choosing linux

ss1 · Post by **ss1** » 09 Feb 2007, 12:02

I am thinking of changing to linux what version should I go for

P.S What is linux used for

Post by **bad_brain** » 09 Feb 2007, 15:51

umm...Linux can be used for all the stuff you do with Windows too...only for gaming Windows is better yet

positive aspects of Linux are that you have full control over the system, the networking abilities are heaven compared to Windows and it's free. it's "real" computing, Windows systems are just kinda better Playstations.
negative aspects are that Linux can be pretty confusing when you're used to Windows, so the start is a pain in the ass for most, also hardware drivers can be problematic (but this depends a lot on the distro).

I recommend to setup either a 2nd computer with Linux or a box with Linux AND Windows so you can get into it step by step. my personal favorite distro is Debian, but the one I started with was Red Hat Linux which is now known as Fedora. both are easy to install, the hardware support might be better with Fedora because Debian follows more the open source philosophy which means non-open source drivers might not be included.

ss1 · Post by **ss1** » 10 Feb 2007, 10:04

what about ubuntu

Post by **bad_brain** » 10 Feb 2007, 16:18

umm...never used it, but people say it's good....

Post by **alien100** » 15 Feb 2007, 07:54

backtrack is good

LaBlueGirl · Post by **LaBlueGirl** » 15 Feb 2007, 14:22

Well... lessee..

I was a die-hard Windoze user for a long time.
Granted, I would crash the suckers left and right (virtual memory is a bitch, and most graphics cards that come-with suck completely for 3D gaming)...

About a year and a half ago, I start using SuSe and nothing but....

b_b's right, it can be confusing.
You have more control of your computer, but you need to know wtf you are doing so you don't have to call someone all the damn time to 'fix it' for you...

If you can do right by the shell, you have power over Linux

Get some books/dl some tuts, whatever.

If you use Linux, you *need* BASH.

Fedora is good, but I've heard it can slurp memory.
SuSe is good, but there are always problems at compile time. (You need this library for this program. You install that library, but it is either the wrong version of you need *another* program before you can install *that* one)...

Debian is difficult for beginners, so I've read.

I agree with b_b.
If you can't do 2 computers, the install both on one.
Get used to the 'feel' of it, see what you like and what you don't like, test out different distros.

Good luck.

Post by **pseudo_opcode** » 15 Feb 2007, 15:00

Mysteriously the "easy to install and use" distros never support hardware on my computers, especially graphics card, anyway i used to be a x-windows user but right now i only use bash, thats what running on the wargame box.. and it has been so stable and bug free, maybe eyecandy and other bells and whistles are missing but it gives me a reliable server, and i also use it for web development and penetration testing...

mid · Post by **mid** » 16 Feb 2007, 09:22

slackware isn't bad; it comes with several x-windows environments, among the more popular ones kde and gnome, and its kind of a mix between command-line and x-windows to control the different aspects of the computer. The install didn't go bad for me either which is always a plus

ilnux · Post by **ilnux** » 16 Mar 2007, 11:52

wow. Debian is hard? lol not compared to every other distro and debian is stable. If you want to work with something a prepackaged and tweaked that uses newer packages try Ubuntu or one of it's varients. I might be switching to Freespire or Mepis once I can actually find out what will be the difference between them and Ubuntu what with Click and run being available to all of them now.