Personal Development for Smart People Forums - View Single Post - Have you ever installed linux or do you use it?

ChefSalad · 11-18-2006, 10:32 PM

I'm not sure what I'd recommend for newbs other than Ubuntu. While I have no experience with Ubuntu, from what I understand, it's quite easy to use graphically, and instills good practices early (like never logging in as root (Ubuntu has root logins disabled by default, which is not the norm, but is a sensible default for people new to Linux.)). Personally, I'm a hardcore Gentoo user. If it's not Gentoo, then I'm on FreeBSD (I know it's not Linux).

I'm an expert at Linux (nearly all aspects (well, I'm sure there are a few things I could stand to know better, especially in the programming world, but for most server and home use, I have it down)). I have done most everything most anyone would ever want to do in Linux, and if I haven't done it, I'm confident that I could jump right in and get working as quick as anyone else. Strangely, I don't use Linux as my desktop platform. I've found that while Linux is fine for server use, editing and playing movies and sound, light graphics editing, general web browsing, and general office use, it fails in two primary ways. It doesn't (really) do games (well) and it doesn't run my business administration software. I could get the games I like to run under Wine if I wanted to (it's just Counter-Strike Source and Starcraft, really), but the business software seems to be a no go, which is a show-stopper for me. Maybe someday.

Anywho, now that I've flopped myself on the table, I suppose I should give an educated recommendation. I'd say to try Knoppix or SimplyMEPIS for a while. Just run it off the CD. After you get comfortable doing most things (like videos, music, web browsing, office work, perhaps a bit of printing), install a more Desktop-y distro. I recommend Debian for those who are uncomfortable with the command line (and Gentoo for those who are comfortable with the command line). I do so for several reasons. First, Debian is compatible. Programs and blobs compiled for other distros usually run fine on Debian, while they are problematic on other distros like Fedora and Ubuntu. Second, Debian has up-to-date packages for nearly every piece of Linux software out there. This is good. Third, the updater for Debian is very easy to use and well documented. Forth, Debian will force you to use the command line, even if just for a little while, since it's command line utilities are better documented and more often referenced than it's GUI tools. This is a good thing. The command line is your friend. Fifth, a lot of really smart people use Debian, which means that a lot of really smart people will be willing to help you. There aren't so many experts using other distros, which puts newbs at a disadvantage when using them.

The real question is, "Should you listen to me if you are new to Linux?" The truthful answer is, "Probably not." While I may be an expert user, I'm not new to Linux. My initial Linux experience was over eight years ago, with most of the real learning six years ago. At that time, the only distribution choices were Red Hat, Slackware and Debian. I tried all three, then FreeBSD, then Linux From Scratch, and finally Gentoo (which was fairly new at the time I first tried it). Most of the distros that new users would be most comfortable with, I've never used, and the ones I have used, I last used quite long ago or only for a day or two (I used Debian, Knoppix and Fedora somewhat recently, though. Knoppix is incredibly valuable, and I use it all the time as a Windows rescue tool among other things.). The real people whose advice you should be soliciting is non-expert users who were new not too long ago. They will be the ones who have the recent experience in learning Linux that will be able to tell you which current distros facilitate learning and which ones don't. I can't really do that.

Oh, and on top of all that, I do have one final recommendation. At some point in the future, after you're somewhat comfortable in your daily tasks, break out a crappy old computer and do Linux From Scratch on it. It will produce a usable system completely from scratch, and it'll give you an in depth knowledge of how Linux works. It's very enlightening and will help you immensely. I wouldn't try it as your first system, though. If I remember correctly, it was my fourth system, and the first that was able to access the Internet and use X.

11-18-2006, 10:32 PM	#9 (permalink)
ChefSalad Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 130	I'm not sure what I'd recommend for newbs other than Ubuntu. While I have no experience with Ubuntu, from what I understand, it's quite easy to use graphically, and instills good practices early (like never logging in as root (Ubuntu has root logins disabled by default, which is not the norm, but is a sensible default for people new to Linux.)). Personally, I'm a hardcore Gentoo user. If it's not Gentoo, then I'm on FreeBSD (I know it's not Linux). I'm an expert at Linux (nearly all aspects (well, I'm sure there are a few things I could stand to know better, especially in the programming world, but for most server and home use, I have it down)). I have done most everything most anyone would ever want to do in Linux, and if I haven't done it, I'm confident that I could jump right in and get working as quick as anyone else. Strangely, I don't use Linux as my desktop platform. I've found that while Linux is fine for server use, editing and playing movies and sound, light graphics editing, general web browsing, and general office use, it fails in two primary ways. It doesn't (really) do games (well) and it doesn't run my business administration software. I could get the games I like to run under Wine if I wanted to (it's just Counter-Strike Source and Starcraft, really), but the business software seems to be a no go, which is a show-stopper for me. Maybe someday. Anywho, now that I've flopped myself on the table, I suppose I should give an educated recommendation. I'd say to try Knoppix or SimplyMEPIS for a while. Just run it off the CD. After you get comfortable doing most things (like videos, music, web browsing, office work, perhaps a bit of printing), install a more Desktop-y distro. I recommend Debian for those who are uncomfortable with the command line (and Gentoo for those who are comfortable with the command line). I do so for several reasons. First, Debian is compatible. Programs and blobs compiled for other distros usually run fine on Debian, while they are problematic on other distros like Fedora and Ubuntu. Second, Debian has up-to-date packages for nearly every piece of Linux software out there. This is good. Third, the updater for Debian is very easy to use and well documented. Forth, Debian will force you to use the command line, even if just for a little while, since it's command line utilities are better documented and more often referenced than it's GUI tools. This is a good thing. The command line is your friend. Fifth, a lot of really smart people use Debian, which means that a lot of really smart people will be willing to help you. There aren't so many experts using other distros, which puts newbs at a disadvantage when using them. The real question is, "Should you listen to me if you are new to Linux?" The truthful answer is, "Probably not." While I may be an expert user, I'm not new to Linux. My initial Linux experience was over eight years ago, with most of the real learning six years ago. At that time, the only distribution choices were Red Hat, Slackware and Debian. I tried all three, then FreeBSD, then Linux From Scratch, and finally Gentoo (which was fairly new at the time I first tried it). Most of the distros that new users would be most comfortable with, I've never used, and the ones I have used, I last used quite long ago or only for a day or two (I used Debian, Knoppix and Fedora somewhat recently, though. Knoppix is incredibly valuable, and I use it all the time as a Windows rescue tool among other things.). The real people whose advice you should be soliciting is non-expert users who were new not too long ago. They will be the ones who have the recent experience in learning Linux that will be able to tell you which current distros facilitate learning and which ones don't. I can't really do that. Oh, and on top of all that, I do have one final recommendation. At some point in the future, after you're somewhat comfortable in your daily tasks, break out a crappy old computer and do Linux From Scratch on it. It will produce a usable system completely from scratch, and it'll give you an in depth knowledge of how Linux works. It's very enlightening and will help you immensely. I wouldn't try it as your first system, though. If I remember correctly, it was my fourth system, and the first that was able to access the Internet and use X.