CableConvert
Premium
join:2003-12-05
Atlanta, GA | reply to tld
Re: Recommended Linux Distro
My favorite thing about Linux (ubuntu) is that its FREE! Which is especially good now that I see the new Windows 7 pricing |
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Noah Vail
Premium
join:2004-12-10
Lorton, VA
 ·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to Matt
I'll read it through when it's time. Thanks!
NV
--
In my perfect religion, a giant hole appears and sucks up all the lousy people.
I call it the Crapture. |
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someone anyone
@sbcglobal.net
| reply to joetaxpayer
I would recommend
arch linux
jfs filesystem (for everything, boot too)
windowmaker as a window manager
That'd be a nice, fast, quickly up and running system for you.
Personally, this time around, I'd try xfs as a filesystem, but I've not really used that for a long period of time, so I wouldn't recommend it because I've not experienced it lately. I've used jfs for years without any trouble, it's reasonably fast, recovers nicely from any occasional power cut, and so forth. xfs is probably a little faster though, and ext4 might even be faster than that.
In any case, that's what I'd recommend.
arch linux on jfs with windowmaker.
Of course you have to install the stuff yourself, configure it yourself, etc... |
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firephoto
KDE
Premium
join:2003-03-18
 ·Verizon west (ex G..
| reply to joetaxpayer
That's not too bad, the java jre isn't a problem because it's in the default repos and you're using gnome so the pulseaudio mess is already installed. For the config file or the installation you just need to remember to run 'sudo' before the command for things taking place outside of your /home.
For a lot of applications it's good to look at the Ubuntu PPA and see if someone else has created a package or and updated one for what you are looking for.
»https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+ppas
FYI the search mechanism is a bit screwed up right now or else they've added some internal options to let people disable the ppa's from being indexed.(I know things are missing from the search 
Good luck and glad you're figuring some things out slowly. 
--
~~This is not The Greatest Sig in the World without annoying urls, no. This is just a tribute.~~ |
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Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..
| reply to tld
said by tld  :said by Matt :Linux has a steep initial learning curve, but once you figure out the basics, most tasks become much easier. My favorite part of being a Linux user is the fact that, with Linux, there's really nothing there that you can't learn if choose to. Compare that to Windows where so many things are a total black box even to very technical users. You don't have to look any further than that cluster-f*** they call the registry to see that. I don't think that's specific to Windows. Any closed-source OS is not going to be as transparent to the end-user. |
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tld
join:2002-12-19
·Optimum Online
| reply to Matt
said by Matt :Linux has a steep initial learning curve, but once you figure out the basics, most tasks become much easier. My favorite part of being a Linux user is the fact that, with Linux, there's really nothing there that you can't learn if choose to. Compare that to Windows where so many things are a total black box even to very technical users. You don't have to look any further than that cluster-f*** they call the registry to see that.
I've been a real die-hard Gentoo user for about six years now. I've gotten used to fairly lean "minimalist" sort of systems, and do more and more from the command line all the time. Having said that, I think Ubuntu is great. While it tends to be a little bloated for my taste, I've installed it for friends and have been really impressed. Thinking back on the choices of binary distros available before it came along, I'd say it was sorely needed.
Tom |
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Vampirefo
Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-11
Huntington, WV
·Comcast
| reply to Matt
said by Matt :Linux has a steep initial learning curve, but once you figure out the basics, most tasks become much easier. [/BQUOTE This is true, and most of us forget that initial learning curve, once you get passed that its computing as before. --
Best RegardsVampirefo |
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Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC | reply to joetaxpayer
Linux has a steep initial learning curve, but once you figure out the basics, most tasks become much easier. |
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Derspankster
Premium
join:2003-02-12
Marion, OH
·RoadRunner Cable
·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to joetaxpayer
said by joetaxpayer :I am starting to understand that Linux is not really intended to be 'plug and play". Even though Ubuntu has the download option, which is cool, there are pieces of software whose installation needs a bit of intelligence. I am looking at » galleon.sourceforge.net/index.ph···temid=51 which will let the PC be used as a server to my tivo. Admittedly, the instructions are Greek to me, I need to decide how much time to put into this. Linux for Dummies is next. I was about as clueless about Linux as anyone going, coming from a Windows centric corporate arena where it was Windows or nothing. While I now muddle through adequately with the help of this atu forum and the Ubuntu user forums I'm no where near a Linux guru. Not that aspire to that. I have managed to build an Ubuntu media server and run Linux as my main OS.
The point I'm trying to make is that is that it's NOT that hard, you'll get there if Linux fits your needs and you commit to it.
--
my site: »www.lairdslair.com/ |
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joetaxpayer
I'M Here Till Thursday
join:2001-09-07
Sudbury, MA
·Comcast
·Comcast Formerly ..
| reply to joetaxpayer
I am starting to understand that Linux is not really intended to be 'plug and play". Even though Ubuntu has the download option, which is cool, there are pieces of software whose installation needs a bit of intelligence.
I am looking at »galleon.sourceforge.net/index.ph···temid=51 which will let the PC be used as a server to my tivo. Admittedly, the instructions are Greek to me, I need to decide how much time to put into this. Linux for Dummies is next. |
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BryanC1968
join:2003-06-10
Elkins, WV
·Verizon Online DSL
·Suddenlink
| reply to Noah Vail
said by Noah Vail :The next project is to try to integrate a Samba Server into an existing Windows Domain. Right now, I'm looking to use either Gentoo, CentOS or Debian. NV If your looking to set up just a simple network file server then give FreeNAS a look... »www.freenas.org/ ... I have been running it on an old machine I pieced together from spare parts for about 4 months now and it works great... I am actually using the embedded image running off a compact flash card... I have 2 640GB SATA drives installed for a total of 1.2TB of storage... |
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Derspankster
Premium
join:2003-02-12
Marion, OH
·RoadRunner Cable
·RoadRunner Cable
1 edit | reply to cork1958
said by cork1958 :Ubuntu is nothing but a fanboy bloatware version of Linux. Sure it has a ton of users and killer forums, but half the reason it has such a large forums is because it ALWAYS has problems. That updater thing was always screwing up my installation. Blag, » www.blagblagblag.org/ and Zenwalk, » www.zenwalk.org/ are killer bare bones Linux distros that EVERYTHING works with, out of the box, unlike Ubuntu also. You still have to find codecs to play tunes/videos, flashplayer isn't included, etc................... Everything is included out of the box? "You still have to find codecs to play tunes/videos, flashplayer isn't included, etc..................." Those distros don't sound that "complete" and "working out of the box". "That updater thing was always screwing up my installation." Sounds like an (disgruntled) Ubuntu user to me.
Actually, my biggest issue with Ubuntu really has nothing to do with the OS itself. I choose to run Compiz and it's a buggy bastard to say the least. I don't need it but you kind of get used to the purty windows and all.
--
my site: »www.lairdslair.com/ |
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Logan 5
Wondering what happens next..
Premium,MVM
join:2001-05-25
The WasteLAN | reply to joetaxpayer
How's Knoppix these days? |
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Anub1s
join:2003-05-04
Cleveland, OH
·AT&T Yahoo
·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to cork1958
said by cork1958 :Ubuntu is nothing but a fanboy bloatware version of Linux. Sure it has a ton of users and killer forums, but half the reason it has such a large forums is because it ALWAYS has problems. That updater thing was always screwing up my installation. Blag, » www.blagblagblag.org/ and Zenwalk, » www.zenwalk.org/ are killer bare bones Linux distros that EVERYTHING works with, out of the box, unlike Ubuntu also. You still have to find codecs to play tunes/videos, flashplayer isn't included, etc................... FUD. Almost trollish.
If you can't use Ubuntu, it is you, not the OS.
--
*Intel Core2Duo E8400,8gigs Dual CH.OCZ,1x160Gs 1x320Gs WD,PVR-250,NVIDIA 9500gt
Ubuntu 9.04 64bit |
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Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..
| reply to Noah Vail
said by Noah Vail :The next project is to try to integrate a Samba Server into an existing Windows Domain. Right now, I'm looking to use either Gentoo, CentOS or Debian. I wrote a how-to in 2007 for CentOS and Windows 2003 R2 that might help: »blog.wazollc.com/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=2 |
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Noah Vail
Premium
join:2004-12-10
Lorton, VA
·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to joetaxpayer
I don't have the linux experience, that a lot of folks here have. So, if I have to be surfing the *nix learning curve, I'd like the experience to be as enjoyable as possible.
I really do like having a desktop environment, but I don't have a preference; KDE - GNOME - whatever. What's important for me is a lack of driver issues. I don't expect a piece of hardware developed today to work out of the box, but if I'm working with 4 year old hardware, I'd hope we'd be past struggling with it.
I have a copy of Fedora 11 beta that I put in a boot thumb. It's been terrific in every way. It seems to work on everything. I can't remember a single driver issue on new hardware or old. I can't count how many times I've used it to get at data from a corrupted or infected hard drive.
I have a live version of Puppy that my 10 year old uses on the junk hardware I bring home. It does a lot more than I thought it would and it's hardware support seems pretty good as well.
I like smoothwall for NAT and firewall, cause I'm a sucker for a web interface.
My 16 year old wanted to setup vBulletin on a home notebook. I finally settled on openSUSE 10. It wasn't as hardware friendly as others, but it seemed to handle Apache and PHP without much of a complaint.
The next project is to try to integrate a Samba Server into an existing Windows Domain. Right now, I'm looking to use either Gentoo, CentOS or Debian.
NV
--
In my perfect religion, a giant hole appears and sucks up all the lousy people.
I call it the Crapture. |
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greenrider
Premium
join:2005-04-30
canada
| reply to joetaxpayer
hi;
i think it depends on what u want to do. If you want to learn then maybe Slackware. If u want to just use it right out of box then maybe Ubuntu. Likely the one u choose will be the one u stick with and champion on replies like this. As for me, I chose Slackware and have learned a lot about Linux which, of course, is what I wanted to do.
good luck |
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SLD
Premium
join:2002-04-17 | reply to Matt
Yeah, and the JEOS is great for a VMWare install. |
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joetaxpayer
I'M Here Till Thursday
join:2001-09-07
Sudbury, MA
·Comcast
·Comcast Formerly ..
| reply to Matt
Matt, thanks, I just offered that as an example.
I'd like to find an app that would offer the feature that lets you see the PC from your TiVo, i.e. no encode/decode, just being able to use it to store video I ripped using the "desktop to go" feature. That would let me use this for backup as well as a TiVo server. I'll google around for that. Haven't started the search. |
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Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..
1 edit | reply to joetaxpayer
said by joetaxpayer :iTunes are not available in Linux. This was a barrier for me too, but unless you're syncing a device that has to have iTunes (like an iPhone) you could start purchasing your music from the Amazon MP3 store. It's all non-DRM MP3 music. Even iTunes music is now DRM-free so you should be able to play and manage it with any Linux music manager.
If you have a large library of protected iTunes music, you could explore virtualization. I know at one point Virtualbox supported USB pass-thru, so you could run Windows in a virtual machine and still sync your iPhone and/or play your music. Not sure if it still does however and it's definitely not the most elegant solution, but it works. |
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