thelinuxnewbie.blogspot.com — Choosing a Linux Distro (Distribution) can be a very daunting task, especially when you are new to the Linux world. "How to pick a Linux Distro (Distribution)" will be a great help and give anyone a good start into looking for a Linux distribution, especially coming from a Microsoft Windows world.
Aug 9, 2006 View in Crawl 4
Closed AccountAug 9, 2006
I agree with you. Having used Windows for years,I jumped ship this year. I researched the top five distros you always see at Distrowatch and several others. After much reading,I selected Linspire and PCLinux. Both work well and have ample bells and whistles.
curthowlandAug 10, 2006
<a class="user" href="http://www.gimp.org/">http://www.gimp.org/</a>
geninstabilityAug 10, 2006
Ummmm...if you aren't savvy enough to know that "distro" is short for "distribution," you probably shouldn't be using Linux. Or shoelaces for that matter...
datajediAug 11, 2006
PC-BSD is not trying to "RIP OFF" free-BSD. They are just trying to make a BSD system that is easy to learn for new users. I use both and for different reasons
wallclimberAug 11, 2006
@thelinuxnewbieI understand what you are saying. I truly do. I was there once. I'm still pretty new at using Linux. But I started out by wanting what you want, and no matter how much I tried to get someone to give me answers about where to start, I was basically told to work it out myself. Usually it was suggested very nicely. I've never really had anyone be rude. But sometimes the answers were a little terse, though generally very straight-forward and honest. I didn't understand at first, and found it to be frustrating. But, the more I read about the methods used to write software for the various open source projects, the more I understood the reasoning behind the push for people to figure things out. It may have been a bit frustrating, but it was the best advice I got. It made me work at learning, and it made everything much easier when it came time to try it for myself. It's good to prepare, plan ahead for the next 6 months or so, and do some research and learn why Linux is different. Otherwise people will tell you the darndest things, and it can get confusing. According to many Windows users, people like me ("poor dumb old granny") would never be able to install Linux themselves, much less know what it is. I'm glad I had learned enough to know that isn't true.I started out using as many Windows-friendly, open source programs as possible on my Windows system. It not only got me off of the Microsoft treadmill, it made my computer safer. I knew it would make the final transition easier too. It's what I encourage others to do too.Then I just downloaded and burned a ton of Live CDs to play with. (you can find a long list of them here: <a class="user" href="http://www.frozentech.com/content/livecd.php">http://www.frozentech.com/content/livecd.php</a> ) That part was a lot of fun. If you have dialup, or don't want to download and burn the CDs, most can be ordered for just a few dollars to cover shipping. As far as Linux User Groups. I do live in a big city, but my sons both live in very small towns in Kansas, and the colleges the area do have LUGs that meet every month. Try typing "LUG, your town, your state" into Google and see what comes up. I hope there's one near you, because it's nice if you can meet with people face to face and get help. Then there are a lot of websites specifically for people who are new to Linux, or just curious about it. Here's some to try...<a class="user" href="http://www.justlinux.com/">http://www.justlinux.com/</a><a class="user" href="http://www.linuxhelp.net/newbies/">http://www.linuxhelp.net/newbies/</a><a class="user" href="http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Linux_For_Newbies">http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Linux_For_Newbies</a>And the Tech Support Guy website even has a section of their forum especially for Linux. It includes a "How-To" section, and a Linux FAQ. <a class="user" href="http://forums.techguy.org/22-unix-linux/">http://forums.techguy.org/22-unix-linux/</a>But, just like in this thread of comments, you are going to get a wide variety of answers about what version of Linux to start with. In the end, the only way you'll ever really find out what to do, is decide on something (anything) and just try it. Trial and error seems to be the fastest road to learning what you want. And, really, that's what it all boils down to is learning what it is that YOU want. No one can really tell you. When you know more specifically, then you can ask more specific questions, and that's where the information will start to flow. It's just a process, and it would be nice if there were shortcuts (like if new computers came with some sort of Linux system pre-installed and configured for the hardware), but for now it's going to require patience and time.I wish you much success with it. Just be patient. Truly, if I can do it, anyone can. :o)
subgeniusdAug 11, 2006
I have 8-10 distro cds and the "Linux Cookbook" but use Xandros 4.0 Premium because I don't have time for distro-dancing. If we ever hope to challenge MS then the alternative must work out of the box with a minimum of fuss and tinkering. Let's hope the Linux movement shifts its priority,like Xandros, toward new users before MS comes out with its own "free" (with $ubs$cription upgrade$) distro and undercuts the whole Open Source movement. Or maybe I'm just paranoid because MS (Monopolist Suits) has never ever done anything like that before.......right?
hutectroAug 11, 2006
I use SUSE Linux 10.0 it's works for me and their is plenty of packages available for it.