A Neowin Guide to Linux Distributions


Recommended Posts

  • 1 month later...
  • 4 weeks later...
well,

a much nicer gui + blue curve.

and very very nice font rendering.

True that, I ain't seen better font rendering in even Windows without a little bit of tweaking... hell it even renders fonts better out of the box than Windows with Windows own fonts :laugh:

  • 2 weeks later...
Caldera Openlinux

http://www.calderasystems.com

Developed by Caldera Systems, OpenLinux is marked as being easy to install, with a business focus. It goes a long way to bringing ease of use and user friendly functionality to Linux. It is strongly orientated, therefore, toward the non ? technical user. Included in the distribution is the simple installation tool ?Lizard?. This graphical interface is very user friendly and the installation can be started from within the Windows environment. Hardware installation, for the most part is automatic with good detection of most peripherals.

for some reason i think you can remove caldera from the list :shi:whistle:istle:

good idea Argonaut

Linux Live Systems (Knoppix, Gentoo LiveCD, ...)

http://www.knoppix.net , http://www.gentoo.org

This kind of distro will completely run from CD, so you don't need to install it and maybe waste your partitions or something. It's a great way to see linux running on your system. There are many different distros, each with different goals. If you just want to "see linux in action", i'd suggest you go for a full-featured distro like Knoppix.

Many people also use these distros for recovering data from PCs or repairing their Linux/Windows installation.

Here's a big list of these CD-based distros: http://www.distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=cd

There are even complete games on Linux live-CDs for free: http://www.gentoogames.com/

SmoothWall Linux

http://www.smoothwall.org

A very lightweight and easy to install linux distro aimed soley for router boxes. It's only a small download (~20megs) and yet can be configured as a DHCP server, transparent cache, dialup server (automatically dialup when any PC on the network requests a net connection), broadband server (supports many ADSL modems and ISDN), has a firewall and is easy to configue after the initial install via SSH or it's web interface. Definately recommended for serving a net connection for a LAN. :cool:

  • 3 weeks later...
Hey DO U Wan't Me To Like Compile This Into A PDF once a month or so on and we can redistribute it

What for ? :huh: Most people don't even have Acrobat installed...

I suggest you make a nice html page with all the info and then link the addy to a .tk (ie:linuxdistros.tk)

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
What for ? :huh: Most people don't even have Acrobat installed...

I suggest you make a nice html page with all the info and then link the addy to a .tk (ie:linuxdistros.tk)

i shall do that i have a bit of spare web space and bw

  • 2 weeks later...

dewy: It would have been nice had you contacted me before "publishing" my guide on your personal webspace. I am flattered that you found it to your tastes but I do not appreciate you claiming part-authorship of my work. I have noted in the below passage that you have removed Configures name and replaced it with your own email address.

If you would like to contribute to the cause either post in this thread on Neowin in which this was started or e-mail either myself ([email protected]) or Keldyn on the Neowin.net forums via PM.

This was a guide I put together for neowin members to aid them in getting started with Linux. You were not involved in its creation and I would very much appreciate it if my guide remains exclusive to neowin unless permission is otherwise given.

Thankyou.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • If its the devs fault you would think Unreal would help M$ take full advantage of Unreal and work with them to fix the performance issues. Otherwise they are catching unwarranted bad press.
    • Thanks for the advice guys, I'll give my current GPU a clean and then run the benchmarks to see how similar it is. Hopefully a bit of a clean-out will help it last a bit longer.
    • Pretty sure those will still be in this game. The series' well-explored psychosis themes will return as well.
    • "performance issues? what performance issues?!"
    • Microsoft making much needed change to Windows 11, 10 Patch Tuesday security updates by Sayan Sen Recently, Microsoft delivered its latest Defender patches for Windows 11 ISOs. These definitions are released from time to time alongside the general security updates available during Patch Tuesday. Speaking of Defender, the company has now announced another important change that affects how security updates are delivered to enterprise devices running Windows. According to a recent announcement, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint's endpoint detection and response (EDR) updates will no longer be bundled with the monthly Windows security updates or Patch Tuesdays. Instead the company is shifting delivery of these updates to Microsoft Update, bringing EDR servicing in line with several other Microsoft Defender components. If you recall, Microsoft last year moved PowerShell updates to Microsoft Update (MU) as well since it provides automatic updates for Microsoft products and services. Thus the move is intended to allow Microsoft to deliver EDR improvements and security enhancements independently of the OS's regular monthly update cycle; this should enable faster deployment of protection updates without requiring organizations to wait for the next Patch release. For those unfamiliar, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint's EDR capabilities are designed to help organizations detect, investigate, and respond to advanced threats across managed devices. Keeping these components updated is critical for maintaining protection against evolving attack techniques. The rollout has already began for Windows 10 devices in late May 2026 (last month) and Microsoft says it will gradually expand support to Windows 11 and the remaining supported Windows versions over the coming months. The company expects deployment across Windows 10 and Windows 11 to be completed by fall 2026 or around Q3 of this year. Once the transition is complete, EDR updates will be delivered through Microsoft Update using KB5005292, provided the required prerequisite updates have already been installed. Microsoft is also introducing a new Defender Update Service as part of the change. Following installation of the first update, devices will automatically create a new directory located at %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Microsoft Defender\Defender Update. Microsoft notes that restarts may occasionally be necessary in case of "rare" failure scenarios. For most organizations, the tech giant says no action will be required as long as Microsoft Update is already permitted within their update management strategy. Admins who rely on manually deployed update packages, however, will need to adjust their processes to ensure the new Defender update package is included. Microsoft also recommends reviewing internal documentation and notifying helpdesk and security operations teams about the updated delivery mechanism to avoid confusion during the transition. As a prerequisite, the tech giant notes that systems must be running Sense version 10.8798.25857.1000 or later and have one of the following Windows updates (or later) installed: Win11 24H2 KB5062660 (2025-07 Cumulative Update Preview) Win11 23H2 KB5062663 (2025-07 Cumulative Update Preview) Win11 22H2 KB5062663 (2025-07 Cumulative Update Preview) Win10 22H2 KB5062649 (2025-07 Cumulative Update Preview) Win10 1809 KB5063877 (2025-08 Cumulative Update) Server 2019 KB5063877 (2025-08 Cumulative Update) Server 2022 KB5063880 (2025-08 Cumulative Update) Server 2025 KB5063878 (2025-08 Cumulative Update) As always, organizations should verify that their update policies align with the new servicing approach before the broader rollout reaches all supported Windows platforms later this year. In case of major problems, the EDR update can be rolled back to the inbox version stored in %ProgramFiles%\\Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) using: MpCmdRun.exe -RevertMde -Product Edr -ToVersion Inbox For those who have access to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center portal, you can view the message here under ID MC1381119.
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      DJC50PLUS earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      DJC50PLUS earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Proficient
      Eric Biran went up a rank
      Proficient
    • Dedicated
      Conjor earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • Week One Done
      Windows Guy earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      493
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      248
    3. 3
      Steven P.
      73
    4. 4
      +Edouard
      69
    5. 5
      neufuse
      68
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!