Which distribution for a newbie?

D'Agger · 02-01-2013 11:36am

Khannie wrote: »

It recommended OpenSuse for me. Maybe I should give it a whirl. Haven't really considered it in an age.

Did you give this a whirl Khannie?

Put it on an Acer Timeline laptop and haven't gotten around to properly looking to setup wifi on it since the holidays.

Rouniver · 05-01-2013 10:55pm

I think Mint is probaly best for a new user, followed by PC Linux. Both of those are fairly straightforward to set up and maintain.

human 19 · 12-01-2013 7:45pm

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

I went retro today and tried EDE after a long number of years.

What is EDE....a distro or Enlightenment in a distro?

Ahh, now that I see the post above yours, that answers the question

Johnboy1951 · 12-01-2013 7:47pm

human 19 wrote: »

What is EDE....a distro or Enlightenment in a distro?

http://equinox-project.org/

human 19 · 12-01-2013 7:48pm

Rouniver wrote: »

I think Mint is probaly best for a new user, followed by PC Linux. Both of those are fairly straightforward to set up and maintain.

PC Linux was a nightmare for trying to set up my linux satellite box on LAN. Tried it for weeks with no success. Their network manager is the only reason I stopped using it (and Bodhi also). With gnome-applet, it only requires 1 click in a drop-down menu.

Johnboy1951 · 12-01-2013 7:57pm

human 19 wrote: »

PC Linux was a nightmare for trying to set up my linux satellite box on LAN. Tried it for weeks with no success. Their network manager is the only reason I stopped using it (and Bodhi also). With gnome-applet, it only requires 1 click in a drop-down menu.

I am presently viewing Satellite from a box running PCLinuxOS with a TBS 6981 card.
I had to install the driver from TBS but that was about it as I recall.

... so your post made me wonder what did not work for you ....

human 19 · 12-01-2013 9:09pm

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

I am presently viewing Satellite from a box running PCLinuxOS with a TBS 6981 card.
I had to install the driver from TBS but that was about it as I recall.

... so your post made me wonder what did not work for you ....

You were probably the person trying to help me on here about a year ago.
Basically,couldnt configure LAN to view the (VU+ duo) as another device.

human 19 · 11-05-2013 1:10am

I would now like to update my previous reccomendation of Mint as the best newbie distro, to Hybryde.

Ubuntu LTS fork with Ubuntu installer with an original default screen and an easy choice of numerous desktop environments/window managers to very easily log into from the default desktop.

A great way to play around with the likes of KDE, Enlightenment, Unity, Gnome 3, LXDE, XFCE, Openbox to see which one is preferred

J_A_F_A · 12-05-2013 8:17am

A live install? In French? Bonne chance avec ça.

Workaround here (not tried it myself) http://danatheteacher.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Change-The-Language-From-French-to-English-in-Hybryde-Evolution-Linux

human 19 wrote: »

I would now like to update my previous reccomendation of Mint as the best newbie distro, to Hybryde.

Ubuntu LTS fork with Ubuntu installer with an original default screen and an easy choice of numerous desktop environments/window managers to very easily log into from the default desktop.

A great way to play around with the likes of KDE, Enlightenment, Unity, Gnome 3, LXDE, XFCE, Openbox to see which one is preferred

human 19 · 12-05-2013 5:03pm

J_A_F_A wrote: »

A live install? In French? Bonne chance avec ça.

The installer was in english, or I at least got a chance to select english at the start ..cant remember which. It was no different to installing any other Ubuntu fork

J_A_F_A · 14-05-2013 2:17pm

Mea culpa.
Having given it another (longer) look I found Applications -->Systeme-->Install Hybryde Fusion and from there you can select language. Tried to install it but the installer crashed.

human 19 wrote: »

The installer was in english, or I at least got a chance to select english at the start ..cant remember which. It was no different to installing any other Ubuntu fork

human 19 · 15-05-2013 1:33pm

J_A_F_A wrote: »

Mea culpa.
Having given it another (longer) look I found Applications -->Systeme-->Install Hybryde Fusion and from there you can select language. Tried to install it but the installer crashed.

I decided to fire up the liversion I had downloaded months ago and it is all in english, including the menus. Maybe I was directed to an english version by geolocation. I dont know if they have changed the download isos since. Their layerjet page only has a link to 1 iso of the newer (fusion) version http://mirror.layerjet.com/hybryde/

human 19 · 20-05-2013 12:27am

TrenderLife · 21-02-2014 3:55am

Ubuntu linux is a beginner friendly OS with lots of simple features a newbie could understand.

D'Agger · 09-05-2014 10:43am

Hi All,

Running linux mint at home at the moment and getting on fairly okay with it.

I'm working as a sysadmin and recently we've had some fairly well looked after XP machines come back to us, as they're no longer receiving updates / covered.

What version of linux would you all suggest for testing in an office environment - remoting to servers, puttying onto devices etc.

Just wondering what would be a good enterprise version to use on a local machine rather than a server.

Kinet1c · 09-05-2014 10:55am

Centos should have enough flexibility and security for a work environment.

D'Agger · 09-05-2014 11:13am

Kinet1c wrote: »

Centos should have enough flexibility and security for a work environment.

Was thinking that CentOS would be the best choice but wasn't sure if Ubuntu would be worth looking at - especially if we needed spare laptops for training etc. - more user friendly. Thanks.

Kinet1c · 09-05-2014 1:49pm

For your average user's workflow it should be fine, I've not missed anything on the front end GUI to think it would not be useable by a windows user.

Dozen Wicked Words · 19-08-2014 4:01pm

Inheriting an old PC (7 or 8 years old I think) from my dad, hes not able to tell me specs and the like but just that its very slow! I think its on Windows XP.

Would Lubuntu be a decent option, for accessibility (for someone like me who has only ever really used windows and is the opposite of "power user") and maximising whatever small resources the PC may have? Maybe there wont be a difference performance wise between linux and XP, I have no idea, but I want to dip my toe into Linux if possible.

I know its not going to turn a sows ear into a silk purse but I only really want to use it for a bit of internet browsing and really basic oficey type things.

Thanks.

Johnboy1951 · 19-08-2014 4:10pm

Dozen Wicked Words wrote: »

Inheriting an old PC (7 or 8 years old I think) from my dad, hes not able to tell me specs and the like but just that its very slow! I think its on Windows XP.

Would Lubuntu be a decent option, for accessibility (for someone like me who has only ever really used windows and is the opposite of "power user") and maximising whatever small resources the PC may have? Maybe there wont be a difference performance wise between linux and XP, I have no idea, but I want to dip my toe into Linux if possible.

I know its not going to turn a sows ear into a silk purse but I only really want to use it for a bit of internet browsing and really basic oficey type things.

Thanks.

My main machine is 8 years old ..... but it has a 4 core processor and 4GB RAM.

Without knowing the hardware you mean it is not possible to be definite.

So the answer is probably .... but dependent on hardware present.

The same applies to a multitude of 'lightweight' distros.

There is always the likes of Puppy Linux which should run on the most frugal hardware.

Dozen Wicked Words · 19-08-2014 4:30pm

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

My main machine is 8 years old ..... but it has a 4 core processor and 4GB RAM.

Without knowing the hardware you mean it is not possible to be definite.

So the answer is probably .... but dependent on hardware present.

The same applies to a multitude of 'lightweight' distros.

There is always the likes of Puppy Linux which should run on the most frugal hardware.

Yeah I sort of guessed that, but trying to get my dad to tell me is like pulling teeth. I do know that his PC would have been cheapest spec available at that time, from a main retailer somewhere or another, which certainly wouldn't put it in same league as your machine. He's a cranky 71 year old who has no interest in telling me about it other than its very slow!

I'll wait until I get it, just looking forward to tinkering already. Cheers.

Capt'n Midnight · 20-08-2014 8:27pm

Dozen Wicked Words wrote: »

Inheriting an old PC (7 or 8 years old I think) from my dad, hes not able to tell me specs and the like but just that its very slow! I think its on Windows XP.

A low spec machine will run XP better than ?ubuntu

A high spec XP machine would be grand with lubuntu depending on what apps you want to run

puppylinux is ideal for older PC's

don't forget you can try a live CD to see how well it would work, ignore any time spent accessing the CD - that doesn't count as it will always be slower , just see how fast it is when not accessing the CD

Dozen Wicked Words · 20-08-2014 9:27pm

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

A low spec machine will run XP better than ?ubuntu

A high spec XP machine would be grand with lubuntu depending on what apps you want to run

puppylinux is ideal for older PC's

don't forget you can try a live CD to see how well it would work, ignore any time spent accessing the CD - that doesn't count as it will always be slower , just see how fast it is when not accessing the CD

Cheers for further advice, particularly as haven't given any of you anything to go on. I'll post up the results of my trial and error if and when my dad actually gives me the computer, could be a while!

Khannie · 21-08-2014 9:57am

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

puppylinux is ideal for older PC's

....but not for dads.

syklops · 22-08-2014 12:41am

Khannie wrote: »

....but not for dads.

For Dads, there is Taylor Swift Linux

L.Jenkins · 26-08-2014 10:15am

syklops wrote: »

For Dads, there is Taylor Swift Linux

I seriously thought you were taking the píss until I followed the link. Microsoft should make a Dr. Who Distro. Hoovers up all your data and transplants it somewhere else in the space time continuum.

My preference is still Linux Mint, but I'm running a Fedora 20 and RHEL v6 VM on the same machine, not all at the same time of course.

09-04-2015 12:41pm

*enters thread for first time as thinking about trying out Linux*

syklops wrote: »

For Dads, there is Taylor Swift Linux

*slowly back out not making any sudden movements*

jaffusmax · 09-05-2015 6:28pm

Hannah Montana Linux or the North Korean Red Star OS

puppylinux.org/main/Overview%20and%20Getting%20Started.htm

http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/downloads-2

Tom Dunne · 10-05-2015 7:14am

jaffusmax wrote: »

Hannah Montana Linux

Oh Dear God. :eek:

thiagoborn · 12-06-2015 1:43am

Why not Ubuntu? Ubuntu is very easy to install and use.

Easier - Ubuntu ( for new machine) .
Easy- Mint for old machine.

Difficult - Gentoo, Arch, Slackware (I really like Slackware), Debian.

If you need some help give me a shout.

syklops · 12-06-2015 7:18pm

thiagoborn wrote: »

Why not Ubuntu? Ubuntu is very easy to install and use.

Easier - Ubuntu ( for new machine) .
Easy- Mint for old machine.

Difficult - Gentoo, Arch, Slackware (I really like Slackware), Debian.

If you need some help give me a shout.

I suppose it depends what your motivation is, but id recommend against Ubuntu because its so easy to install and use. Next, next, next, finish. And you have a working system.

I've worked with people who were given a job to do on a Linux machine and when asked about the experience with linux have said "I've played around with Ubuntu". Meaning they installed it and it worked. Never seen a text editor and no experience of reading seemingly cryptic errors. A black shell window intimidates them.

Kavrocks · 12-06-2015 10:21pm

syklops wrote: »

I suppose it depends what your motivation is, but id recommend against Ubuntu because its so easy to install and use. Next, next, next, finish. And you have a working system.

I've worked with people who were given a job to do on a Linux machine and when asked about the experience with linux have said "I've played around with Ubuntu". Meaning they installed it and it worked. Never seen a text editor and no experience of reading seemingly cryptic errors. A black shell window intimidates them.

That's a bit of an elitist opinion. This thread is about distributions for new inexperienced people looking to start somewhere with Linux. Ubuntu is in my opinion ideal for this purpose. Why would you start somebody new off on a distribution which requires lengthy setup or configuration? Have them spend a day, weekend or even a week just setting up their computer and lose all motivation or interest in Linux and end up going back to OS X, which just works, or Windows which they've used their whole life and are able to do what they want with it.

I've recently gotten a new laptop and the first thing I went to do was put a Linux distribution on it. I tried quite a number of distributions but in the end decided on Ubuntu. In 2 hours I was dual-booting Windows and Ubuntu with all the software I needed installed and everything working (except hibernation but that didn't work on anything I tried even with tuxonice). With every other distribution there were extra issues I needed to overcome before I could properly use it but why should I bother spending hours to fix something when I can use Ubuntu and (most) everything just works?

Ubuntu is not without its flaws just like any operating system but for new people and introducing them to Linux I can't see how its a bad thing.

syklops · 12-06-2015 10:29pm

Thats why I said it depends on your motivation. If you want a working system, use Ubuntu. If you want to learn how to use and even fix the operating system, use something else. Maybe Debian.

rebeve · 16-06-2015 11:01pm

Distro hopping is good for the soul .

Morrisseeee · 29-06-2015 12:45pm

Anyone try out Chromixium ?

chromixium-applications-menu.png?w=1000&h=&crop=1

angry-birds-app-mode.png?w=1000&h=&crop=1

L.Jenkins · 03-07-2015 12:31pm

Looks like a nice little distro. I might give it a try this weekend.

niallb · 06-07-2015 8:20pm

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Anyone try out Chromixium ?

Yes.
Loving it on my Chromebook C720 with the BIOS flashed to load linux from disk!

Morrisseeee · 07-07-2015 12:35pm

Got around to installing last night and it went well (seeing as I'm quadruple booting!). It even fixed my Linux Mint problem, ie. after a hardware upgrade and an XP/Vista hiccup I lost the ability to boot it.

Seems like an interesting distro, haven't tinkered with it enough yet.

LuckyLloyd · 04-08-2015 2:59pm

Hey lads. I have an old Toshiba laptop from 2009 (an AMD 64 bit machine with 4gbs of ram) that I had thrown a Windows 8 Evaluation copy onto after I had bought a newer PC. I now have a MAC but was over at the parents during the weekend and thought it might not be a bad idea to clear the old laptop down and whip a lightweight OS onto it as someone could make some use of it.

Now, the thing was creaking a bit running the Windows 8 evaluation so I was thinking Lubuntu as the way to go. Any better suggestions?

The Windows 8 Evaluation version locks down the CD / DVD drive but I assume if I throw 14.04 .iso file onto a blank CD and power up the machine it should give me the option to boot from it before starting Windows?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

thiagoborn · 11-08-2015 12:40am

You can try a DVD or CDROM, or a USB bootable. First You need to go to CMOS setup and set the primary boot device to CDROM/DVD or USB.
I think Linux Mint is a good option for lightweight operating system. I installed on a HP dv-2000 with similar specs. Mint gave extra life to this old laptop.

_Kaiser_ · 17-08-2015 4:02pm

Hey all,

So I've been thinking of trying out "this Linux stuff" - again!

- and am wondering what the best option is for someone who has used and supported Windows-based stuff for all of his adult/working career, and now manages the guys that do that, but still likes to be involved in the hands-on stuff too.

I've played with Linux a few times over the years briefly but always felt that it was a step backwards - not to mention the confusing mess that was/is? the various flavours and add-ons. Plus I've always found myself working in Windows environments so no exposure there. I'm currently running Win 8.1 with a proper start menu :P and all the "Modern"/Metro stuff turned off and there's no issues with it, but I've also been playing with Win 10 since the first Tech Preview came out and I'm not convinced by the future it wants to lead me on.

From a personal usage point of view my DELL E7450 laptop is connected to my home Windows Server domain and used mostly for Internet (including too much time on this site!

), Email/Office 365, and some light Steam-based games. Browser of choice is Chrome, mostly for the syncing and plug-in support.

So what would ye recommend as a way to ease myself into the world of modern Linux? - either as a full install (I have another older E6410 that I could use) or maybe in a VM initially, that would still allow me to do the things I do now while learning at the same time. I don't want it so dumbed down (like newer versions of Windows have become) that getting stuff done is more an annoyance than anything, but I don't want to have to spend my nights in a command line either

Johnboy1951 · 17-08-2015 4:36pm

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

Hey all,

So I've been thinking of trying out "this Linux stuff" - again! - and am wondering what the best option is for someone who has used and supported Windows-based stuff for all of his adult/working career, and now manages the guys that do that, but still likes to be involved in the hands-on stuff too.

I've played with Linux a few times over the years briefly but always felt that it was a step backwards - not to mention the confusing mess that was/is? the various flavours and add-ons. Plus I've always found myself working in Windows environments so no exposure there. I'm currently running Win 8.1 with a proper start menu :P and all the "Modern"/Metro stuff turned off and there's no issues with it, but I've also been playing with Win 10 since the first Tech Preview came out and I'm not convinced by the future it wants to lead me on.

From a personal usage point of view my DELL E7450 laptop is connected to my home Windows Server domain and used mostly for Internet (including too much time on this site! ), Email/Office 365, and some light Steam-based games. Browser of choice is Chrome, mostly for the syncing and plug-in support.

So what would ye recommend as a way to ease myself into the world of modern Linux? - either as a full install (I have another older E6410 that I could use) or maybe in a VM initially, that would still allow me to do the things I do now while learning at the same time. I don't want it so dumbed down (like newer versions of Windows have become) that getting stuff done is more an annoyance than anything, but I don't want to have to spend my nights in a command line either

I might be mis-judging based on this post, but I suspect you will be in for some disappointments.
Linux, not being Windows, does not work at all in the same manner.
It requires commitment and effort to learn a new way of doing things.
There is no way you should expect to do your present tasks in Linux before you become familiar and comfortable with how things are done.

I don't want to sound negative, but I do hope you can be realistic in your expectations

My suggestion would be to look at the top 15 or 20 distros, download them, and use each for a few days or more. Use their specific forums for support when you have questions to be answered.

There is no reason you could not have 10 or 20 VMs created and boot into one or two as time allows.

This sort of research will pay dividends if you go this route.

On the other hand just d/load the following and set up a VM for each

openSuse
Fedora
Ubuntu
Mint
PCLinuxOS
Mageia
Puppy
Manjaro

There should be a good cross-section there to play with.

Morrisseeee · 18-08-2015 12:35pm

Another one I happened upon today: X Distro

It's @ V1.0 atm

X Distro is a worldwide effort and initiative by Tech Distro that promotes the use of Linux everywhere. Linux creates one of the world’s best Operating System, working together in an open, transparent and friendly manner as part of the worldwide Free and Open Source Software community.

Features:
Three Elegant Desktop Gnome, Cinnamon and Unity
No Security Issue
Free For Home and Educational use
Easy to Handle
Work's out of the box
Lite comparing to other's

syklops · 18-08-2015 7:14pm

X Distro is a worldwide effort and initiative by Tech Distro that promotes the use of Linux everywhere. Linux creates one of the world’s best Operating System, working together in an open, transparent and friendly manner as part of the worldwide Free and Open Source Software community.

Features:
Three Elegant Desktop Gnome, Cinnamon and Unity
No Security Issue
Free For Home and Educational use
Easy to Handle
Work's out of the box
Lite comparing to other's

Thats quite a claim.

19-08-2015 10:01am

syklops wrote: »

X Distro is a worldwide effort and initiative by Tech Distro that promotes the use of Linux everywhere. Linux creates one of the world’s best Operating System, working together in an open, transparent and friendly manner as part of the worldwide Free and Open Source Software community.

Features:
Three Elegant Desktop Gnome, Cinnamon and Unity
No Security Issue
Free For Home and Educational use
Easy to Handle
Work's out of the box
Lite comparing to other's

Thats quite a claim.

It's just a typo. It's supposed to be:

No security, issue?

200motels · 15-01-2016 10:43pm

I have to say Elementary OS is the nicest looking Linux Distro I'm come across, it's so so fast and looks a lot like a Mac.

http://elementary.io/

Keplar240B · 28-02-2016 2:56pm

Hi I am a Linux newbie (had some very limited exposure at work)
Never gave any thought to linux as home use before
So i had a old XP machine and was verge of throwing it out.
Then on spur of moment while reading about windows 10 on another machine I started researching linux

So it was a
Dell optiplex GX260 (made in 2002)
512mB RAM
40GB HDD
Intel® Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.40GHz
Windows XP operating system
Offline

Its now a
Dell optiplex GX260 (made in 2002)
2GB RAM
40GB HDD + Secondary 300GB HDD2
Intel® Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.40GHz
Linux mint 17.3 rose operating system
PCI Wifi card

Not sure I used optimum distro or not
The only thing i had to pay for was RAM (15 euros on ebay from UK) I had everything else lying around or free
Posting it from it now. Way better and faster than what it was and fine for what I do with it.
I mean its not a super computer or anything. Impressed by Linux and how easy it was to upgrade.
I have very limited to exposure to Linux and never used it much before.
Followed this guide ran into no problems.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-install-linux-mint-on-your-xp-pc/
definitely a cheap option for old XP machines lying around
get another couple of years out of the old dog.

Johnboy1951 · 28-02-2016 4:15pm

Keplar240B wrote: »

......
definitely a cheap option for old XP machines lying around
get another couple of years out of the old dog.

..... and even better on newer hardware where it can 'stretch its legs'

Keplar240B · 14-05-2016 8:50pm

syklops wrote: »

Thats why I said it depends on your motivation. If you want a working system, use Ubuntu. If you want to learn how to use and even fix the operating system, use something else. Maybe Debian.

I understand what your saying to a certain degree, but I don't see why the installation process should be overtly complicated and time consuming even if your motivation is knowledge. (IMO)

What do think is best distro for knowledge?
Arch?

Worztron · 21-11-2016 9:17pm

SolydXK

Which distribution for a newbie?

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