I'm thinking about installed Linux and messing around with that for a while.
What would be the best distribution for me? I have mostly been using XP all my life, but my main computer is running Vista.
I'm not looking for a distribution that would be easy for me to adapt into, but simply the 'best' one. The one with the most (useful) features, the best UI, etc etc.
-KingTut
[Moved to off topic by moderator JTH]
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Do you mean "Wat is the OS most comparable for windows users?".
Opinions differ greatly, some swear by distros that are tricky to set up, others go for the easiest one to set up. Each Distro has its disadvantages.
I'm one of those who thinks: it also should look cool
I suggest you try some LIVE CD's out, that you can run without installing.
My personal favorites are Ubuntu series (Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Xubuntu) for ease of setup and Dyne:Bolic Linux (Because it enables you to boot from CD and the rest from HDD by copieng a folder from CD.
But for beginners Ubuntu is suggested by me.
But as I said, opinions differ greatly
No such thing like "best distro" exists, you are the one who pick up one or more. If you are unexperienced in the world of Linux, I suggest you to try some live CDs, like KNOPPIX or OpenSUSE.
If you like an easy-to-use, portable solution, I recommend Puppy Linux. Size does matter, so you can try Damn Small Linux as well. If you like to install a distribution, try Ubuntu.
Personally, I'm using Puppy from a dedicated pendrive, it's fast, simple and effective, scalable. For me, this is the best.
Like others have said, there is no one 'best' Linux distro. I would also concur on the trying of liveCD's as a first step. As has been mentioned, Puppy and DSL are good choices for operating portably, but you may have difficulty with wifi on DSL due to its use of the 2.4 kernel (yes, it can get technical!). Like Windows, Linux is dependent on 'drivers' for hardware compatibility; and not all hardware manufacturers make that easy. Also, some distros will make choices on which drivers to include by default because of their (developer's) hardware or space limitations on a CD/DVD. So, if you first couple of attempts at running a distro don't work, don't give up on Linux; try a different distro.
Another live CD possibility to try is PCLinuxOS, which is often abbreviated as PCLOS. This one uses the KDE windows manager/environment, which in my opinion, is more similar to Windows than the Gnome Windows manager used by Ubuntu. It is my choice for most of my machines. I also use DSL and Xandros (which isn't free) and am planning to experiment with a puppy variant called breeezy (for my Asus eeepc)
Be aware that personal preferences always apply whenever you ask for the 'best'!
Well, as I said in another threads (and everybody said too), the best linux distro is diferent from person to person.
If you never used a PC, then a Gnome based distro with lots of available packages is the best (ex: Ubuntu, ?Debian?...).
If you are used to Windows, the a KDE based distro with lots of available packages is the more recommended (Kubuntu, OpenSuse, ?PCLinuxOS?...).
If you have a weak PC, that a lightweight desktop based distro (Xfce, Fluxbox, JWM...) is the best (although it may be more dificult to get software)(Puppy, DSL, NDSL, ?Vector?).
I think that this is what you need to know. Also, try this questionaire to know best what you want (link).
Blue is everything.
It depends. My personal favorites are Ubuntu and openSUSE. I absolutely love the way openSUSE has combined KDE in its environment, and there is a patch you can download to upgrade KDE4. Here's a little rundown on these two, possibly the leaders in the Linux world right now:
Ubuntu
openSUSE
It's kind of up to you, but right now I think openSUSE is a more complete distro than Ubuntu, although Ubuntu requires less work on your system (my PC with 128MB RAM and a 500MHz Pentium III processor runs it slowly, but not with a whole lot of lag). OpenSUSE on the same PC is a little slower, but bearable.
"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
This being a forum for Portable *insert appropriate word here* I would suggest as you understand by now that there is great variety in forms of Linux (and also Unix), the simplest thing to try would be a physically very small system.
This won't give you portable in the same sense as PortableApps.
It will give you portable inasmuch as you don't need to install to your HDD. And you spend little time on your download and boot time is fast, because of it being small.
You mention Vista. As I understand it, Vista has the first phase of the policy out of Redmond to lock out all other forms of operating system on the machine. I may be wrong, but have heard this from several people.
The two small Linux systems I have used, which will boot extremely fast in live CD mode are DSL (short for DamnSmallLinux) and PuppyLinux.
Of the two my personal choice is Puppy because you can easily install it to an USB pendrive, and if the computer won't boot from a USB port, there is a floppy image that will boot it from floppy and then run the initrd (initialise ramdisk) and vmlinuz (compressed kernel) on the pendrive; those are the key boot files on a Linux system. I have used both boot methods, they work very well.
I also prefer puppy because of a wider range of adapted applications for one-click install than DSL, and their one click application installer is a good concept. Puppy is based on Slax.
Saying all that, and agreeing with many points made above, Linux is essentially a "you pick your choice". I suggest you try Puppy 4.12 which comes in two kernel versions, there is a "retro" variety which uses an earlier kernel than current. From memory their base downloads are all under 80Mb in size. And that version looks extremely nice for those who want good looks. There are customised versions able to be downloaded too, with fancier looks.
Old adage: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try, again".
Richard in South Australia
Where the crows fly backwards to keep the dust out of their eyes
Have you noticed editing is always needed for the inevitable typos that weren't there when you hit the "post" button?
Nope. I've got Mepis Linux (Debian based) installed on my laptop, as well as vista plus being able to boot from a SD card. Problem is the laptop is so new, I don't have drivers for my wireless card yet, I think.
ZachThibeau (also on the forums and IRC) has Vista, Ubuntu, and whatever he puts on a SD card.
Use the Vista Drive partioner thingy that it comes with. Its under disk managment, else have fun convincing everything to get back together.
The secret to "whatever I put on a SD card" is knowing and understanding GRUB. Frankly, figuring out is hell. But when it finally makes sense, you burst into a glorious world. And there's plenty of tutorials. A good one is this one. That is for installation, which much linux distros will handle. For using it, try this one.
Puppy is my go to disc if I wanna boot a linux fast. But thankfully linux is free, so if you don't like it, you can always download and burn another.
I personally never had much luck with Ubuntu or Xubuntu. My preference is Simply Mepis It boots well, install easy. And version 8.0 just came out.
Most Certainly!
Too many lonely hearts in the real world
Too many bridges you can burn
Too many tables you can't turn
Don't wanna live my life in the real world
Thankyou very much for your response. I know a number of people who now find PuppyLinux makes a good get-you-out-of-jail-free for XP systems
That makes sense. Heap big sense. Like using the Microsoft FDISK to set up partitions you want bootable and accessible by Windows... sometimes even PQMagic fails, and recently I've found the Gnome partitioner (gParted) does a better job at times. There were consistent problems I experienced in the QT partition editor in the Linux System Rescue CD, but never could identify why.
I'll reserve my judgement on my previous thoughts, because two different people using two different laptops, attempted to replace Vista with XP quite legally - their customers had ordered and paid for XP, not Vista and the manufacturer had run out of XP loaded units so supplied OEM XP. The retailer then attempted to wipe the HDD (which was succesful) and then install XP (which failed). Both were knowledgeable guys, and both noticed that the BIOS was produced by the company MS had bought a couple of years earlier (Phoenix).
Those look very good tutorials, and I'll keep them handy. Thanks.
Many times I've tried to explain to the uninitiated about the various different ways of describing HDDs and partitions... and of recent times it has become harder with non-IDE HDDs that can masquerade as SCSI or USB if you aren't awake to what is going on lol.
I have tried Mepis, and around the time, PC-LinuxOS. They are both good distros, but I prefer the feel of PCLOS which also seems to have an edge over many full-blown systems with speed and the way it handles resources. I'm no longer as keen on KDE as a window manager though, since leaving the Lindows/Linspire and PC-BSD testing folds.
ubuntu sometimes seems awkard to me (perhaps Gnome window manager rather than ubuntu), but I like the XFCE version of xubuntu better. But probably in that family, Mint takes my fancy, although an online Linux gamer assures me that Mint should be renamed "ubuntu Vista"
But like the whole thread points out, it is hugely a matter of personal preference
I meant to add in the reply I made earlier that Puppy (and probably DSL) tend to not drain a laptop battery as fast as bigger distributions.
I'm looking forward to ReactOS - an open source implementation of the NT family - getting to the point where there is network and USB support so I can try PortableApps on it. One hopes that should turn out brilliantly.
Richard
Have you noticed editing is always needed for the inevitable typos that weren't there when you hit the "post" button?
uhmm oliverk I don't know where you got
"ZachThibeau (also on the forums and IRC) has Vista, Ubuntu, and whatever he puts on a SD card." but I don't put anything on an SD Card, the only thing I use sd cards is for pictures from my digital camera, I only use flash drives so you may want to retract that statement and check your sources a little more carefully
your friendly neighbourhood moderator Zach Thibeau
I think I'll go with Ubuntu, and PCLinuxOS has been recommended by a friend.
Thanks for your ideas, and that survey thing was cool lol.
-King Tut
http://custom.nimblex.net/
You choose what you want and they build the .iso and let you download it (within 24 hours)