What's The Best Linux Operating System

200motels

As the title says, I've used Fedora, Mint, Xubuntu and I have to say I prefer Mint to the other two but maybe their is one that's better that I haven't tried so any recomendations on one to try that you think is better.

FSL

To be honest it's usually down to personal preferences. I prefer Fedora or PCLinuxOS over Ubuntu. My son prefers Ubuntu it's often down to which you have used the most.

200motels

FSL wrote: »

To be honest it's usually down to personal preferences. I prefer Fedora or PCLinuxOS over Ubuntu. My son prefers Ubuntu it's often down to which you have used the most.

I'll give PC LinuxOS a go.

Johnboy1951

200motels wrote: »

As the title says, I've used Fedora, Mint, Xubuntu and I have to say I prefer Mint to the other two but maybe their is one that's better that I haven't tried so any recomendations on one to try that you think is better.

Each one is the best for someone .....

My preference is also PCLinuxOS (KDE)

Stuxnet

There is no best, the Linux kernel is the Linux kernel, what distro you find suits you best, will depend on your needs and ability to understand the tools and different ways each distro do things. There is something for everybody ! nothing wrong with distro-hopping to find what suits you !!

If you looking for a home computer distro, ubuntu and all its derivatives are good for that, most developers might go for fedora, rhel enterprise type distro, advanced users, minimalists and tinker'ers like arch

plus you have all the different desktop environments, say you have ubuntu, you can dress it up with gnome, kde, xfce, lxde, e17, or leaner window managers, openbox, awesome etc

200motels

I downloaded Manjaro Linux today and I'm impressed how little time it took to install and a brilliant O/S, I'm getting more and more into Unix based O/S as I'm fed up to the teeth with Windows and the fact that it's free is amazing.

loldog

Manjaro is very good indeed. Have a look at ElementaryOS too, it's a very nice and professional looking desktop.

Another favourite of mine is Crunchbang, especially good for old computers.

Also take a look at Bodhi Linux, to check out the Enlightenment desktop.

.

PropJoe10

Lubuntu is pretty great, light and easy to use. Using it at the moment.

humbert

Has to be Gentoo or Arch because if it's not the best Linux for you then you built it wrong!

syklops

humbert wrote: »

Has to be Gentoo or Arch because if it's not the best Linux for you then you built it wrong!

So if you're not good at building distros(or don't have the time), then Gentoo or Arch aren't for you

[-0-]

The thread title doesn't make sense. There is only one Linux OS, but multiple flavours of distribution.

I like debian.

[-0-]

The thread title doesn't make sense. There is only one Linux OS, but multiple flavours of distribution.

I like debian.

200motels

[-0-] wrote: »

The thread title doesn't make sense. There is only one Linux OS, but multiple flavours of distribution.

I like debian.

I'm well aware of this, sure Windows Vista, 7, and 8 are are all built on the same platform yet are different O/S, it's to me the same with Linux all built on the same platform but with different flavors as you said above, maybe I should have asked what's the best flavor for Linux?

syklops

200motels wrote: »

I'm well aware of this, sure Windows Vista, 7, and 8 are are all built on the same platform yet are different O/S, it's to me the same with Linux all built on the same platform but with different flavors as you said above, maybe I should have asked what's the best flavor for Linux?

Not really. Debian running kernell 3.11 and Fedora 3.11 are different distributions running the same kernel. The Linux Kernel. I can't imagine windows 7 and windows 8 ever running on the same kernel, but I could be wrong. I don't know alot about Windows kernels because its closed source.

I have read "Whats the best flavour/distribution/etc of Linux a hundred times on a hundred different fora. The answer is there is no best.

There are linux distributions optimised for running on routers, and there are linux distributions optimised for security testing and there are linux distributions optimised for Newbies, and there are Linux distributions optimised for christians, and there are Linux distributions optimised for newbie christians. If you are a christian newb to Linux then Christian Ubuntu is the best Linux distribution for you.

humbert

syklops wrote: »

Not really. Debian running kernell 3.11 and Fedora 3.11 are different distributions running the same kernel. The Linux Kernel. I can't imagine windows 7 and windows 8 ever running on the same kernel, but I could be wrong. I don't know alot about Windows kernels because its closed source.

I have read "Whats the best flavour/distribution/etc of Linux a hundred times on a hundred different fora. The answer is there is no best.

There are linux distributions optimised for running on routers, and there are linux distributions optimised for security testing and there are linux distributions optimised for Newbies, and there are Linux distributions optimised for christians, and there are Linux distributions optimised for newbie christians. If you are a christian newb to Linux then Christian Ubuntu is the best Linux distribution for you.

I think it works better if you read "What's the best Linux" as "What's your favourite flavour of Linux and why". They're really not threads to be taken too seriously but it can be interesting to see what flavours people like and why they like them.

syklops

humbert wrote: »

I think it works better if you read "What's the best Linux" as "What's your favourite flavour of Linux and why". They're really not threads to be taken too seriously but it can be interesting to see what flavours people like and why they like them.

Fair enough.

I use Fedora because i used to work for Red Hat and used to get drunk with their support and Tech writing teams, so if I have a problem I know where to turn to for help, aside from Fedoraforum.org. Also I find if you work on RHEL systems it helps to be familiar with the platform.

I used to really like Debian, but configuring a laptop with Debian and having everything working the way you want it took up most of Saturday and I don't have that kind of time anymore.

Enter Ubuntu which certainly shortened the install time but the Ubuntu forums have become a nightmare to navigate. Lots of threads marked solved despite a solution never being posted.

Ran FreeBSD (not a Linux I know) for a while but found the support poor and the community a bit abrasive. Documentation was excellent. The FreeBSD book had everything you needed to operate the system but when things werent working, namely wireless cards and things, troubleshooting it became arduous.

Edit: Also, KDE everytime.

croo

If you work on RHEL then centos is a good options too - my preference over fedora.

I agree with your debian/ubuntu on a laptop observations - that's exactly the way it worked out for me too.

syklops

croo wrote: »

If you work on RHEL then centos is a good options too - my preference over fedora.

I agree with your debian/ubuntu on a laptop observations - that's exactly the way it worked out for me too.

Centos is more stable. Fedora can have its quirks. I remember going ballistic with a Fedora QA guy. Fedora 17 went General Release but wouldnt boot on my laptop. The same laptop everyone in QA for Red Hat had and they "forgot" to test did it boot on the laptop they all had.

"We tested it in the lab".

That was a bad day to quit drinking.

Stuxnet

On the mention of Christian ubuntu, on balance OP should be made known of Ubuntu for Satanists :-p

see there is linux for everyone....literally

limnam

[-0-] wrote: »

The thread title doesn't make sense. There is only one Linux OS, but multiple flavours of distribution.

I like debian.

If we're trying to make sense then there is _no_ Linux OS.

Just a load of Linux kernels meshed together mixed with someone's opinion of what tools should be bundled with said kernel

Khannie

Ah stop yer pedanting the lot of you. Next thing we'll have someone demand it be called GNU / Linux. :P

croo

I demand it be called GNU / Linux!

syklops

croo wrote: »

I demand it be called GNU / Linux!

Is that you RMS?

limnam

syklops wrote: »

Is that you RMS?

such a gNewSense!

Lovely Bloke

That Satanist link has a NSFW pic by the way

Khannie

*click*

harney

My parents are working away quite nicely on Linux Mint on a laptop for the last few years, the same with my girlfriend. They had a Win 98 system before that so the retraining minimum. They got wireless broadband recently, and the broadband people rather kindly configured it for them without blinking an eye (connected to the wireless network, so nothing too stressful for them).

I prefer Debian based systems, but that's because I keep trying to use apt-get on other distros, then get frustrated and have to remember how that particular distro does it. :pac:

http://www.distrowatch.com for an idea of what is out there OP. Try something like virtualbox with different distros until you find something you like, then off you go.

syklops

harney wrote: »

I prefer Debian based systems, but that's because I keep trying to use apt-get on other distros, then get frustrated and have to remember how that particular distro does it. :pac:

On Fedora you could do:

yum install apt

Then press 'y'. Then apt away to your hearts content

harney

syklops wrote: »

On Fedora you could do:

yum install apt

Then press 'y'. Then apt away to your hearts content

It would feel like cheating

billy3sheets

I've installed Linux Mint on both an old Dell Optiplex and an old Sony Vaio laptop recently. They were running XP and Vista respectively and had been parked up due to having become unfeasibly slow because of all the clutter that goes with Windows over a period of use. This despite cleanups, defrags etc
Mint was simple to install, configured itself and all of the devices automagically and it worked out of the box. I think the only thing I had to configure was something to get sound from Youtube on the Vaio.
Both machines are performing like new and my kids use them regularly, mainly with Chrome browser and to play Minecraft and other games. They've not complained about anything with them and have become familiar with the LibreOffice suite too.
Having tried Fedora and other distros over the years, I must say Mint's ease of installation, use and software installation and update facilities have greatly impressed me.
I do have a reasonable knowledge of Linux, Bash etc which has helped on occasions.

Francie Barrett

Linux Mint for me. Works great, no faffing about.

Johnboy1951

200motels wrote: »

I'll give PC LinuxOS a go.

Just wondered if you tried this one ...... and if so which 'flavour' did you try .... KDE, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, other?

shamanpriest

Hi guys

Sorry to go off topic a little, But could anybody suggest a Linux software to use if (like me) you know very little about Linux? ( kind of beginners Linux).

Been on Windows since Adam was a boy, (or Bill was a boy even) I do not have great IT knowledge if I am honest, Just want to get off Windows and on to something safe (or Safer) as windows stinks when it comes to privacy.

Also could anybody suggest a website or links which I could look up to understand a Linux package that might be suggested please..

Thanks in advance and again apologies..

PropJoe10

Hi Shamanpriest

I found that the best way to discover Linux is to download VirtualBox (https://www.virtualbox.org/) and install some Linux distros as virtual machines in your Windows installation. It allows you to check out different distros and desktop environments without interfering with your Windows host.

If you get stuck, theres pretty good support provided via the Ubuntu forums, internet blogs and the likes of Boards.ie.

Enjoy

shamanpriest

Hi propjoe10,

Thank you very much, I must admit to being nervous about asking the question in case I annoyed you guys (new on this as you can tell).

I will download virtual box as you suggested and give it a go. Thank you for the link also. :-)

Again my Thanks for your patience and advice

PropJoe10

You're welcome! Theres a good helpful Linux loving community out there who are always happy to answer questions and help out. For Windows users, I usually suggest starting with Linux Mint. Its very user friendly, works straight out of the box with no need for any knowledge of the command line. Lots of others to check out as well.

Good luck with it

shamanpriest

Hi Propjoe10,

Great thanks again for the info on Mint I will check it out after first trying virtualBox as you suggested and then progress to Mint if all goes OK.

Here's hoping and crossing everything :-)


Thank you again for your help and time

Kind Regards

shamanpriest

Guys

I just installed mint on my machine in bed with windows ( for the moment) I am trying to install a 3 Ireland 3g broadband dongle but without success any Ideas please ??

BTW, I am crap when it comes to Linux so if you can help me PLEASE treat me like an idiot :-) In other words step by step please.

Thanks guys

PrzemoF

I'd really open a new thread for this...
Do you know how to use terminal in linux? (it's easy, I just don't know how to start it in mint)
Once you get the terminal type:

lsusb

and post the results (or just the line showing your modem). The dongle has to be plugged in.

P.S. Is it huawei E620?

syklops

shamanpriest wrote: »

Guys

I just installed mint on my machine in bed with windows ( for the moment) I am trying to install a 3 Ireland 3g broadband dongle but without success any Ideas please ??

BTW, I am crap when it comes to Linux so if you can help me PLEASE treat me like an idiot :-) In other words step by step please.

Thanks guys

Did you try googling for a solution?

I typed mint and 3g into google and the first hit found this

You will find the learning curve for Linux painful and difficult if you do not learn to google issues before asking for help.

200motels

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

Just wondered if you tried this one ...... and if so which 'flavour' did you try .... KDE, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, other?

Yes I've tried it and used Cinnamon and it works like a treat on a very old PC and what's more it's a keeper.

PropJoe10

200motels wrote: »

Yes I've tried it and used Cinnamon and it works like a treat on a very old PC and what's more it's a keeper.

Cinnamon is nice. I must be one of the few that really doesnt like the KDE desktop environment. LXDE is still probably my favourite, because its so minimalistic. No crap that you dont need.

200motels

PropJoe10 wrote: »

Cinnamon is nice. I must be one of the few that really doesnt like the KDE desktop environment. LXDE is still probably my favourite, because its so minimalistic. No crap that you dont need.

I'm the same I don't like KDE, I agree LXDE is excellent but I just prefer Cinnamon.