slacker/ slax

[cyberjihad]

never ran linux/unix before. basically i rebuilt my machine and my windows 7 key is no longer working. F*** these guys im never giving them another dollar.


i really need a good recommendation for an operating system. i HEARD that slacker is the most sophisticated and polished.... im looking to avoid the "user freindly" shit if you get what i mean.... im looking to learn a bit here also

i need recommendations and suggestions... linux discussion GO




also i plan on gaming... if i must ill just dual boot windows but id like to try wine also.

 

[serpretetsky]

n really need a good recommendation for an operating system. i HEARD that slacker is the most sophisticated and polished.... im looking to avoid the "user freindly" shit if you get what i mean.... im looking to learn a bit here also

what do you mean by sophisticated and polished?

popular desktop distros
ubuntu
mint
debian
opensuse

popular server distros
centos
fedora
arch
freebsd
openbsd
netbsd
solaris

popular enterprise server distros with paid support
suse
redhat



popular live cd's/usb
puppy linux
slax
peppermint

others:
slackware
gentoo
dsl

Please forgive me if some of these classifications aren't quite accurate.

here's a wikipedia article to some linux/GNU distrobutions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_distribution

 

[B00nie]

never ran linux/unix before. basically i rebuilt my machine and my windows 7 key is no longer working. F*** these guys im never giving them another dollar.


i really need a good recommendation for an operating system. i HEARD that slacker is the most sophisticated and polished.... im looking to avoid the "user freindly" shit if you get what i mean.... im looking to learn a bit here also

i need recommendations and suggestions... linux discussion GO




also i plan on gaming... if i must ill just dual boot windows but id like to try wine also.

If you're new to linux I'd suggest trying out Xubuntu. It has the familiar XP style desktop (especially after a few tweaks) is light and has the popular support of Ubuntu behind it.

I would not venture to the insanity of what has become Ubuntu/Unity or even the KDE derivatives if you're used to the windows UI.

Linux gaming is at a turning point but it's still too early to even hope you're going to get any windows gaming done through wine. Also an nvidia graphics card that's 6+ months old is the best bet for a linux computer. ATI works too, but drivers are still glitchier and slower.

 

[cyberjihad]

by "sophisticated and polished"... i heard other ones that are more user freindly tend to be buggy... im willing to learn even if its a rocky start with a skill learning curve


i was in line at microcenter tonight started talkin with the guy in front of me he said he runs mint so im givin that a try since i hear it installs all your drivers for you

 

[Dogs]

im looking to avoid the "user freindly" shit if you get what i mean....

In that case, you're going to want to avoid these two:

ubuntu
mint

 

[B00nie]

by "sophisticated and polished"... i heard other ones that are more user freindly tend to be buggy... im willing to learn even if its a rocky start with a skill learning curve


i was in line at microcenter tonight started talkin with the guy in front of me he said he runs mint so im givin that a try since i hear it installs all your drivers for you

Actually if you're looking for hardcore and won't mind having to LEARN STUFF then arch linux is your choice. You can build it up from scratch and you're going to have to understand how linux works if you want it to work.

Arch will get the cutting edge code updates far before Ubuntu or Mint, too.

But I would warmly suggest to you to first install Xubuntu, learn the basics - then dig into arch. Ubuntu is the best choice because it has most users and probably one of the best if not best hardware support out of the box. Your learning process will become extremely hard if you install a non-friendly version and can't even get desktop working because of lack of knowledge.

Remember that the distros cost you nothing but your time. Have an adventure, install as many as you like.

 

[Dark Shade]

I cut my teeth on Redhat style derivatives such as CentOS and Fedora, you also get to learn the lovely security suite that is SELinux (I use the term lovely very loosely)

What you really want is somewhere between 'compile my own kernel' and 'Fisher-Price OS', something like Debian or Fedora, or base Ubuntu, after you're comfortable with those I'd move onto Arch, Slack or Gentoo

 

[jonathonball]

If you are having problems with Windows activation call the useless automated line and just start swearing into it. After about the 20th swear word, someone should pick up.

If gaming is a big point for you, I'd recommend Ubuntu. The are making great strides in that department and Steam for Linux is coming. Also, you can easily install a different display manager if Unity isn't your cup of tea.

Arch is probably my favorite, little tough to get started; but you end up with a machine that is exactly what you want it to be and nothing else. That said, I did recently switch back to Ubuntu because Arch is what I said it was, completely custom. Ubuntu (however bloated) makes me appreciate little things like "Fn+Volume Up" being handled automatically. That and I really enjoy the ease of installing the huge swell of Humble Bundle games I've been buying recently which install automatically through the Ubuntu software center. (Saves me having to convert *.deb or *.rpm packages into something I can install into Arch)

 

[cyberjihad]

Actually if you're looking for hardcore and won't mind having to LEARN STUFF then arch linux is your choice. You can build it up from scratch and you're going to have to understand how linux works if you want it to work.

Arch will get the cutting edge code updates far before Ubuntu or Mint, too.

But I would warmly suggest to you to first install Xubuntu, learn the basics - then dig into arch. Ubuntu is the best choice because it has most users and probably one of the best if not best hardware support out of the box. Your learning process will become extremely hard if you install a non-friendly version and can't even get desktop working because of lack of knowledge.

Remember that the distros cost you nothing but your time. Have an adventure, install as many as you like.

i believe this is the response i was waiting to hear... ill try xubuntu first... then arch




thank you for the replies everyone i appreciate the knowledge

 

[cyberjihad]

so can anyone point me to a crash course guide possibly. i see a lot out there was wondering if anyone had a recommendation.

 

[CEpeep]

so can anyone point me to a crash course guide possibly. i see a lot out there was wondering if anyone had a recommendation.

The Arch Linux Beginners' Guide is one of the best primers on Linux setup anywhere. It's targeted toward Arch, but applicable to other distros (and even other UNIX/UNIX-like OSes as well).

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginners'_Guide

Beyond that, this book was a useful reference for me over 10 years ago when I was first learning. It walks you through a lot of stuff that isn't relevant for a desktop user today, but should be essential reading for anyone who has aspirations of being a system administrator:

http://www.amazon.com/UNIX-Made-Easy-John-Muster/dp/007219314X/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

 

[Ion Silverbolt]

Manjaro Linux is a simpler way to try Arch. It's Arch based, but gives you default desktops to choose from instead of installing from the beginning. (Which can be very daunting for newbies) Just pick the ISO for your desired desktop, or try them all out to see which one you like better.

I prefer Xfce for its light weight, but there is also Gnome, Kde, and Lxde as well. You also have the choice of 32-bit(i686), or 64-bit.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/manjarolinux/files/release/0.8.2/

 

[Dogs]

Manjaro Linux is a simpler way to try Arch.

...But since Arch isn't actually all that difficult to use if you have any real background in computing, and since his end goal is not to end up being incompetent, there's literally no purpose for such a thing.

 

[cyberjihad]

...But since Arch isn't actually all that difficult to use if you have any real background in computing, and since his end goal is not to end up being incompetent, there's literally no purpose for such a thing.

well i gotta have somewhere to land before i can start poking around i guess.


downloading manjaro right now 0.9.2. x86 64 bit iso


guessin i hit the right one...

 

[B00nie]

well i gotta have somewhere to land before i can start poking around i guess.


downloading manjaro right now 0.9.2. x86 64 bit iso


guessin i hit the right one...

IMHO choosing any arch based distro for your starter distro is like trying to pass drivers exam using a F1 racer. You're doing yourself no favors there and the learning curve is steap. I'm pretty sure you'll stumble very soon to a configuration problem with the manjaro and leave with a bunch of hair in your hand to download some debian based distro instead

 

[Ion Silverbolt]

...But since Arch isn't actually all that difficult to use if you have any real background in computing, and since his end goal is not to end up being incompetent, there's literally no purpose for such a thing.

All installing Arch teaches you is well..How to install Arch. In fact, Arch has the worst installation method of any linux distro except for maybe linux from scratch. Pacman is great though once you get it installed.

 

[CEpeep]

All installing Arch teaches you is well..How to install Arch. In fact, Arch has the worst installation method of any linux distro except for maybe linux from scratch. Pacman is great though once you get it installed.

No, Arch has one of the best installation methods because it doesn't configure anything you don't want to run at start. One of the reasons Ubuntu, Mint, etc. have become so bloated lately is because of the obscene amount of daemons that run at start. Arch is one of only a handful of distros that makes the user alone responsible for what runs at startup. Because its installation procedure is designed to give the user control over what runs at startup before swinging up the system completely for the first time, it has one of the best possible install methods. No automated installer will ever be as effective or as efficient as doing it yourself.

 

[cyberjihad]

feeling clueless all over again.

where do i BEGIN.

 

[jonathonball]

What you really want is somewhere between 'compile my own kernel' and 'Fisher-Price OS', something like Debian or Fedora, or base Ubuntu, after you're comfortable with those I'd move onto Arch, Slack or Gentoo

^^this

 

[nOrVow]

never ran linux/unix before.

Use something easy to start with; Mint, Ubuntu, Debian. Go online and learn basic shell commands, file manipulation, learn your package manager (how to install/remove/search applications, etc), study the filesystem hierarchy (knowing what "/etc" contains is important) and what each directory represents, pick a DE and get used to it. Start with the basics. For Windows refugees, I recommend Linux Mint (Cinnamon) for UI familiarity and good out-of-the-box experience.

You will waste time fiddling around and only frustrate yourself instead of actually USING Linux jumping into manual distributions. Once you feel more comfortable, move up. Keep it simple.

Using a "sophisticated" distribution doesn't one more able than an individual who uses a prepackaged distribution.

 

[cyberjihad]

Use something easy to start with; Mint, Ubuntu, Debian. Go online and learn basic shell commands, file manipulation, learn your package manager (how to install/remove/search applications, etc), study the filesystem hierarchy (knowing what "/etc" contains is important) and what each directory represents, pick a DE and get used to it. Start with the basics. For Windows refugees, I recommend Linux Mint (Cinnamon) for UI familiarity and good out-of-the-box experience.

You will waste time fiddling around and only frustrate yourself instead of actually USING Linux jumping into manual distributions. Once you feel more comfortable, move up. Keep it simple.

Using a "sophisticated" distribution doesn't one more able than an individual who uses a prepackaged distribution.

perfect...mint then manjaro linux. ill get a cheap hard drive and do a bunch of partitions (thats safe, right? having 3 or 4 linux installations on one drive?.. no problems?)

 

[nOrVow]

perfect...mint then manjaro linux. ill get a cheap hard drive and do a bunch of partitions (thats safe, right? having 3 or 4 linux installations on one drive?.. no problems?)

I would just install Mint and setup some virtual machines. That way you can try each flavor you wish simultaneously, or one at a time. Get virtual box and fire them up!