which distro for the advanced Windows user? (was: ???Installing)

[H1ddEN]

Well I'm new here and yeah i'm lost already.
I'm not an expert at windows but can do more than average. I'm starting to like Linux becuase I'm still in High School and Constant upgrades (Like Vista) get pricey. I've always used Ligit stuff and worked with out of the package windows , and am having a hard time with creating a boot cd. All the guides and stuff aren't working for me they ramble too much I'm looking for a strait forward step by step.(Step 1: create boot cd-By...)

My computer is dated back to 2002 but still plenty I hope.
I have a new 100 gig Maxtor HD that will be just for Linux
AMD Athlon XP 2400+
992 MB ram on two sticks
NVIDIA video card running 2 monitors(or 3 depending on how I set it)

I would like a good beginners Distro someone Pointed me towards Sabayon I like what I see but i'm still new. I hope this isn't to general of a question but once I get started I should be alright.

Thankyou!!!!

H1ddEN

[happybunny]

howdy, and welcome.

first, you should really search before asking questions that have most likely been asked by millions before you

http://justlinux.com/forum/showthrea...783#post864783

this is also a good read

http://justlinux.com/forum/showthread.php?t=142980


Second, check distrowatch.com for reviews and google.com/linux is a great resource.

That being said, Ubuntu is a pretty solid first place to start. It is a livecd that lets you test out how it works, then you can install if you want.

[H1ddEN]

Thanks for the welcome I found that first link a while ago and have been surfin it the second i'm looking at now.

[Parcival]

Howdy and welcome to the forums. Please make sure to write descriptive thread titles and post in the most fitting subforums.

[saikee]

I would probably go for Mepies, SLax, Puppy, Damn Small Linux.... (in that order), one that allows a user to log in as root.

It can be quite irritating if a newbie having a need to amend system files but is not given the root privilege (Admin right in MS system). Afterall the OP own the PC and should know how to run it as Admin.

There is a craze about Ubuntu but many other distros have moved with the time too. Slax for example is pretty difficult to beat for speed.

Another relevant factor about Linux is 99% of them are free or free versions are available and all of them are made to multi-boot. There is no law against a user having as many distro as his/her hard disks can take. What is more a Pata hard disk can have 63 partitions in Linux and you can install as many MS systems as you can inside to allow Linux to boot all of them.

I am writing this reply with PcBSD installed from a USB external hard disk which has FC6, Suse 10.3, Ubuntu 7.04, Knoppix 5.1.1.1, Slackware 11, Mandriva 2007 Free, Slax 5.1.8, FreeDos and Sabayon 3.0 (representing the Gentoo family.)

Thus you can have all big families and small distros if you like. Try Unix-like BSD/Solaris systems, keep all your MS systems and even run some of them on the external hard disks.

[je_fro]

Of all the users who thrash about in their struggle with linux, I'd have to say the "advanced" windows users have the hardest time...
My advice is to forget all you know about windows because those habits will not ease your transition. If you were coming from Digital Unix it would be another story.
Go with something easily installed with a 2.6.19 kernel. That way you've got a working box and then you can go on your real distro hunt, probably installing at least 10 different ones until you find the one that suits you best.

[stumbles]

Of all the users who thrash about in their struggle with linux, I'd have to say the "advanced" windows users have the hardest time...
My advice is to forget all you know about windows because those habits will not ease your transition. If you were coming from Digital Unix it would be another story.
Go with something easily installed with a 2.6.19 kernel. That way you've got a working box and then you can go on your real distro hunt, probably installing at least 10 different ones until you find the one that suits you best.

Yeah.... what he says. I think that by and large is the biggest obstacle new Linux users have.... trying to use a Windows mindset.

And while your at it it wouldn't hurt to give PCLinuxOS a look see.

[mrrangerman43]

je_fro

Of all the users who thrash about in their struggle with linux, I'd have to say the "advanced" windows users have the hardest time...
My advice is to forget all you know about windows because those habits will not ease your transition. If you were coming from Digital Unix it would be another story.
Go with something easily installed with a 2.6.19 kernel. That way you've got a working box and then you can go on your real distro hunt, probably installing at least 10 different ones until you find the one that suits you best.

So have they got the bugs worked out with the 2.6.19 kernel? I read it was a bit buggy, but that was a few month ago.

[je_fro]

je_fro

So have they got the bugs worked out with the 2.6.19 kernel? I read it was a bit buggy, but that was a few month ago.

Oops! Yeah, 2.6.19 was the buggy release...What I should say is to find an install CD with the latest possible kernel (2.6.20 preferred) so you'll maximize the chances of your wireless working. But since this guys computer is 5 years old, it's not that big an issue.

[blackbelt_jones]

I think JefFro has a point. Most people who really learn to grasp Linux come to love it, and those who dump on it don't know as much as they pretend. But if you feel proficient at Windows, your first steps with Linux are going to be frustrating and are going to feel like a huge step backward. If you get past that, I think you'll consider your efforts more than rewarded-- I know I do-- and once you learn it, it's learned. The frustration comes up front and is ephemeral. The fun comes later, and lasts forever.

Being an advanced Windows user may get you some benefits down the road, but in the very beginning, not so much. You should probably start with one the same distros any beginner would use. I always recommend SUSE, but Ubuntu is popular. Ubuntu is really easy to set up, but I've had a few problems with running it. If you have problems with Ubuntu or any other distro, try another . Or don't. Some in here will caution against the dangers of distro-hopping, instead of solving your problems where you are. They've got a point, but I tried every distro I could download in the beginning, and we're all here, using Linux and loving it.

Do whatever indulges your curiosity and feels like fun for you, solve your problems creatively (even if at first that means "cheating"), take pleasure in the learning process, believe me when I tell you that this is where the REAL computing can be found... and run any damn distro that you like!

[enshum]

You have some great replies here so I'll just add my two cents worth. Try the the big four first (ubuntu,suse,fedora core,mandriva). If none of those fits your fancy keep going down the list at distrowatch its fun and your expanding your linux knowledge base. If you want to test your brain cells go right to gentoo however I would reccomend sabayon down load the dvd iso.

ed

[soulestream]

All good points. I will say the same thing as everyone else. If you are an expert rocket scientist you wouldn't walk into a hospital and ask where you could start doing brain surgery.

Windows and Linux are different. You will get really frustrated, really fast if you have the idea that because you are good in Windows, Linux will be easier for you than other people. You still have to start at the beginning. Becoming really good at Windows is hard (I like to think so anyway as it is what pays my bills), so is Linux. Start with a new user friendly distro like Mephis or Ubuntu and work your way into (harder, better, whatever) distros like gentoo or Arch .

Like GI Joe says learning is half the battle..or something like that.

Soule

[Pogo]

I flirted with Linux (early RH) a few years ago, but dropped the process because of the number of specialized business apps I was having to run that were WIN based. I'm starting my search again because I believe the VM ware that's available today will probably support what I have to do in the WIN environment w/o having to be there.

I'm downloading various ISO for live cd from various distros to see which gets along best with my laptop - especially in recognizing my internal WiFi circuitry. In fact, this is being written courtesy of a KNOPPIX live cd downloaded this afternoon.

The time spent on downloading and burning is nothing compared to what you can go through trying to figure out why a given distro isn't working on your machine.

KNOPPIX and Ubuntu both have good reps as Live CD distros to try and I'm sure that others here will give good suggestions in that regard.

[betamaxman]

Pclinux, you will be up and running with all the latest in as bug free an install as possible in less that 30 mins. Great hardware support as well, and any app or 3rd party driver you can think of via synaptic with out any further sources needed to add.

[WhiteKnight]

I would say most 'advance' windows users would cough up blood when they try to switch. I think some1 here has a link in his sig that is about Linux != Windows. That might be a good read for u.
Have a open mind and once u get used to it, u would learn to love linux for the way it works.
Ubuntu is a great distro to start with, and im doing my job spreading the love by giving out those free ubuntu cds to my friends