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Thread: New to Linux

  1. #1
    Civilian Nick F's Avatar
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    New to Linux

    I have just built myself a new machine and want to install linux.

    Can anyone point towards any good releases?

  2. #2
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    Mandrake 10 is probably the easiest distro if you're used to windows and have no prior linux experience. If you want to really learn how linux works though, gentoo can't be beaten, and is probably the easiest distro to maintain once you've actually got through the install, although Debian's pretty good in this respect too.

    Or try the Knoppix live-cd, just to get a feel for linux without having to commit any hd space to an install.
    All effort is useless

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    Commander Keen
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    Standard response is always mandrake if you want to simply use it as a learning step. Thats not to say that it is missing any features !

    Mandrake has a bunch of commands that are made as simple as possible. The installer is by far the easiest linux installer I have used !

    The real message being that all flavours are free.. So just download a bunch and give them a whirl. You can only reformat, and start again.

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    Comfortably Numb directhex's Avatar
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    I use SuSE Linux most frequently and I can say it gives me the least hassle (but it is the Kernel I work with the most, I started with 7.0 and now have 9.1). With YaST 2 it is very easy to setup.
    To err is human. To really foul things up ... you need a computer.

  6. #6
    zim
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    I would suggest someting easy to start out with, most likely mandrake or fedora. But once you get good, don't be afraid to try other, more challenging distributions. I prefer gentoo over anything simply because it's extremely easy to maintain and update software.

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    Commander Keen
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    i second the gentoo as a second distro. emerge is the most "sexy" command I have ever used !

    welcome to da boards zim. post a hello in the n00b section so we can give a proper hello !

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    Chaos Monkey Apex's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by directhex

    are you blind you lot....follow hexehs link !



  9. #9
    dgr
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    Quote Originally Posted by Famished
    I have just built myself a new machine and want to install linux.

    Can anyone point towards any good releases?
    "good" will depend very much on your needs. THats partly why their is so much oppinion over which distro is "best."

    In my oppinion, your best distro will depend on who you are. Gentoo (a distro I hate with a passion), Debian (a distro I love with a passion); these two abstract away less than e.g. Mandrake, SUSE, Fedora. It leads to a setup which is harder to get right (and may lead to a little frustration) but is perfectly tailored, faster and less bloated.

    Bear in mind some nifty tools, like pacakge management (e.g. Debian's apt, Gentoo's emerge) aren't really available in some of the "easier / more mainstream" distros. They really do make life easier. Say you want to install some new software, in Debian at least its just a case of:

    Code:
    apt-get install foo
    Unlike the hell of finding, downloading and installing rpms, or similar.

    have fun.
    dothan 745 @ 2.4ghz | 2gb Corsair XMS (2-3-3-6) | dual raptors (raid0) | ATI 9700pro | CM201 | dual lg 1810

  10. #10
    MurphmanL
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    I wouldn't mind trying Mandrake Linux, but I'm not sure if I want to or not.. how does mandrake shape up against windows? Can i run windows games on linux or do i need some sort of emulator?

  11. #11
    Comfortably Numb directhex's Avatar
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    you cannot run windows-only games on linux, without use of an emulation layer (i.e., Transgaming.com's Cedega). You cannot run _ALL_ games with an emulation layer, but you can run some. http://www.transgaming.com/searchgame.php may help, on that front.

    some games (only a few, granted) have linux-native clients. all three unreal tournaments and all id software games, america's army online & both modern wolfensteins, a few more. personally one of my main motivations for moving to linux was increased ut2004 performance.

    oh, and if you have an ati graphics card, well... bad luck. their performace is utterly awful. i tried benchmarking a ti4200 against a 9800xt, ut2004 max detail benchmark, the ti4200 was 25% faster.

  12. #12
    Theoretical Element Spud1's Avatar
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    yeah ATI have shocking linux drivers atm (

    theres a relativly unheard of distro i have just stumbled accross tho - called Xenadros DesktopOS 2.0 [http://www.xandros.com/]

    looks pretty good tbh, mite have to d/l and see

    I personally run slackware linux 3.0 on one of my old PCs, pfft who needs X [oh ok i would use it if that pc could run X] and this one is currently dual booting with mandrake 10 - highly customised tho cos i rekon its far too bloated and..windows like at first install ;/ good distro tho =)

  13. #13
    Comfortably Numb directhex's Avatar
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    xandros is a fairly expensive debian-based desktop distribution with a custom X-based package obtaining/downloading/installing system called Xandros Networks. it's VERY well configured for laptops, on first install. the basic $40 version has castrated cd burning, for example.

  14. #14
    MurphmanL
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    Im thinking of giving linux a spin, but i do have a 9700 pro so my graphics performance wont be up to much
    I have a 2nd Hard disk so ill stick it on there... whats the best version for somebody like me who is completely clueless to go for?
    I need one thats fairly user friendly, if anyone knows of a user friendly free distro, and would be happy to spare me a few hours of connection time, would anyone be willing to send an image over msn?

  15. #15
    Comfortably Numb directhex's Avatar
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    why send an image over msn? you can download one O_o

    linuxiso.org has isos.

  16. #16
    MurphmanL
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    Ok is Mandrake 8.2 any good?

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