE CD and came up on command prompt (shell) after booting up. EVen though I have never seen its desktop but it was the first time I ever realized what experts had to say: "You need to understand the Shell and the command if you want to run a Linux box".

4> Fedora: This I never used on my own computer but installed on my friend's coz his machine was a 64 bit, and I had got no other distro which could support 64 bit natively. Anyway using it was nice but I never like the interface. Its not so easy for the beginner too. That was all when it was in its 4th version. I cannot say as of now.

5> UBUNTU: This was the first time I ever used a Gnome desktop instead a KDE. Until I used Ubuntu, I has a particular complain for Linux: the lack of SMOOTH looks. Anyway this was a real easy distro both to be used and installed for both a newbie and expert. It comes with a decent set of software to get the work done.

6> Mandriva: For those who do not know, this is a new name of the same old reliable Mandrake Linux and is as good as the old avtar. I feel sorry for myself after using this distro. Actually it is really easy to use with nice looks, and lots of options. I never installed it on my machine until the name was changed from MANDRAKE to MANDRIVA. Actually I never liked (and still don't like) the name MANDRAKE. Mandriva 2006 was the first distro which could play all my Music (even in the MP3 format) and detect my soundcard; or in other words came with the ALSA drivers. Its my personal favorite in the distro-crowd and I would prefer its use to all newbies coz its the easiest to use and install. One need not fear about anything at all during the installation. Clicking next will do it fine (except that you do not click next when it says "USE COMPLETE HARD-DISK"). I think that if I would have installed this distro in my primitve days of experienceing linux, It would have been so much easier to learn this. In my personal opinion, it is a Learner's distro.

7> OpenSuSE 10.2: I have been using it for a while. "BEST OF ALL". Thats what I can say about this one. I can't install this due to some problem in my primary hard disk (and I do not plan to remove or replace it), so from sometime back I am using it over VMware. However as far as power, ease and Innovation is concerned, SuSE is just great. almost all one needs (apart from a new custom aplication over the net), everything is installed in a FULL system install or is available on disk (in case of default installation).

However the catch is installation. A complete newbie who never saw the terminologies used in Linux for devices is sure to destroy the data if he tries to mingle around with partitioning during the install process. The best way to install this extremely great distro for a complete newbie is to just click on 'next' while installation is in process.

Hope that is a help/comment good enough.

[eoin09]

I am primarily a mac user and care a lot about interface and basically how nice things look. I hear Kubuntu looks good, but what about Suse?

[nihil]

I am primarily a mac user and care a lot about interface and basically how nice things look.

No comment :D

I hear Kubuntu looks good, but what about Suse?

SuSE would be the distro I would select right now, given that criterion. They have just signed up a partnership agreement with Microsoft and MS will be supporting commercial installations.

Remember that Novell own SuSE. They are just as commercial and user aware as MS, so I would expect SuSe to move ahead of the game somewhat, given this recent partnership.

REMEMBER: The definition of a partnership is: "Two thieves who have their hands so deep in eachother's pockets that they cannot independently plunder a third" :D:cool:

[RoadClosed]

If you are considering SuSE condider the open source version. www.opensuse.org (http://www.opensuse.org)

It's what makes Linux beautiful. ;)

[gore]

I don't like Ubuntu. It's Debian with a paint job and newer packages. My personal opinion of course. It has potential of course which has yet to be reached.

If a GUI is what you're after distro doesn't mean a thing since the GUI in Linux BSD and UNIX is something you can install yourself and use whatever you want. SUSE by default, has a nice one.

I have a Slackware box with Enlightenment E17 which puts most GUIs to shame. So in other words, use whatever you want, and look for window managers and desktops like KDE and Gnome and pick whatever looks good to you.

Ubuntu is very very different in the way root works which for me is a pain in the ass so I only used it to test and nothing more. I generally use SUSE and Slackware for Linux, and FreeBSD for BSD.

[jockey0109]

Seriously speaking, Ubuntu did not work for me EVER!! I am still using openSuSE 10.3. Ubuntu did not use the Bluetooth DUN connection to get packages off the net while it used the same connection at the same time to get the web paghes open on the same system the much anticipated compiz-fusion was not present in the menus!

The most important packages that can be installed were said that they were not made for the system I used! I have seen a lot of people who run an i686 machine and ubuntu says that the machine type is i386.

It crashes a lot on machine. However openSuSE 10.3 is a much better product. It did everything in the right way. I loved the oneclick install that they have added recentely! I have used compiz-fusion on opensuse 10.3 and it rocks. I defeated the AERO UI of vista in all aspects. I just love this OS.

I really hate the way of the root. You just cannot use your own password as root in any application which is not graphical and needs root access!!

[benstoked]

i am not a hardcore linux user, but i have not had any problems with ubuntu 7.04 . i have tried fedora(cores 4-7) and found them (personal taste) to be lacking. although the gui of choice for fedora was gnome, same as ubuntu, the unbuntu ran smoothly, install was comfortable. i would like to see an option for partition resize in the install, which it may have in the newer version.(easliy solved with gparted, but not used during the install).
I like to test OSes in VMWare (http://www.vmware.com), to allow me to get a feel for the flavor.
one aspect i enjoyed from ubuntu is the debian package management. with fedora, the rpms seemed no better than a zip file. the deb files installed with little user interaction. please bear in mind that my experience with other distros is hindered by lack of experience based on actual usage.

[gore]

rpm -i *.rpm

[Cider]

Hello everyone. I downloaded the Mandrake 2008 version from www.mandriva.com. Im trying to migrate from windows so its quite difficult for me.

Does anyone have a total newbie guide to install the OS, configuring when installed, installing drivers, installing games (I have checked out WINE through a google search)

I just want a tutorial on the most basic things. I have no idea about the command line etc etc.

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks

[xiphias360]

@Cider: A good place to check out is http://tille.garrels.be/training/. He has a book (online, and a pdf version) called intro to linux that's a non flavor specific 'get ur feet wet' type of guide.

[gore]

http://antionline.com/showthread.php?t=258363

http://antionline.com/showthread.php?t=256949

http://antionline.com/showthread.php?t=258140

http://antionline.com/showthread.php?t=251791

http://antionline.com/showthread.php?t=266065

I made a bunch but there are some. Mandriva is pretty close to SUSE, just read through it and the difference with that and the others you'll be able to see and change as needed.

[Cider]

Thanks.

[gore]

OK, I just finished updating this thread to be a little bit more this century so if you were a fan of this thread, feel free to look at it again. As usual, if you want to, you can add your own reviews.

[RoadClosed]

I don't want this to turn into a big SuSE ad, but it is my favorite distro. It comes with a lot, has a lot to offer, and is cheaper than Red Hat Linux.

After all these years SuSe is STILL King.

[keezel]

I'd make an argument for Ubuntu. It's gaining popularity very quickly.

[gore]

SUSE is indeed the best so far. I've used a lot of distros and haven't found even ONE that can compare. As for Ubuntu:

Well, it's no secret I don't really like it, and given the press it gets on it's own, I don't need to put it in here much. I mean a lot of people have replied saying how I should add it in here, so basically, I don't because it already has the replies.

In the first thread I said that if you wanted to add something to go ahead and reply, and Ubuntu has had a lot of replies here and there, so I don't need to bring it up. I just personally think that if you install Debian, you get the same thing except you don't need to screw around with the root account to make it normal again.

If you like Ubuntu though I'm not going to slam you or anything like that, it's personal choice, and I support THAT :)

[C:\Saw]

I third SUSE

using openSUSE 11 with kde 4.1 along with gnome and icewm

by far better than ubuntu

the only distro that can compare i would say is mandriva, which is a very close second

Yast2 is a wonderful robust tool

btw, props to the kde dev team, 4.1 is beautiful and fast--not completely ready, but it will soon be

opensuse is the distro to use to explore kde 4 if you're curious

[gore]

Well it should be ;) Novel, which owns SUSE, also have a whole team for KDE and GNOME too ;) I can't recall how many, but I know they have a crap load of their staff working on just KDE and another load of them working on GNOME. So of course it's going to look darn good on SUSE. I'm not even sure if many people know about that or not. It was slightly pointed out in an interview I read with one of their staff members who's full time job at Novell was basically KDE and nothing else.

[rotoR*46]

this is really a good headstart!
Mr.gore it would be very kind of you if you can get me installation procedures for SuSE, Fedora please.

[keezel]

this is really a good headstart!
Mr.gore it would be very kind of you if you can get me installation procedures for SuSE, Fedora please.

You probably should have messaged gore instead of posting on an old thread. (Last post was back in August). And ffs don't call him "Mr.", he's got a big enough head already. ;)

To answer your question though, it's easier than you might imagine. Google opensuse or suse, download the image, burn this to a disc, insert disc into your computer, reboot computer, follow instructions. Presto you have SuSE.

[gore]

I've written an install tutorial for multiple version of SUSE in the tutorials forums. Fedora installs go very much the same as SUSE does in terms of what you do overall and how the screens look. So if you read one, you'll most likely have no troubles with the other. That was one of the reasons I didn't write for that as I'd really just be renaming it and moving two steps around.



EDIT:

Keezel, shut up ;)

My oversized hat, can't fit your gigantic head ;)

PS: Be Careful, My Wife just registered and might smack you =p

[keezel]

:D

[Linen0ise]

Fedora 10...x86_64
------------------

A step backwards in time. Too restrictive when attempting to do 'root' tasks. Sluggish like a Windows XP machine (jerky desktop with heavy disk access). Treats KDE like a step child. You have to be a mind reader if you want to add simple basic plugins for your web browser. To upgrade or recompile the kernel, you must follow their rpmbuild procedures and take 2-3 hours to compile. I rather clone a config file and be on my way. Good luck trying to install a 3d graphic driver. if you download a stock kernel from kernel.org......it screws that up with rpm scripts that corrupt the build. Slow...slow ... slow. Threw the cd in the microwave for this 1.

Biggest complaint..... installed VLC and Kaffeine using the smart packager. Kaffeine is able to grab HDTV broadcast and stream it but can not decode video because of a missing codec.. It does not have all the codecs any other distro would had threw in. It fails. Vlc complains about missing codecs. When I reconfigure to grab the stream from Kaffiene.... they both happy. So long to the smart packager with it's lame dependacies. junked it.

Cant trust this distro with handling codecs and lib files. These people are so scared, they took out DVDcss and other licensed crap that noone enforces anymore.

Mandriva 2009 x86_64
---------------------

livecd detected my raid setup. Upon reboot, the livecd didn't bother copying the config file over to the HDD. the config file was empty. The kernel panics and halts. Replacing the conf file is no good. The ram disk needs to know about HDD and mdadm before the Real OS loads. Can't trust this distro with my precious data.... junked it.


Should not take more than a hour to throw a basic image on a HDD.

PCLinuxos 32-bit
----------------

still rules. You have to hack or unlock the repository to get this to 2009 standards. Worth it but I feel cheated running a power station on 32bit.

[gore]

Fedora 10...x86_64
------------------

A step backwards in time. Too restrictive when attempting to do 'root' tasks. Sluggish like a Windows XP machine (jerky desktop with heavy disk access). Treats KDE like a step child. You have to be a mind reader if you want to add simple basic plugins for your web browser. To upgrade or recompile the kernel, you must follow their rpmbuild procedures and take 2-3 hours to compile. I rather clone a config file and be on my way. Good luck trying to install a 3d graphic driver. if you download a stock kernel from kernel.org......it screws that up with rpm scripts that corrupt the build. Slow...slow ... slow. Threw the cd in the microwave for this 1.

Biggest complaint..... installed VLC and Kaffeine using the smart packager. Kaffeine is able to grab HDTV broadcast and stream it but can not decode video because of a missing codec.. It does not have all the codecs any other distro would had threw in. It fails. Vlc complains about missing codecs. When I reconfigure to grab the stream from Kaffiene.... they both happy. So long to the smart packager with it's lame dependacies. junked it.

Cant trust this distro with handling codecs and lib files. These people are so scared, they took out DVDcss and other licensed crap that noone enforces anymore.

Mandriva 2009 x86_64
---------------------

livecd detected my raid setup. Upon reboot, the livecd didn't bother copying the config file over to the HDD. the config file was empty. The kernel panics and halts. Replacing the conf file is no good. The ram disk needs to know about HDD and mdadm before the Real OS loads. Can't trust this distro with my precious data.... junked it.


Should not take more than a hour to throw a basic image on a HDD.

PCLinuxos 32-bit
----------------

still rules. You have to hack or unlock the repository to get this to 2009 standards. Worth it but I feel cheated running a power station on 32bit.

I got kicked off a mailing list once for calling the head of Mandrake Security an ass and saying he was better suited to garbage collecting. It was worth it because he seemed to take it personally and they finally fixed a few things I was mad about.

Fedora is crap, and I've told one of their guys at RedHat about that over a SUSE mailing list he replied to talking about MP3 support and how "If we could we would drop that into Fedora tomorrow" and I said "How about dropping Fedora Altogether and going back to RedHat boxed versions for less than 100 dollars because Fedora is unstable crap" and he didn't say a word...

I've used enough distros now that I can Honstly say that when it comes to Linux, I only use this anymore:

1. SUSE (Whooo shocking!)

2. Slackware

3. Mandriva ... Only on certain machines though...For some reason, out of the box, it's broken with some of the machines I have here, so I use it, but only on my laptop, and even then I throw Slackware and SUSE on that too.

I miss the old RedHat...Well, just 8 and 9, the other ones sucked too lol.

Oh and SUSE Linux 8.2 Professional...I still have at least one machine with that installed, and the funny thing is this machine has on board networking, sound and video, and works out of the box better than a brand new shiny install of the latest from Microsoft, Mandriva, and a few others I won't bring up. and this is hardware that came out years after that was released and it still not only found it but configured it for me without a press of even two buttons.

[Linen0ise]

Oh and SUSE Linux 8.2 Professional...I still have at least one machine with that installed, and the funny thing is this machine has on board networking, sound and video, and works out of the box better than a brand new shiny install of the latest from Microsoft, Mandriva, and a few others I won't bring up. and this is hardware that came out years after that was released and it still not only found it but configured it for me without a press of even two buttons.

I'm gonna try Suse. Thanks

[Linen0ise]

I'm gonna try Suse. Thanks

That's a nice build of SUSE. If I can get Nvidia drivers to compile on this baby then it's a go for production. Found my raids automatically and ran into no slowdowns or speed bumps. KDE is comfortable to work with. You can right click to delete, rename, copy, and move files around without any interaction using the keyboard. Speed!

model name : AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3000+
cpu MHz : 2249.921
bogomips : 4499.84

PCLinuxos
Bogomips: ‎4500.65

[KPryor]

I used to dual-boot PCLinuxOS on my laptop with XP Pro. I liked it, although I didn't have access to the updated repositories due to to being too cheap to pay for access. For the heck of it, I replaced it with Ubuntu and it works pretty well for the minor things I use the laptop for.

I've thought several times I would like to try Suse, but have never taken the plunge. May download a vm of it and take it for a spin.
KP

[gore]

That's a nice build of SUSE. If I can get Nvidia drivers to compile on this baby then it's a go for production. Found my raids automatically and ran into no slowdowns or speed bumps. KDE is comfortable to work with. You can right click to delete, rename, copy, and move files around without any interaction using the keyboard. Speed!

model name : AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3000+
cpu MHz : 2249.921
bogomips : 4499.84

PCLinuxos
Bogomips: ‎4500.65

Grab the drivers from the Nvidia web ssite for your card, they make one for Linux, or just add the Nvidia repo to YAST2 and grab them, and then shut X down, with init 3, log inas root, and type this:

sh NVIDIADriverName

Hit Enter

It won't usually find what it tries to download, and then makes the driver. Start X again and use Sax2 if you wanna look at the configuration with 3D. Should work fine as Nvidia supports UNIX OSs. I have had problems with some cards, but most of them work by just doing that. Older cards may need the older vesion of the driver. Just read which ones are supported in which version of the driver and find yours.

[Linen0ise]

I used to dual-boot PCLinuxOS on my laptop with XP Pro. I liked it, although I didn't have access to the updated repositories due to to being too cheap to pay for access. For the heck of it, I replaced it with Ubuntu and it works pretty well for the minor things I use the laptop for.


If you still have access to Pclinxos. Add 'sam', and 'testing' to upgrade to 2009. If you want kde4, add 'kde4' to the repository and point it to the 'Sam' linux distro. Pclinuxos speaks mandrake, mandriva configs.

The best way to unlock anything Linux is to browse the ftp sites the repos are using. If you get close enough to the parent directory, you will find upgrades and builds for the all linux versions.

if you want get access to pay-per-download stuff, use google. Lots of fools out there post keys and certificates to unlock such stuff ;)

*This world isn't designed for sheeps*

[Linen0ise]

It won't usually find what it tries to download, and then makes the driver. Start X again and use Sax2 if you wanna look at the configuration with 3D. Should work fine as Nvidia supports UNIX OSs. I have had problems with some cards, but most of them work by just doing that. Older cards may need the older vesion of the driver. Just read which ones are supported in which version of the driver and find yours.


shortly after I posted, I found lots of pages describing the process. It did mention sax2 to get _all_ the features working. Im using legacy drivers.

[Linen0ise]

BTW, I have an old...old copy of Suse. It is version 6.2 and the USA store package has 6 cd's or dvd's in it. Is it worth anything on Ebay?

[KPryor]

Thanks for the info. I don't have it installed on anything right now, but I still have the installer on a cd, so maybe I'll give it another try sometime. I may dual boot it on my desktop after I finish doing some other stuff on it.
KP

[gore]

Since some of you have been asking about installing and seemed worried about it, I've decided to dig up the tutorials I wrote for doing that very thing.

I haven't written one in some time now, and the installers HAVE changed since then. However, the installation is still very much the same for most of these distros.

I know OpenSUSE 11 is basically a live CD, and to start that install you'd just double click on the Icon saying Install, and it starts it up. For the most part you won't have any issues doing it.

Windows is actually harder to install than Linux, and Linux actually has a better GUI for the installers unless it's Debian or Slackware in which case it's text based like most of the Windows install is.

Here you go:

Installing NetSecL:

http://antionline.com/showthread.php?t=276698
-----------

Installing Vector Linux 5 -

http://antionline.com/showthread.php?t=268140
--------------------------------------

Dual booting Debian and Windows:

http://antionline.com/showthread.php?t=266065

---------------------------------------------------

Installing SUSE 9.1 Professional -

http://antionline.com/showthread.php?t=256428

------------------------------------

Installing Slackware 10.1 -

http://antionline.com/showthread.php?t=264511
--------------------------

Dual booting FreeBSD and Slackware Linux-

http://antionline.com/showthread.php?t=262097
-------------------------------------------------------------

Installing Trustix -

http://antionline.com/showthread.php?t=257866
--------------

Basic Slackware installation :

http://antionline.com/showthread.php?t=258140
--------------------------------------------

Installing and dual booting with, SUSE Linux 9.1 Professional, and Windows XP-

http://antionline.com/showthread.php?t=258363
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Installing FreeBSD -

http://antionline.com/showthread.php?t=256949
-----------------------------------------------------------

Instaling Libranet -

http://antionline.com/showthread.php?t=251791
----------------------------------------------------------

Once you have SUSE installed, this is how you could set up an FTP server on it which would first, give you a way of doing back ups to a central location, and second, teach you how it works:

http://antionline.com/showthread.php?t=260371

http://antionline.com/showthread.php?t=260371

[keezel]

Nice, gore. I didn't realize you had written that many.

So another point for linux. I was dreading installing a printer on my wife's laptop (running Ubuntu 8.10) so I looked around for drivers for this particular printer before I even started. Turns out that was unnecessary, because five seconds after I plugged it in and turned it on, the laptop recognized the printer! Everything works man...printing, scanning, and of course copying. I was slightly blown away.

[gore]

I've written way more than that. I just posted the ones I found first heh. I've written a crap load of those things, but some were really old and wouldn't help anyone right now unless they had an old OLD version they wanted to install, so I skipped those, and I also skipped a few that were re-writes or just "updated" versions that included new stuff if one of the installations had changed or something.

[t34b4g5]

I've written way more than that. I just posted the ones I found first heh. I've written a crap load of those things, but some were really old and wouldn't help anyone right now unless they had an old OLD version they wanted to install, so I skipped those, and I also skipped a few that were re-writes or just "updated" versions that included new stuff if one of the installations had changed or something.

Gore.

If you wouldn't mind, but could you add them all to this thread:>
http://antionline.com/showthread.php?t=277827

I had a few links bookmarked, but since the upgraded moved stuff around i cannot find 'em. :(

:)

[gore]

Yea, I can grab more and put them in there. The other stuff I did was either installation based or using it once it was installed.

I also did a thing for Vi. It was a short one on basic usage for people who were trying to figure out why it just beeps at them when they type.

[The-Spec]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khdCINnt2kQ

Just check the enclosed instruction book.

[chaosclown]

im still lookin for the right linux for me. just found sabayon linux and it looked promising. guess ill be on the scene for awhile :(

[Raiden]

Hey gore

In all fairness, Gentoo works very well at a lot of tasks. If you decide to use this, talk to Shrekkie / Raiden, and get on his good side. He is to Gentoo, what I am to SuSE: An elitist.

Well, I have to admit the following. I have HAD a lot of battles in the past about this, strongly believing in Gentoo and thus defending it with everything I could. Since I have tried alot distros, and I am now using mostly debian, just for the things gore summed up. I even was against debian at that time (there used to be a war between debian /gentoo). How silly it was ...

As I teach linux now in evening school for adults, I tell my students to try out, to experiment with different flavors. It's all up to yourself. What are you comfortable with. I use Ubuntu for day to day use (as its debian based) and debian for my server environments. I even support my students in their distro-flavor, as good as I can.

The irony ... huh ?

[gore]

Irony would be if you used my install tutorials for them. Considering how much bashing you used to do to me based on the fact that I wrote so many Linux and BSD installation tutorials.

Does Debian still have two patches a day? I haven't actually looked in a while because of the stuff I've had to do this past year, but I remember watching Bugtraq thinking "Wow, Gentoo and Debian have like at least two patches a day, why is this?".

Gentoo was worse, with like 2 - 5 patches a day rolling by the list, and then Debian was in second place with 1 - 2 patches per day.

Slackware only had some once in a while, and SUSE was sort of in the middle. Which is to be expected considering they customized most of their stuff with at the least a logo, and at most a total re-write.

I always thought SUSE would have more just because they had a whole team dedicated to auditing the code line by line like OpenBSD goes on and on and on and on about. It made sence they'd have more because they went over the whole system line by line to fix security bugs, but they seemed to always do a good job.

I remember a while back having a laugh with Marcus Meissner, the head of SUSE security, who I might add once wrote a Kernel patch, FOR ME, because it screwed up my Nvidia drivers after an update and I happened to be talking to him at the time, and he went in early to patch it for the card I had, and released it so I could keep 3D. I thought that was nice ;)

Anyway, we had a good laugh one time; A bug got released that had a security vuln in it where you could get access with it. People were nagging him about releasing a patch and he simply pointed out that the only thing this exploit did was allow you to "own yourself". you already needed an account and to be logged in, and so he was like "I'm not patching this. I'm not making a patch that could in itself break something and make people reboot because you can get your own password. That's stupid, I'm not doing it, download the exploit and use it the next time you forget your password".

I just thought it was funny.

Anyway, lately here is my set up:

Laptop:

Small XP Partition for DooM and Quake and Wolfenstein and UT.

Rest of disk:

Mandriva 2008.0 with 3D and neat looking Compiz.
--------

Main Desktop #2:

One huge HUGE partition. Open SUSE 11
---------
Main Desktop #1

HD#1: Windows XP. Hasn't been boosted in a long time.

HD#2: way bigger drive. Whole thing allocated to FreeBSD 7.1-RELEASE
---------------------------------------------
Test desktop - Old machine -

Partition 1 - Windows 98 SE for Magic The Gathering game that won't work on anything else.

Partition 2 - Slackware 12.2

Other Laptop:

XP on one partition, SUSE 11 on the other.

Also have Solaris around here too, but I don't let it go online. #1 because I haven't spent enough time to figure out how to have it connect, and two because I don't know quite what I'm doing with it yet, so it's probably safer to let it play offline for now. Love the layout and how it works so far though.

-----------

Server / Old Computer. Was the first one I ever bought. P3:

Two HDs. First drive is Slackware 12.0 with VSFTP running.

Disk two is way bigger and is one big partition /storage for ...Storage.

[dichthuatbbc]

I decided to give links to Linux installation tutorials that have been written by members here that I just dug up. Most of the ones are from me, because I pretty much just searched for them and grabbed a few others too, but after you choose which one you want, these links may help you in the installation process, so, enjoy:
---
Mr. dich thuat (http://dichthuatdichthuat.com)

[nihil]

I think that something got lost in the translation here...............:rolleyes:

I think that Mr. Tuat = Mr. **** :D

I have banned the nasty little bot's account anyways.

A question for you Yanks:

When you scurried away from Vietnam you left 30,000,000 craters caused by ordnance with a payload of 500lbs or more. Given a population of 14,000,000, will they ever let you back on Camp Perry? :p

:lildevil:

@gore

I notice that the bot selected yours and my posts to copy and repost?

I have left the link for those fluent in Vietnamese. Sorry, I couldn't find any sex drugs, penis enlargers, or pr0n..........but I don't do Vietnamese :(

[gore]

They DO have killer food if you try a Vietnamese Grill some time. Damn good food.

[jxhp25]

Well, I've been using Linux for more than a year now. Have been doing a bunch of research bumping me from a noob to an advanced user :p. Well, my favourite all time distribution is SuSE. I have it on my desktop and my laptop which I bring to school since I don't trust Windows for mission critical data anyways. I haven't touched Windows for normal usage for months (since Linux got whacky on me). I only use my Windows partition for Gaming only now...

[gore]

We call that "Wintendo" normally; You use Linux, or BSD, or really any OS you like, and keep Windows just for games, like a Nintendo could only play games and nothing more. So yea, there's actually a term for that.

I've done it too. I have... Well, we have 11 Computers here, and my Network have Desktops and Laptops both, and, I have exactly ONE Partition with Windows on it; Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit is on my Main Desktop on a single Partition, dual booting with Slackware.

The rest of my machines all run either Linux or BSD of some sort. There's not to many games I play that don't work in Linux or BSD; I mostly play FPS games, and in particular I play the id Software ones; The Original DooM Series, Quake Series, Wolfenstein Series, and I also play the Unreal and Unreal Tournament Series. All those work on Linux and BSD though, and other than that, I like League of Legends, and Dungeon Crawlers. Dungeon Crawlers as in the type of game; I play Dungeon Crawl the text based game as well. Which is native to Unix.

[HYBR|D]

lol "Wintendo" i swear that is the 1st time i've actually heard that. :)

[nihil]

Me too! :D

Whilst gore is right in that most games are written for Windows, Windows itself hasn't really been that games friendly in my experience, which is why I still have older versions running on older machines.

The money is with Windows, and the games vendors want you to buy another copy?

Somehow I have never found any emulation software that was quite "the same"

Windows 8 seems to be a bit different in that I have had success in at least loading some older games that I didn't expect.

I am beginning to suspect that Microsoft are beginning to "look after #1" in that if they make their latest offering compatible with older stuff, they will sell more copies, particularly if they throw in VM as they have with Windows 7 Ultimate.

As for the question:

An Argentinian version of Debian 5
A Cuban version of Gentoo

I also tried and rejected a couple of Chinese distros they just seemed to be translations with nothing innovative.

Pretty much everything gore has personally recommended :D

An English version of Debian 5 that someone gave me on a linux magazine DVD.

I once tried Ubuntu but didn't like the turd colour scheme ............. the Moon OS that gore recommended is much nicer ;)

[HYBR|D]

Have you tried Fuduntu (http://www.fuduntu.org/) ? it's a mix of debian & fedora, very very lightweight, and it's pretty much the only *nix distro that has worked out of the box on my new laptop.

once installed you can go into the preference menu, select customize installtion and it will open a winder and you can change a heap of settings to fine tune the installation. It also seems to make connecting & sharing between window boxes very easy.

[nihil]

OK, I have that one burned now. :)

I guess the time has come to sort out my available hardware and start installing some fresh distros.

Watch this space....................:D:drink:

[gore]

Yea Nihil has basically always tried stuff out I've told him to look at. When a version of Mandriva came out I liked, he grabbed it, same for most others.

If I were to make a list of what I recommend and what I think the general population should use, it wouldn't be long, it would be this:

SUSE
Slackware
Mandriva / Mageia
Debian

And if someone wanted more than just the usual:

Zeta. Because I miss BeOS.

ZenvenOS - Same reason.

FreeBSD

PC-BSD

ConsoleOne

MoonOS

Kongoni (Because it's Slackware with BSD stuff)

-----------------------------------------------------

There. Every distro of Linux and two BSDs, all of which I use personally. Or, have used and liked.

Last night I spent a few minutes setting up the Window Maker Themes I want.

As most people who use Window Maker here know, it's damn near impossibly to find Window Maker Themes that don't suck anymore.

I remember a while back, years ago, you could go to a web site and there were PAGES of Themes! I know! I had them!

Now? There's ONE ****ing PAGE and it SUCKS! The Themes are shit! So what did I do?

I grabbed my DVDs of my paid for versions of SUSE Linux, popped them into a machine, opened in a file manager, found the Window Maker shit, and I grabbed every Theme those paid Versions of SUSE Linux had, and I copied them ALL over.

I uploaded copies to my Server, then I made a Tarball and Compressed it, and uploaded that. Then I put them on USB Drives.

Then last night I ran tar xzvf on it and opened them up.

Then I ran tar xzvf on each Theme.

Then, I opened a File Manager to my home directorie's GNUstep folder on my FreeBSD box. Then I kept going inside to the Themes and Background's Directory. Once there, I stuck the "style" file in the Themes directory and rename it to whatever the Theme was named.

Afterwards, I right clicked in Window Maker and selected the Themes. I now have Window Maker Themes.