starway Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 I want to install Linux but I don't want it to be a copy of Windows and I want to learn something (that's the objective as I don't really need Linux). I also want something VERY fast (even though I have a P4 1.8 Ghz, WinXP is a ressource hogger I think). I'm looking at Slackware or Vector Linux (slackware derivative). Will these be too hard? What about Debian, will it be as fast? Oh, and I have another question. Is there a way I can "see" my MP3s on my Windows partition within Linux? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwolfe Veteran Posted December 16, 2003 Veteran Share Posted December 16, 2003 Normally, Slack isn't on the list for newbies to install. BUT, if you follow the instructions and have a bit of knowledge about computers (not MS-computers, basics about what partitions are, what IDE channels are, etc.), then I have also heard of Linux-virgins installing Slack successfully and liking it. I say, give it a try! If you end up too deep, look for Deb, Mandy or something else. TONS of choices out there! :) As for seeing the MP3s in your Win partition, the short answer is "yes" you can. If you have NTFS, make sure support is in the kernel (it is a simple option), and you can read NTFS all day long. If you have a FAT partition, you can write, too! :) Good Luck! Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjordan2001 Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 If you want really FAST and really want to LEARN, then try Gentoo or Linux From Scratch. These'll teach you the most really. Slackware and Debian are probalby the next up. Although you can learn a lot about Linux with these two, but they're slower unless you compile things yourself which their package managers don't do natively. Of couse at the bottom is Mandrake and Redhat (Fedora). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starway Posted December 16, 2003 Author Share Posted December 16, 2003 I don't want to do LFS of Gentoo right now. Anyone heard about Vector Linux? It seems a good alternative but i'm a little worried about support since it's not a "big" distro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguana Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 I've heard of Vector, but I'm not sure how much support is available, since it is, after all, a relatively small distro. If you have time on your hands, going for a stage1 Gentoo install is probably your best bet. Otherwise, Slackware is a grand choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abaxion Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 Mandrake!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kemical Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 try the freaking SEARCH BUTTON first............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VGVL Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 SuSE is cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forster Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 Build your own custom Gentoo setup. As for being fast, fast at what? Compiling programs? Desktop activities? Transferring files over a network? Yes you can view your windows partitions with most newer *nix distro's. I think 'fast' is a bit of a vague and uninformed choice of words, as it means different things to different people, depending on what they use their system for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR_Candyman Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 slack was easy to install...I was kinda disappointed with how easy it is to install, but it can be done quickly and it runs like a dream afterwards. I think if ya wanna learn go for gentoo....I learned quite a bit analyzing what I did wrong or could have done better and re-installing it repeatedly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeWolf324 Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 my vote is gentoo or MDK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bucko Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 I'm using Vector Linux on this to old machines here (purpose, vector doesnt use much hd space :)). Yer goahead, no KDE or GNOME in the free addition (desktop manage, the bloated ones hehe) but XFCE, FLUXBox, ICEWM etc are included. You need to install firebird again though. But for a fast system Vector is good though for Newb Mandrake is awsome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeWolf324 Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 well...im not a noob...and i still like MDK, its more powerful that people give credit to it. never heard of vector but ill keep it in mind...i got a few systems i could stick that on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HellBender Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 Gentoo gets my vote. It took a while to install, but blazing fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrStaticVoid Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 well...im not a noob...and i still like MDK No offense, JadeWolf324, but you are a noob. :p And go with Gentoo if you want awesome support. I have trouble getting help for Slackware and I did not learn much from it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splatnix Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 I'm not going to specifically say which distro you should start on. I say just pick something you've confirmed works with your hardware. If you don't like something, move to the next. You will learn that each distro has it's strengths and weaknesses (such as OpenBSD for security, which is why it runs the firewall at my mother's house in the US and here in Hungary). You're also going to learn that you're not going to learn a whole lot by installing once. You learn by repeating something over and over, so choose a few flavors and then start REALLY working with it over the next few years. That will teach you more than a few installs of Gentoo, Slack or Debian ever will. As Dr. Demento put it, "Time has no meaning. To a true student, a year is as a day." Give it time if you REALLY want to learn. On a P4, everything should be fast - if you optimize for it - recompile your kernel, make sure (U)DMA is enabled, make sure your BIOS settings are optimized, make sure you have proper video support, etc. This is all part of the "learning process" anyway. Personally, I'm running SuSE, Slack, and the aforementioned OpenBSD on a few machines at home in the US and now Slack on my laptop here in Hungary. I've used more than 15 Linux distros and the 4 major BSDs (Free, Net, Open, and Darwin) since 1994 for "desktopland" and servers and I've just found what works well for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeWolf324 Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 No, static void...ive been using linux alot longer than advertised...im not all that new to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwolfe Veteran Posted December 23, 2003 Veteran Share Posted December 23, 2003 Don't worry about the noobie label.. :shifty: Everyone is a noob to someone else. Except for Linus! :laugh: As for me, I started Linux in 1999. Set it aside for a while, then went back again and finally ditched Windows completely a year ago. I've learned a lot, and keep seeing how much more to learn there is! But, it's a good thing... :woot: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devnull_ Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 I suggest you install Mandrake first, as you are new to this, once you know mandrake switch to Redhat, once you learn Redhat, switch to Debian and you will domineer Linux. As for the mp3's, if you use redhat there is gonna be a problems as redhat dosnt support it unless you download a fix to the incompability it has, but still, you will end up with problems. Just make sure your Windows HDD is FAT32 so you can share the files and there are no compability problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xe|oN Posted December 24, 2003 Share Posted December 24, 2003 No offense, JadeWolf324, but you are a noob. :pAnd go with Gentoo if you want awesome support. I have trouble getting help for Slackware and I did not learn much from it. Agreed, The Gentoo forums have been an amazing help to me. Not one question I haven't got answered. So much easier to use than the Debian mailing lists too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banzai Posted December 24, 2003 Share Posted December 24, 2003 RedHats quite cool its the most well know I really want it back but i dont want to go though ****ing up my comp again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sui'ke Posted December 24, 2003 Share Posted December 24, 2003 i started of (in 2001) with mandrake to... but i don't think it's a good choice since you don't learn anything with mandrake... everything is done automatic... so yea i think slackware would be i good choice. i've been using slackware for 1,5 years now and i like it: its fast, stable, and has everything i need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xe|oN Posted December 24, 2003 Share Posted December 24, 2003 i started of (in 2001) with mandrake to... but i don't think it's a good choice since you don't learn anything with mandrake... everything is done automatic... so yea i think slackware would be i good choice. i've been using slackware for 1,5 years now and i like it: its fast, stable, and has everything i need. I've never used Slackware myself and am just wondering out of interest why people are attracted to it over Gentoo, Debian etc. What advantages are there to using Slackware? I'd be happy to give it a go myself if I can see a reason to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrStaticVoid Posted December 24, 2003 Share Posted December 24, 2003 No, static void...ive been using linux alot longer than advertised...im not all that new to it. Sorry if it came across in a wrong way, but I was only joking. Oh well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sui'ke Posted December 28, 2003 Share Posted December 28, 2003 I've never used Slackware myself and am just wondering out of interest why people are attracted to it over Gentoo, Debian etc. What advantages are there to using Slackware? I'd be happy to give it a go myself if I can see a reason to. i use slackware for several reasons... n1. slackware is the most "unix like" distro out there... n2. the installation is simple... it looks hard for noobs because its text-based but its almost as simple as installing mandrake n3. i have less problems with slackware n4. slackware is the oldest distro... old is cool ! n5. slackware sounds better than debian or gentoo :p never mind n4 & n5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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