A new guide on choosing Linux v2009.05.10

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I have the Fedora 12 and OpenSuSE 11.2 DVDs here and I just haven't got around to trying them yet. I also have Ubuntu and Kubuntu 9.04/9.10 Live CDs but I've only tried 9.04. I struggle to find a reason for using Linux as opposed to Windows, since most of the OSS that I use has a Windows version anyway. I suppose the whole philosophy thing doesn't really click with me. I use a PC to get things done, not fit an ideology. Whatever can do the task I'll use.
 


That's the key point, I think. When people ask me for help on their computer that is broken, for example it is riddled with spyware/malware, I'll ask them to describe what they do with their system. If it can be done in a web browser, or productivity (word processing, spreadsheets, presentations), IM - basic functions, or even coding, I will suggest Linux. If they have a specific app or game they play that only has Windows support, it just won't work for them. In that case I tell them go call Geek squad or some one who will charge them $150 or so to backup/reinstall.

I wouldn't mind charging friends/family for doing that, but it is always awkward. I'm constantly asked for computer help at social gatherings, funny that I don't ask for free medical or other advice from those same people :) I also don't enjoy spending hours sitting in front of a 5 year old system that takes 20 minutes to boot up due to whatever reasons, when a current version of Fedora runs just fine on that same system.

I don't like forcing others to try my ways, I just enjoy sharing my experiences. But sure, use whatever works for you :)
 

I use 3DS Max, which doesn't work in Linux natively and based on WineDB entries for older versions (there's no 2010 entry) it doesn't look like it's ever worked right with Wine either. If this and all my games (hell even some of them) ran nicely without trying to configure Wine correctly I would probably use Linux, or use it more anyway. Right now my work is pretty much tied to Windows. I need native Linux ports :)


I know how you feel. I get paid for it from some people, but not a great deal. I never ask for anything, they just offer me some money and I accept whatever they want to pay.

Don't take me for a blind Windows user either, I always argue with Windows fanboys whenever a Linux article appears on this site. People just argue the same drivel without doing even a wikipedia search to update their facts :pfff:
 
I can't switch to Linux fully since there isn't a decent native drawing app like Corel Painter. I suppose Krita gets close, but it's still a far cry from Painter 11. Too bad WINE is stuffed on Painter, otherwise I'd be fully Linux right now.

SO yeh, I'm stuck on the mac platform just because of Painter 11... and maybe iWork '09.
 



Try this one : vmaware workstation..

http://www.vmware.com/products/workstation/
 
Hi,
I am new to Tomshardware and groups. Since you are apparently familiar, perhaps you can direct a newbie. I ran Ubuntu off the CD. I have not played with partitions and a permanent install yet. I don't know how to get Ubuntu to identify my wireless internet connection. And I believe that this is because my Ubuntu does not see all of my devices and drivers. Can you provide any easy pointers? I don't understand the concept of a virtual box. But I would like to install Ubuntu as dual booting OS. Once installed what happens? When you turn on the computer do you get Windows startup unless you use an F-key to alternate boot? Or will you see something else? Thank you.
 
Are you able to describe for me what happens when you turn your computer on? Do you get Windows opening if you have Windows? Do you go to a command prompt to choose and load your choice of Linux distros? I am very new, any introductory infomation you might have to install, find drivers get network access and begin to work inside of Ubuntu (in my case), as opposed to Windows OS. Thank you.
 
In most cases you'll get a screen which usually has 3-4 possible boot options when you turn on the PC. First will be the Linux distribution that you installed, the second will be a sort of safe mode (I think, never taken much notice of it myself), the third will be Memtest86 (for checking memory stability) and the fourth will be Windows (sometimes just called Other). If you have more than one Windows OS installed then the Windows option will take you to the Windows bootloader screen which will have your usual Windows entries.
 
randomizer is right on :)

This is usually what you get

grub.jpg
 
Of course, the above screenshot assumes you have multiple kernel versions installed. It's like having NT6.0 and NT6.1, except that Windows versions only ever have one kernel version installed which may or may not receive updates, whereas a Linux distro could boot with a number of different versions of the Linux kernel. Initial installation only gives you the one version though, and you can always overwrite old ones when you update instead of keeping a big list like the above. Sometimes it's good for compatibility purposes though.
 
That's true :)

I stole the screenshot from a user, it's an actual screenshot.

It's a little outdated it shows 8.04 which is a little old.

The recommended versions are 9.04-amd64 and 9.10-amd64 on 64bit cpus.

Semper Fi :)
 
linux_0, what would you recommend for someone looking for a super high power Linux that doesn't need to be user friendly? I would like it to be new and adaptable, and other than that I will accept your input, seeing as how you know much more about Linux than I do, especially newer versions. I haven't had Linux in a while, but I really liked it when I had it. It was lower power, though. Also, the newer the kernel the better, but I'll leave that up to you.

Thanks!
 
Well I'll throw some out there but I've got to say "high power" is very subjective.

If you want something that's cutting edge and updates very frequently Fedora and Ubuntu aren't bad.

Debian isn't bad either.

Fedora's harder than Ubuntu and Debian is harder than either Fedora or Ubuntu.

Some folks are reporting problems with the latest ubuntu 9.10 so I'd suggest looking at Fedora 12 or Debian 5 or Ubuntu 9.04.

Try all these and many more, see what you like best and pick the ones you like most.

There's nothing wrong with Dual booting or Triple booting 2,3 or even more linux distros :) [ fixed typo ]

What have you got hardware wise?

Good luck :)
 
What exactly is high power? All Linux distributions are based on the same foundations, so I wouldn't expect performce to vary too much on the same hardware.

For the ultimate in "high power" I'd go for Gentoo; build your kernel as lean as possible and compile everything else to be optimized as much as possible for your hardware. And install exactly what you need, no more no less. The alternative is Linux From Scratch, but that's probably just a little too high powered for most.
 
It depends on your definition of "high power".

Fedora 12 boots to a GUI in under 20 seconds on modern hardware and about 5 seconds without a GUI. It's already been optimized quite a bit.

Debian and Ubuntu are also pretty fast.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=linux_bsd_opensolaris&num=1

In these tests "Fedora 12 and Debian GNU/Linux (2010-01-14) were tied with each having seven wins. Behind the Linux distributions, OpenSolaris 2009.06 and FreeBSD 8.0 were tied with each having two wins."

Fedora 12 and Debian are both pretty well optimized out of the box and most users don't need to compile their kernels for better performance.

Gentoo and LFS are great, but they're not for the average user. If you're an ubergeek and you've got a couple of months to spare go for LFS 😉 I jest, I jest :) [ fixed typo ]

Semper Fi :)
 
I've finally had the chance to sit down and get a working installation going. After trying Linux Mint 8 KDE (constant crashing), then Fedora 12 (some issue I can't remember), then Ubuntu 9.10 (boots only every 2nd time, requires hard reset in between), I finally settled on Ubuntu 9.04. It was a bit finicky getting the WiFi to work and getting firefox updated to 3.6, but the nice thing about package managers is that they seem to be able to erase anything left over as long as you know what it is you want to remove (in this case and old firefox-branding package was causing conflicts). On Windows I'd probably be going through the registry hoping to stumble on the solution before installing another browser or reformatting.

Also been playing with Compiz Fusion, something that I've never done prior. I don't know why people made things like the rain effect and drawing with fire as they're entirely useless but they do look cool :lol:
 
I'm looking to install Linux on one of my PC's for the first time.

I'd like a 64bit version and the only Linux I've ever played with was PCLOS which does not have a 64bit offering.

If it helps any my hardware is all relatively new. Graphics cards are the oldest items being 9800GT's.

Suggestions please?

The easier the installation the process the better as far as I'm concerned.


Thanks.
 
Well they often call the 32-bit one i386 which is branding it as an Intel distro, but I think they do this because Intel developed that instruction set, and AMD of course developed x86-64 extensions. It would reduce confusion if they simply labelled them 32-bit or 64-bit.
 
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