What is a good Linux distro to use?


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SUSE, Fedora, and Mandrake are the best to get started with; however, SUSE is more difficult to install.

Also, have you ever tried out an linux desktop? If you haven't, then it would be best for you to test it out using a Live CD version of Knoppix. All you need to do is burn the ISO image to a CD and boot off of the CD, then you can test out some stuff and see if you like it.

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Yah, I heard Gentoo is the one to get, people been telling me to get mandrake for noob purposes, but I want a challenge.

You'll probably have enough trouble getting one of the easy distros to work perfectly the way you want to. Especially if this is your first unix/linux experience.

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You'll probably have enough trouble getting one of the easy distros to work perfectly the way you want to. Especially if this is your first unix/linux experience.

Yep. it will indeed be a challenge ;)

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This is not just the energizer bunny. it's more annoying one. Can't people use the damn search function?

Maybe Neowin should redesign the search button a litle bit BIGGER, a lot. :unsure:

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8P

LoL... A friend of mines use Linsux, he constantly calls my windows, windblows, and it annoys the heck out of me... so I made that word up just for him. I guess it just stuck.

There's no reason for me to not care for it, i've never tried it, so i want to give it a whirl on what it's like.

And thanks for the input.

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these threads are like the energizer bunny

Yet constantly people recommend Slackware and Gentoo to people who classify themselves as a noobs. What is with some Linux people? Sensitivity is clearly not on the top of their skills chart.

A new user should start with something like Knoppix. You can boot it if a CD and preview it with your hardware before you decide to install it or not.

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A new user should start with something like Knoppix.

Oh, yeah! Knoppix! Let's have noobs play with Knoppix. When it doesn't detect all of their hardware, they say Linux sucks. When the crappy jagged bloated GUI boots up, they say Linux sucks. "der A M1LLI0|\| TeXt ED1T0RZ! luNIks suXXX!" Someone who boots up Knoppix for the first time doesn't even touch the console, where the real power lies. They don't even get a feel for its true speed. When I recommend a more advanced distro to a noob, I'm thinking of how much of a better of an impression they will have when it finally works with a nice slim system. Besides, how hard is Gentoo/GRP/genkernel? Heck I witnessed a noob install Slackware with my own eyes.

Maybe I am just not in touch with my inner noob.

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Yet constantly people recommend Slackware and Gentoo to people who classify themselves as a noobs. What is with some Linux people? Sensitivity is clearly not on the top of their skills chart.

A new user should start with something like Knoppix. You can boot it if a CD and preview it with your hardware before you decide to install it or not.

i actually would recommend a LiveCD too.. if they're really interested in trying out Linux, they would be motivated when they see what the final result looks like, before they get stuck at "Linux doesn't detect my sound card"..

but instead of Knoppix, i'd recommend PCLinuxOS.. IMO, it's much more complete and professional than Knoppix.. other than better hardware recognition, it includes Gnome, KDE and fluxbox, among many many other things to get n00b's feet wet.. so go for it, you have nothing to lose..

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Oh, yeah! Knoppix! Let's have noobs play with Knoppix. When it doesn't detect all of their hardware, they say Linux sucks. When the crappy jagged bloated GUI boots up, they say Linux sucks. "der A M1LLI0|\| TeXt ED1T0RZ! luNIks suXXX!" Someone who boots up Knoppix for the first time doesn't even touch the console, where the real power lies. They don't even get a feel for its true speed. When I recommend a more advanced distro to a noob, I'm thinking of how much of a better of an impression they will have when it finally works with a nice slim system. Besides, how hard is Gentoo/GRP/genkernel? Heck I witnessed a noob install Slackware with my own eyes.

Maybe I am just not in touch with my inner noob.

You are certainly NOT in touch with your inner noob.

Noobs like installshield not the console.

n.b. Knoppix is known to have good hardware detection. Do a google on it.

http://www.google.ca/search?num=20&hl=en&i...le+Search&meta=

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In My (soon-to-be-flamed) Opinion...

Knoppix is a great demo disk to show what Linux can do. (with a Linux person explaining things)

Knoppix is a great rescue disk for Windows PCs.

Knoppix is NOT good to try to see if Linux is "for you", without serious knowledge and consideration of the fact that Knoppix is a LiveCD that will be a bit slow, and cannot be customized (except by reconfiguring and mastering a new CD on your own).

So, as long as you don't hand them out saying "Here. Try Linux!", and allow people to think Linux is slow, or inflexible, or overly complex with too many choices (ok, ok... It *does* have a lot of choices), it is a good distro.

That said, I always keep a copy of it on me. :yes: Does that make me a geek? :unsure:

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Oh, don't get me wrong, I'll never give up my PCLinuxOS LiveCD. It is an invaluable tool for those inevitable kernel panics. It's just that when I have demonstrated Knoppix in the past to my Windows friends, they just laugh at me and say "so what". Then they use my computer and love how fast it is for a 600 MHz PIII. They love the beauty of GNOME...and they love UT2003, granted, it runs on Windows too. They leave impressed. I just think that's the way that noobs should feel when trying Linux: impressed. I just don't see how Knoppix is a good first experience.

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Well you have to take into consideration: one with an open mind and enough knowlage to know that booting of a CD is slower will produce opinions about Linux that are more justified than someone who already thinks Linux sucks or knows very very little about computers.

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That said, I always keep a copy of it on me. :yes: Does that make me a geek? :unsure:

I always take a copy of Knoppix with me to School. When I want to actually use a computer there I just boot from the CD to get around the system administrator's (Who happens to be a complete retard) sloppy security settings and configuration. Recently I installed AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) on one of the computers there, getting around his retarded settings which arent supposed to allow software to be either downloaded or installed. He had the smart idea to take the HDD out of the computer. I just booted off Knoppix and I was on my way :happy:

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