Linux Recommendation

My (ex/current/it's perpetual/god knows) boyfriend has just got Ubuntu. It's all very interesting... I've never really used Linux.

So I'm giving it a go!

I've got KDE right now, but there are sooo many out there... and apparently I can run Linux with Fusion.

What do you guys like most?

I have tried several distro's (SuSE, Fedora 7,Ubuntu,Kubuntu,Xubuntu) My favorites are SuSE and Ubuntu. The KDE desktop interface seems too bloated and Fedora lacks alot of drivers.Xubuntu is pretty good too but a little basic for me.It's great for older computers
The only problem with SuSE is the boot loader (YAST) is terrible. So I would install windows then it then Ubuntu so GRUB would overwrite YAST.

when I had a pc I really liked pclinuxos and xandros.

Actually that depends on what level of Linux you are interested in. Easy installs are Linspire, Freespire. Other good ones: pclinux, Xandros.

I used Debian as my main desktop operating system for the best part of a year and loved it. It has an excellent package manager, a great community and isn't overly technical or simple either.

As a desktop I'd use fedora but I know RHEL quite well.. and while I'll use it as a server, I wouldn't use it as a desktop.

I would recommend Ubuntu to anyone. It's easy to install, full-featured and still quite tweakable if you like to open the hood now and then. But fresh out of the box, I was amazed by how easily the latest release version (7.10) works with wireless network adapters and WPA, which has been a long-standing weakness of Linux.

If you like the KDE interface, try Kubuntu - and yes, they all run just fine in Fusion.

if i were to install linux on my new imac, where would i find the drivers for my video/audio ect??

TWM said:

if i were to install linux on my new imac, where would i find the drivers for my video/audio ect??

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If you use a distro that comes on a bootable CD (like Ubuntu), you'll know ahead of time if the drivers are preloaded. If they're not, the process for procuring and installing the drivers will vary from distro to distro. In Debian-based Linux distros (like Ubuntu), you can use apt-get to download and install missing drivers, assuming they are available in the repositories you have configured. This is why it's helpful to use a distro that is both well-supported and has a good forum (again, like Ubuntu).

Can you tell that I'm biased toward Ubuntu? ;D

pretty much every distro has an apt-get like application (yum is the fedora/RHEL/centOS version, etc) and if it doesn't you can always install apt-get

My vote definitely goes to Ubuntu (or Kubuntu if you prefer KDE) for the desktop. I use it on my workstation at work (we currently run debian servers and (K)Ubuntu workstations). Apt-get/Aptitude are awesome package managers and I've found (K)Ubuntu to be very Mac like in that everything just works. After an install there is very little tweaking that I have needed to do (I do it anyway...can't run a stock kernel now can we...hehe). I used to use SuSE, but I just found that I had more issues with applications crashing (didn't seem to matter what version). Slackware however, has got to be my all time favourite...secure, stable, and a very basic package manager--not a very user friendly distro tho.

Cheers

would i be able to install ubuntu using bootcamp? or does it have to be a virtualization type program like parallels? And your saying that Ubuntu would probably be the best choice for my imac?

TWM said:

would i be able to install ubuntu using bootcamp?

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I would recommend running it from the CD (the disc that you download is actually a bootable "live" disc, which allows you to run the OS without having to install it) to see if you find it useful first. Then, yes, it can be installed via Boot Camp if you decide that you like it.

or does it have to be a virtualization type program like parallels?

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Virtualization would be ideal, since it's easy to add and remove an OS without having to make major changes to the disk structure.

And your saying that Ubuntu would probably be the best choice for my imac?

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Yep. ;D

Try the LiveCD version of Fedora Core 8 or 9. I know that Fedora has lost a little in popularity these days, but my experiences with it on OS-X+Fusion has been great. Set yourself a small overall HD size (8-10 GB or so) and then run the .iso from the Fusion boot process. It should work, right away. Then, if after an hour or a day or two of testing, you decide it works for you, there should be an icon on the desktop that allows you to burn the current live config to that 8 GB drive you created. Then, it will work every time ;-)

Good luck

Asking which distribution of linux is the "right" one is futile That's one of the beauties, but also one of the biggest challenges with linux adoption. There's an overwhelming array of choices of "which one do I get?" It's kinda like the whole "Which version of Windows does what I want?" with the exception that with Linux distros, they all actually "do" the same things. They're just packaged up a little differently. If your particular distro is missing something, you can add it.

Anyway -- I'm a VERY long time Linux user, starting out right before Patrick Volkerding created Slackware (yes, I've been messing with Linux THAT long).

I've personally settled into using Ubuntu for the past couple years, because they are focused on making things easier, every step of the way. It's like a Mac somewhat -- you get it, you turn it on, and you're immediately able to get your work done. If Ubuntu doesn't have what you need already installed, the software add/remove tool is absolutely amazing -- point and click, and the work is taken care of for you. Drivers for nearly anything and everything are already there, and it identifies most of the stuff that isn't -- and installs it for you. I like that, being able to concentrate more on what I'm doing, rather than what I have to do to make it work.

Fedora (or any of the close RedHat adherents) are another awesome distribution. I was a dedicated RedHat user, and then a Fedora user, for quite a while as well. Actually in many ways I still am -- our production servers at work are all CentOS boxes.

As for the Gnome/KDE choice, again that's all personal. You can run both on the same system, and switch back and forth at will. Again they both do the same thing, just a bit of an appearance difference. You can run KDE apps on your Gnome desktop, and vice versa.