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- senfo, on 10/12/2007, -4/+24I've heard the analogy between Gentoo users and "ricers" before, but I can never figure out if that's supposed to be a complement or an insult. In the automotive world, ricers are commonly profiled as individuals that "pimp up" their cars looks, but don't really do too much to make it faster. As a former Mustang owner who spent a ton of money trying to make my car faster, I know of quite a few people that look down on the ricer gang.
Gentoo users, like myself, are more likely to spend time attempting to get as many optimizations as they possibly can, while customizing their distribution to their exact liking. In this sense, Gentoo users, in my opinion are more performance oriented. In contrast, Ubuntu users, in my humble opinion, do a lot to make their distribution look pretty, but not necessarily perform as well.
I've been using Linux for over 10 years now and various other Unix operating systems for even longer. In that time, I've built my own Linux distributions from scratch, as well as worked with various prebuilt distros, such as Red Hat, SuSE, Mandrake, Slackware, Debian, Ubuntu and more. Of them all, Ubuntu was the easiest to install and configure; however, it has been the buggiest by far.
Gentoo has been the least buggy; but it's an annoyance to wait for all of your packages to compile (anybody that has compiled KDE knows my frustration). Of all of the package managers out there, I have been the most pleased with Slackwares. The problem is that it's not as popular of a distribution, so packages are often not available. As a result, I found myself downloading and installing from source more often than not, which is what brought me to Gentoo, in the first place. Ubuntu has made things simple by automatically downloading dependencies, and such; but in my experience, everything runs a TON slower on Ubuntu than it does Gentoo. It's a VERY noticeable difference.
In closing, I'd likely recommend either Red Hat or Ubuntu to any user looking to get their feet wet in the Linux world. It's relatively friendly, for the most part, and a lot of the configuration managers function very similarly to what Windows users are already accustomed to. Once started, however, it's likely that you will want to try out some of the other Linux distributions because there are a lot that show the real power of Linux more so than Ubuntu can. - MikeZila, on 10/12/2007, -3/+22It keeps winning awards because it is what it says it is. It's Linux for human beings. I used to use Slackware all the time, but I stopped when I came to Ubuntu. It just works without me having to do any of the extra command-line shuffle I used to have to deal with. There's a difference between "powerfull" and "hard to use". A lot of linux users (even the smart ones) seem to get them confused sometimes.
You have to remember, the number of people who want it "to just work" greatly outnumber the people who want "to do work".
I'm not bashing distros like Debian or Slackware in the least. I used to use Slackware and Debian as my favorite distos. I used to even tell people I liked Slackware because "I don't need a gui to get in my way". But now that I've seen the other side of the coin, having things work just the way I want them to with much less work, I can't see how I was proud to have to use the command line for simple things like setting up a network card, or some other trivial task.
Different strokes for different folks. Go with what you like. That's what Linux is all about in the first place. - Tyrekicker, on 10/12/2007, -5/+20Obligatory Gentoo ricers link.
http://funroll-loops.org/
Funny stuff, but don't take it to heart gentoo people. We still love you :) - TheLastGnu, on 10/12/2007, -4/+18I prefer ubuntu because of the community they have, and the sheer _sense_ of community that it's based on.
- BlackFlag, on 10/12/2007, -7/+15Those that can, use Debian. For everyone else there is ____buntu.
Pay homage to the mother distro, Ubuntu fanboys. Without her, your favorite distro wouldn't exist.
Obligatory Debian-Ubuntu ribbing aside, congratulations to Ubuntu in figuring out what many linux users want and finding a way to deliver it. Obviously you must be doing something right.
I'm happy with Debian Sid so I'll stay where I am. - volcompimp, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10Of course Ubuntu may not be the best distrobution and certainly wouldn't think everyone should be using it... To each their own... But Ubuntu certainly deserves distro of the year. It's an awesome distro that finds a great balance between ease of use/install and not feeling like a newbie distro.
- denix, on 10/12/2007, -4/+12I use gentoo on my laptop, my server, my desktop... but when I had to install my mother or my girlfriend machine, the choice is Ubuntu! why? because they never heard about Linux, and now they simply use it ;)
- Jarrod, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9I'm glad to see Ubuntu getting this award. I've got to say I like their KDE version, Kubuntu even better, though. Give it a spin at http://www.kubuntu.org/ .
- conorryan, on 10/12/2007, -4/+12I converted to Ubuntu just this week, after some issues with laptop hardware i'm pretty impressed for a Linux Virgin, I just need to get used to command line more now.
- BenjyD, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10nograz, you do realise that virtually every distro does automated dependency resolution, right?
- Tyrekicker, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10"Those that can, use Debian. For everyone else there is ____buntu."
And for those that always have, there's Slackware. - barcode, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I recently blogged about my first impressions with Ubuntu. The entry can be found here:
http://hedges.net/archives/2006/02/02/ubuntu-first-impressions/
To save you visiting if you don't want to - I initially found it to be rather disappointing as I was led to believe everything would work straight out the box and it didn't - I think Ubuntu mismanages expectations in this respect - it isn't a user friendly as people make out. Once I had fiddled with everything to get it working it seemed like a fairly average distro and I'm not sure if a Linux newbie would have got that far with it. Having said that I welcome ubuntus innovation in the Linux world as the ASF is fond of saying 'left a 1000 flowers bloom' or something like that. - psylence, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8Amen brother. Coming from Gentoo (2 years), I kind of missed being able to remove unwanted dependencies from large packages.
But then I realized, hey, I'm using applications within 10 seconds of needing them. That's pretty f'ing neat. Not that it's an Ubuntu feature that allow this, obviously it's Debian's packages, but here's me giving a *****.
It amazes me how many people assume Ubuntu is a new-Linux-user distribution. But those people are likely new themselves, as mature users don't care about petty ***** like that. - Hercules, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9Why Ubuntu is the best Linux distro is simple.
The people who run Linux aren't afraid to take lessons from Apple and (god forbid!) Microsoft. With each progression of Ubuntu, I see it easier to use for the lay person, I see it simpler to navigate, and I find the bundled tools to be great.
Ubuntu is the linux distribution that is bridging the gap between Windows and Mac users -- the novices of those to boot -- and Linux. And damn, it's refreshing to see that.
Just because Microsoft has some really crappy products or support, doesn't mean they don't have good ideas. It's nice to see that the inherent elitism in the Linux world over Windows and Microsoft doesn't necessarily exist at Ubuntu. - JustMatt, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Yes. Definitely do that. Welcome to Linux.
- chrono13, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6"I converted to Ubuntu just this week, after some issues with laptop hardware i'm pretty impressed for a Linux Virgin, I just need to get used to command line more now."
Poor choice of words there ; )
http://www.bbspot.com/News/2000/9/linux_laid.html - echimu, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9I love Debian and ill continue with it :)
- FZero, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Why Ubuntu won? User-friendliness. Example: plug a digital camera on the USB port and seconds later a nice dialog appears asking if you want to import the photos. Simple as that.
It's a DESKTOP distro. I'm not sure I would use it on a server, but it's perfect for its intended use. That's the beauty of it: do one job and do it right, don't bother trying to make everyone happy at once. This is where Fedora fails, IMHO. - WeeBull, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Interesting how the RPM based distros seem to have fallen, at least in the comments here. Everybody is talking about Ubuntu, Debian, Slackware and Gentoo.
Where are the Fedora, SuSE, and Mandrake (sorry, Mandriva) lovers out there? - digitalblue1313, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5I tried Ubuntu and don't like it at all. But, if it gets more people to try Linux, why not?
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I don't understand the ... dislike of Ubuntu being too "user friendly". It's not like Ubuntu prevents you from doing anything advanced that you could do on any other distro.
- RWVolkl158, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4The only thing I've found all that compelling about Ubuntu is the kick ass hardware support. I've had a variety of detection issues on my favorite distro (Slackware), as well as others. Like it or not (I really don't), I'm using Ubuntu for now...
- HDPMS, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Well I have never tried Linux in earnest. Found an old laptop, downloaded it, installed it and I must say I am remarkably impressed. It all worked straight away with a big resolution screen and more amazingly a D-Link wireless PC-Card that I had had trouble finding windows drivers to make it work.
I use Windows at work and OS X at home. I would say it is let down by:
1) Lack of plug ins and decoders automatically "built in" to Firefox and their media player thingy.
2) Inability to t get java virtual thing to work...which I really can't believe.
I suppose I am spoilt by OS X. Now if only it worked on all X86 machines...!!
Why does anyone buy Microsoft products when free products like this exist? They should certainly be all over the schools. Who cares whether kids learn Open-Office as opposed to MS Word?!? - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Want to know why Ubuntu wins out? And IMO, it's not the reason Ubuntu gives.
#1. It, off first install, works better on a wide range of machines/cards/boards than all the other distros out there. Few come close, but it's no cigar. At most i've had video card problems on legacy machines. A simple edit of xorg.conf and that's taken care of. Laptops are still a challenge but that's with every distro. Out of the box, most of the time, it just works.
#2. The community. Ubuntuforums, are far more welcoming and happy to help than Fedora's forums, Suse's forums, debian's forums. They cater to experts as much as to noobs. They are extremely friendly and if you have a problem they're quick to answer and help. The wiki they have is great, documenting almost every little thing you could want to do step by step. This is wonderful for someone converting to linux for the first time and no other distro out there has a community that even begins to touch what Ubuntuforums has.
It's not perfect. I wouldnt even say it's "better" than any other distro out there. Gentoo is just as fast, if not a bit faster. But ubuntu has won hearts and minds and i truly see this distro as a leader in the linux community. - Killerah, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4My linux experience started with Knoppix. I was very very impressed with the fact that I could run an entire OS with a similar quality to Windows off a single CD-R! That and the fact that all the software on the disc rivaled alot of very expensive Windows programs. I stuck with Knoppix for a few years playing with it every once in a while. I even tried to dual boot it a few times (only once sucsessfully).
Eventually Knoppix just didn't do it for me, it had crappy wireless support that I never did quite get to work right, it always set up my boot loader wrong (I have a slightly strange hard drive configuration), and not all of the programs worked. Since during my reading tutorials for Knoppix I heard that Knoppix was based on Debian, I figured I'd give that a try. A few days and 15 CDs later I was ready to install! Only thing is that the installer makes you select from every single package on the discs! That's alot of packages! I didn't know what I was doing, so I just selected a bunch of packages that sounded pretty cool (took me a very long time I might add). Once I had everything installed I booted into it and the gui looked like crap and I looked in the menus and there was hardly anything there! And since I didn't want to figure out what to do with that seemingly screwed up install I just figured I'd trash it. Not very noob friendly.
I was about to give up, but I remembered hearing some great things about Ubuntu so I figured I'd just give that a shot before throwing in the towel. I'm so glad that I did! The install isn't a fancy gui or anything, but it's simple and makes sense to someone with some experience using computers and very basic linux usage. I had it installed in about an hour and was up and running! It configured my Grub just the way I would have set it up, and everything I clicked on just worked! I played around with it and got my wireless working! That's the first time I've been able to get my wireless working without compiling something! I opened up the documentation because I couldn't write to my FAT32 Windows drive, and I was able to quickly find the page with the information that I wanted. If there was any problem that I couldn't solve by looking at the documentation I just went to the ubuntu forums and looked up my problem there. I also was very impressed with the package manager because I had never been able to install things very easily in knoppix, but with synaptic I could install things with just a couple of clicks! It's even easier than in windows!
I have had nothing but good experiences with Ubuntu, and if you're new to Linux I HIGHLY recommend it! It's simple, it has a great community, and everything just works! I for one will be sticking with Ubuntu for a long time. - Prod_Deity, on 10/12/2007, -13/+16First off, Gentoo is for ricers.
Second, I've tried Ubuntu twice in the past year or so, and I still don't like it.
The auto-mount command doesn't work one bit, and since I have more than one hard drive, it's a pain in the ass.
I'll stick to Debian & Slack, where I know things will work. - BenjyD, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@Quarks:
I'm aware there are partial alternatives to some commercial software. I started off using most of them (GIMP, OO etc.) and have now switched away from them because my time and sanity is far more valuable than the cost of the software.
For example, I started doing digital photography using gthumb, GIMP and f-spot. I tried out the demo of PS Elements 4 and it was just so vastly superior and easy to use there was no way I was going back. - JJR2527, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I was a Linux basher, I would say that it's just behind the times in comparison to Windows but I posted something to that effect on another digg article and was told to try ubuntu for a wake up call. There are some things that are a little trickier than they are on windows but that's just because windows is common nature to so many. I switched an old PC to Ubuntu and I love it, not because it is better than every other distro because that's different for each person but it allowed me to fairly easily configure my wireless card which to me was the most important step. After that it's just learning how to do everything you thought you couldn't. To me Ubuntu documentation, help, and forums are the best, period.
- MarvinMan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Ubuntu is a beautifully designed operating system, and it works very well. The Ubuntu-Linux community is just the icing on the cake. Recommended especially for newbies and CLI virgins.
I am glad they are getting the accolades - they certainly deserve them. - nnonix, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The next version of Ubuntu (v6.10 due out next month) installs a specialized kernel for server installs and has many ready to use server-packages available for install with "sane" defaults.
- kebernet, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I think a large part of it is just the whole "Whatever is 'new' is cool" think that runs through the Linux world. I have been using RH/FC since RH4.x and back then people would sing the praises of Slackware, then it was Mandrake or SuSE or whatever was new.
I have played with Kubuntu and it is OK, but there is nothing there that seems like a compelling enough reason to switch. - oneseventeen, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2FTA:
However, some businesses may be reluctant to use Ubuntu, as it is mainly supported by smaller third parties, who may not be able to offer the contractual guarantees and support that larger vendors such as Red Hat or Novell claim to provide.
From Ubuntu.com:
The premier provider of commercial support for Ubuntu is Canonical Limited. Canonical provides escalation support to other companies that deliver solutions based on Ubuntu, and can also provide direct support if needed.
So, I guess Canonical Limited doesn't count as a centralized support provider? I always find this odd, since the same page you download Ubuntu from offers support links for Ubuntu. How do people miss this?
Anyway, I've switched a few computers and even a server to Ubuntu, and haven't looked back. I especially like the fact that all of the features my co-workers brag about SuSE Linux having, Ubuntu has as well. The difference, they pay an annual fee, and I don't. (Although I don't get proprietary software automagically installed, but I haven't had the need for that in my 6 months of daily use yet, including server software.) - konrad8ha, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Though gentoo may be the true hardcore-distro of the future I'm sure Ubuntu does more for widespread adoption of desktop-Linux. It surely deserves the award.
- nnonix, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"Those that can, use Debian. For everyone else there is ____buntu."
I CAN start a fire with two sticks. I choose not to because there is a better/easier way. I know several Life-long Linux users who work at places like Gooogle (clustering) and Universities (super-computing dept.) who have switched to Ubuntu from Debian. Sorry, the "Ubuntu is for noobs" line doesn't work anymore. The fact that many noobs use it is testament to its "sane" defaults and decent user-experience.
"Pay homage to the mother distro, Ubuntu fanboys. Without her, your favorite distro wouldn't exist."
I do, I do. The fact that I'm a "Debian Guy" is WHY I tried Ubuntu. With that said, its Ubuntu alone that kept me using the distro.
"Obligatory Debian-Ubuntu ribbing aside, congratulations to Ubuntu in figuring out what many linux users want and finding a way to deliver it. Obviously you must be doing something right."
Agreed. Additionally, you very well may find Debian acting more and more like Ubuntu before long .. considering all the packages Ubuntu pushes back upstream and Debian accepts as the "correct thing to do", etc. - Arevos, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I use Kubuntu, but it's still very much rough around the edges compared to Ubuntu. That's meant to change a bit over the coming 6.x releases, though, which sounds like good news.
- veracon, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I agree that the former is definitely more important than the latter, but it is after all not that hard to install yourself (if you have any knowledge at all about apt).
I think this is great; Ubuntu is by far my favourite, too. - rafgar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Oh, don't misunderstand. I recommend Ubuntu to those who're new to Linux. I just couldn't stand using it myself. What's 'user-friendly' to some is just plain annoying to me.
- SpecialEd, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4My 2 complaints about Ubuntu.
1) ssh does not install by default
2) but games do. What's up w/ that?
I love the distro - everything worked right out of the box - first distro that I've loaded ever to do that. - MasterDwarf, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I have been on the fence for some time now. I have installed linux on systems only to format them only to revert back to windows. *holds head in shame*
I vow to make the switch!! I have been looking into 3 preferences.SuSe, Gentoo, and Ubuntu. I am not a dolt but I am rather new at linux. I can get the man pages and futz with the command line. We'll see what happens.
These posts are cool because you get a lot of feedback from a range of different users. Sure I could go to a distro's site but then you get fan boys and there's bias. - foohookups311, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I am a n00b when it comes to linux and Ubuntu fits me fine.
- sn0wflake, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4"But now that I've seen the other side of the coin, having things work just the way I want them to with much less work, I can't see how I was proud to have to use the command line for simple things like setting up a network card, or some other trivial task".
Welcome to the world of Windows. Keep up the good work with Ubuntu. - MasterDwarf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I see. Thanks for the feedback. I understand. Dependencies is what turned me off a bit from Linux. Very few people want to deal with that garbage. I am a tinkerer and love to dink around so Gentoo wouldnt be too crazy that I wouldnt be able to relate to it, as long as the online community is ok. I have yet to encounter real buttjobs, unwilling to help. Sure there are snob 'leets but you always find one person that really wants to help you. That's nice when you're really wedged into a corner.
- nofxjunkee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1i use gentoo and ubuntu... great distros, both of them.
- LoaTao, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I found it somewhat odd that Ubuntu came out on top in the distro category but that KDE ran away with the Desktop Environment category (64.86%). I guess that they lumped Kubuntu (... and Edbuntu?) into the Ubuntu numbers?
- ozgurgerilla, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1cant install the god damn thing.
- VStrider, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Hi masterdwarf,
don't think about it too much. Just do it. And don't look back. :)
As about which distro to pick, you're new, so it doesn't really matter. You won't be able to tell the differences anyway. When you become more experienced, you'll form an opinion.
If you ask me which distro is the best, I'm a long time gentoo user so yes, gentoo is the easiest(yes, that's right) and best distro out there. Though you can only appreciate gentoo, if you have some experience on at least one other distro.
Now you're gonna ask, how come it's the easiest, since I've heard horror stories about its installation? Yes, the installation isn't as straight forward as in other distros, but you install once. You never have to do it again. You update/modify your system as you go.
So how come it's the easiest?
You're in ubuntu or suse or whatever, and you want to install, ah, let's say the gimp for example. So you install it, but you specifically need a feature which wasn't included in the package. You need to work with ascii graphics. The majority doesn't need that, so gimp was precompiled without aalib support. So what are your options here? Well, tough luck, there isn't anything you can do unless you want to compile it with that feature in and install it yourself.
In gentoo, all you got to do is enable the aalib USE flag('use' flags tell the installation system what features, packages should support) for gimp and emerge it with emerge gimp. Gentoo will take care the rest.
Or lets say that for some reason you don't like the default kernel that ubuntu/suse provides, and you want to make your own for your specific needs. It's _very_ difficult for new users to do this in any distro, except gentoo.
I could go on forever but you I think you get the idea. Basically ubuntu/suse/whatever, are very easy distros as long as you don't deviate from the mainstream and you don't want to customise your system to your specific needs. But when you get more experienced, your needs will become more specific and you'll demand more from your system. Then you'll hit a few walls, which are non existant in gentoo. - KotZer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1slackware was second with 19% ?
yeah right... it had the slowest evolution in the last year - nuxx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I've used Linux for about a year and a half now...and in that short time I have gone through Mandriva, SuSE. Mepis, Knoppix, Slax, Linspire, Debian, Fedora Core, Slackware, and of course, Ubuntu.
Ubuntu and SuSE remain the ONLY two distros I recommend to anyone who wants to try Linux.
SuSE is great for one reason and one reason only...YaST.
Ubuntu....well, Ubuntu is a damn near perfect Desktop distro in my mind. It's lightweight without skimping on much in a default installation setting, It's stable as hell, and has a community that actually gives everyone, even n00bs like me, a voice...their official IRC room on FreeNode is great, and they have close ties to most other support communities and websites like ubuntuforums and the UbuntuWiki, and most importantly...I have yet to have someone throw a derogatory remark in my direction...even when I did something as stupid as chown my ENTIRE ubuntu install from another distro on my comp. My only two gripes with Ubuntu are that I wish they would include C compilers in a default install, and I would LOVE to see a graphical installer...'cos eye-candy is good. (yes, I'm a Linux user, but I still like things to look nice)
I've yet to try Gentoo, I'm quite tempted, and portage sounds nice, so maybe sometime soon. - MasterDwarf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Cool, thanks. I'll check it out.
- slatkin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Hatred of Ubuntu is highly irrational. If it's not geeky for you, don't use it. Don't get upset that the rest of the world isn't as geeky as you.
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