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nekiruhs
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Linux Distros

Just Curious,
Why dont we start a Linux Distro Debate/ Pros $ Cons thread? You know, to help those on the fence with linux. Lets try this format:

1. General machine configuration (Latop/Desktop, OS Before Linux, Processor Speed Ram, HD Space, etc)
2. Linux Distro of Choice
3. Why you chose it
(optional) 4. Pros and Cons

Feel free to reply/comment/debate!

Example/My Preferences:

1. Desktop, previously ran Win. XP MCE, 2.5 Dual, 500 GB/2 Drives
2. Ubuntu 7.04 Fiesty Fawn.
3. I'd heard so much about it and thought it might be a good thing to try.
4. Pros and Cons
+Pros
+Very Powerful OS
+Easily Customizable
+Strong Support Team/ User Base
-Cons
-Moderatly difficult to setup
-Lots of command line stuff
-Easy to mess up (DON'T TOUCH XORG.CONF!!!)

Patrick Patience
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How is...

Ubuntu hard to set up? It's like the easiest thing in the world.

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Zach Thibeau
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Especially

Especially Ubuntu (Debian Based Distro's All the way, At least for me Blum some fedora/knoppix systems are alright but debian for me)

your friendly neighbourhood moderator Zach Thibeau

nekiruhs
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Restricted Codecs, hardware support problems

And I had to do the text install...

By reading this signature, you have given temporary control of your mind.

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wunderbar
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linux for me

1. Laptop, WinXP Home, then Pro, Pentium M 1.4, 512 ram(upgraded to 768 after the switch to linux)
2. Ubuntu, tested 5.10 in dual boot, then went 6.06 only, then 6.10, will be going to 7.04
3. Tested a few linux distro's, ubuntu is the only linux distro to support my laptop's wireless out of the box. Also comes mostly pre-configured already, which I like, as I'm not a huge command line guy.
4. I'm too lazy to do pros/cons

alanbcohen
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8 machines, This one....

1. General machine configuration (Laptop/Desktop, OS Before Linux, Processor Speed Ram, HD Space, etc)
Acer laptop 9500, 80gb HD (40Win FAT32/40Lin Ext3), 1.5GIG RAM, DVD Writer, 4 USB ports, WinXP Home (dual boot since 2/06), external 120gb FAT32 HD (USB)

2. Linux Distro of Choice
PCLinuxOS 0.93A Big Daddy, running KDE; waiting for PCLOS 2007 Final (about a month away, my guess). I do use a variety of other distros on my other older, smaller equipment, mostly Debian variants like installed Knoppix and DSL.

3. Why you chose it
It just works! multimedia codecs, wireless, synaptic & reliable repositories

I'm running linux most of the time (95%). Still boot Win for work (mostly other laptop) and online banking (stupid bank infrastructure).

Buzzygirl
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Ubuntu - SimplyMEPIS

I have a custom built desktop computer made by a local computer shop; 3.02 Ghz P4, 512 RAM, 40 G HD. I bought it new in 11/2006, and it has always run Ubuntu 6.06.
I love Ubuntu because it is incredibly easy to install (took 15 minutes from start to finish), very easy to use and has incredible community support. I’m also a fan of SimplyMEPIS as well.

The only downside of using Ubuntu (really, any Linux distro in general) is that some applications I’m used to running under Windows are not available under Linux and cannot be made to run under WINE, either, like iTunes.

Zach Thibeau
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I personally

I personally use my own Ubuntu based distro called Ubuntu Multimedia Center RC1. and for Itunes. Try using Songbird. I'll post this link for installing the linux version
http://psychocats.net/ubuntu/songbird

your friendly neighbourhood moderator Zach Thibeau

Kevin Porter
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Hate to resurrect an old topic, but

1. Desktop, w/ Win. 98SE, 500MHz, 10GB drive, 128MB RAM
2. openSUSE 10.2
3. Read about it in Linux for Dummies :lol:
4. Pros and Cons
+Pros
+Fast w/ KDE on such an old computer Wink
+Huge selection of apps in YaST (administration program)
+Can have (my favorite) GNOME and KDE
+Easily upgradable
+Easy to set-up
-Cons
-Too website doesn't tell you which CDs you need
-GNOME is too slow on such an old computer (well, I guess that's what you get)
-Not very much support (forums, documentation, etc.)

I'll post later on a new PC I'm getting.

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"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." - Rick Cook

Zach Thibeau
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Well

Well I am using Ubuntummc Rc2 (Not released yet still working on bugs before I make a public release)
Comes with Tweaks to make gnome load faster
Is going to include multiple media related apps
Easily Upgradable (Still beta but currently not included yet Still using Ubuntu's update manager)
Easy to setup and import users from MS Windows
Support... (Still a work in progress)
Load time on a slow pc with 256 megs and 500 mhz about 3-4 mins and on a new computer about 2-3 minutes
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My Personal Blog in the making at a new address thibeaz.com Biggrin

your friendly neighbourhood moderator Zach Thibeau

Kevin Porter
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Forgot to say it's a Pentium

Forgot to say it's a Pentium III processor.

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"Pray as if everything depended upon God and work as if everything depended upon man."
Francis Cardinal Spellman

"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." - Rick Cook

Zach Thibeau
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Nope

Nope not p3 but Amd Duron ;). Since intel made processors for macs I switched to amd
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My Personal Blog in the making at a new address thibeaz.com Biggrin

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Bahamut
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Ubuntu can be run on the

Ubuntu can be run on the PS3. Blum
I think Gentoo has been run on it as well.
And I'm very sure there are versions of at least a few of the offshoots of RHEL that can be run. I've considered buying a PS3 since if it can be run like a normal computer on Linux, it's a hell of a bargain considering that not only will it run PS3 games, it's being sold at well below cost.

Vintage!

Zach Thibeau
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Well...

Well I was going to make a PS3 version but then I realized I don't have a ps3 to do preliminary tests before making a beta so it's been benched
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"I don't fear Computers. I fear the lack of them" Isaac Asimov
My Personal Blog in the making at a new address thibeaz.com Biggrin

your friendly neighbourhood moderator Zach Thibeau

Kevin Porter
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So can openSUSE. ---- "Pray

So can openSUSE.

----
"Pray as if everything depended upon God and work as if everything depended upon man."
Francis Cardinal Spellman

"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." - Rick Cook

Ryan McCue
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Well,

The official one for the PS3 is Yellow Dog Linux, which Sony has money behind.
----
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So all that Airbus-delay trouble over here in Europe is because of YOU!
Simeon.

"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."

Bahamut
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[X|K|Ed]Ubuntu, Fedora 7

[X|K|Ed]Ubuntu, Fedora 7 (apparently with little work), Gentoo, and Debian (am I missing one?) have also been known to run on the PS3.

Vintage!

José Pedro Arvela
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1. Desktop, Window$ 2000 $P4

1. Desktop, Window$ 2000 $P4 pt-PT, AMD Athlon XP 1158 Mhz, 400 and something of RAM, 37,28Gb HD

2. Kubuntu Linux 7.04

3. After A LOT of reading trough the web I thought that it was the best distro for a absolute starter like me that came from Window$.

4. Pros:
Very easy to use;
Very customizable;
Very stable;
Lots of command line stuff;
Very "pimped" just right out of the box.

Cons:

Hard too install anyway that don't the default setup;
Some apps just are no good;
Some apps have no GUI;
Lots of command line stuff;
Too many useless apps;
A little unstable (but nothing to do with Window$).

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Kevin Porter
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A lot of that is KDE apps.

A lot of that is KDE apps. KDE, I find, doesn't look right on Ubuntu.

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"Pray as if everything depended upon God and work as if everything depended upon man."
Francis Cardinal Spell

-Please search before posting.

"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." - Rick Cook

José Pedro Arvela
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By the way

Is it good to remove some packages that I don't want, even if that removes the meta-package kubuntu-desktop? I know that is just a meta package, but for update purposes, for example, there's coming kubuntu 7.10 on October and I don't know if without having kubuntu-desktop package I can do the apt-get dist-upgrade really to install new apps that come with the new kubuntu-desktop package (for example the new GUI for xorg.conf).

Simplifying: if I remove the kubuntu-desktop meta package will I have all the new apps (nice or not) that come with kubuntu 7.10 when I do a dist-upgrade, or just my old apps updated (probably a silly question, because I suppose that apt-get dist-upgrade installs and removes all necessary packages, even kubuntu-desktop)?

Ah! Yes, the default style is ugly in kubuntu, but after some settings (mainly the color scheme) I get a nice layout.

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Kevin Porter
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To be honest, I'm not the

To be honest, I'm not the person to ask :wink:.

----
"Pray as if everything depended upon God and work as if everything depended upon man."
Francis Cardinal Spell

-Please search before posting.

"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." - Rick Cook

Patrick Patience
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Kevin.

I just checked that we.nascent e-mail yesterday, I hadn't expected anyone to e-mail me, but I'd love to have yout help, I would have contacted you back, but your e-mail wasn't provided, I dunno why, but it just said like Porter 'Kevin'. When you get a chance, add me on MSN (if you have one) mono_purpura[Attt]hotmail.com[dotey]com, if not e-mail me at myfullnamenospaces[ATAT]mynewdomain.org.

Thanks.

First ten voluteers get a FREE E-MAIL.

Yes, I'm quite serious. Smile

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Kevin Porter
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Great, sorry for the late

Great, sorry for the late response. I don't have an MSN (or any chat, really), so that won't be necessary, but I'll drop you an email.

----
"Pray as if everything depended upon God and work as if everything depended upon man."
Francis Cardinal Spell

-Please search before posting.

"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." - Rick Cook

sergentsiler
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only thing i dont like about ubuntu....

is the fact that whenever i download it, it is a different size. the first one was 254megs and i knew that wazent right because it said the installer was over 700 megs. then i downloaded it again and it was only 60 megs. so finaly i registered at launchpad.com(its another site that makes applications that are aparenly portable) since they are the makers of ubuntu and i ordered one of there free cd's. sucks because i have to wait 4-6 weeks!! otherwise ubuntu is great!(tried it on a friends computer.)

(TM)sergentsilerlogo:<(TM(sergentsiler) http://www.sergentsiler.freespaces.com/

Zoop

Kevin Porter
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WTH? Canonical makes

WTH? Canonical makes Ubuntu! Use DTA or µTorrent or something.

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"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." - Rick Cook

Ryan McCue
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.

Yes, but Canonical also owns and operates Launchpad. Confusing yet? Blum
----
Ryan McCue.
Blog.
So all that Airbus-delay trouble over here in Europe is because of YOU!
Simeon.

"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."

Kevin Porter
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But Launchpad does not make

But Launchpad does not make Ubuntu. Canonical does. Even if they own Launchpad, that doesn't mean that Launchpad makes it.

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-Please search before posting

"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." - Rick Cook

Ryan McCue
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.

Yes, but Launchpad is responsible for distribution of the CDs and downloads.
----
Ryan McCue.
Blog.
So all that Airbus-delay trouble over here in Europe is because of YOU!
Simeon.

"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."

Bahamut
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Try

Vintage!

Bahamut
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I made a few CDs to install

I made a few CDs to install Gentoo, FreeBSD, and Sabayon Linux, but for different reasons, I can't install any of them. Anyway, my next project will be Linux From Scratch.

Vintage!

Espreon
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Sabayon Linux is good

Machine: Dell Inspiron 1750E (I think it was), dual-boot With WinXP Home,Intel Core 2 Duo,1 GB o RAM, Sabayon partion has bout 65 GB on a 100 GB HDD, wireless card works great with NDISWrapper.

Distro of choice: Sabayon Linux (I am using 3.4e latest: 3.4f)

Why I like it: cause it has a great boot up time,includeds lots of software on the LiveDVD and after install, included innovative apps like Wine-Doors, and included proprietary codecs,drivers and software (like fglrx,Google Earth,Picasa), included bleeding edge software and Compiz Fusion!

Pros/Cons

Pros:
-Includes Proprietary codecs,software and drivers
-Works better than most popular distros otb (due to the inclusion of proprietary stuff).
-Includes Compiz Fusion!
-Includes a great desktop acceleration tool
-Includes lots of great software on the DVD
-Being Gentoo based, Sabayon has a great boot time and uses Portage to manage packages, therefore it is easier to customize apps and optimizing them.
-Entropy is gonna allow Sabayon to install binary packages
-Always includes the latest version of the included software every update
-It is easy to install
-The chicken theme is nicer than the blue and silver you see on most KDE distros
-Includes great software like Wine-Doors,Virtualbox, Azureus and so on.
-The DVD includes lots of great games like the Battle for Wesnoth.
-New versions of Sabayon come out often
-It is upgradeable via the Live DVD and an installation that is screwed up can be restored.
-GRUB can be configured during Sabayon installation.
-Multiple user accounts can be set up during installation

Cons:
-The releases of the miniCds can take forever
-The DVD ISO is around 4 GB and can take forever to download and the smaller miniEdition does not have that great software as the DVD does.
-Updating Sabayon from the DVD can sometime break it (it caused a kernel panick on my Sabayon 3.4a installation when trying to upgrade to 3.4e
-Depending on how much your installing it can take forever, for me the full blown installation with KDE being the default desktop took me about 1 hour-1 hour and 30 mins.
-The text based installation requires to fully load Sabayon (does not makes sense does it?) plus after the text based it would not allow me to use XGL or AIGLX.
-Google Earth (if your using fglrx) and Azureus do not work out of the box (in 3.4e at least) but are easily fixed.
-Installing software with lots of dependenices thar are not available in Portage can be a hassle.

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As all of ya should know Micro$oft is the Evil Empire, and Windows (a.k.a. Winblows or Windoze) is their greatest general, so please make a difference and install Linux or FreeBSD on yer Windows comp.

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