Debian, anyone?

[Gerry]

Any Debian users out there?

How would you compare it to something like SUSE or Linspire?

Thanks

 

[denny007]

Debian is great if you are a Linux guru.

 

[Commerce]

I'm bias to MS (yes, I know, but there it is).

That said, I think that Linspire (originally Lindows which did not please the folks at MS very much at all) was actually derived from a Debian distribution. From the word go, Linspire was designed to be a super easy to use Linux distribution for the desktop and I think they achieved that quite well.

Debian is kind of a grand daddy of Linux distributions. It has a strong level of support and seems to have a good team watching over any security holes they encounter (as anything as complex as a modern OS is bound to have). They tend to get found, patched and resported reasonably quickly. At last look their distro fits on two DVDs.

I am not all that familiar with SUSE, but I do have a copy of their most recent distribution. Because it comes from Novell, I tend to think their support should be very good indeed, though I'm betting you would have to pay for that very good support. I would also think the SUSE quality would also be very good because of the Novell connection. As I recall Adam had a post to a story on the new SUSE release in the past few weeks which looked very promising.

I actually had the opportunity to meet the founder of Novell when I did broadcast based training for a major computer manufacturer back in the early 1990s. Really very nice gentleman who was clearly very proud of his company.

I think the distros tend to position themselves as:
Linspire - Client easy UI / Apps store
Debian - Client or Server
SUSE - Server focus

Hope that helps a bit.

-Commerce

 

[VirtualT]

Of the core binary distros, its all Linux, only the bells and whistles (read bloat) and package management differ, an idea what the purpose would be would help in guiding you to the right distribution.

 

[Gerry]

Wow, what a lesson in linux!

Thank you all!

 

[Stian]

If you have never used Linux before, I suggest you check out Ubuntu for desktop computing. It's easy to use, easy to install and installing new packages is very easy and automated. I used to run Slackware many years ago and back then Linux was a pain in the a** (compared to Windows). You had to recompile the Linux kernel every time you added new hardware and there were very few precompiled application binaries, which meant that you had to compile all your apps yourself.

I don't use Linux myself at the moment, but I had Ubuntu v8 on my EEE a while ago and it's very stable, fast and easy to use.

I believe Ubuntu and Fedora are the most popular Linux distros as of now, at least for those who are not very familiar with the OS.

 

[Gerry]

If you have never used Linux before, I suggest you check out Ubuntu for desktop computing. It's easy to use, easy to install and installing new packages is very easy and automated. I used to run Slackware many years ago and back then Linux was a pain in the a** (compared to Windows). You had to recompile the Linux kernel every time you added new hardware and there were very few precompiled application binaries, which meant that you had to compile all your apps yourself.

I don't use Linux myself at the moment, but I had Ubuntu v8 on my EEE a while ago and it's very stable, fast and easy to use.

I believe Ubuntu and Fedora are the most popular Linux distros as of now, at least for those who are not very familiar with the OS.

I am totally new to Linux. That is why I asked these questions...trying to determine the easiest to use.

I have an HP computer that was used for business. It is a phenom work horse and very very fast and kicks ass.

I totally and completely erased the harddrive (intentionally) to get sensitive data gone.

I need to start a fresh install for an OS. Rather than being an MS whore, I thought I would try a Linux install. I have access to Linspire and SUSE discs and also have a fresh Windows XP disc.

I just wanted to explore my options and decrease the learning curve for Linux.

I then can install OpenOffice which should be very easy to get up to speed.

It is kind of like .mobi - everyone hates it but has never used it or understands it.

 

[Stian]

I can almost guarantee you that you will enjoy Ubuntu more than the other distros. At least stay away from Linspire.

Download the latest Ubuntu ISO, burn it to a bootable disc and install it.

Or even better, if you want to try out Linux without installing it, get a live distro which can be booted directly from CD/DVD. That way you can check out a real Linux distro while no files are even copied to your harddrive.

 

[gawnd]

Doc Com, I'd also recommend Ubuntu 8.10. You'll never miss windows and it couldn't be easier to use. All the productivity (open office) and media software comes with the image and just about everything else can be added in 2 clicks.

I switched my laptop and desktop to ubuntu. Running boxee.org on the desktop connected to my tv and use the laptop for work. So far, there isn't a single thing I miss about Windows.

 

[Gerry]

Doc Com, I'd also recommend Ubuntu 8.10. You'll never miss windows and it couldn't be easier to use. All the productivity (open office) and media software comes with the image and just about everything else can be added in 2 clicks.

I switched my laptop and desktop to ubuntu. Running boxee.org on the desktop connected to my tv and use the laptop for work. So far, there isn't a single thing I miss about Windows.

Is this the same Ubuntu PC mentioned? Is there a link to demo and try it?

 

[Stian]

Is this the same Ubuntu PC mentioned? Is there a link to demo and try it?

Ubuntu, like every other Linux distro is opensource and free.

Download the ISO image here:

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

Then burn the ISO image with ImgBurn, which is also free and can be downloaded here:

http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/ImgBurn/1128426215/1

Make sure your computer boots from CD/DVD-drive, insert the CD, restart your computer and the installation should start automatically.

 

[south]

Agreed with pcproffenno & gawnd. As a linux newbie, especially if using for a desktop environment, go for Ubuntu, or possibly Fedora. Consider Debian or Centos for a server later down the road. It's easy to burn an iso, most popular burning software will know what to do with it (NTI, Nero, etc), then pop it in the dvd/cd drive, boot from it, and go.

edit: Going to try putting fedora 10 on a mac mini (powerpc) sometime over the weekend. Small, runs cool, quiet, can fit a bunch of these in my closet.

 

[Commerce]

I would also echo the comments here regarding Ubuntu as another great deskop Linux distro option (as I recall started by a man who became very wealthy from his work in SSL Certs... I can't remember his company right now [started with a 'T'?], but as I recall, it sold to NSI back in the 1990s for a huge sum - I think he also ended up buying a trip into space on a Russian rocket for 20 million a few years back). Given the additional information on the use, it seems you probably should be looking at Ubuntu or Linspire as simple yet powerful Linux environments for the desktop.

OpenOffice is very easy to work with, so if you are comfortable in MS Office, you should have no problems adjusting. It is backed by Sun, so there is some substantial muscle behind that open product. I also use in on the MS platform with no problems.

-Commerce

 

[fab]

I believe Ubuntu and Fedora are the most popular Linux distros as of now, at least for those who are not very familiar with the OS.

I agree!

 

[south]

Got fedora installed on my mac mini (powerpc) tonight! Yes! This will be one quiet little server! Disabled most of the services I have no use for, the little thing runs great. I can fit 20 of these in my server closet with room to spare.

:cheers:

 

[Gerry]

:cheers:

Very cool!

That is a couple of things I do not like about MS

You need a license

and they are a memory hog.