Linux Fedora

[akaneria]

Hi,
Could someone please explain which version i would need to download:
its all a bit confusing

http://fedoraproject.org/en/get-fedora

there are 3 typres

Install Media
Fedora Desktop Live Media
Fedora KDE Live Media

whats the difference?


Under "install media" there are : which ones do i choose?
i386 - Install DVD
x86_64 - Install DVD
ppc - Install DVD


thanks

[Splash]

The install media is what it says, the media you use to install the OS. The other 2 are "Live CDs", ie you put the disc in your drive and boot from it so you can play with the OS in a non-destructive way (also can be handy for system rescue) - I'm guessing the "Desktop Live Media" is a GNOME Window Manager, as opposed to the KDE version which is self-explanatory.

The install media you select depends on your architecture - is it i386, x86_64 (64 bit) or PPC PowerPC, essentially for older Macs) that you need?

[akaneria]

The install media is what it says, the media you use to install the OS. The other 2 are "Live CDs", ie you put the disc in your drive and boot from it so you can play with the OS in a non-destructive way (also can be handy for system rescue) - I'm guessing the "Desktop Live Media" is a GNOME Window Manager, as opposed to the KDE version which is self-explanatory.

The install media you select depends on your architecture - is it i386, x86_64 (64 bit) or PPC PowerPC, essentially for older Macs) that you need?

sorry to sound stupid but i'm assuming i386 is 32bit
Why is the install media larger than the live cd. Do they have more application installed?


Its just that they don't explain it at all on their site,
and this is the first time i will be ussing linux, just trying to figure out which linux to use, fedora, puppy linux, ubuntu, linux osx etc...

thanks

[Splash]

Yep, i386 is your Joe 32 Bit architecture.

The live media may or may not allow you to install the OS from within itself (I've not used either, so I can't comment). The install DVD will have both GNOME, KDE and quite probably a few other window managers, whereas the livecd only has one or other.

[akaneria]

sorry to sound stupid- as i've never used linux before but
what is ghome, kde etc...

I'm looking for a linux which i can put on my 800mhz pIII 512mb laptop just to run the internet, do some online banking and not much else, apart from word processing, viewing pdf's and excel documents. Thats it!

[b0redom]

Forget Fedora, download and install Ubuntu - it's more newbie friendly:

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

[Splash]

While I always try to avoid the "use Ubuntu" line, it may well be the best option for you. If you *really* only need internet and some openoffice functionality then even Ubuntu may be overkill though.

GNOME and KDE are the 2 most popular window managers, though there are many more to choose from. Ubuntu (and Fedora, I think!) uses GNOME, which I personally prefer but a number of distros lean more towards KDE. If you have the bandwidth to try it's probably worth having a play with a few - Ubuntu and Kubuntu (Ubuntu with a KDE WM) are a good start.

For more on Window Managers take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_manager

[akaneria]

any other recommendations?
i was also looking at linux xp 2008 but its not free, trial for 30 days

[TAKTAK]

i like sabayon personally...

[Splash]

It might be worth taking a look at http://distrowatch.com/ for a list of distros. Every distro has it's own fans, but for people new to Linux it's probably worth checking out Ubuntu, Fedora, Opensuse and PCLinuxOS. That's not to say that you won't get a decent experience from any other distro, merely that those are the most user friendly, designed to ease you into GNU/Linux.

I've never heard of Linux XP 2008, but others may have. I'd be tempted to try the free distros before splashing the cash on one though.

[Splash]

i like sabayon personally...

Not having tried it I couldn't comment on what it's like, but... Gentoo generally isn't seen as a "My First Linux"

[Splash]

Linux XP Professional Edition is a universal and secure operating system for Russian speakers designed for home and business use. It is based on freely available sources from Red Hat Linux and Fedora Core.

Are you a Russian speaker? If not, might be worth avoiding this one...

[TAKTAK]

Not having tried it I couldn't comment on what it's like, but... Gentoo generally isn't seen as a "My First Linux"

aye, i suppose, but it has the 'just works' thing for me

[akaneria]

ive found this site pretty useful:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._distributions

[0iD]

I'm liking PC Linux & Linux Mint at the mo for n00b friendliness, but a long-term user of Suse.

[peterb]

sorry to sound stupid- as i've never used linux before but
what is ghome, kde etc...

I'm looking for a linux which i can put on my 800mhz pIII 512mb laptop just to run the internet, do some online banking and not much else, apart from word processing, viewing pdf's and excel documents. Thats it!

Linux is basically the kernel around which lots of other applications run - the whole package is called a distribution - or distro. The Linux principle is that it has lots of little programs that do only one or two things, but do them really well.

Think of an onion. At the centre is the kernel, that interacts with external hardware, controls disk access etc. Next layer out are the command line programs - type in the command and it acts. Very powerful, but fiddly to use. Next comes the grapical interface and on top of that come the desktops - the user graphical interface. The two main ones are Gnome and KDE. Most distros ship with both of these, some only come with one and you download the others once it is running.

Fedora (the install version) is shipped with both versions, and a load of other graphical applications too - Firefox (browsing) evolution (e mail) and so on. The live CDs (or DVDs) are limited in space so they come with one or the other desktop.

Which distro? I am a Fedora fan, but it can be a bit fiddly installing - if you are installing on a fresh disk or just installing to make a dual boot system, the default installation is fine, but if you want to customise it, it can be tricky.

Ubuntu is the lLinux 'flavour of the month' - it is based on a Debian Distro but customised to make installation a bit easier (I'm told - I haven't used it myself) but once installed a desktop - Gnome or Kde - will be pretty much the same.

Which desktop? Well, both are open source, so you can try both. I personally like Gnome, others prefer KDE which is more "browser" based.

Fedora would be fine for you - as would Ubuntu.

Getting used to Linux can be a bit of a steep learning curve initially - but do perservere, there is lots of help here from the Linux devotees! That said, Firefox under Linux is pretty much the same as firefox under Windows - and - best of all - no registry hives to ever worry about!