(Reasonably) New to Linux - Printable Version
-Shoutbox (https://shoutbox.menthix.net)
+-- Forum: MsgHelp Archive (/forumdisplay.php?fid=58)
+--- Forum: Skype & Technology (/forumdisplay.php?fid=9)
+---- Forum: Tech Talk (/forumdisplay.php?fid=17)
+----- Thread: (Reasonably) New to Linux (/showthread.php?tid=75262)
(Reasonably) New to Linux by Ansette on 06-11-2007 at 12:23 PM
Years ago I tried Mandriva (well when it was Mandrake.. must've been about 2003-2004?)
Anyways I've grown tired lately of Microsoft, Windows et al.. e.g. have been using OpenOffice and am really intrigued by ReactOS..
Anyways I'm looking at putting Linux on my laptop (probably as a Dual-Boot)
I want one that has a simple GUI.. probably the only good thing I liked about Windows.. preferably one that is not too dissimilar to Windows to be fair.
Not worried about what softwarre comes with the distro, i mean I can download that but want something that will nigh on replace need for Windows..
What I've found so far is: Lin/Freespire, XandrOS are supposed to be near XP in their style..
Any ideas? I don't have CDs large enough to burn the ISO images so I will have to pay the small fee for a distribution so would like one I won't regret!
Edit/Delete Message
RE: (Reasonably) New to Linux by joey on 06-11-2007 at 12:34 PM
Ubuntu ftw!! http://www.ubuntu.com/ get a cd of it for free, or download it. and add Beryl onto it, and its great.
RE: (Reasonably) New to Linux by ayjay on 06-11-2007 at 12:37 PM
openSuSE is kinda similar to Windows GUI-wise.
Uses its own modified KDE menu bar which is nice. Sure you can find plenty of screenshots 
RE: (Reasonably) New to Linux by joey on 06-11-2007 at 12:40 PM
and its pretty customizable too. i would say its one of the best for a computer thats going to have more than one or two users. very child friendly.
RE: (Reasonably) New to Linux by Adeptus on 06-11-2007 at 02:15 PM
It's probably not the answer you were looking for, but seriously -- consider switching to Macintosh. With OS X, you will get a UNIX(FreeBSD) OS with an outstanding and consistent GUI on top, a good selection of apps, and all of it will just work.
The "just works" part and consistency have always been the weak spots for desktop Linux, mainly because there are competing solutions for everything (e.g. GNOME vs. KDE). When you start to mix and match, that's where maintaining a desktop Linux system becomes a full-time job.
RE: (Reasonably) New to Linux by Voldemort on 06-11-2007 at 02:18 PM
rps did a good job!
RE: (Reasonably) New to Linux by Adeptus on 06-11-2007 at 02:31 PM
quote:Actually, rps had nothing whatsoever to do with me switching to a Mac.
Originally posted by Voldemort
rps did a good job!
RE: (Reasonably) New to Linux by -dt- on 06-11-2007 at 02:49 PM
quote:unless rps stole your windows laptop :------o
Originally posted by Adeptus
quote:Actually, rps had nothing whatsoever to do with me switching to a Mac.
Originally posted by Voldemort
rps did a good job!
![[Image: msn_tongue.gif]](http://shoutbox.menthix.net/images/smilies/msn_tongue.gif)
RE: (Reasonably) New to Linux by joey on 06-11-2007 at 03:28 PM
meh, its all the same these days. anything goes.
RE: (Reasonably) New to Linux by Ansette on 06-11-2007 at 03:39 PM
hehe thanks anyways.. i didnt want to wait up to 6ish weeks or ubuntu so ordered a cd from a supplier on ebay, 1.49 wasnt too much i thought so ya know..
and yes it is hijackers lol
RE: (Reasonably) New to Linux by Jesus on 06-11-2007 at 04:23 PM
I'd say take a look around on the internet, there's plenty of info on each Linux distro to help you make your choice.
If you want an easy install, go for Ubuntu (or Kubuntu if you want a more customizable GUI, I personally like KDE over Gnome for this reason)
On the complete other end, if you want to learn more about linux and how it is put together, go for Gentoo. This distro allows you to build up and compile a complete Linux OS (almost) from scratch. Note that this will take a long time and you will have to read a lot e.g. on the Gentoo forums.
quote:One thing PC users can do that Mac users can't...
Originally posted by Adeptus
It's probably not the answer you were looking for, but seriously -- consider switching to Macintosh. With OS X, you will get a UNIX(FreeBSD) OS with an outstanding and consistent GUI on top, a good selection of apps, and all of it will just work.
The "just works" part and consistency have always been the weak spots for desktop Linux, mainly because there are competing solutions for everything (e.g. GNOME vs. KDE). When you start to mix and match, that's where maintaining a desktop Linux system becomes a full-time job.
RE: (Reasonably) New to Linux by joey on 06-11-2007 at 04:57 PM
make your own!
RE: RE: (Reasonably) New to Linux by Verte on 06-12-2007 at 05:52 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Adeptus
It's probably not the answer you were looking for, but seriously -- consider switching to Macintosh. With OS X, you will get a UNIX(FreeBSD) OS with an outstanding and consistent GUI on top, a good selection of apps, and all of it will just work.
The "just works" part and consistency have always been the weak spots for desktop Linux, mainly because there are competing solutions for everything (e.g. GNOME vs. KDE). When you start to mix and match, that's where maintaining a desktop Linux system becomes a full-time job.
Lol, mixing and matching bits of gnome and KDE is actually very simple, and requires no maintenance in most Linux distributions [it's a little more difficult in those without a package manager, because installing from source is not trivial in most Linuxen].
OSX is not FreeBSD, although it contains a smidgin of its code [as does Windows, ironically]. OSX is more correctly Darwin, which more closely resembles the kernel of the Mach-based NeXTSTEP [though it is not a microkernel based OS itself]. IMHO they should have gone with a full FreeBSD kernel or better yet, written [a mk OS] from scratch.
Though you do get a Unix [workalike] in your mac, you don't get the benefits of an open source Unix. Essentially, they can always shaft you and force things upon you, you're open to undisclosed holes in the WM and other tools, and you're at the mercy of their release cycle and support team [or lack thereof]. You're also going to need to install an X server if you ever want to run any GUI Unix applications.
Don't get me wrong, OSX is a fantastic operating system. It's just no replacement for a real Free Unix.
I had [and continue to have] good experiences with Debian GNU/Linux. Not as much is hidden away from the user, it's much more powerful and fully featured [compared to Ubuntu], but it's no more difficult at all. It's got a much bigger sense of community about it, too. However, a word of warning, Debian Etch/Lenny is still using a 2.6.18 kernel AFAIK so you won't get complete access to your NTFS drives with ntfs-3g yet.
RE: (Reasonably) New to Linux by zach on 06-12-2007 at 10:59 AM
I downloaded Ubuntu but it wouldn't install so I tried PCLinuxOS next and that's what I am using now.