Best Linux?
 

Which flavor of Linux is "best"?

I have a copy of Mandrake Linux V 9 but that's been cancelled or something. Now it's something else but I forget what.

What about Red Hat? Ubuntu? something else?

I have a new HP dv9417cl and it ame with WinBlows Vista Home Premium and I want it GONE!

Linux is going on but I want recommendations for a newbie. I want the KDE interface to make things familiar to me and it needs a source of drivers so I can make all my extras work (webcam, wireless card etc)

Any hints?

I use KDE on RH with the latest Fedoras. But there has been some work involved getting it to work exactly right. Ubuntu is Gnome-oriented but there is a KDE Ubuntu - Kubuntu.

In the end, they are all extremely similar under the hood. It's not like one's Chevy and one's Hyundai. This is more like two Toyota Land Cruisers, one in blue with a roof rack, the other in red with a tow hitch.

I run Gentoo on a server I built 2 years ago - easy to keep up to date, and very powerful; also very easy to install programs. Some might say a downside is all programs are built from source. Recently a livecd has been created (last year?), and more recently a GUI installer.

But if you want something you can just install and go with, Kubuntu. Or you can get a modified version of Mac OS that'll run on Intel/AMD hardware.

Try PCLinux OS
 

AKA - PCLOS. It's easier to use than Ubuntu and looks better too.

http://www.thepcspy.com/articles/lin...los_2007_final


http://i.thepcspy.com/blog/20070521-pcl/boot.jpg

http://i.thepcspy.com/blog/20070521-pcl/desktop.jpg

Easier to use... I wouldn't present that first screen to a newb under any circumstances.

On the other hand it does use KDE

The first screen is what you initially see when you run the 'Live" CD. I have installed it on several PC's and it was very user friendly. The link I provided leads you thru the install process step by step.

I just upgraded to Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon). Unlike the previous version, this had plug-and-play printer support for the HP printer.

I also had an much easier time installing a wi-fi card.

These are two big tests for any Linux distro.

OK, Mandriva is too hard. I'll try Wolfd's link next, as soon as I get a HS connection.

Interesting , what are the hard ware requirements ??

Ubuntu is by far the best and easiest to use. It has a very small footprint (comes on 1 cd), looks great, works great, comes in pretty much every known language, etc.

After that, my next choice would probably be fedora (Redhat), or Debian.

Voting Ubuntu -- it was the only distro that recognized most of the hardware I was using. I was astonished when it booted after the install with sound with no help from me.

I'm starting to get back into this side of computing, again, but doing it from the Debian (Mac OS X 10.5) side. Compiling apps on that thing is fun fun fun...!

Anyone have any experience with jackd/icecast/oddcast?

Ubuntu.

I've heard that PCLinux OS is also good, but I haven't used it and Ubuntu is simply spectacular.

Ok. I see 2 versions of most. 1 is for AMD 64 and other is i386. I have an AMD 64x2, but a xp 32 bit system. Which do I need to spend days to download by bit torrent?? Or maybe less ymmv

The thing is, bb, Linux replaces your XP 32 bit system.

Thanks cool

You'll want the AMD 64 version of Linux. It should have a kernel module that supports SMP AMD 64s. The i386 version will run, too.

I think.

Just got 2 copies of Ubuntu 7.10 in the mail today
 

I requested them a few weeks ago when I was having trouble burning a new copy. Fortunately, I was able to upgrade from my current version without depending on the disks.

If anyone in the Philadelphia area wants to borrow them, feel free to ask.

Ubuntu 8.04 was just released
 

Well, ok, it was released two weeks ago.

But I just got the free CD I requested delivered. It turned out not to make a difference since the automatic upgrade worked fine.

Since they send me Ubuntu stickers with each release, I have begun to place them on my laptop, laptop case, disk organizer.....

Well, you know that they say. Linux users are all crazy fundamentalists.

Andit says so right there on the link.:lol2:

I'm evaluating Mandriva off a boot CD now.
Seems to run ok, but the update function froze the computer, forcing a hard reboot. Next will be a day long tweaking session, then the real test.

And then I do it again for each of four total Linux-ses.
OpenSUSE I think will be next to see what the GNOME interface is like. KDE seems pretty familiar tho.

B, there's always Kubuntu: Ubuntu plus KDE.

I upgraded to Fedora 9 this week and learned that KDE 4.0 is, like, not ready for prime time. It's just horrible! I'm appalled - I had a great desktop environment and they shat all over it!

I can see how it will come around and be a really impressive thing, as people work on it, and 4.1 may be a giant improvement when it's released in July. But for now - AVOID.

Now this is not a problem for most people because Fedora is absolutely meant to be a cutting-edge thing -- they just say, hey, here's the very latest and greatest of every piece of software running, so expect it to be buggy. This is a good thing, because it gets early and beta software out in the world where people can bang on it, break it and submit bug fixes. But it's definitely not for people who just want to get stuff done. So for the time being I'm recommending Ubuntu.

Kubuntu is not on my list at present.

I still have to try GNOME before I choose one desktop over another. As a default, anyway. I know I can change them whenever I want.

Currently, I am going bald trying to figure out multimedia and package management. I kinda already miss wizards...

BrianR,

You really would like Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron, I think.

I'm running that in a VM at work, and really like it :).

Mitch

I might. I'm still getting tha hang of the command line interface and trying to figure out file hierarchy and esp dependencies!. What I need is a good primer book.

Got any suggestions?

Isn't all the information for those open source programs online?

Tons and tons of it. It's wading through it all that's daunting.

Linux System Commands
 

Brian,

Linux System Commands by Patrick Volkerding worked for me :).

It may be a little dated, but it works for me.

http://www.amazon.com/Linux-System-C...1769520&sr=8-1

Mitch

been booting Mandriva from CD lately and I seem to like it.

I have Linux desktop now, it's full of info but seems to be a bit difficult to understand.

For those folks not willing to wipe and reinstall, you could try CoLinux. Not a distro, I know, but for testing before deployments to my data center, it's great!

I've been booting from the CD until I figure out the config stuff.

I have an old Packard Bel Platinum 2001 V2 with intel pentium 2 running windows 98.other specs i'm not too sure about but could find out later.
as a project i was trying to install Ubuntu 7.10 don't care if windows is wiped for new system but can't get the CD to boot ,keeps giving me error message missing files but no clue as to what files missing?
tried Ubuntu 8.04 and this started to boot up but then stopped and gave half a screen of error messages which i have no idea what they mean.
can't run the system direct from cd either as not enough memory should I just give up and bin the bastard as a waste of time?
seems a shame as apart from being old the desktop works ok

Linux is notorious for being difficult running on laptops. Usually, it runs fine on desktops. Try another Linux distro.
Mandriva is user-friendly, runs from the CD (.iso image)and is more configurable than some.

Or ask here and someone who knows what they are talking about will probably help you.

could not google packard bell platinum 2001 v2

describe more precisely please

Are you running from an ISO image you burned or did you ask for a 'production' disk from Canonical. I was always having problems burning their ISO images. Canonical will ship you a disk for free if you are willing to wait 2-3 weeks. I currently have 7.10 and 8.04 disks from them.

I've tried both got one posted to me and downloaded and burnt one to cd even used one out of the library same problem just won't load.
get the Ubuntu screen as

Then it hangs and I get something like this AAAaaaaaarrrgh!!!

Go into the BIOS (the menus you have to hit F2, or F1, or Del to get into, right after the system beeps when it's booting) and look in the menus for somewhere you can turn OFF PnP (Plug n Play).