Topic: How to Guides: Linux Programs, Installing Linux and which distro

[sam]

This sticky provides quick "how-to" info for a variety of Linux tasks (programs), installing linux operating systems and more importantly which distribution to select.

The section is a bit messy and needs to have a well overdue spring clean!

SUSE

SUSE is possibly the most similar 'proper' Linux distribtuion there is to windows. It even has a start menu that looks like windows. Most
have these menus now but SUSE is very similar to windows. I personally would have installed it if I was not so happy with Mandrake.

Suse can be found at: http://www.novell.com/linux/suse/index.html

Best of all - it is free!!! (some of the more advanced version now require payment) If you can't get it off the website then pick up any good linux mag and you are bound to find a fully working copy on it. I have used version 9.2 and it is absolutely wonderful.

SUSE is a simple system - definetly one for the new users. If you want to give Linux a full go (with install) then this is the one to go for. It is robust and windows like.  You won't find a paper clip or the ability to play high graphics games but what you get back in security and speed is excellent.

[sam]

Emacs: How to Guide

If any of you use Emacs via the commandline or have had it come up and not sure how to use it due to normally using the graphical version then the following link might come in handy:

http://www.faqs.org/docs/Linux-HOWTO/Emacs-Beginner-HOWTO.html#s2

[sam]

Kubuntu

the KDE version of Ubuntu. Personally I prefer the Gnome desktop interface but the KDE one is more similar to windows. This can be found at: http://www.kubuntu.org/

[sam]

The Linux Installation HOWTO

This is very out of date but I'm sure I have used it at points when I have done things... it is a good resource for what are now seen as the more back to basics installing of linux and nice overview for anyone who is interested... oh here is the LINK

Even more info here: LINK (this does not just relate to installing linux)

Fedora Core 4

Now [here] is a rather cool / useful site if you wish to install fedora and wish to do things on a slightly advanced level to just letting it install the defaults. IT describes the package yum really well.

Ubuntu

"Installing Ubuntu Linux!" guide: LINK

[Clive]

Ingrid Marson
ZDNet UK
January 05, 2006, 16:00 GMT
 
An online quiz that helps users choose between desktop Linux distros is popular with companies and individuals, say the designers

A quiz that helps people decide what version of Linux to install on their desktop is attracting thousands of hits daily even though it's still in beta, according to Zegenie Studios, the Norwegian open source consultancy responsible for the quiz.

Daniel Eikeland, a project leader at Zegenie Studios, told ZDNet UK on Thursday that the Linux Distribution Chooser quiz has been getting around 40,000 hits every day for the last week. The people that are reading the quiz appear to be both home users and company employees seeking advice on what desktop Linux distribution best meets their needs.

"We get a lot of feedback from individual users, but have also had feedback from people saying, 'We're part of a company that is looking into desktop Linux, thanks for pointing us in the right direction'," said Eikeland.

The quiz asks users a number of questions, such as whether they plan to use any wireless devices, how they rate their technical skills and whether they are installing the operating system on a desktop or portable computer. Once the quiz is completed it recommends one particular Linux distribution and lists a number of alternative distributions together with the criteria they failed on.

A final version of the quiz will incorporate the feedback it has had from users and will probably be available in the next month, according to Eikeland. The update will include a couple of new distributions such as OpenSuSE and Ark Linux, but Eikeland said it is being careful to not add too many distributions as this would confuse users.

The quiz is aimed at people that are new to Linux, but Zegenie Studios is currently working on a version of the quiz for more advanced users to help people choose what Linux distribution to use for other purposes such as for a server, handheld device or firewall. While the beginners quiz was quite easy to work on, as people tend to ask a limited set of questions when choosing a desktop Linux distribution, the company is finding it more difficult to write the advanced quiz, according to Eikeland.

"I've spent a lot of time in different Linux support forums and found that people often ask the same questions to find out what version of desktop Linux to use," said Eikeland. "But there are hundreds of advanced Linux distributions so it's really hard to get an overview of all the options that there are."

Eikeland expects that a beta version of the advanced quiz will be available next month.

The Linux Distribution Chooser quiz is available on the company's  
WEB SITE

[davy51]

its a great test
it recomended the two distributions ive been using

mandriva and suse

[sam]

umm i bet it doesnt recommend debian / ubuntu / fedora to too many people ... and it hasnt too me, cause im being lazy but thats what i use

[chorleydave]

Mandriva and MEPIS for me.

I have played with Mandrake in the past, but at the moment I'm messing about with Linspire on a spare machine.

[sam]

Gnome Live CD - Gnoppix

After an OS that you can carry around with you? Probably not, but if you are one of those p**sed off people who use MS s**te and would love to give linux a go without having to get a second computer or chancing the possibly doomed dual boot then you could do well to give Gnoppix ago. I have used many different boot up distro's of linux and I have always like ubuntu... Gnoppix is based on Ubuntu.  Ubuntu is a complete Linux desktop and server operating system, freely available with both community and professional support.

Anyway if you wanna give it a go you can get it FREE at http://www.gnoppix.org/

And look, it even has that windows feel to it (i.e. no terminal, which is a shame in my opinion... but you can get it up nice and easily): http://www.gnoppix.org/images/screenshots/gnome212b1/firefox_106.png

[sam]

Interesting article on what distribution to use... LINK

Of course, we can hapily offer you advice as you go along...

For anyone new though, I'd suggest you go with the whole boot from cd till you are happy with using linux... unless of course you have been around as long as clive and are quite comfortable with non graphical displays... not that linux is completely that but thats the power. If you can do small tasks without a mouse then you are probably ready for linux! :-) Though saying that you can easily use linux, these days, without ever doing that.

Also there is this nice little webpage that will take from some simple answers the distro which is for you... LINK

You can also take a look at the HUGE LWN Distributions List: LINK

DistributionWatch: Your Guide to Linux Distributions: LINK

Very interesting article about the best Linux distribution: LINK there is a rather interesting conversation if you follow the first link in the text, this the lengthy version of this, the shorter version.

Good description and general article on PCLinuxOS, seems good, I might give it a try. Take a look at this LINK (note: great installation instructions on their website: LINK)

[sam]

Freespire

Freespire is a community-driven, Linux-based operating system that combines the best that free, open source software has to offer (community driven, freely distributed, open source code, etc.), but also provides users the choice of including proprietary codecs, drivers and applications as they see fit. With Freespire, the choice is yours as to what software is installed on your computer, with no limitations or restrictions placed on that choice. How you choose to maximize the performance of your computer is entirely up to you.

See here: LINK

[sam]

Kororaa and a live version

What's different?

For Kororaa we wrote an install script to go along with our install method which takes care of most of the manual configuring required under the Gentoo method; The Kororaa build is derived from Bob P's Stage 1/3 install method; Further interesting reads:

Kororaa Homepage - LINK
Kororaa live CD has Linux quivering - LINK
The Live CD - LINK
Test drive: Kororaa - LINK

I'm yet to use this but it looks spectacular and I can't wait to give it a go at the weekend.

Edit:
I finally got around to playing with it, wow!

Do you want a linux distribution that looks good and by looks good I mean great! It has that Mac OS X feel to it. Xgl looks so nice! I suggest you go get the LiveCD then within 5 minutes you will be enjoying a treat of the this new technology! kororaa is great. I think I may have to install it on my laptop.  It's free and doesn't take any knowledge or much effort!

[sam]

On the LDP are probably the best guides on how to do most things with Linux. Take a look at:

http://www.tldp.org/guides.html

For newcomers to Linux I would highly recomend reading Introduction to Linux - http://www.tldp.org/LDP/intro-linux/html/index.html

[mistybear]

I finally got around to playing with it, wow!

                
There are too many to choose from.

It's free and doesn't take any knowledge or much effort!

Does that mean even I could do it. :?

[sam]

yes indeed... if you know how to burn an iso cd, i.e. nero and then can stick a cd in a drive... type kororaa when it asks you which option to boot and yep with a few minutes patience (but I guess you have that with windows booting anyway!) you are away!