AnimeSuki Forums

panianna · 2004-07-01, 02:28

I 've been using Windows for the last 10 years at my work, at home, everywhere and I am fed up with it. I've heard only good things about Linux, about it's stability, resistance to virii etc. Recently I've bought a new computer and it is time for a change, so now I am asking the people with Linux experience, what would you recommend to a person who is poisoned by M$? SuSe, Mandrake, Linspire or something else? I'd like OS that is user friendly and easily customisable. Your opinions based on experience, please. Pluses, minuses, tell me everything.

soraryu · 2004-07-01, 04:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by panianna

I 've been using Windows for the last 10 years at my work, at home, everywhere and I am fed up with it. I've heard only good things about Linux, about it's stability, resistance to virii etc. Recently I've bought a new computer and it is time for a change, so now I am asking the people with Linux experience, what would you recommend to a person who is poisoned by M$? SuSe, Mandrake, Linspire or something else? I'd like OS that is user friendly and easily customisable. Your opinions based on experience, please. Pluses, minuses, tell me everything.

Hopefully you've done a little research on the hardware compatibilities for Linux or someone knowledgeable has informed you of your choices (before you've bought your hardware). Anyway, a lot of hardware are compatible (in varying degrees).

As for your choice of distribution, I'll say it's best to get a Linux book that comes with the distribution CD/DVDs and install from there (go for linux books that contains information not just for installation, configuration but also contains troubleshooting hints). Else, just go for the Linux distributions that installs as seamless as possible. I'll suggest Suse (have yet to try any recent versions, so no comment), Mandrake (the installation is almost seamless) or Fedora (a lot of the software packages are tested/works on Fedora).

Reading up on Linux (no matter how little) before installation will help you to understand what you're doing. Else, just choose the default installation method (which is almost as seamless as it can get).

Lastly, getting the newest Linux distribution CD/DVDs is often a good choice. This is likely to alleviate a lot of problems of hardware not working properly or not working at all. My personal recommendation is to start with Mandrake. Try it. If you don't like it, you can alway install another distribution.

Ending · 2004-07-01, 07:41

Do this:

- www.knoppix.com
-> Burn it on CD, and try how Linux feels. It doesn't need installation.

If you liked:

- www.suse.com (For SuSe Linux -had several good reviews.)
- or www.xandros.com (For Xandros Desktop v2.0, a brand new, good-rated Linux.)

Myself, I will be giving Linux a chance next time I update my comp.

ÜberJumper · 2004-07-01, 08:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wirhe

Do this:

- www.knoppix.com
-> Burn it on CD, and try how Linux feels. It doesn't need installation.

If you liked:

- www.suse.com (For SuSe Linux -had several good reviews.)
- or www.xandros.com (For Xandros Desktop v2.0, a brand new, good-rated Linux.)

Myself, I will be giving Linux a chance next time I update my comp.

Thank you for that link... I've been searching for it, for aeons now.

uber

Vulkar · 2004-07-01, 09:12

Mandrake Linux is very easy to use. You may wish to try that after you've checked out Knoppix.

Mandrake
It's got an easy graphical install.
It'll set up your partitioning for you.
It has these things called RPM which for the most part are easy enough to find and install.
Comes with KDE/Gnome/Windowmaker so it offers a decent choice in Desktop Environment.

--only complaint was that it didn't support my winmodem. I had to search around to figure out how to get it working. So, take heed dialup users.

Anyway, it seemed like a good beginning in Linux, but I can't speak on SuSE cause I've never used it. I've only used 3. Knoppix, Mandrake, and Gentoo. And right now I'm a total n00b at Gentoo.

project_00 · 2004-07-01, 13:36

I'm using Mandrake's distro on and off and I think it's pretty easy to use. I'm one of those who hate to configure and install stuff. However, it is not to say you won't encounter problems with Linux. Some things that are easily done in Windows will need some getting used to in Linux. Be prepared to read up and fnd out more for yourself.

devourment77 · 2004-07-01, 15:41

i am using slackware 10. It would be best to use knoppix live cd first as suggested, at least you then can see what modules it installes, so you will know what to compile in your kernel (or as modules) when you actually install a distro.

I have used gentoo, but portage gets big after a while, and there isn't a standardized way to clean it up, so I am back to slack.

After you get used to linux, try slackware, it is the best distro to really learn how linux works.

If you want to play games, hope u have a newer ati card (9000 series or greater) or an nvidia card.

Ending · 2004-07-01, 16:06

Quote:

It would be best to use knoppix live cd first as suggested, at least you then can see what modules it installes, so you will know what to compile in your kernel (or as modules) when you actually install a distro.

You know, I bet that just scared of half of the casual users. Sorry, MAJORITY of them.

Anyway, IIRC, Slackware hasn't got too flattering reviews in our local magazines or on the net. Mandrake is said to be a good choise too due of its friendly interface, but Xandro's Desktop is newer and at least as friendly, according of a few reviews I have read. Personally, I'd go with either SuSe or XD2 (and probably will, if they are that "new" then

)

devourment77 · 2004-07-01, 16:41

I didn't mean to scare anyone away, Linux is all about being able to configure everything you want down to the last detail. Learning about modules and how to compile your kernel is a must if you really want to learn linux.

>.< didn't mean to scare you off. Here is a pic of my desktop on slack 10 http://hidden-leaf.ath.cx/my_crap/comp_pics/devstop.jpg also OSnews ( http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=6695 ) rates slackware pretty good. I know it isn't a noob distro of linux, but it doesn't have a lot of bloat and you actually get to learn about "linux", and not just some "MS windows like" alternative. Mandrake would be a good starter distro, I just know when I started linux (suse) I moved on to gentoo and slack pretty quick.

Dark Epyon · 2004-07-01, 18:00

I used to use Linux I really liked it over windows but I still went back. I used Mandrake to start off with it was easy to use and the RPM were so helpful.

Forse · 2004-07-01, 19:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by panianna

I 've been using Windows for the last 10 years at my work, at home, everywhere and I am fed up with it. I've heard only good things about Linux, about it's stability, resistance to virii etc. Recently I've bought a new computer and it is time for a change, so now I am asking the people with Linux experience, what would you recommend to a person who is poisoned by M$? SuSe, Mandrake, Linspire or something else? I'd like OS that is user friendly and easily customisable. Your opinions based on experience, please. Pluses, minuses, tell me everything.

Been so long since my post, hehe. Anyway it's all up to how much time u wanna spend learning it, is it hours? days? weeks?

First of all it would help us to know what will u use that computer for. I really recommend trying SuSe...it's not free but it's cheap (starting from 29$). It has all you need and more, plus it's really easy and comes with printed manual (last time I checked). Also SuSe offers support. If you're a student u can get discount. More info at http://www.suse.com/us/private/index.html

AnimeOni · 2004-07-03, 01:39

I use Mandrake and RedHat. Mandrake is definately a beginner's OS while RedHat is a geek's OS. I will have to caution you before diving directly into Linux. There is some learning curve to it. If you do to tweak your system a lot, then you should be OK. Get Linux for Dummies since it gives you the bare-basics to get you up and running. If you do do a lot of tweaking you should expect a slight learning curve. Redhat is very customizable and there is a free distribution. (note: get the latest build so it does not wipe out your windows boot)

If you really are into getting Linux, I would recommend you setup your system to be dual-boot and try out various Linux-es while still be have a backup of Windows. When you do switch over to Linux, format the Windows drive and setup another Linux partition (ext3).

I have been using Linux and Windows and from experience, Linux is not as easy to use as Windows. You should expect some hiccups - hardware incompatibilities and such. Expect less applications and if you are a gamer, say goodbye to many games (unless you dualboot).

Good luck.
________
Volcano Vaporizers

RichMan · 2004-07-03, 02:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by panianna

I 've been using Windows for the last 10 years at my work, at home, everywhere and I am fed up with it. I've heard only good things about Linux, about it's stability, resistance to virii etc. Recently I've bought a new computer and it is time for a change, so now I am asking the people with Linux experience, what would you recommend to a person who is poisoned by M$? SuSe, Mandrake, Linspire or something else? I'd like OS that is user friendly and easily customisable. Your opinions based on experience, please. Pluses, minuses, tell me everything.

lol, you've been a Windows-guy for 10 years and your hoping to find a OS that's more user friendly and easily customizable. How about not being such a tightwad and go out and buy Windows XP Professional. I've had exp with Linux and I've learned that Windows XP Professional beats the crap out of any other OS (including those crappy Mac OS's)

Dude, if your SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO worried about virus' or hackers, then get a good firewall (like Zonealarm) and now your completely safe.

Since all you've used is Windows, then using a linux-based OS (technically isn't an OS since it needs KDE/Gnome or basically it's almost a crappy version of MS-DOS)
it will be difficult to install software, because you have to do it all yourself (compiling and such), heck, it's even harder finding software since the whole world uses mainly Windows, and if not windows, then Mac; So if your a PC gamer then too bad for you, because the only games that will work are old, weak emulated versions.

Trust me dude, stick with Windows XP Professional. It's the best

Ending · 2004-07-03, 09:23

It's the best choise for games due of the simple fact that most games are made for it, but considering the cost and maintenance requirments for a casual office-worker, I'd say Linux is better. For one, it's free (like the office-programs designed for it) and nowdays as easy to use as Windows. Second, it's more secure; the clients do not need to worry about if they have brought some virus from home or if some site installs malware.

In the end, it's a choise between a gaming machine and a 'working' machine.

Yamano667 · 2004-07-03, 11:30

I do use suse linux and windows ..there is always programs that might crash on linux

panianna · 2004-07-03, 13:40

Thanks, guys, for your advices and opinions. They were very useful for me. I've contacted Linux enthusiasts at my working place and they've explained me a lot of things. Yeah, there will be a lot of compatibility problems, sometimes unexpected. Fortunately, I am not a gamer, so games and methods of their installation do not concern me. Unfortunately, I sometimes use my home computer for additional work (respectively, I translate documents from Russian to Latvian) and I am not so sure whether the Open Office/Star Office is localized and supports both aforementioned languages. Still, as a second OS , Linux is worth a try, especially for Internet browsing purposes.

Dopeskills · 2004-07-04, 00:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichMan

it will be difficult to install software, because you have to do it all yourself (compiling and such), heck, it's even harder finding software since the whole world uses mainly Windows, and if not windows, then Mac;

Installing programs in Linux is the easiest thing in the world. You just type the name of the program into the package manager and it automatically downloads and installs. And there is pretty much an open source version of every app and utility you can think of.

I run Mandrake and Debian. I'll agree that Mandrake is the probably the best for beginers.

Shadowlord · 2004-07-04, 01:10

also if you ever find a program that linux has no alternative for it, you could try installing WINE, it may be able to run the programs.

Ending · 2004-07-04, 07:58

Wine is free, but WineX costs, as with it you can emulate DirectX (something basically every game nowdays uses).

Roots · 2004-07-06, 03:34

My first Linux distro was Mandrake. That distro was only about 4 days old when I installed it, but man it was SO easy to setup, even easier than a typical Windows install. The only problems that I had with Mandrake came until after I was over my 'newbie' curve and I wanted to install more programs, enable MIDI support, etc. A few things were a little rickety after that, but I never got a single virus that I knew of and it didn't crash once for the entire 3-4 months or so I used it.

My biggest problem was the 'dependency hell' problem (you try to install a program, and find out for it to work you have to first install 2 other programs, which both need 12 other programs installed before they are...)

After that I decided to install Debian on my new computer (Mandrake was running on my old computer at school). I love Debian so much, I don't think I'll ever need to switch to another distro. Dependency hell is completely gone with Debian's package management, I just type 'apt-get install program_name' and it downloads it and installs it for me. It's almost too wonderful.

Although Debian did give me a little trouble during the install, that was the only bump in the road I experienced.

So yeah, I'd recommend you go the same route and install Mandrake and use KDE as your desktop environment. I think it's a good 'softcore' Linux distro to go with.

2004-07-01, 02:28	Link #1
panianna Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Riga, Latvia Age: 51	Bye, Windows! Hello, Linux! I 've been using Windows for the last 10 years at my work, at home, everywhere and I am fed up with it. I've heard only good things about Linux, about it's stability, resistance to virii etc. Recently I've bought a new computer and it is time for a change, so now I am asking the people with Linux experience, what would you recommend to a person who is poisoned by M$? SuSe, Mandrake, Linspire or something else? I'd like OS that is user friendly and easily customisable. Your opinions based on experience, please. Pluses, minuses, tell me everything.

2004-07-01, 15:41	Link #7
devourment77 Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2004	i am using slackware 10. It would be best to use knoppix live cd first as suggested, at least you then can see what modules it installes, so you will know what to compile in your kernel (or as modules) when you actually install a distro. I have used gentoo, but portage gets big after a while, and there isn't a standardized way to clean it up, so I am back to slack. After you get used to linux, try slackware, it is the best distro to really learn how linux works. If you want to play games, hope u have a newer ati card (9000 series or greater) or an nvidia card. Last edited by devourment77; 2004-07-01 at 16:05.

2004-07-03, 01:39	Link #12
AnimeOni Raid-the-mods Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Sol System	I use Mandrake and RedHat. Mandrake is definately a beginner's OS while RedHat is a geek's OS. I will have to caution you before diving directly into Linux. There is some learning curve to it. If you do to tweak your system a lot, then you should be OK. Get Linux for Dummies since it gives you the bare-basics to get you up and running. If you do do a lot of tweaking you should expect a slight learning curve. Redhat is very customizable and there is a free distribution. (note: get the latest build so it does not wipe out your windows boot) If you really are into getting Linux, I would recommend you setup your system to be dual-boot and try out various Linux-es while still be have a backup of Windows. When you do switch over to Linux, format the Windows drive and setup another Linux partition (ext3). I have been using Linux and Windows and from experience, Linux is not as easy to use as Windows. You should expect some hiccups - hardware incompatibilities and such. Expect less applications and if you are a gamer, say goodbye to many games (unless you dualboot). Good luck. ________ Volcano Vaporizers Last edited by AnimeOni; 2011-03-05 at 11:26.

2004-07-01, 07:41	Link #3
Ending Senior Member Join Date: May 2004	Do this: - www.knoppix.com -> Burn it on CD, and try how Linux feels. It doesn't need installation. If you liked: - www.suse.com (For SuSe Linux -had several good reviews.) - or www.xandros.com (For Xandros Desktop v2.0, a brand new, good-rated Linux.) Myself, I will be giving Linux a chance next time I update my comp.

2004-07-01, 09:12	Link #5
Vulkar Lost in Time and Space Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Burlington, VT USA Age: 41	Mandrake Linux is very easy to use. You may wish to try that after you've checked out Knoppix. Mandrake It's got an easy graphical install. It'll set up your partitioning for you. It has these things called RPM which for the most part are easy enough to find and install. Comes with KDE/Gnome/Windowmaker so it offers a decent choice in Desktop Environment. --only complaint was that it didn't support my winmodem. I had to search around to figure out how to get it working. So, take heed dialup users. Anyway, it seemed like a good beginning in Linux, but I can't speak on SuSE cause I've never used it. I've only used 3. Knoppix, Mandrake, and Gentoo. And right now I'm a total n00b at Gentoo.

2004-07-01, 13:36	Link #6
project_00 Member Join Date: May 2004	I'm using Mandrake's distro on and off and I think it's pretty easy to use. I'm one of those who hate to configure and install stuff. However, it is not to say you won't encounter problems with Linux. Some things that are easily done in Windows will need some getting used to in Linux. Be prepared to read up and fnd out more for yourself.

2004-07-01, 16:41	Link #9
devourment77 Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2004	I didn't mean to scare anyone away, Linux is all about being able to configure everything you want down to the last detail. Learning about modules and how to compile your kernel is a must if you really want to learn linux. >.< didn't mean to scare you off. Here is a pic of my desktop on slack 10 http://hidden-leaf.ath.cx/my_crap/comp_pics/devstop.jpg also OSnews ( http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=6695 ) rates slackware pretty good. I know it isn't a noob distro of linux, but it doesn't have a lot of bloat and you actually get to learn about "linux", and not just some "MS windows like" alternative. Mandrake would be a good starter distro, I just know when I started linux (suse) I moved on to gentoo and slack pretty quick.

2004-07-01, 18:00	Link #10
Dark Epyon Useless Human Join Date: Apr 2004 Age: 35	I used to use Linux I really liked it over windows but I still went back. I used Mandrake to start off with it was easy to use and the RPM were so helpful.

2004-07-03, 09:23	Link #14
Ending Senior Member Join Date: May 2004	It's the best choise for games due of the simple fact that most games are made for it, but considering the cost and maintenance requirments for a casual office-worker, I'd say Linux is better. For one, it's free (like the office-programs designed for it) and nowdays as easy to use as Windows. Second, it's more secure; the clients do not need to worry about if they have brought some virus from home or if some site installs malware. In the end, it's a choise between a gaming machine and a 'working' machine.

2004-07-03, 11:30	Link #15
Yamano667 Banned Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: The moon :)	I do use suse linux and windows ..there is always programs that might crash on linux

2004-07-03, 13:40	Link #16
panianna Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Riga, Latvia Age: 51	Thanks, guys, for your advices and opinions. They were very useful for me. I've contacted Linux enthusiasts at my working place and they've explained me a lot of things. Yeah, there will be a lot of compatibility problems, sometimes unexpected. Fortunately, I am not a gamer, so games and methods of their installation do not concern me. Unfortunately, I sometimes use my home computer for additional work (respectively, I translate documents from Russian to Latvian) and I am not so sure whether the Open Office/Star Office is localized and supports both aforementioned languages. Still, as a second OS , Linux is worth a try, especially for Internet browsing purposes.

2004-07-04, 01:10	Link #18
Shadowlord ~DESU Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Vancouver, Canada eh? Age: 37	also if you ever find a program that linux has no alternative for it, you could try installing WINE, it may be able to run the programs.

2004-07-04, 07:58	Link #19
Ending Senior Member Join Date: May 2004	Wine is free, but WineX costs, as with it you can emulate DirectX (something basically every game nowdays uses).

2004-07-06, 03:34	Link #20
Roots 外人、漫画訳者 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Austin, TX Age: 41	My first Linux distro was Mandrake. That distro was only about 4 days old when I installed it, but man it was SO easy to setup, even easier than a typical Windows install. The only problems that I had with Mandrake came until after I was over my 'newbie' curve and I wanted to install more programs, enable MIDI support, etc. A few things were a little rickety after that, but I never got a single virus that I knew of and it didn't crash once for the entire 3-4 months or so I used it. My biggest problem was the 'dependency hell' problem (you try to install a program, and find out for it to work you have to first install 2 other programs, which both need 12 other programs installed before they are...) After that I decided to install Debian on my new computer (Mandrake was running on my old computer at school). I love Debian so much, I don't think I'll ever need to switch to another distro. Dependency hell is completely gone with Debian's package management, I just type 'apt-get install program_name' and it downloads it and installs it for me. It's almost too wonderful. Although Debian did give me a little trouble during the install, that was the only bump in the road I experienced. So yeah, I'd recommend you go the same route and install Mandrake and use KDE as your desktop environment. I think it's a good 'softcore' Linux distro to go with.