| | currently have Windows XP (god help me) and want to change to Linux. I know that Linux is open-source, but does that mean that it is free? I have no idea on the matter so I decided to consult the forums. |
| Nov 7, 2009 |
I would say Arch Linux, I have tried many distros: redhat(before fedora), mandrake, suse, slackware, gentoo, debian and of course Arch. I use to hop from distro to distro, but now I don't. The benefits of Arch is 1. You can make it as minimal or as fat as you want. 2. Compiled for i686, so if you are running a fairly new processor then you may notice some speed difference, some will argue it don't, but I believe it does help. 3. Pacman is great, Like I said i've used Debian and Gento...
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Linux is open-source, that means that the sources are available. But each version of Linux is not free. For example you have to pay for RedHat server Linux, whereas there are free versions from the same version of Linux. The true way of choosing depends from what you want to do, which material you have and how much effort you want to give to it. My personnal choice is Mandriva, the free version of Mandrake Linux. Unfortunately the free versions detects correctly my wifi adapter, but says that the drivers are available only in the commercial version. Of course, standard Ethernet connection is available in the free version and works perfectly. Also, if you don't want to change too much from MS-Windows to Linux, I would also recommend Mandriva. And of course, as usual in the open-source playground, a lot of people will have a completely different opinion. Regards Yordan 
Indeed, most people prefer another flavor of linux and they all have good reasons for it
 . Because linux (and most other programs) are open source, this means there are a lot of different versions available, all with different settings and preferences, that's why it's up to you to see which version is best for you. Most common distributions are available as a live-cd too, you download it, burn it, pop it in your cd-drive, reboot and you have a full functionaly linux installation without it tampering with your hdd. If your not happy with it, simply reboot (remove the cd too  ) and you're back to windows.Some suggestions:
If you want a Linux that you can just install and not really worry about or learn anything then something like Ubuntu would be likely to fit your needs. If you really want to learn Linux and how it works then I can not over suggest Slackware. Sure its about as user friendly as a barbed wire g-string but once you get into it you will know how any Linux distribution is put together and can be modified. Of course there is the most extreme option of compiling your own kernel and going from there.
Hey, linux is not a walk on a park OS like Windows. I have invested some amount of time to it and yet until now, Im still not quite familiar with all the install commands and the rest of the packages that needs to be installed. Its pretty much confusing when choosing a lot of flavors and distribution since not all Linux software runs easily like the EXE file in DOS/Windows. You need to learn a couple of installation methods or if you have a good internet connection, then your OK. Then you'll realize that working on linux means you'd become incompatible with the rest of the world that runs Windows softwares! Im not discouraging you or anything, its just the way it is..
I suggest you try Ubuntu! It has good compatibility with everything. All the fancy stuff works and you can now brag around using something different other than a Mac and Windows. Yet, better stay with Bill. He's a good guy. 
I agree with the previous post. It is indeed a bit complicated system that one has to get deeply involved with if planning to use all its capacities. Of course, if you plan only surfing and listening music on it - it's not so hard to learn. You will get rid of all kinds of spyware, worms, viruses etc. and you'll have a smooth surf with no worries. But if you plan on doing more than that, you'll have to learn a bit about it.
I'm using Slackware, but in the past I used SuSE, RedHat, even Fedora, a little bit of KUbuntu, and I must say it's all about the same thing with little differences. It's more or less irrelevant which one you choose, but I'd recommend not choosing Slack since it's a little tricky when installing new programs, configuring drivers, updating software etc.
I use OpenSUSE, it's a real balance between easy to use and all the power provided by any Linux distribution. Ubuntu doesn't offer you that when I last used it in 8.04.
I would even recommend PCBSD, it's a neat little FreeBSD distribution: http://www.pcbsd.org if power is not something you would really use. I'm gonna pin this because a lot of people are going to ask. xboxrulz
I prefer mandriva one 2009, it looks good, works great and has a lot to offer, plus i never have trouble setting up my different wireless cards, second would be opensuse 10,
or go for open solaris, it is a unixbased offering from sun... although wireless drivers are a problem or id be running it now
I like slax. You can put it on a usb drive and cary it around. You can also burn it to a cd and when you want to boot it just stick it into any ocmputer. For a desktop linus operating system I like using fedora core. It looks nice and is fast.
My preferred was always Ubuntu since I switched to linux 4 years ago, it's an excellent friendly distro, it helped me so much to master linux since I was a newbie, I think simplicity wins here, this is the purpose Ubuntu was created for.
I tried a lot of distros "fedora 10 was the last one I tried", none beats Ubuntu with its free 24/7 IRC support and forums "I learned so much through these", it's the only one that will ship you a free CD if you don't have a fast connection to download it "you can ask for this from the official website", personally I think it's the future of Linux. Latest Entries
I would say Arch Linux, I have tried many distros: redhat(before fedora), mandrake, suse, slackware, gentoo, debian and of course Arch. I use to hop from distro to distro, but now I don't. The benefits of Arch is 1. You can make it as minimal or as fat as you want. 2. Compiled for i686, so if you are running a fairly new processor then you may notice some speed difference, some will argue it don't, but I believe it does help. 3. Pacman is great, Like I said i've used Debian and Gentoo, I would compare pacman as being somewhat closer to apt then portage. It does a nice job, it will check to see if other packages needs what you are wanting to uninstall before you uninstall a program. 4. Arch has AUR. Which you can create packages and upload them to share with others. I currently do it, not as active as i was, I have over 100 something packages in AUR. If you like bash scripting then you'll like AUR, because it is kinda like bash scripting in a way. Though Arch isnt as ppl say, "n00b friendly" but it certainly is a nice distro.
QUOTE (Spencer @ Jun 11 2009, 10:31 AM)  Winblows.. Are you supporting to remove the word 'windows' from internet once and for all?  OK, let's try to speak the new language. For the moment, I am sitting in my office, the weather is nice and shiny outside. Through the winblows I see two rabbits running on the grass.
@yordan: Oops I didn't, but anyway I backed up all my data on portable HDD, so even if something goes wrong later I can go for complete format. Also, I have an old P3 with win 98 just in case, if I have some important work to do. With Ubuntu installed, now I am going to install AMP on it. Just hoping everything goes fine. I didn't knew about the opensource Clonezilla, thanks for telling that, would be useful in future.
And another thing in Ubuntu is that all the drivers like blutooth drivers comes pre installed, I just switched on bluetooth on my smart phone and there it got connected. @akashi: I think language won't be a problem, as I only use English on computers. Winblows.. Are you supporting to remove the word 'windows' from internet once and for all?
#yordan : yep, anything is possible..
#spencer : Wine? Hm, i did install wine once, but now i don't need it anymore.. i used wine to run my old winblows game, but i don't do such game anymore.. Btw, just for in case.. If you're using non-english winblows software, you won't be able to read the text, except you set ubuntu to use the same language as used inside the software. Once I installed a software which is in japanese, and i can read the character only if i set the system language in my ubuntu into japanese.. BTW, i'm still using winblows because some of my school software need to be run under winblows environment.. I suggest you not to delete your winblows first 
QUOTE (Spencer @ Jun 11 2009, 05:14 AM) Thanks akashi. I think now I will make a complete switch to ubuntu now. I am now familiar with many basic things like browsing, using apps, and setting things up. I also tried wine, Its useful to run occasional 'windows only' programs. Of course, don't forget to clone your hard disk with CloneZilla before doing that, who knows, an accident is always possible ... 
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 I Want To Get Linux, Which One Is Best? |
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