[Dragon]

yes if you want a decent beginner distro, use Ubuntu.

It has a Q&A type installer should you decide to install it. very limited if any terminal usage, unless you want to after it is installed. Automatic updates, over 1700+ programs in the online repositories, thats where you get most of your Ubuntu apps, you have a choice of 4 different types of window managers to choose from at download, xfce, KDE, Gnome, or fluxbox, for the most part it "works out of the box."

I have been using Ubuntu for 2 years now without any problems. I can do everything in it that I can in Windows short of gaming, which is no big deal since I'm not a huge gamer.

[Advertisements]

Ubuntu yes, but I went for kubuntu because all I had to do is boot up on the cd, see for myself that everything on this laptop is there(drivers, internet, etc.,) and then install, and since I had a rooter already up and running, within an hour all was done, the point I think is not which distro is best but more which distro works with ones laptop, in fact I wish there was a site that would simply advise me which laptop( the make and model number) takes which linux system, oh and to help someone else my laptop is an old dell inspiron 2650, agreed parts change but at least if one had a overall outline then one would not have to even bother to download the ISO to burn onto the CD to find out.

[fleamailman]

Ubuntu yes, but I went for kubuntu because all I had to do is boot up on the cd, see for myself that everything on this laptop is there(drivers, internet, etc.,) and then install, and since I had a rooter already up and running, within an hour all was done, the point I think is not which distro is best but more which distro works with ones laptop, in fact I wish there was a site that would simply advise me which laptop( the make and model number) takes which linux system, oh and to help someone else my laptop is an old dell inspiron 2650, agreed parts change but at least if one had a overall outline then one would not have to even bother to download the ISO to burn onto the CD to find out.

[warriorscot]

The new Feisty fawn is very good, also great for drivers and they fixed the networking it even has compiz built in, its really good better than edgy its a big improvement i set it up for my brother on a dell D600 and it works just fine and even he can use it and he barely manages windows.

[Dragon]

That is great Idea, although I have Ubuntu running with no problems on my old Compaq Presario and it detected everything, except wireless connection because I use a Lynksys wg wireless card, or at least i did until the mobo fried out thanks to my kids drink.

[fleamailman]

Thanks scot for that, I was wondering if I should upgrade or wait a bit longer, but I will probably upgrade to it then.

[DMME]

Alright, thanks a bunch Dragon and warriorscot.

[Tyger]

I'm on the latest version of PCLinux and it's going to give Ubuntu a run for the money, so to speak. Handsome blue desktop, if you're not into brown, lots of features and options, installation is as easy as Ubuntu and nearly as easy as win98.

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Edited by Tyger, 09 April 2007 - 09:49 PM.

[I.D.S. Administrator]

No problem with Windows ????

I gotta get my modem checked.

I rarely have troubles with Windows, this is because I know how to use it. I have heaps of troubles with Linux, that is because I don't know how to use it (but I am making my way on the educational path of Unix Glory). By the by: Your emoticons died via quote, R.I.P..

[fleamailman]

I have kubuntu, I have a few laptops running on it, a great trick in the bistro is to ask the person on the next table if the will lend one their wifi stick for a moment, and if it works either by itself or with ndiswrapper "bingo" one knows which one to get and which to avoid.

I just want to say now that which distro depends on what goal and what one has hardwarewise. Gone I feel are the days where one can say any one distro is the best, now there is only "in this case, and in that case, otherwise in another case, etc.," which I believe to be a great advantage over windows: the distro to suit the specs.

[-OCM770-]

I installed Ubuntu once, back in '04 and didn't really like it. Last year i decided to try linux again, after some research i decided i wanted a redhat based distro, so i chose Fedora Core. I don't regret my choice, i am loving it, i have both KDE and GNOME installed, so i can run more porgrams. Easy to install and confiigurable fedora is a great choice for intermediate users as it involves some terminal. Now i have everything working, beryl even and working on my MTP device. Fedora for ever.


-OCM770-

[silverbeard]

There are plenty of Distibutions to choose from that will do what most users do in their dayto day lifes with a computer. The thing is to find the one that works for you.

Personal choice is the thing I like the most about FOSS (free open source software). The criteria I use for choosing a Distubtion are simple:

1: Stability. I want a good code base that is well tested and proven. I don't mind software that is still testing but the core system has to be stable.
2: Security. This is rarely an issue with Linux because it is designed to be secure from the ground up.
3: Available software. By this I mean large repositories and back ports for those non-free packages that make an OS usable for more than just the basics.

Though there are a number of independent distributions most are forked from five main ones.

Slackware is the oldest and is so because it is rock solid. This is one of my favorites.

Debian is one of the most developed distros and the base for a large number of very good distro. I've preferred Debian based distros for years now.

Red Hat/Fedora is a good place to start for most people. It's been devloped for ease of use and has a long commercial history that caters to enterprise solutions. You don't stay in business making bad software.

SUSE(Novell) is another enterprise oriented product that is also excellent. I currently have OpenSuse 10.3 loaded on a machine and am finding that the long avoidance I've had for since I tried it several years ago was not justified. It has become a very nice disto and is worthy of anyones consideration.

Mandriva is another fine distro and has released it's latest version recently. I haven't had much to do with it since it was Mandrake other than PCLinuxOS. The reviews are good and with a long history of development it is a proven performer.

As for what is right for you that is going to be up to you to decide. Try as many Live CD's as you can download until you find the one you want to install and give it all the effort you would give to learning Windows. Linux is not Windows but they both have about the same learning curve in my experience and to me Linux makes more since in the way it handles everything from system resources to security to multi-user environments. I have found that once I got use to the freedom that Linux offers I had been missing the real fun that there is in the world of computers.

And if you have enough hard drive space you can always install more than one on the same machine like I do then play and learn to your hearts content.

Currently installed on my main machines
machine 1
SimplyMepis 6.04
Debian 4.0 (KDE)
Window XP HE sp2

machine 2
Windows Vista business edition
Slackware 12.0
openSuse 10.3
PCLinuxOS 2007
SimplyMepis 7.0 beta 5

I have various other machines I use to test other Linux distros and open source solutions to other things of interest like networking and thin client.

http://linuxtracker.org/
http://distrowatch.com/
http://www.madtux.org/

[msackett]

Ubuntu 7.10 is the only Linux I can find that is recommended for the iMac G4 PowerPC. Does anyone have a notion about using this with AirPort Extreme?

[silverbeard]

I'm not sure how much development is still being done on the Power PC since Apple went INTEL but you can check out Penguinppc.org for some ideas. Debian still has a good repository of PPC packages.

[Thebinaryman]

if i remember correctly, fedora, and yellow dog linux are known for their ppc versions.

oh, and just a message to anyone downloading linux via bittorrent, please keep seeding after you complete your download, at least for a little while. help spread it to others!