Which Do You Think Is The Best For Me?

[Honda_Boy]

Well, here I am again. I kinda wanna try Linux again but I don't quite know which distro I should go with. I've had experience with Fedora Core 4, Fedora Core 6, and Kubuntu. Lets see, I hated FC6, couldn't do anything with Kubuntu, actually used FC4 for a coupla months but did nothing more than use the GIMP and OpenOffice on it. I did once install Wine in FC4 and got a Windows based Super Nintendo emulator to work and played a game on it. Other than that, I'm practically linux retarded.

I was thinkin maybe I should give Ubuntu a shot instead of Kubuntu. But there are others I've seen that sparked my interest.

In all honesty, I probably will have NO practical use for Linux, but it's good to be familiar with it I think. I've learned pieces about it in Networking I and Programming I but nothing significant. For a gamer/anime watcher like me, Windows is the main choice but you never know if I might wind up at a job where I need to at least know some about Linux.

Thanks for suggestions.

Edited January 7, 2009 by Honda_Boy

[hitest]

Well, here I am again. I kinda wanna try Linux again but I don't quite know which distro I should go with. I've had experience with Fedora Core 4, Fedora Core 6, and Kubuntu. Lets see, I hated FC6, couldn't do anything with Kubuntu, actually used FC4 for a coupla months but did nothing more than use the GIMP and OpenOffice on it. I did once install Wine in FC4 and got a Windows based Super Nintendo emulator to work and played a game on it. Other than that, I'm practically linux retarded.

I was thinkin maybe I should give Ubuntu a shot instead of Kubuntu. But there are others I've seen that sparked my interest.

In all honesty, I probably will have NO practical use for Linux, but it's good to be familiar with it I think. I've learned pieces about it in Networking I and Programming I but nothing significant. For a gamer/anime watcher like me, Windows is the main choice but you never know if I might wind up at a job where I need to at least know some about Linux.

Thanks for suggestions.

Hey Honda Boy:-)

I'm really impressed with the hardware detection of Ubuntu 8.10 and recommend it without reservation. Also, Ubuntu is probably the best in the business with non-destructively re-sizing a Windows partition to set-up a dual boot with Windows/Ubuntu.

This way you can keep your Windows partition for gaming/anime.

[tictoc5150]

I'm really impressed with the hardware detection of Ubuntu 8.10 and recommend it without reservation. Also, Ubuntu is probably the best in the business with non-destructively re-sizing a Windows partition to set-up a dual boot with Windows/Ubuntu.

Hey hitest,

After a bit of a hiatus from linux I decided to throw ubuntu on my notebook and was more than irritated with its insistence on setting its install on the windows partition when I had a partition allocated for its use...I didn't want to manually create all partitions it needs but at least thought I could tell it to use any partition on the drive...besides that annoyance and the prism driver for my wireless not working like it did in previous releases I'd still probably recommend it as user-friendly

[hitest]

I'm really impressed with the hardware detection of Ubuntu 8.10 and recommend it without reservation. Also, Ubuntu is probably the best in the business with non-destructively re-sizing a Windows partition to set-up a dual boot with Windows/Ubuntu.

Hey hitest,

After a bit of a hiatus from linux I decided to throw ubuntu on my notebook and was more than irritated with its insistence on setting its install on the windows partition when I had a partition allocated for its use...I didn't want to manually create all partitions it needs but at least thought I could tell it to use any partition on the drive...besides that annoyance and the prism driver for my wireless not working like it did in previous releases I'd still probably recommend it as user-friendly

Hi t0c!!!!

Good to see you in the Linux forum, man! Welcome back!

I should probably add in my recommendation that you should back up your stuff prior to attempting an install in case things go badly. That is unlikely, but, ya never know.

[Honda_Boy]

Oh I got computers and hard drives out the hind end in my room. I'll just install it on one of my old desktops on a separate drive. I hate partitions.

So Ubuntu then. I guess I'll give that one shot for now.

[hitest]

So Ubuntu then. I guess I'll give that one shot for now.

Sounds good, have fun!

[hitest]

Hi Honda Boy,

Further to my last post. Ubuntu has a very powerful package management system called apt-get. It is simple and easy to install programs in Ubuntu.

Click------>Applications------>Accessories-------->Terminal

When the terminal prompt opens up you can install thousands of programs from the on-line Ubuntu repositories by issuing a few commands. For example, to install thunderbird you would type these commands:

sudo apt-get install thunderbird

Type on the enter key. Enter your password and follow the prompts. You can install a lot of other programs using that format: sudo apt-get install programname.

Also if you click on Desktop-------->Administration-------->Synaptic you will bring up a graphical front end for the apt-get program.

[Honda_Boy]

Well I'm currently installing Ubuntu to my old rig on an old spare hard drive. After I finish that, I believe I'll install....... Windows 7 I just got the Windows 7 Beta and I'll be installing it on my main rig on another spare drive. I think I'm just finally gonna trash my old XP install since I'll probably never use it again.

I hope I like Ubuntu more than Kubuntu cause honestly, I HATED Kubuntu.

[hitest]

Well I'm currently installing Ubuntu to my old rig on an old spare hard drive. After I finish that, I believe I'll install....... Windows 7 I just got the Windows 7 Beta and I'll be installing it on my main rig on another spare drive. I think I'm just finally gonna trash my old XP install since I'll probably never use it again.

I hope I like Ubuntu more than Kubuntu cause honestly, I HATED Kubuntu.

Have fun with Ubuntu!

[Honda_Boy]

Well, so far I'm not hating it. I was at first cause it didn't want to do or install anything but after a reboot, it was running like a champ.

[hitest]

Well, so far I'm not hating it. I was at first cause it didn't want to do or install anything but after a reboot, it was running like a champ.

Awesome, great to hear, Honda Boy! Ubuntu is a sturdy, excellent version of Linux.

[isteve]

I've been using Ubuntu on my work laptop for about a year now. It's been rock solid and I find it to be the best distro when it comes to having as little involvement from the user. It tells you when it needs updates and all it ask for is a password. It lets you install apps and utilities with out opening a terminal. It has plenty of support and a huge user community.

When I first starting using Linux years ago it was just about the geek factor. But now it's more about getting work done without frustration. I may move to os x at work because they said they would get me a new Macbook this spring but if I don't get one I'm more then happy with Ubuntu.

[Honda_Boy]

OK, Now I've found a problem. It refuses to mount either of my External hard drives. It gives me some weirdo message like the log file says improper shutdown and won't allow the mounting of either drive.

[Honda_Boy]

Well, I figured ya'll would like to know this. I've been having more fun with Ubuntu that Windows 7. Man 7 is a let down to me. All it seems to me is Vista with a new taskbar and more annoying (with the organization of a few things, the security is less annoying).

[Matt]

OK, Now I've found a problem. It refuses to mount either of my External hard drives. It gives me some weirdo message like the log file says improper shutdown and won't allow the mounting of either drive.

I get this error when I don't properly unmount / "safely remove hardware" from a windows boot. See if that's it.

[Honda_Boy]

Problem is, one of the drives, I run in eSATA so there's no way to even do that. I do run it USB2.0 at my anime club and on my laptop (as well as this Linux box) but as far as I know, it's been properly removed the last time. My other drive is strictly USB2.0 so lemme start it then remove it then try it again on the linux computer. If I didn't have a torrent going right now, i'd just test it with the other drive.

What's weird though is that my Internal SATA300 Seagate shows up on the Safely Remove Hardware list (and it's the C: Drive no less) while my eSATA LaCie doesn't. Weird.

Edited January 13, 2009 by Honda_Boy

[Honda_Boy]

Yep. Turned it on. Did a Safely Remove Hardware, turned it off. Hooked it up to the Linux machine, turned on, instantly mounted. I have to say, that is quite irritating. Why do that?

[Matt]

Yep. Turned it on. Did a Safely Remove Hardware, turned it off. Hooked it up to the Linux machine, turned on, instantly mounted. I have to say, that is quite irritating. Why do that?

They do it to help prevent possible data loss from an ntfs drive.

I'm not too fond of it either, and we're not the only ones:

http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/689/

[iccaros]

OK, Now I've found a problem. It refuses to mount either of my External hard drives. It gives me some weirdo message like the log file says improper shutdown and won't allow the mounting of either drive.

This is NTFS issue... Ubuntu was trying to protect your data encase you try to use it in windows again.

Ubuntu Does irritate me to no end, but it syncs better with my Windows Mobile 6.1 phone that Vista does..

Did the beta of windows 7 come with hyper-V? That is the only interesting part for me in the new windows. its still will not let me install to a USB device though.. Crappy windows..

[iccaros]

I'm really impressed with the hardware detection of Ubuntu 8.10 and recommend it without reservation. Also, Ubuntu is probably the best in the business with non-destructively re-sizing a Windows partition to set-up a dual boot with Windows/Ubuntu.

Hey hitest,

After a bit of a hiatus from linux I decided to throw ubuntu on my notebook and was more than irritated with its insistence on setting its install on the windows partition when I had a partition allocated for its use...I didn't want to manually create all partitions it needs but at least thought I could tell it to use any partition on the drive...besides that annoyance and the prism driver for my wireless not working like it did in previous releases I'd still probably recommend it as user-friendly

that was to make things simple.. you know most windows user have now clue about partitions.. so they made it simple.. did you not like it when it was not so simple??

I think on my next laptop I am going back to Gentoo.. my head misses the wall..

[tictoc5150]

did you not like it when it was not so simple??

heh, trick question?

double negatives confuse old people like me...lol

I do think I got a certain satisfaction out of beating an install into submission and then breaking it....These fancy new "features" to make it more friendly are just annoyances...or maybe I was just cranky and too damn lazy to manually set up my partitions. Incidentally, I did end up wiping the install, reconfigured the partitions manually and installed Xubuntu so I could apt-get what I want without the bloating of gnome or KDE.

[hitest]

I think on my next laptop I am going back to Gentoo.. my head misses the wall..

Heh-heh, well-said, man! This is the main reason I keep a FreeBSD partition on one of my Slackware boxes, because things don't always work as easily in BSD and it keeps me entertained:-) Unlike Slackware, getting basic things to work like flash and printing in FreeBSD is an adventure.

[hitest]

Incidentally, I did end up wiping the install, reconfigured the partitions manually and installed Xubuntu so I could apt-get what I want without the bloating of gnome or KDE.

Xubuntu is awesome, all the goodness of apt-get and ripping fast.

[jcl]

This is NTFS issue... Ubuntu was trying to protect your data encase you try to use it in windows again.

Ubuntu Does irritate me to no end, but it syncs better with my Windows Mobile 6.1 phone that Vista does..

Urge to kill... rising. I can't remember exactly when it was that I realized that I hated everything about Ubuntu that wasn't Debian. The earth tones, the wallpapers, the name, the code names -- my God, the code names.

Edit: And I had the same problem with the NTFS partitions on my external HDD. I don't with Fedora.

Did the beta of windows 7 come with hyper-V? That is the only interesting part for me in the new windows.

I'll have to look into that. I'm running Windows 7 under KVM; I wonder if Hyper-V supports recursive virtualization....

Edit: No mention of Hyper-V anywhere I looked.

[iccaros]

I went to a Demo That Microsoft and Citrix were holding (Living 25 miles from Redmond gets me invited to all the fun, I do one a month to get a free lunch

They said that Hyper-V was built into Windows 7 and showed a way to boot virtual partitions natively, but I have a feeling the beta did not have the enterprise parts..