Linux

[Heim]

I've been an OS X user for many years. While I do think that OS X is a reliable and user-friendly system, I have become disenchanted with Apple's 'walled garden' approach. I dislike being locked in Apple's range op (expensive) proprietary hardware.
This led me to examine some Linux distributions. I wouldn't say that I am completely illiterate when it comes to computers and technology, but I am by no means an experienced user. Therefore I do require an OS to be straight forward and user friendly.

So far I have tried out Ubuntu and Linux Mint. As for desktop environments, I am a fan of XFCE and KDE.

Is there a particular Linux distro that you prefer? What are your experiences with Linux?

Also, any advice would be appreciated.

 

[te_lanus]

I used OpenSUSE for a while, and found that my Gf of that time (who was completely illiterate) was able to use it (using KDE).

 

[Brickjectivity]

Is there a particular Linux distro that you prefer? What are your experiences with Linux?

I have used: Redhat 4.2, 5.1, 18, Debian Woody, Debian Wheezy, Ubuntu 12, Ubuntu 14, Opensuse 12.1 and Linux Mint. I have used Steam on Ubunto and Mint. I have used Virtualbox in linux and have run Linux in Virtualbox. I have used 32bit and 64bit Intel and AMD systems. I have taught myself scripting, regular expressions and the dirty aspects of system management and have experienced frustration that cannot be measured.

I have also used Mac 7, OS X, Windows 2.0, 3.1, 95, 98, Vista, XP, 7, 8, NT and 2000. I have seen linux desktops and windows desktops good and bad. I have been angry with Microsoft and also relied upon it. I have introduced others to free software. I have used Lotus 123, Borland Quatro-Pro, Office 2000, Office 2003, Office 2007, Office 2010, Wordperfect 5, Wordperfect 8, Open Office, Abi Office, Libre Office etc etc.

I have rebooted computers more times than I have had breakfasts.

At this moment in time the current best desktop (of all time) is Lubuntu, which is Ubuntu but runs using LightDM window manager instead of Unity. If, however, you want to run Steam gaming you should go with standard Ubuntu 14. Ubuntu will also run on Macbooks. I realize that there are some concerns about Ubuntu and privacy, namely that it has a deal with Amazon and that it combines free and non-free software. My opinion on that is this: that I buy Mark Shuttleworth's story about why he started his company and believe he is interested in promoting software freedom. I turn off those features which cross over the privacy line, and I pay $$ instead. I recognize the greatness of debian, of the Free Software Foundation, of the concept of Open Source. I buy books. I also endeavour to try free-software alternatives constantly. When there is a free flash-player I try it. I try to compile software for myself, and I try to answer questions about linux and free software. I maintain accounts on linux forums to report bugs and do so carefully. I will keep trying to find a debian or other free distribution that I can configure myself and also recommend to others.

Fedora gets honourable mention, but because it changes drastically every six months I can't recommend it as a basic desktop. That being said it has plenty of documentation to accompany each release.

Opensuse is very convenient, but its system tools are non-standard. Everything is slightly modified, so that if you run into any problems the only people who can help you are Opensuse experts. For example it uses something like Fedora's package manager that uses many of the same commands and tools but not exactly the same ones. Instructions for Fedora would by partially applicable to an Opensuse problem but would never really perfectly work and vice versa. That being said, Opensuse pioneered KDE which is a really, really great desktop.

 

[Heim]

I used OpenSUSE for a while, and found that my Gf of that time (who was completely illiterate) was able to use it (using KDE).

I have heard of OpenSUSE, but I have never tried it. I gather that, compared to Ubuntu and Mint, it has a smaller community? One thing I hold in high esteem is the Ubuntu forums. Those are very helpful.

I have used: Redhat 4.2, 5.1, 18, Debian Woody, Debian Wheezy, Ubuntu 12, Ubuntu 14, Opensuse 12.1 and Linux Mint. I have used Steam on Ubunto and Mint. I have used Virtualbox in linux and have run Linux in Virtualbox. I have used 32bit and 64bit Intel and AMD systems. I have taught myself scripting, regular expressions and the dirty aspects of system management and have experienced frustration that cannot be measured.

I have also used Mac 7, OS X, Windows 2.0, 3.1, 95, 98, Vista, XP, 7, 8, NT and 2000. I have seen linux desktops and windows desktops good and bad. I have been angry with Microsoft and also relied upon it. I have introduced others to free software. I have used Lotus 123, Borland Quatro-Pro, Office 2000, Office 2003, Office 2007, Office 2010, Wordperfect 5, Wordperfect 8, Open Office, Abi Office, Libre Office etc etc.

I have rebooted computers more times than I have had breakfasts.

At this moment in time the current best desktop (of all time) is Lubuntu, which is Ubuntu but runs using LightDM window manager instead of Unity. If, however, you want to run Steam gaming you should go with standard Ubuntu 14. Ubuntu will also run on Macbooks. I realize that there are some concerns about Ubuntu and privacy, namely that it has a deal with Amazon and that it combines free and non-free software. My opinion on that is this: that I buy Mark Shuttleworth's story about why he started his company and believe he is interested in promoting software freedom. I turn off those features which cross over the privacy line, and I pay $$ instead. I recognize the greatness of debian, of the Free Software Foundation, of the concept of Open Source. I buy books. I also endeavour to try free-software alternatives constantly. When there is a free flash-player I try it. I try to compile software for myself, and I try to answer questions about linux and free software. I maintain accounts on linux forums to report bugs and do so carefully. I will keep trying to find a debian or other free distribution that I can configure myself and also recommend to others.

Fedora gets honourable mention, but because it changes drastically every six months I can't recommend it as a basic desktop. That being said it has plenty of documentation to accompany each release.

Well at any rate you seem to know what you are doing.

Currently I'm dual booting OS X and Kubuntu. I haven't settled on Kubuntu yet, though.
I take it that Debian is less newbie-friendly?

 

[nilsz]

One difficult stumbling block for many users is their unwillingness to give up applications that have not been ported to Linux, in particular Microsoft Office and iTunes. Linux applications tend to be ported to other platforms, but not so much vice versa.

This is by no means Linux developers fault, as the decision not to port these applications rests first of all upon the developers of the applications, which in the case of Microsoft Office and iTunes is, respectively, Microsoft and Apple - a frustrating conflict of interest. Linux appeals to my idealistic heart as it is not driven to the same extent by such economic interests.

Some tips:

1. It is generally recommended to install applications through the Linux distribution's package manager rather than directly from the application's website. This way the application can get updated along with the rest of your applications.
2. If you have a lot of applications installed through the package manager, updating the system may require a lot of time and Internet connectivity. You may want to keep your installed applications at a minimum and install large applications that you don't need to have updated often apart from the package manager. Any Internet-facing applications should be updated often.
   
3. Being somewhat familiar with the Unix shell helps significantly on Linux, as online instructions to fix problems sometimes demand use of it. Learning the basics is easy.

 

[Heim]

One difficult stumbling block for many users is their unwillingness to give up applications that have not been ported to Linux, in particular Microsoft Office and iTunes. Linux applications tend to be ported to other platforms, but not so much vice versa.

Ah yes, I can imagine this being a problem. Especially for people who need very specific software this may be a drawback.
I have found that for me (and I think this goes many casual computer users nowadays) most of the things I do are web-based. This makes the transition to Linux way easier.

It is generally recommended to install applications through the Linux distribution's package manager rather than directly from the application's website. This way the application can get updated along with the rest of your applications.

Thanks. This is golden advice. No more applications updating randomly all over the place.

 

[Jumi]

Linux Mint is nice and easy to use. They care about their users and listen to feedback.

 

[Brickjectivity]

I have heard of OpenSUSE, but I have never tried it. I gather that, compared to Ubuntu and Mint, it has a smaller community? One thing I hold in high esteem is the Ubuntu forums. Those are very helpful.


Well at any rate you seem to know what you are doing.

Currently I'm dual booting OS X and Kubuntu. I haven't settled on Kubuntu yet, though.
I take it that Debian is less newbie-friendly?

Debian is great and awesome. There is plenty of documentation that I haven't read yet. Also there is debianhelp.org; so there is no excuse for me not being able to configure it. It just doesn't automagically configure itself as easily as the Oobs do. I fully intend to run debian at some point and also to contribute technically in some way. Also Debian is considered to be the most secure and is the workhorse inside of any Ubuntu distribution including Kubuntu, so actually you are already running Debian just with a few questionable and possibly unstable bells and whistles added.

My first experience with Debian consisted of a set of 10 floppies and absolutely no idea how to begin. Every time I tried to install a .deb package the system told me I needed a prerequisite, but then that prerequisite wanted me to install the other package first; plus I had no way to download except piecemeal. It was like there was a fence around it that said 'No noobs allowed and beware of the leopard'. I gave up. Years later Debian Woody gave me a hard time, only because I was always in a hurry. Loads of people have figured it out using available documentation. Wheezy is much better and with internet access most problems are simple to take care of. The package manager is very easy and takes care of prerequisites automatically. Actually I have created my own debian Live CD since the old days. Its just that in the past debian was much more difficult and it continues to be geared towards stability above all, even above usability. That said usability has improved by powers of 10's.

 

[Riverwolf]

Linux Mint is my distro of choice, though I don't really get to use it as much as I'd like.

 

[ShivaFan]

For those of you who really love Linux and love to try out different versions and diverse Linux Operating Systems, I would recommend spending about $250 dollars and purchasing VMware’s Workstation (latest is version 11 and this is the one with the price tag – I got it for free with a license which actually isn’t hard to do if you talk with them from that section of their support group, but earlier versions are often free).

With Workstation, you can boot multiple Linux OS’s as virtual machines (VM).
VMware Workstation: Multiple Operating Systems Linux, Windows 8 & More | United States

*** Here are some quick “Factoids”:

Do I need to dual boot or repartition the disk?

No. VMware Workstation uses your computer's file system and creates files that map to a virtual machine's disk drives, so there is no need to create a partition for each operating system. If you already have another operating system with dual boot installed on your computer, you can use VMware Workstation to run the other operating system in a virtual machine on your host operating system. Instead of dual booting, you can run both operating systems simultaneously and seamlessly switch from one operating system to another with a click of your mouse.

How is each operating system installed?

Once you have installed VMware Workstation, you "configure" a virtual machine by assigning it memory, disk, ports, and networking. You then power on that virtual machine with the operating system installation CD or ISO image. The virtual machine will boot, and the operating system will start its normal install procedure.

Does VMware Workstation modify the host or guest operating systems?

No. Your host operating system environment treats VMware Workstation like an application. No modifications need to be made to the guest operating system when it is installed on a virtual machine. Applications on the guest operating system run exactly as they do on your host machine.

*** What VM (Guest Operating Systems) can you create virtual machines for? (Note: These are the various Linux, and other OS’s you will be running, this is not the same as which OS’s you INSTALL Workstation on top of to manage):

See

LINK: VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide


Linux Operating Systems
• Asianux Server
o Asianux Server 4.0
o Asianux Server 3.0
• CentOS
o CentOS 7
o CentOS 6
o CentOS 5
o CentOS 4
• Debian
o Debian 7
o Debian 6
o Debian 5
o Debian 4
• Fedora
o Fedora 20 Desktop Edition
o Fedora 19 Desktop Edition
o Fedora 18 Desktop Edition
o Fedora 17 Desktop Edition
o Fedora 16 Desktop Edition
• Mandrake
o Mandrake Linux 10.x
o Mandrake Linux 9.x
o Mandrake Linux 8.x
• Mandriva
o Mandriva Corporate 4
o Mandriva Linux 2010
o Mandriva Linux 2009
o Mandriva Linux 2008
o Mandriva Linux 2007
o Mandriva Linux 2006
• Novell
o Novell Linux Desktop 9
• openSUSE Linux
o openSUSE Linux 13.x
o openSUSE Linux 12.x
o openSUSE Linux 11.x
o openSUSE Linux 10.x
• Oracle Enterprise
o Oracle Linux 7
o Oracle Linux 6
o Oracle Enterprise Linux 5
o Oracle Enterprise Linux 4
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux
o Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
o Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
o Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
o Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4
o Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3
o Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1
• Red Hat Linux
o Red Hat Linux 9.0
o Red Hat Linux 8.0
o Red Hat Linux 7.0
o Red Hat Linux 6.2
• Sun Java Desktop System
o Sun Java Desktop System 2
• SUSE Linux Enterprise
o SUSE Linux Enterprise 12
o SUSE Linux Enterprise 11
o SUSE Linux Enterprise 10
o SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9
o SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 8
o SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 7
• SUSE Linux
o SUSE Linux 10.x
o SUSE Linux 9.x
o SUSE Linux 8.x
o SUSE Linux 7.3
• Turbolinux
o Turbolinux 11
o Turbolinux 10
o Turbolinux 8
o Turbolinux 7
• Ubuntu
o Ubuntu 14.04
o Ubuntu 13.10
o Ubuntu 13.04
o Ubuntu 12.10
o Ubuntu 12.04 LTS
o Ubuntu 11.10
o Ubuntu 11.04
o Ubuntu 10.10
o Ubuntu 10.04 LTS
o Ubuntu 9.10
o Ubuntu 9.04
o Ubuntu 8.10
o Ubuntu 8.04 LTS
o Ubuntu Linux 7.10
o Ubuntu Linux 7.04
o Ubuntu Linux 6.10
o Ubuntu Linux 6.06
o Ubuntu Linux 5.10
o Ubuntu Linux 5.04


*** To RUN Workstation, you can install it to:
VMware Workstation runs on most 64-bit Windows or Linux host operating systems :
• Windows 8
• Windows 7
• Windows Server 2012
• Windows Server 2008
• Ubuntu 10.04 and above
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.8 and above
• CentOS 5.8 and above
• Oracle Linux 5.8 and above
• openSUSE 11.2 and above
• SUSE Linux 11.2 and above

Have a great day!

 

[godnotgod]

Linux Mint is my distro of choice, though I don't really get to use it as much as I'd like.

It is the distro I most often install on ex-Windows users computers. I then tweak it to emulate Mac OS X Yosemite, as here:

Installing Linux | ReligiousForums.com

If anyone wants to know how to do this, let me know.

 

[godnotgod]

I've been an OS X user for many years. While I do think that OS X is a reliable and user-friendly system, I have become disenchanted with Apple's 'walled garden' approach. I dislike being locked in Apple's range op (expensive) proprietary hardware.

While this is true for the new models, one can acquire a viable older model for not a lot of money. A 20" 2009 aluminum iMac will run OS X 10.9 Mavericks and can be had for around $300. I still run a 2007 Intel Core Duo Mac Mini with Snow Leopard, and it is surprisingly fast on just 2GB RAM. These can be had for around $135 - $150 on eBay. Browsers for these models are becoming unsupported, but there are good alternatives, such as Chromium, Webkit, TenFourFox, Stainless, etc. YouTube videos can still be run on Flash, but I prefer HTML5 or even QuickTime. I have Windows XP installed on a separate partition on the Mini, and it will even run Linux quite well. PuppyLinux especially runs very fast. For those wanting a fairly inexpensive Mac but with more expansion capabilities, there are Core 2 Duo and Quad Core Mac Pro towers still available for around $250 - $400, depending on installed resources. These will officially run Mac OS X Lion 10.7, but can be made to run Mavericks and Yosemite with a special tweak available through Low End Mac.

 

[Breathe]

I like Linux Mint and Ubuntu.
I actually have come to like the dreaded Unity environment because pressing Window and typing brings up my apps and files and stuff, and Alt and typing for some commands. What's not to love? Admittedly it annoyed me at first, though.

I've also used Lubuntu, Xubuntu, Zorin OS, and Peppermint Linux to name a few. Free BSD, and OpenSUSE too, but only briefly.

 

[Izdaari]

Linux Mint is by far my favorite of all the distros I've used. It's basically Ubuntu made more user-friendly, but with no loss of control. I keep two desktop boxes -- one for gaming, running Win 7, and one for everything else, running Linux Mint.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Debian Jesse with XFCE is darn tootin'. I've been using it since it become the new stable version. Sage compiled on it with ease, and I've had no problems so far.