How to choose Ubuntu version

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needsnumbers

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Jan 10, 2007
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I have an old 1GHz celeron 256mb system that is turning into a bit torrent, ftp, http, and possibly samba file share to network with some Windows machines.
Do I get the Desktop or Server edition? The website is so dumbed down that I can't find any real differences other than LAMP. Is this the only major difference? I'm new to Linux but not new to computers (Dos 6.22 was an upgrade for me).
The majority of this servers work is going to be bit torrent hosting. I'd like to contribute back to the Linux community by leaving it up and running to redistribute the latest iso's. Problem is my C2D machine consumes 250watts idle, hence the move to a dedicated server. This little celeron consumes 37watts idle and around 45 under disk activity :) .
So should I go with ubuntu's server edition or the desktop version?
 
I don't think you'd need the server edition for what you are doing. Likely you would have to install the BT software for server just as you would for the desktop version. The server edition probably comes preinstalled with mostly server software such as MySQL/Postgre, Apache HTTP, firewall, etc. Also, the desktop apps such as OpenOffice and the like won't be on there by default, I would think. If in doubt, check out the documentation wiki on the Ubuntu site.

I know this much: you can install whatever packages you need the same from the desktop edition as you can from the server. They're separated to save time out of the box: desktop for end-users and server for dedicated servers.

Personally, I'd just install desktop and work from there. You may want to try Xubuntu, as it has a window manager with a lighter memory footprint. The difference being that Xubuntu uses the XFCE WM and Ubuntu uses the Gnome WM. Again, you can install metapackages through Synaptic Package Manager to install any of the distributions from any install. Just look for "xubuntu-desktop" and it will include all the default packages.
 
Try Ubuntu or Kubuntu, if you don't like how that runs try Xubuntu.
 
Pretty sure the "Server" version of Ubuntu is, by default, GUI-less, meaning it would be more appropriate for your needs as a dedicated server. If BT server software is not already installed, it could be easily installed with apt-get.
 
that system is beefy enough to run regular ubuntu just fine

however, if you realy do want to use it as a server, GUI-less Ubuntu server (or better yet, Debian) is definately the way to go!
 
brucedeluxe169 said:
that system is beefy enough to run regular ubuntu just fine

however, if you realy do want to use it as a server, GUI-less Ubuntu server (or better yet, Debian) is definately the way to go!
Click to expand...

Wouldn't a 1st time Linux installer like myself be better off with a GUI version? I really don't want to spend much time learning Linux. I'd rather it just work, unlike Windows. My diagnostics skills with windows are very high but I've been relying less and less on the command prompt.
With Debian, and no GUI, won't I have a harder time setting up the server settings? Don't a lot of the popular ftp and torrenting server apps require a GUI? Last question, with how big the Linux community has become, why is it that I have gone back to Windows only because I can't find any answeres to my questions regarding Linux :( . I swear that the websites for Linux are the worst around. Very few screen shots, not many tutorials, lots of catering to the obscure and not enough to the main stream. It would seem, if the community wants to be competition, they would be creating websites not so lopsided. I can only find those that are extreamly dumbed down that I become A.D.D. and run away or they are so technical that you need to know the inner workings of Linux to even install the darn app. There should be a side by side comparison of the differences between Linux distributions and Windows. Ok, enough of my ranting. Hopefully I don't fall back to XP if this install frustrates me. Oh, and one last tid bit for those Linux guys reading... if you don't like Microsoft so much, guess what, copy their success. What that means is don't turn away potential converts because they think like Microsoft, instead exploit it to recruit guys like myself who want to help, but just keep getting frustrated by both sides trying to be SO different.
 
Use the desktop version but make sure it's the alternate installer because the live CD won't run.

Also use KDE it's really not slower than GNOME. Have you tried Fluxbuntu? Designed for slower systems.
 
needsnumbers said:
Wouldn't a 1st time Linux installer like myself be better off with a GUI version? I really don't want to spend much time learning Linux. I'd rather it just work, unlike Windows. My diagnostics skills with windows are very high but I've been relying less and less on the command prompt.
With Debian, and no GUI, won't I have a harder time setting up the server settings? Don't a lot of the popular ftp and torrenting server apps require a GUI? Last question, with how big the Linux community has become, why is it that I have gone back to Windows only because I can't find any answeres to my questions regarding Linux :( . I swear that the websites for Linux are the worst around. Very few screen shots, not many tutorials, lots of catering to the obscure and not enough to the main stream. It would seem, if the community wants to be competition, they would be creating websites not so lopsided. I can only find those that are extreamly dumbed down that I become A.D.D. and run away or they are so technical that you need to know the inner workings of Linux to even install the darn app. There should be a side by side comparison of the differences between Linux distributions and Windows. Ok, enough of my ranting. Hopefully I don't fall back to XP if this install frustrates me. Oh, and one last tid bit for those Linux guys reading... if you don't like Microsoft so much, guess what, copy their success. What that means is don't turn away potential converts because they think like Microsoft, instead exploit it to recruit guys like myself who want to help, but just keep getting frustrated by both sides trying to be SO different.
Click to expand...

I understand your reluctance to use the command line - it's a little difficult to use once you get the hang of it. There are graphical front ends for many of the server packages out there, but you'll still need to know how the actual server works. If you know how the server works, you might as well just ditch the GUI and use the config file because it will make just as much sense.

As for your perceived difficulty in finding documentation - the "man [package]" command in *Nix will usually deliver you a well-formatted page on what the story is with the package you'd like to learn more about. In addition to that, there are a huge number of online how-tos and documentation that contain instructions for the basic tasks that you might be interested in. Take, for example, gentoo-wiki.com's HOWTO section. It's packed to the gills with walkthroughs for a huge number of tasks and setup procedures - very helpful. Just gotta keep Googling - you'll usually find something or someone who's done it before you.

Linux isn't trying to be like Windows because the point is to be better than Windows, not to ease the transition. There are user practices and software that could help you make the switch-To try and get used to Linux, you could first start replacing your day-to-day Windows apps with ones that are open source or have a Linux version available. That way, everything will be more recognizable once you make the switch. That doesn't help with getting to know the command line stuff, but you don't have to jump in feet first if you don't want to.

The command line contains a lot of power, and you should make the effort to learn it. You won't want to go back to the crappy Windows version once you do. You don't necessarily HAVE to do as much as possible without the help of a GUI, but it helps to have the patience to really get to know your way around a system without that graphical crutch.
 
If you're insistant upon having a GUI, I'm pretty sure Xfce is the lightest desktop environment out of the 3 (X,K,(Gnome)Ubuntu). Although it would be a great opportunity to see how a server works by using command line (if you're interested in it) and also how servers really work. Good luck with the project
 
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