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Random Discussion about....
2004-11-21, 6:33 PM #1
LINUX!!!!!


I recently decided to try out Linux, and i'm currently running SuSE 9.1... I tried Slackware, but that didn't work too well... and I've got Redhat pending to be burned.. I was just wondering what others opinions were on Linux and what their favourite Distro would be? (That is, of course.. if their opinion of Linux is a good one..)

I think it'd just be interesting to see what people think of the many "flavors" of Linux.. Plus i'm fishing around for what might be a good one for me :D
No-one knows what it's like to be the bad man,
to be the sad man Behind Blue Eyes.

- The Who
2004-11-21, 6:36 PM #2
As soon as I figure out how to install WinXP 64-bit and partition my hard drive, I will get linux. I've heard that Debian is good. Knoppix has been recommended to me as well.
Stuff
2004-11-21, 6:41 PM #3
I'd try Linux just for the heck of it, but my entire family uses both of my computers and everyone would freak out on me if I were to install a new operating system. Installing Firefox was bad enough...:rolleyes:
"It is not advisable, James, to venture unsolicited opinions. You should spare yourself the embarrassing discovery of their exact value to your listener."
"Rationality is the recognition of the fact that nothing can alter the truth and nothing can take precedence over that act of perceiving it."
2004-11-21, 6:46 PM #4
Unlike most here, Linux is my only OS. Ive been Microsoft-free for over a year.


I run Suse 9.0 on my main workstation, Debian Sarge/Sid everywhere else. In a few weeks Im gonna wipe Suse off this box and put Debian Sid on it too.

Debian > *
And when the moment is right, I'm gonna fly a kite.
2004-11-21, 6:53 PM #5
BTW, dont waste your time with Redhat. While its passable as a server, it makes a terrible desktop. Slack too, although a few here will disagree.


Suse makes a great desktop, its highly polished, fast, and very stable. However, its still RPM-based, and has the same problems of every other RPM-based distro. Debian, or at least, a Debian-based distro is the way to go.
And when the moment is right, I'm gonna fly a kite.
2004-11-21, 7:04 PM #6
Gentoo > *. That is all. All other opinions expressed in this thread are wrong. :D :D
2004-11-22, 5:40 AM #7
Quote:
Originally posted by gbk
BTW, dont waste your time with Redhat. While its passable as a server, it makes a terrible desktop. Slack too, although a few here will disagree.


Suse makes a great desktop, its highly polished, fast, and very stable. However, its still RPM-based, and has the same problems of every other RPM-based distro. Debian, or at least, a Debian-based distro is the way to go.


THanks for the advice GBK.. :P SuSE is running rather well for me, despite the RPM based installing and such... when I was using Slackware, I didn't like it as a desktop.. but another friend of mine has told me Mandrake is good, what do you think?
No-one knows what it's like to be the bad man,
to be the sad man Behind Blue Eyes.

- The Who
2004-11-22, 6:18 AM #8
Knoppix, Gentoo, Slack--all you need to know.
D E A T H
2004-11-22, 6:22 AM #9
...and Ubuntu. It has EXCELLENT hardware detection, is Debian-based, and has a great installer.

Although I miss my Gentoo though... :( I might reinstall it during the holidays.
2004-11-22, 6:22 AM #10
Quote:
Originally posted by MaD CoW
...and Ubuntu. It has EXCELLENT hardware detection, is Debian-based, and has a great installer.

Although I miss my Gentoo though... :( I might reinstall it during the holidays.


Like I said, Knoppix. ;)
D E A T H
2004-11-22, 6:25 AM #11
Like I said, Ubuntu. :p

Ubuntu > Knoppix. WAY better hardware detection. It's the only distro that was able to detect my wireless network card, my widescreen monitor and properly set up my touchpad.
2004-11-22, 6:44 AM #12
Laptop=lame. :o
D E A T H
2004-11-22, 6:51 AM #13
If it weren't for your 6800gt, my laptop would pwnzors your PC. :p
2004-11-22, 6:52 AM #14
No it wouldn't ;)
D E A T H
2004-11-22, 6:54 AM #15
Uh, yeah it would!

<.<
2004-11-22, 6:54 AM #16
j00 wishz0rz
D E A T H
2004-11-22, 7:06 AM #17
*throws his laptop at Yoshi's face and steals his PC*

*installs Ubuntu on Yoshi's PC*
2004-11-22, 7:08 AM #18
*kills Cow for deleting all his ware--er...important and legal files <_<*
D E A T H
2004-11-22, 7:10 AM #19
I read that as 'installs it on Yoshi's face.'

hehe
2004-11-22, 7:11 AM #20
*tramatic death*

I'll uninstall your face!!

/dead
2004-11-22, 7:45 AM #21
Uh, back to topic. I am on Gentoo for about a month. It works fine.

If you can controll your nerdish feelings make a stage 3 installation, it's much faster ;)

I had Suse once, but it wasn't too stable for me. And I don't like that YaST stuff. And it was loaded with tons of crap. Ok, I didn't know Linux at all than, and so I didn't know what to install. But know on Gentoo, I had nothing, and than I searched for what I needed, emerged it... and now I have a very customized system, that has only installed what I need. Next time I will emerge kde-base so I don't have all that kde tools... but right now I am still experimenting.
My levels
2004-11-22, 8:23 AM #22
Quote:
Originally posted by gbk
BTW, dont waste your time with Redhat. While its passable as a server, it makes a terrible desktop. Slack too, although a few here will disagree.

That would be me. I've had no qualms about using Slack as a desktop. It's got everything I want/need and relatively easy to setup.
Code to the left of him, code to the right of him, code in front of him compil'd and thundered. Programm'd at with shot and $SHELL. Boldly he typed and well. Into the jaws of C. Into the mouth of PERL. Debug'd the 0x258.
2004-11-22, 8:26 AM #23
I've used both Mandrake and Slack. Slack's definitely been better than Mandrake, in my opinion. However, as soon as I get some blank CDs, I'm gonna burn a copy of MEPIS. Created here in WV. Can't beat that.
2004-11-22, 8:35 AM #24
I just wanted to suggest Mepis too, read some good things about it. But I'd miss portage :)
My levels
2004-11-22, 8:38 AM #25
i just installed fedora core 2. i'll let you know what i think later.

i like fedora and redhat because of it's ease yet you still have to be involved beyond the double click.

i've run redhat 6.x, 7.x, 8 and 9. fedora core 1 and now core 2. mandrake 9. slackware 9. debian vanilla.
to be fair, i didn't really use slack or debian beyond just looking at them.
tried installing gentoo a couple of years ago and had to walk away. :p

the only thing that kept me going back to win2k was paint shop pro. i just couldn't use gimp no matter how many times i tried. but with gimp 2 it looks like i might be able to do it.
2004-11-22, 11:11 AM #26
I use Debian on both my Laptop and my Desktop. I strongly recommend at least a Debian-based distribution, otherwise, you *will* have problems with software installation, OS updates, and dependencies. Whether right now or in the future, you will have problems.

Knoppix is great to test out Linux w/out actually doing an install. It detects hardware well and it's easy to install on your hard drive if you like it. However, if you don't want KDE, it's probably not your best bet (you can always remove the packages later, although there are so many of them you may miss some).

I haven't tried Ubuntu, but from what I've read, it's fine.

Anything with _real_ apt-get (not the fake on like apt-get for RPM) is what you need - which means anything based on Debian. Another popular one is Libranet, but you have to pay for that (from what I hear it's worth it).
2004-11-23, 5:44 AM #27
laptop + linux = god.


it R my dream.
No-one knows what it's like to be the bad man,
to be the sad man Behind Blue Eyes.

- The Who
2004-11-23, 7:56 AM #28
Quote:
Originally posted by Darth Evad
...to be fair, i didn't really use slack or debian beyond just looking at them....

Debian Woody blows chunks. Really, it does. By default, it installs kernel 2.2. 2.2! What you want is the new Debian Sarge installer. Boot it with the "linux26" option to get kernel 2.6.
And when the moment is right, I'm gonna fly a kite.
2004-11-23, 8:53 AM #29
all you have to do is type "bf24" when the woody installer boots and you get 2.4 =P
if you really need 2.6 then you should already know how to compile it for yourself.

anyway, Gentoo is awesome... i've been using it on and off lately.
i intend to get it going on my PowerBook (or maybe Ubuntu) when i get all my media backed up...
(OS X rawks, btw... but i'm just an adventuring *nix addict so i must try everything ;))
"*quickly adds in disclaimer that Is may still yet end up being slapped with a white glove, as all women are crazy and there are no rules*" --mavispoo
2004-11-23, 3:14 PM #30
Apt-get > *

End of story :P
Founder of the Massassi Brute Squad (MBS)
Morituri Nolumus Mori
2004-11-23, 6:06 PM #31
And I use Windows XP! [runs for cover from hail of bullets]

(of course I use windowblinds to get rid of the god-awful Gui).

I've admittedly got a dream to develop my own OS someday.

Yep... someday. [80 years later]. "yep. someday...."
50000 episodes of badmouthing and screaming like a constipated goat cant be wrong. - Mr. Stafford
2004-11-23, 6:08 PM #32
Quote:
Originally posted by SithNazgul
Apt-get > *

End of story :P


emerge > apt > *

You loose.
2004-11-23, 8:11 PM #33
Gentoo's Portage system is so hilariously better than Apt. Gentoo's Portage database is helluva lot larger. With APT, you have to deal with getting servers with all the files on it, and I've yet to find a server that has at least 75% of the packages I use. (Knoppix's default install of Apt doesn't even have mplayer in its database! WTF?!)

Not to mention Portage has a heck of a lot more features, and is helluva faster (post-compile)
2004-11-23, 8:13 PM #34
Definitely. Apt sucks for that, having to add servers to be able to download more packages, and having to manage that huge list of servers can be a hassle.
2004-11-23, 9:03 PM #35
Well I haven't used portage, because I dont wish to spend most of the day installing an OS :P
I know you can do a... stage 3? install that does it all for you, but then whats the point?
Founder of the Massassi Brute Squad (MBS)
Morituri Nolumus Mori
2004-11-23, 9:09 PM #36
You can download the package CD and install precompiled binaries from there. Anything that's not on there usually isn't long to compile anyways. Stage 3 + package CD = installation time of about an hour and a half. Worth the extra time just for portage.

Gentoo only take 2 days to install if you bootstrap and compile everything from source for that ever so little performance gain and ePenis enlargement.
2004-11-24, 3:27 AM #37
Quote:
Originally posted by Cool Matty
Gentoo > *. That is all. All other opinions expressed in this thread are wrong. :D :D


Apt is good but what I like more about portage is that you have more control about what it's doing.
I run some servers on Debian Woody and everything runs fine until you come to the point where you need something that isn't available through apt (like a newer or older php-version). Then your only option is to compile the files yourself and hope that all dependencies are resolved.
With portage you get what you need and it's managed so that you are able to update your software without checking for any self-compiled packages.
Sorry for the lousy German
2004-11-24, 7:35 AM #38
As long as they cannot implement something like gapless playback I am afraid I have to refrain from linux at home
2004-11-24, 11:16 AM #39
Gapless playback
Sorry for the lousy German
2004-11-24, 12:20 PM #40
That's a hack
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