Linux OS

[abnk]

Fellow INGO dudes and dudettes:


What can you tell me about your experience with Linux OSs? There is a plethora of technincal information on the Web so that's not exactly what I am looking for (though I will not turn it down). I want to know what your experience as a user has been, particularly compared to the Windows OSs (XP, Vista, and 7).

1. Why did you make the jump to Linux?
2. Which distro did you choose and why?
3. Did it satisfy the reason for change?
4. What did you learn?
5. What did you not like?
6. How would you compare Linux's management of settings to Windows' Control Pannel if there is even such a thing and if it is a fair comparison?
7. Which distro would you recommend for a home user who needs no more than Internet browsing and some processing programs comparable to Microsoft Office and is mainly concerned with fast efficient running of programs?
8. Anything else you would like to add?

As always, your advice and input is greatly appreciated.

 

[Magneto]

Ubuntu. End of story.

 

[revsaxon]

As a linux admin for a living I think my views might be bias but here goes:

1. Why did you make the jump to Linux?

I was admining it every day at work, and running the same OS at home made sense to me.

2. Which distro did you choose and why?

Started with Gentoo because im a sadist, then went to Arch-Linux for the same reason, then a year of Redhat because it was what we were using, then the SuSE Enterprise for the same reason

3. Did it satisfy the reason for change?

Yes

4. What did you learn?

Linux is not ready to be called a true desktop OS just yet. It can't be beaten on the server side, but its just not ready for desktop users. And Ubuntu is complete and utter $&#^ with respect to VLans, network bonding, and putting files in common places.

5. What did you not like?

That the community and packages were severely fractured. Install package X and it puts all the files in /usr/local, install package Y and it puts them all in /opt. Half the community will help you, the other half will call you a n00b and rag on your compiler settings. The complete lack of documentation for many things, and useless documentation for others (example, adding new rules to the Novell firewall. Just using iptables messes everything up)

6. How would you compare Linux's management of settings to Windows' Control Pannel if there is even such a thing and if it is a fair comparison?

YaST under novell distros blows Control Pannel out of the water. You can manage pretty much every aspect of your computer/experience from one central window.

7. Which distro would you recommend for a home user who needs no more than Internet browsing and some processing programs comparable to Microsoft Office and is mainly concerned with fast efficient running of programs?

As much as it pains me to say, Ubuntu. They have put a hell of a lot of work into making it as friendly as possible. If you want something other than kiddie-linux, OpenSuSE is quite nice. Lacks a lot of the autoinstalling features of the Enterprise copy (autoYast coupled with a good PXE configuration means it took me 3 hours to install 200 machines), but otherwise is a solid OS.

8. Anything else you would like to add?

About a year ago I phased back to an iMac for home use because I was sick of fighting with my os at home. I got enough of that at work. Be prepared for things to go wrong (especially relating to cheap wireless cards). EXT4 over Reiser4, and dual-boot till you are comfortable with linux. If you choose to go down the linux road feel free to drop me a PM for help.

 

[Kingrat]

1. Why did you make the jump to Linux?
2. Which distro did you choose and why?
3. Did it satisfy the reason for change?
4. What did you learn?
5. What did you not like?
6. How would you compare Linux's management of settings to Windows' Control Pannel if there is even such a thing and if it is a fair comparison?
7. Which distro would you recommend for a home user who needs no more than Internet browsing and some processing programs comparable to Microsoft Office and is mainly concerned with fast efficient running of programs?
8. Anything else you would like to add?

1.) i have been using various linux distros since 1998ish for server applications so once the desktop end matured enough to be useful day to day i pretty much switched

2.) im currently running gentoo, it has its ups and its downs (alot of downs for some people) but i can manage it and it is the easiest for me to work with, most other distros either have more out of date software or are configured/set up in a non-standard way or arent set up the way i prefer, one of the least buggy distros with a good package system ive ran other than debian

3.) for me, yes

4.) its not what did i learn, its what am i still learning, yeah, theres alot more to know than any one person can really handle

5.) for me, broken packages during updates, usually caused by not updating in a long time breaking dependencies, but a quick google or checking the forums for the distro will usually yield a fix, gentoo compiles almost all of your packages from source, so your machine has to be pretty powerful or you will spend an eternity updating

6.) it depends on what window manager you are using, gnome, kde, other..some of them are getting fairly good for the X/window manager settings, but the majority of system settings are still going to be managed by editing text based config files in /etc or changing kernel settings in /proc via scripts, basic *nix stuff

7.) ubuntu if you are completely new to linux, personally, i really dislike it because they made it so simple it is difficult to use...from a power user standpoint, it does seem a bit buggy to me too but ymmv

8.) i would suggest you keep your windows install and dual boot, you will probably need it especially if (more like when) something breaks and leaves it unbootable you can usually find an answer and fix it if you can find directions how, this happens sooner or later to everyone usually when they start getting into the more advanced stuff like compiling your own kernel or messing with your startup scripts, at that point though you can usually figure out how to get in and fix it without directions because you have done it before

 

[PistolBob]

I have Windows 7 Professional on a couple of boxes and a couple different varieties of Ubuntu on a couple of boxes. I like them both but the Win 7 boxes are far more trouble free.

 

[Kingrat]

I have Windows 7 Professional on a couple of boxes and a couple different varieties of Ubuntu on a couple of boxes. I like them both but the Win 7 boxes are far more trouble free.

i would agree with this in general, as long as you can keep from getting viruses

 

[Bummer]

Fellow INGO dudes and dudettes:


What can you tell me about your experience with Linux OSs? There is a plethora of technincal information on the Web so that's not exactly what I am looking for (though I will not turn it down). I want to know what your experience as a user has been, particularly compared to the Windows OSs (XP, Vista, and 7).

1. Why did you make the jump to Linux?

No jump. Pre 2000 I blew up my decked out Amiga 4000 and bought an HP Laptop. I first-booted it to Red Hat Linux. I have never used Microsoft products on my own hardware. Never will. When I buy a laptop I simply throw away the decorative Microsoft branded coasters that come with it and load a decent OS. They have holes in them anyway.

2. Which distro did you choose and why?

I started with Red Hat then changed to Fedora when they spun it off. I prefer the way system administration is done on Red Hat/Fedora over Debian based systems. It's personal taste.

3. Did it satisfy the reason for change?

Yeah. I don't have to bow before King Bill of Microsoft and use his pathetically buggy and virus infected garbage. Can't beat that.

4. What did you learn?

A few more computer languages and a lot of other stuff. Oh, and I learned that Windows inhales sharply through pursed lips just as much as I've always thought. (They make me use Windows at work, which I consider punishment for working for them.)

5. What did you not like?

Nothing.

6. How would you compare Linux's management of settings to Windows' Control Pannel if there is even such a thing and if it is a fair comparison?

I find I don't need to change much from the default settings when I install. Generally speaking the tools are the same but different - the same things generally get done though things often look a little different. I rarely ever have to manipulate text files. I use Gnome, which has GUIs (Graphical User Interfaces) to do that for me. (Though I've been at this long enough to be able to deal with the text configs when needed.)

7. Which distro would you recommend for a home user who needs no more than Internet browsing and some processing programs comparable to Microsoft Office and is mainly concerned with fast efficient running of programs?

My favorite is Fedora. It'll do all you are asking for. Ubuntu is suggested for people who convert from Windows. If you go with Fedora and ask a question I'll be able to answer it fairly easily (and will). Go with Ubuntu and I'll have to work at it.

8. Anything else you would like to add?

I prefer the Opera browser. It's better than Firefox, which is worlds better than Internet Exploder.

Fedora has a more complicated installation than Ubuntu, but it gives you a lot more. Most of the default settings will work just fine.

I install both KDE and Gnome with all their developer files when I do an install. I use Gnome but I get access to all of the KDE tools. If you install both you can try both. (They're just the user interfaces over the same kernal so the core stuff works the same, they just feel different.) If you have little kids and try Fedora you can install Sugar, which is the OS from the One Laptop Per Child project. I don't like it but my youngest grandson (5) does just fine with it.

I would suggest you not use gentoo. You'll need to know too much about Linux to deal with it. Suse used to be ok but is a commercial product. (Open Suse is free but I haven't really tried it enough to comment fairly.) Ubuntu works well but only offers one Graphical User Interface. I prefer Fedora.

Unless you have software you just can't live without, drop Windows like a hot potato. When Windows goes belly up and you try to reinstall it the installation requires the entire hard drive and overwrites any other installations. (Windows does not play well with the other children.) You can use two different drives to get around this, but you need to be a bit of a hardware nerd to pull it off. No problem for me, or others who work with this stuff all the time, but if you're asking these questions you probably don't want to be doing this.

I totally disagree with the "not ready" stuff. That generally comes from folks who go out of the way to do it the hard way (gentoo, for example). Not dissing, just saying. If what you want is basic computer function: browsing and word processing, Fedora or Ubuntu will do the job quite nicely. Plus you get an obscene amount of free software to play with. Most of it is written by pros in their spare time.

No viruses. No malware. That means no virus checkers or any of that foolishness. You also will never have to defrag, since the file system tends not to frag in the first place. The current distros all use a journaling file system so if the power goes out, even during a write, the drive doesn't get a bad block and when you turn it back on it'll be just fine. Once in a while it'll do a journal scan on startup to verify condition but that's seldome much of a problem.

Security is more stringent, but it works. You have to run "root" (administrator) to install stuff, and nobody runs root all the time. That means the kids can't install something that blows up the machine.

Updating uses a mostly automatic system. You can also add software using online tools. You choose from a list and the software finds it, compares it against what you have, determines if there are other libraries or programs needed, asks for verification, then downloads and installs it.

With Fedora I usually Google for "Personal Fedora XX installation" (XX being the version number). There are people who write up the commands to add a few things like Flash that make life a little easier. It's a simple cut and past operation. Takes maybe a half hour.

It isn't all sweetness and light, but in today's computer world I wouldn't have anything else.

 

[mkelsey]

I use Windows 7 on my desktop, Ubuntu on my laptop and just started playing with Gingerbread (android) on my nookcolor. Honestly at this point unles you really just wanna learn to use the terminal (wich you should) ubuntu is every bit as much point and click as windows. But beyond just a desire to learn I personally dont have the love or hatred a lot of people seem to have for the OS of their choice, I think they all have thing that are great and things that suck.

IMHO if you are a lifelong windows user getting ready to try linux for the first time Ubuntu is your best bet, it is the most user friendly, and you can pretty much just type your question about it into google and be pretty well gauranteed to come back with answers to it without having to dig for them.



Edit*
You could also try any of them out on a virtual machine so you could play around with a fully functional OS without commiting to a real install. I use http://www.virtualbox.org/, and then install your choice of linux OS( http://www.ubuntu.com/ ) to play with to see if you like it enough to warrant a real install.

 

[Bummer]

You can also download a "Live" disk of about any mainstream distro. It'll be slower because it's running off of a DVD rather than a hard drive, but it'll at least give you an idea of what's there and how it'll work.

 

[badwolf.usmc]

1. Job reasons
2. Solaris 8,9,10, Redhat 3, 5, 6, Ubuntu
3. Yes
4. That command line is easier and more reliable than graphical, in most cases
5. When i'm required to use a graphical interface, it sucks balls compared to the latest windows or mac OS
6. While linux/unix is "harder" to set up, once you learn the system it is easier and more consistent to manage
7. Fendora or Ununtu
8. If you are just using the machine to surf the web and make office documents then linux would work fine and would be a better option for someone who isn't computer savy.

 

[cburnworth]

My . It really depends on what you are trying to do with the computer. Also how technical are you. Yes windows has holes, yes windows get's virus infections, yes you get adware/spyware/malware. There are things you can do to prevent(minimize) this. I would only recommend someone using a linux distro on there home computer if they are technically minded & can suport themselves. Also will you be using on line banking or any other on-line applications, some of those do not play friendly with other operating systems & browsers.

 

[abnk]

I appreciate everyone's input. Dual boot is what I considered on doing before jumping in the deep end. It sounds Linux does require quite a bit of work. Also, it sounds like I will have to try it myself and decide whether the work required is worth the gained efficiency.

I will try Ubuntu from a CD.

Thanks again.

 

[defender14]

UOTE

1. Why did you make the jump to Linux?

A wise man once said "There is a time and a place for everything, it's called college", well maybe it was just an elementary school cafeteria worked in Colorado... but my point is I started going to Purdue in 2000 studying Computer Science and there was a lot of talk about this completely unknown thing to me called Linux. From there I have had an "on again off again" relationship with Linux, I currently have a professional relationship with Linux but not much of a personal one.

2. Which distro did you choose and why?

Well back then I chose Mandrake Linux (currently Mandriva I believe) because I was able to buy the boxed version from Staples and get free phone support for installation that I never used. I then went through a long list of other flavors of Linux, most notably Suse, Red Hat, Gentoo, Debian, Slackware, and Ubuntu. I have pretty much stuck with Ubuntu for the past 5 years because that is what my company has decided to standardize on for the systems we ship and for the code we write...

3. Did it satisfy the reason for change?

It was definitely fun for a few years, but now I really don't care what OS I am using. I have a macbook pro triple booting Mac, Windows 7, and Ubuntu. I boot into Ubuntu when I need to do Linux coding work. I boot into Windows when I need to do Windows coding work or when I want to play certain video games like Aion or Rift, and I boot into Mac when I need to do my iPhone coding for work. When I get home it usually doesn't matter to me what OS my laptop boots into, they all have browsers and they can all play my movies.

4. What did you learn?

Back then I learned a lot about the actual hardware in my system because Linux drivers used to be a huge pain, but my recent experience with Linux installers is much nicer. The Ubuntu installer takes care of repartitioning and finding drivers and updating packages and just seems faster than what I remember doing 10 years ago.

5. What did you not like?
6. How would you compare Linux's management of settings to Windows' Control Pannel if there is even such a thing and if it is a fair comparison?
7. Which distro would you recommend for a home user who needs no more than Internet browsing and some processing programs comparable to Microsoft Office and is mainly concerned with fast efficient running of programs?
8. Anything else you would like to add?

I'll lump these last questions together. I like Linux, the things I don't like are hard to put into words, basically it was fun to tinker with and learn during my college years but anymore I don't feel the need to stay up to date every 6 months with the latest release of Ubuntu or whatever.
The settings are there, sometimes they are disguised or hard to find, Ubuntu has a great forum community that usually can help someone out.
I would recommend Ubuntu just because that is the only distribution I have really used in the last 5 years and it is rather simple to install and use.

I guess the last thought I have is remember to have fun. Enjoy the learning process. My first installation was extremely stressful, I was convinced I would mess it up and in the end I got it working. Since then I have made plenty of mistakes, botched many installations, accidentally erased entire hard drives, lost plenty of data and time working things out, BUT in the end I learned a lot and tried something new.

 

[Sweetums]

Fellow INGO dudes and dudettes:
1. Why did you make the jump to Linux?
2. Which distro did you choose and why?
3. Did it satisfy the reason for change?
4. What did you learn?
5. What did you not like?
6. How would you compare Linux's management of settings to Windows' Control Pannel if there is even such a thing and if it is a fair comparison?
7. Which distro would you recommend for a home user who needs no more than Internet browsing and some processing programs comparable to Microsoft Office and is mainly concerned with fast efficient running of programs?
8. Anything else you would like to add?

I think you made a good choice with Ubuntu!

1. I initially switched to Linux to breathe new life into an older PC.

2. I'm using Ubuntu. When I searched about the different varieties, Ubuntu looked to be the most user friendly to me.

3. Absolutely. I've been very happy with it, I now only have 1 PC left running Windows, and that is only because I'm addicted to Quicken.

4. Installing and using Ubuntu was alot easier then I thought it was going to be. I was expecting hardware compatibility issues, and that was simply not the case, everything has gone smoothly.

5. Nothing that I dislike, that I knew I couldn't work around or live with (see #3).

6. Ubuntu has a wonderful setup for your preferences and system controls.

7. Ubuntu, and your reasons are the main reasons I use it. It's fast for the internet, and Open Office is a great alternative to Microsoft Office. I've had no issues thus far completing course work, term papers, etc., in Ubuntu/Open Office, and then in turn using the same files with Microsoft systems at college.