What is a good linux for a 1st timer?

[Jeff]

I want to try linux...I tried Debian, but I can't get GDM to load, it says something is wrong with X serve(r). So, what kind of installable linux do you recommend?

[Bionic_Redneck]

I really like pclinuxos. It's a enhance version of mandrake that comes with a little extra goodies like java and flash already installed and best of all it's only one cd so it a faster download. how it's done is the iso is compessed and you can run it from cd or install to hard drive but it not as simple to install as mandrake if you don't know about linux filesystem. I started with mandrake and it's good to get some general knowledge about linux.

[vaughan]

I found both Mandrake v9.0 and v9.1 easy to install. Only my Connextant internal modem wasn't recognised but my Ethernet link to Cable is so that was OK. The hard part is learning the arcane commands used in Linux. For example, I still haven't been able to configure Konqueror (one of its browsers) to install Macromedia Flash. This means when I go to our home page I cannot see the buttons on the LHS for the Menu. Useless!
The only projects I ever managed to install were RSAttack which has ceased running and Distributed Folding. DF was running very well and I was proud I'd managed to get it to work until I discovered that I was not getting recognition for all the work my PC was doing. I didn't know how to create / install the unique username file in the directory. I couldn't locate the Mandrake equivalent of Windows Notepad.exe or DOS Edit.exe so I gave up. My computer still boots into Mandrake occasionally just to make sure it still works but I use WinXP 99% of the time.

[Bionic_Redneck]

there are rpms for flash or you can use the tarball. some text editor are gedt, kwrite, kate, kedit, nano, joe, xedit. the one I prefer is gedit for gnome and kedit for kde. About DF when you start the client it tells you what key to press to change user id.

Probly what is making linux so hard for you to learn is windows. I find it easier to use just one or the other.

[Keith75]

I had heard poeple recommend Knoppix but I haven't tried it yet. I want to try one that is going to recognize all my hardware such as my ATI Radeon and my USB devices and MB built in Ethernet.

[Bionic_Redneck]

Mandrake didn't work with my onboard nic but pclinuxos did ad I also noticed there is support for ati. once you have some more experience you can build kernel .for whatever hardware you have.

[Jeff]

I like knoppix, it looks cool, but, you can't install it.

[numibesi]

I downloaded and installed Mandrake Linux 9.0 but for some reason it didin't recognized my ethernet card, i contacted them, even posted here that fact i got help but nothing made Mandrake recognize the ETH/Board...so i sau the Bionic post about that "take on pocket" linux versions that i have't heard ever on my life :lol: and picked one to exp. verrrrrrrrrrrrrry good it recognized all the hardware everyting ok, i went to one DC page and made a linux prod download but i don't know how to run a prog on linux !!!!!!!! :oops:, on windows i just 2click on a exe or com or bat file and it runs but on Linux i0'm a cromomagnion person... :P

[vaughan]

I had the same problems trying to learn the arcane commands too. I got valuable help from Bionic Redneck's Linux commands guide on our site.

[numibesi]

oh :oops:

i wasn't aware of that guide, my fault :)

Thank you

[Nflight]

I too am looking to acquire a new system and I am not going with Windoz, I want to join the Linux crowd, I will force myself to learn a new way of doing everything including as Vaughan calls it arcane ways of going about getting things to run.

If you could place a link to Boinc_Rednecks linux commands; that would be nice too.

A list of all the linux variants that can be used to run both Boinc and Non-Boinc projects, please?

[AMDave]

Wow. Way to dig up an old thread. hehe.

As I recall that was a php page in the old forum database.

This reference I am sure covers most if not all of it
http://www.yolinux.com/TUTORIALS/unix_for_dos_users.html

[Bubben]

Ubuntu 7.04?

http://www.ubuntu.com/

This book is very good!

http://www.ggsdata.se/litteratur/ubuntubook.html

Try to find it in your country!

[drezha]

Ubuntu is great. Very easy for newbies and complicated enough for experts. IMHO.

This book is VERY helpful. I got it when I first started using nix...
http://www.amazon.com/Linux-All-Reference-Dummies-Computer/dp/0471752622/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/103-0283849-2652634?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189933556&sr=1-3

[Nflight]

Thank You Gentleman, very much!

[moderna]

It seems Ubuntu is the way to go from what I have read.

Is anyone running this on a machine that is dual boot or otherwise configured with windows (XP). What is the impact on stability, hassle, etc? Seems to make sense to crunch with Linux but sometimes windows still has the applications I want to use.

[drezha]

I had no trouble dual booting windows and ubuntu when I was that way inclined ;) I just now use a linux desktop and a Windows laptop. The laptop uses Virtualbox to run linux for when I need it. It would be a linux laptop as well but it's still in warrenty so I'll leave it ;)

Stability, no trouble what so ever.
Hassle? None really unless you remove linux not properly. That way the MBR still reckons ubuntu is installed and will give you a choice to boot into windows or linux. And linux isn't there.
Other hassle wise...NTFS support. If the HD is NTFS, you'll struggle to share files via the 2 OS's if you use NTFS. Using FAT32 means that both OS's can write and read the same files so thats useful if you have 3xHD's in the system (one NTFS with Windows installed, one EXT3 with linux on and a FAT32 drive to keep shared files on)

bar that, get a NAS device and both windows and linux can write to a NAS device over the network regardless of the NAS device disks filesystem.

[vaughan]

Ubuntu for me or one of its clones. eg I run Xubuntu under VMWare as a virtual machine on a laptop. This gave me the opportunity to learn a little about Ubuntu and at the same time run Windows XP Pro for my work etc.

I tried Ubuntu 64 bit recently and managed to prove to myself that ABC@ Home does indeed perform twice as fast under 64 bit as under 32 bit. I had some hardware problems and had to wipe that HDD so its on Win XP again now.

One of my computers has Vista Home Premium. I hate it. The most annoying "bug" is User Access Control; yes the Mac versus Windows adverts are hilarious but true. I'm waiting for SP1 to see if some of the stupidity of the OS gets fixed. eg. I said BOINC could start-up each time I restarted the PC but Vista won't allow it, even with UAC disabled. While I'm waiting this Quad Core 6600 runs BOINC RieselSieve 24/7.

[Nflight]

I really do appreciate everyones insight into this realm of opportunity as I see it. I was reading over the Ubuntu web site and looking at the desktop version, and the server version ~ ? Yes I am perplexed at which one I want !
I want the force of capability to run as fast as possible as this new system would be only a cruncher, nothing more but, I will need to surf to each project web site and download the needed program to run each project. (Does a browser come with the Server version - a windows illiterate person looking into linux would only ask that question?). I want to run fast and hard but the troubles I see with Billy Bob and the Redmond wrist shakers aka M$ with updates and patches out the wazoo frustrate me. Time up and running is the forward thinking here, even if I have to change OS I want to start off using the best version, best equipment, and having the best access to help online is my dream, I have it here at AMD users!

Again Thank You Everyone who has come forward with there help. Also mentioning this will not be a dual boot machine - straight linux.... I will keep both 4200+'s for a bit till I get the hang of the linux server, once accomplished at the beast, I may sell my Rocketship 4200+ to someone who could use him adequately.

[Brucifer]

For Ubuntu Linux you don't need to get hung up on whether to run a server/workstation. For all practical purposes, they are one and the same with the only difference being the package selection. If you are going to use the system primarily as a cruncher, but need to browse to get your clients, etc., you can just load in the desktop version, which I recommend because you will get the largest selection of libraries. Go browse, get your clients. Be sure that you have a text editor that will work in command line mode that you can use......... vi is there for about every linux/unix, but it isn't a snap to use. For beginners I would recommend Joe as a text mode text file editor. Then once you have your clients, go into superuser mode and edit your /etc/inittab file, to change your runlevel from 5 to 3, and then reboot the system. This will put you into text mode only with network/internet access and use this mode for your crunching. This way you don't have all the extra software loaded and running, and memory usage is much lower.

For 64-bit I run both Suse and Mepis. Mepis was a Ubuntu knockoff. To install joe, go into superuser mode, and then issue the command "apt-get install joe" and it will go out and install it for you. The upcoming versions/beta_version of Mepis is supposed to be going back to a Debian based system.

Anyway, that would give you an operational gutted out cruncher, with the ability to switch back and forth if you ever wanted to. I use one linux desktop to get my clients and stuff and then put that on a central drive so that every system can get the new clients and needed.

If you need help Nflight, feel free to PM me and I will walk you through stuff. :)

[Nflight]

If you need help Nflight, feel free to PM me and I will walk you through stuff. :)

Thanks Brucifier

[daddygeek]

I have used SuSE since 99. 10.3 RC1 was just released, and "IT'S GOOD".
My kids use Edubuntu.

[Bender10]

I have been attempting to get a Linux install going for a few months. Well, I finally had a platform dropped into my lap (as it were). My old (intel P3) werk laptop was just replaced with a new Dell D620 (Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 cpu).

I did some surfing for Linux installs specific to this laptop. And found that people were having great success with Fedora 7 & 8. So I grabbed a copy of F7 from the interweb and performed a 'dual boot' install along side of the XP Pro already on the laptop.

All I wanted was a Linux OS to run and get the feel of (again). I have run Unbuntu and Fedora in the past. Well, the install went smooth, and everything works fine. No problems. Well, one little problem. F7 did not recognize my wireless card. So now I can play with that. It's not a critical problem, and it will give me time to familiarize myself with repositories, furballs, and all that cool Linux lingo. Sounds like fun to me....