A friend recommended Ubuntu as it's the best if you're coming from a Windows environment, but just wanted to guage what people here thought.
What OS of Linux should I use?
- Thread starter Candlelight
- Start date
Agree with the Ubuntu recommendation although personally I run Gentoo.
Ubuntu has the most commercial support and a large online community. I would say it's the most polished Linux distribution. I am sure some Ubuntu users here can tell you more about it.
Ubuntu has the most commercial support and a large online community. I would say it's the most polished Linux distribution. I am sure some Ubuntu users here can tell you more about it.
Ubuntu is a good choice. Download and burn the desktop cd and you can try out the distro directly from the cd without installing it. It's a good way to check for hardware incompatibilities. Installing it, if you decide to do so is pretty easy and the online help forums are fantastic if you run into problems or have any questions.
I'm thinking about this too. I would probably want a dual-boot no matter what. I'm running XPx32, but am looking for x64 to utilize all 8GB of RAM I have in the machine. What range of memory do the various Linux' recognize?
The max amount memory supported by the vanilla Linux Kernel (64-bit) is 64 GB. However it can be tweaked to support upwards of some huge number.
As a sidenote. Here is a custom SGI system with 2048 CPUs and 4 TB of memory running on Linux.
http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS7317694195.html
As a sidenote. Here is a custom SGI system with 2048 CPUs and 4 TB of memory running on Linux.
http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS7317694195.html
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Cheers for the help. I may download the file or see if my mate has a copy (he works in IT, he's probably got all OS on disk somewhere...).
I'm currently working with Red Hat right now. It's frustrating, as you need to pay for it, first off, and then in order to download updates and patches you need to pay for a minimum 1-year subscription (at least, through Dell) and I found the registration process to be quite ponderous, although the person I talked to at Dell to help me with it was quite helpful. Additionally, you can only seem to really get RDM's and other libraries for Red Hat through their site. Some places have them, but they are largely out-of-date, from what I've found. Others may know better than I.
It's a good OS; I'm not an admin by any stretch - I know enough to be dangerous - but the Gnome GUI front end definitely makes life easier for the newbie who doesn't know all the terminal command line stuff.
I understand Fedora is similar to Red Hat but free of charge and largely compatible with stuff compiled for Red Hat.
It's a good OS; I'm not an admin by any stretch - I know enough to be dangerous - but the Gnome GUI front end definitely makes life easier for the newbie who doesn't know all the terminal command line stuff.
I understand Fedora is similar to Red Hat but free of charge and largely compatible with stuff compiled for Red Hat.
I think Linux n00bs should ask themselves one question:
Have I ever used a command line?
If "yes, of course" - any of the popular distributions should do. Find one that takes your fancy.
If "whaa?" - Ubuntu.
Ubuntu being a very good distro in either case.
Have I ever used a command line?
If "yes, of course" - any of the popular distributions should do. Find one that takes your fancy.
If "whaa?" - Ubuntu.
Ubuntu being a very good distro in either case.
"command line" as in DOS? Then, yes, but not too regularly for a while.
Also, if I decide to do a dual boot, will I need to reinstall XP when I finally install Linux, or will I just be able to install Linux when I'm ready?
Also, if I decide to do a dual boot, will I need to reinstall XP when I finally install Linux, or will I just be able to install Linux when I'm ready?
If you already have XP installed you shouldn't need to reinstall it for a dual boot scenario. In fact, it's better if XP is installed first. It might be a good idea to get rid of whatever trash you have on your Windows partition and defrag it a few times and back up your important data just in case something goes wrong.
Most modern Linux distros will recognize that XP is already installed and set up a dual boot menu for you automatically during installation.
Which distro are you considering installing, btw?
I just obtained a copy of XPx64 to replace my x32, so I'm doing the reformat & reinstall this weekend for that.
Having seen the replies here and in other Linux threads, I might try 2 or 3 different ones from CD before actually installing anything. Many people recommend Ubuntu, so I'll try that one for sure.
Is there any one that's the most "Windows-like". And, are they all pretty much the same as far as running MS software, and do they need some kind of emulator to run the MS stuff?
As I said, I remember DOS (re: the command line reference) and I pretty much hated the idea of the original Windows, but I've gotten used to it over the years, so I'd just as soon go with something that has the same basic feel/look.
Having seen the replies here and in other Linux threads, I might try 2 or 3 different ones from CD before actually installing anything. Many people recommend Ubuntu, so I'll try that one for sure.
Is there any one that's the most "Windows-like". And, are they all pretty much the same as far as running MS software, and do they need some kind of emulator to run the MS stuff?
As I said, I remember DOS (re: the command line reference) and I pretty much hated the idea of the original Windows, but I've gotten used to it over the years, so I'd just as soon go with something that has the same basic feel/look.
Another thing. The Ubuntu website asks what type of computer I have.
The 2 choices are:
- Standard personal computer (x86 architecture, PentiumTM, CeleronTM, AthlonTM, SempronTM)
- 64bit AMD and Intel computers
The thing is, I have an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (on an Intel motherboard) and it is defined as 64-bit with the x86-64 instruction set.
Which one should I choose?
The 2 choices are:
- Standard personal computer (x86 architecture, PentiumTM, CeleronTM, AthlonTM, SempronTM)
- 64bit AMD and Intel computers
The thing is, I have an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (on an Intel motherboard) and it is defined as 64-bit with the x86-64 instruction set.
Which one should I choose?
^
- 64bit AMD and Intel computers
- 64bit AMD and Intel computers
You're on the right track. Fedora is Red Hat, Inc.'s community version--it features newer software, it's updated every six months, and it's intended for workstations and personal computers. If that's you, great. If you're looking at an enterprise or server environment, you'd probably be best served by CentOS, which is basically a free version of Red Hat (they take the source for RHEL, which Red Hat is required to publish, and compile it, so it should be binary-compatible with any RHEL RPMs). CentOS (and RHEL) aren't really intended for everyday personal computers, though--Fedora, Ubuntu, or some other would be a lot friendlier and easier.
Ubuntu's shiny and all, but it's not the end-all-be-all of Linux distros. For my money, Fedora is an equally fine choice if you want GNOME, and PCLinuxOS and Mandriva are good for those crazy KDE folks.
You can choose either!
x86-64 is an extension of x86, the biggest advantage of which allows you to use more than 4 GB of RAM. If you've got a quad core, you've probably got 4 gigs of RAM, so 64-bit might be a good idea. However, keep in mind that proprietary software vendors don't necessarily supply 64-bit versions of their software yet. Adobe's Flash is probably the most prominent example of this. You'll either have to install a 32-bit Firefox + Flash in your 64-bit system, which is what a lot of people do, or make do with Gnash (the open-source Flash equivalent).
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I didn't say it was the be all and end all. I just said it was a very good distro, which it is. YMMV.
EDIT
Ah right, because I only listed "Ubuntu" as a choice for n00bs. I see where you're coming from now.
It wasn't my intent, honestly. It was mainly as a response to the OP.
Of course there are many other user friendly distros, Linspire is another one. But, for what it's worth, I think Ubuntu is the best choice for someone who previous OS experience involves nothing but GUIs.
I hope that clarifies my position and apologies.
Ah right, because I only listed "Ubuntu" as a choice for n00bs. I see where you're coming from now.
It wasn't my intent, honestly. It was mainly as a response to the OP.
Of course there are many other user friendly distros, Linspire is another one. But, for what it's worth, I think Ubuntu is the best choice for someone who previous OS experience involves nothing but GUIs.
I hope that clarifies my position and apologies.
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I actually have 8GB of RAM (4x 2GB), which is recognized by BIOS & System Information, but not my current version of XP (didn't do enough research on this when I built the thing). I believe 8GB is the max for my motherboard anyway.You can choose either!
There are a number of desktop environments to choose from, but the most popular right now are GNOME and KDE. I'd say that KDE is more "Windows-like", but I prefer GNOME because it seems a lot less cluttered to me. Neither are very hard to get used to.
GNOME screenshots
KDE screenshots
Ar-Pharazon said:
Wine will run a lot of MS apps, but not all. In most cases you'd be best off finding native Linux alternatives to your Windows applications. Here's a short list
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