linux version

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shiznatix
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linux version

Post by shiznatix »

ok ok kinda on the topic of hating windows but seriously, i have been running windows all my life and even since i went to win XP i still need to format every couple months to keep everything running as fast as possible because all of the stupid stuff that get thrown everywhere. that is why i am going to start running linux. i am going to have dual boot so i can go back to my old windows stuff when needed but i really want to start using linux mostly. now my question is, what version of linux do i want? i mean there are so many out there and whatnot that its really hard to figure out which one i want. i dont care if i have to read a billion page manual to install and configure it but here are my specs:

1.6 mhz intell celeron
128 mgb DDR ram
40 gig hard drive
128 mbg vid card (not like that matters)

so what would be the best version of linux to dual boot on this machine and why do you think its the best?
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Post by timvw »

I would advise you to get a distro that one of your neighbours/friends knows well.. At least someone that is willing to help you out when things go wrong ;)

I've started with slackware in 1997, switched to debian in 1999 and tried various distros after that, but debian remained my favorite..


Another thing you could do: install vmware and run linux/windows in a virtual machine.. this way you can use them simultaneously ;) (i'm pretty sure there are some free alternatives for vmware too)
Last edited by timvw on Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Deemo
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Post by Deemo »

i use Fedora Core, and i think its great but if you want the most power, you want debian. Debian is the most advanced of all linux distros, but Fedora, Mandrake and SuSE are better for beginners
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shiznatix
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Post by shiznatix »

timwv:

no friends that use linux, expecially here in estonian where all the IT schools are only able to run because of donations from microsoft so i am all on my own when it comes to sitting infront of my computer doing all of this

deemo:

i head about those and talked to someone on irc but said they were no good and that gentoo was better. i am not looking for somthing that is for beginers because i am more than willing to throw myself into a new world without anything and try to figure everything out so give me the best regaurdless on how advanced it is
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nielsene
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Post by nielsene »

Deemo wrote:i use Fedora Core, and i think its great but if you want the most power, you want debian. Debian is the most advanced of all linux distros, but Fedora, Mandrake and SuSE are better for beginners
Debian is my preferred one as well, but I wouldn't say its the most powerful. Debian Stable is a wonderful thing, secure, doesn't break, etc, but can get out-of-date. Its rather current now, but.... Debian Testing is still often good, but I wouldn't put it on a server. Yeah Gentoo is probably the "most advanced" for some definition of "advanced"



I wouldn't recommend Debian though to a Linux beginner.
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Post by timvw »

Well, if i'm not mistaken in testing the debian installer is the same that ubuntu uses..

For the packages that are really old in stable you can usually find backports to install a more recent version of the program..

A problem with debian is that a lot of programs have debian-specific patches.. And can be a pita if you try to recompile them.

Gentoo has done a nice job (stealing the FreeBSD portage system) but i would like it even more if they start distributing binary packages too :)
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Post by Roja »

shiznatix wrote: i head about those and talked to someone on irc but said they were no good and that gentoo was better.
As I say so often.. If you don't want the answer I'll give, don't ask me.

Since your IRC buddy is knowledgable about whats best, have him select your distro, install it, and guide you on the path. What do you need us for? :)

I'll agree with Deemo, and say that I love Fedora. I started with Slackware, breezed past Debian, and landed with Redhat/Fedora. I've been with it for more years than I can remember, and its fantastic. Powerful, easy, reasonable.. its got it all.

Its definitely easy to access, and given the choice between it and other distros, I pick fedora every time.
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Post by andre_c »

i like fedora too

fedora core 4 comes with php5 and mysql 4.1 available to install without any hassles too, very nice
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Chris Corbyn
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Post by Chris Corbyn »

OK here's my ten cents... I'm going to speak from experience and steer you away from Gentoo until you are familiar with Linux in general.

I'd start with something like SuSE, Redhat (maybe not), or Fedora.

Gentoo is intended for experienced users mainly but the big advantage is that you configure everything the way you want it right from the very first point you stick the install disk (or knoppix - yes you can use a live distro to set gentoo up in chroot ;))...

Basically, SuSE (now owned by Novell and very feature rich) and Fedora will be easy to install and preconfigured to some extent so will save you a lot of hassle while you learn your way around linux. Gentoo isn't put together like that... gentoo's claim is that they are "all about choice".

I've personally installed SuSE on non-standard hardware and not had any issues... I now use gentoo but without the SuSE experience I would never have got here ;)
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Post by evilmonkey »

I'm surprised Mandrake (Mandriva) hasn't been mentioned in this thread. It was my first attempt at Linux, followed (breifly) by RedHat 9.0 when it was still current, followed by SuSE 9.1. I would say SuSE was the easiest, but...it's too...guh...it's not what Linux is all about. It's too flashy and GUI-ish and dumbs down the whole expirince. For a little comparison, its GUI is more flashy than that of Windows XP. I really didn't respect that, although I loved the distro otherwise, it's my favourte of the three that I tried because it's the easiest to use.

I want to try something like Debian now...
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shiznatix
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Post by shiznatix »

hummm fedora is sounding good. iv been reading some stuff on fedora and gentoo and i agree with you guys that gentoo is a lil too much. so i think that is what i am going to go with. now the question is. where is the best place to find the latest version for me to install
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Chris Corbyn
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Post by Chris Corbyn »

evilmonkey wrote:I would say SuSE was the easiest, but...it's too...guh...it's not what Linux is all about. It's too flashy and GUI-ish and dumbs down the whole expirince. For a little comparison, its GUI is more flashy than that of Windows XP. I really didn't respect that
You can't put an OS down because it's GUI is nice :?

The only GUI you really see is KDE/GNOME anyway once your using it as a desktop environment - what else do they have? Yast/Sax and the Grub splash screen (which you can replace with any grub splash image). Update KDE or install a new theme and you have your own look anyway.

It's more about the package management and the ease of install, along with what comes preconfigured that's most important for beginners :D
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Post by Roja »

shiznatix wrote:hummm fedora is sounding good. iv been reading some stuff on fedora and gentoo and i agree with you guys that gentoo is a lil too much. so i think that is what i am going to go with. now the question is. where is the best place to find the latest version for me to install
http://www.linuxiso.org/
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Post by McGruff »

I had a quick look at Ubuntu recently. I didn't plan on installing, just meant to sniff it out but before I knew what I was doing it was all up and running. I'm impressed - even my wacom tablet worked out of the box. Would be a good choice for a linux beginner.
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