Just curious as to what everyones's favorite Linux distributions are, and, of course, why. (I'm looking to set up Linux on my other partition, just to tool around with it.)
Favorite Linux Distros?
- Thread starter Gibson12345
- Start date
Not again.... questions like this have answered and answered in previous threads!!
The search option is your friend!?
The search option is your friend!?
First of all the proper terminology is disastros and to that effect I would like to nominate debian unstable as the disastro of the month. There is no better way to break your debian install than jumping from stable to testing and then to unstable, all in one day.
First of all the proper terminology is disastros and to that effect I would like to nominate debian unstable as the disastro of the month. There is no better way to break your debian install than jumping from stable to testing and then to unstable, all in one day.
ROTLMAO!
OK nothinman, but he also wants to know the why.
Five Reasons to Like Debian:
1. Many, many, many, many well-made packages <= Major feature
2. Easy to upgrade/install software using apt <= Major feature
3. Rock-Solid Stability <= Compared to mandrake, red hat, etc.
4. Complete Customizability <= Sortoff a *Nix thing
5. Effortless to maintain <= *Nix thing
Five Reasons to Hate Debian:
1. Install can be painful for beginners <= This walkthrough pretty much fixes this issue
2. Requires a bit of work to get started <= a necessary evil because of #4 above
3. Unstable will be greatly fractured for the near future <= i.e. no more cutting-edge for a few weeks or so
4. Stable is an antique <= You can easily avoid dealing with it by using a net install disk and installing from testing
5. Uhhhhh, I really can't think of any more
Well there you have it. Fellow debian fans, feel free to comment.
lol, not necessarily. When I first started playing with Linux I tried Red Hat, Mandrake, and Knoppix, and I didn't like any of them because I couldn't figure out how to do anything.
Tell me, if you wanted to teach someone how to swin I'm assuming that you wouldn't fling them into the deep end. First of all, you should have atleast had a good linux book. Second of all, when learning a new OS the internet is your friend, and there is usually no better resource for your linus distribution than its web site. Third of all, don't be afraid to experiment (and make sure your linux install has its own sand box so that you will have absolutely nothing to be afraid of.)
I think that the best way to learn linux is the way that I did (which is exactly what Nothinman suggested). My first *Nix distro was actually FreeBSD, but besides that I've played around with many, many other distros and have had varying amounts of success with each.
The best way to learn something new is by trying it, but if you want to jump into the deep end be sure to wear a good life vest. The local library is usually an excellent source of linux knowledge (i.e. the books and don't you steal the CDs out of them either
).My current favorite is Debian (for the reasons mentioned above). However, Debian-stable seems to be rather outdated, and compiling everything needed to stay up to date (XFree86 4.3.0, KDE 3.1, etc.) kind of defeats the purpose of the nice package management. Thus, I have been contemplating giving Gentoo a try, though it might be painful (would it even work at all?) over my shared dialup connection.
Originally posted by: jliechty
My current favorite is Debian (for the reasons mentioned above). However, Debian-stable seems to be rather outdated, and compiling everything needed to stay up to date (XFree86 4.3.0, KDE 3.1, etc.) kind of defeats the purpose of the nice package management. Thus, I have been contemplating giving Gentoo a try, though it might be painful (would it even work at all?) over my shared dialup connection.
OK, I'm going to say it again: Debian Stable is just that stable. It doesn't change, its not supposed to change. My advice to you is to open your /etc/apt.sources file and replace what you have their with this:
deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian testing main contrib non-free
If you do that you will end up with a much fresher install. As for the dial-up connection, I have a simple solution: Leave it on all night and then if it isn't done cut it and continue the next night. I've noticed that dselect is able to resume downloads, so that should make upgrading your distro a bit easier.
Of course, you could just wait a while, until debian sarge is released and then order a complete CD set, but whats the fun in that
.Testing does appear to be more up to date, but from what I could see from browsing through the package lists on debian.org, they still don't have XFree86 4.3.0, while KDE 3.1 is only in unstable. Maybe I should just build a LFS system, as it appears I'm too picky to be pleased by anything else out there.Originally posted by: wizardLRU
Originally posted by: jliechty
My current favorite is Debian (for the reasons mentioned above). However, Debian-stable seems to be rather outdated, and compiling everything needed to stay up to date (XFree86 4.3.0, KDE 3.1, etc.) kind of defeats the purpose of the nice package management. Thus, I have been contemplating giving Gentoo a try, though it might be painful (would it even work at all?) over my shared dialup connection.
OK, I'm going to say it again: Debian Stable is just that stable. It doesn't change, its not supposed to change. My advice to you is to open your /etc/apt.sources file and replace what you have their with this:
deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian testing main contrib non-free
If you do that you will end up with a much fresher install. As for the dial-up connection, I have a simple solution: Leave it on all night and then if it isn't done cut it and continue the next night. I've noticed that dselect is able to resume downloads, so that should make upgrading your distro a bit easier.
Of course, you could just wait a while, until debian sarge is released and then order a complete CD set, but whats the fun in that
Originally posted by: jliechty
Testing does appear to be more up to date, but from what I could see from browsing through the package lists on debian.org, they still don't have XFree86 4.3.0, while KDE 3.1 is only in unstable. Maybe I should just build a LFS system, as it appears I'm too picky to be pleased by anything else out there.Originally posted by: wizardLRU
Originally posted by: jliechty
My current favorite is Debian (for the reasons mentioned above). However, Debian-stable seems to be rather outdated, and compiling everything needed to stay up to date (XFree86 4.3.0, KDE 3.1, etc.) kind of defeats the purpose of the nice package management. Thus, I have been contemplating giving Gentoo a try, though it might be painful (would it even work at all?) over my shared dialup connection.
OK, I'm going to say it again: Debian Stable is just that stable. It doesn't change, its not supposed to change. My advice to you is to open your /etc/apt.sources file and replace what you have their with this:
deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian testing main contrib non-free
If you do that you will end up with a much fresher install. As for the dial-up connection, I have a simple solution: Leave it on all night and then if it isn't done cut it and continue the next night. I've noticed that dselect is able to resume downloads, so that should make upgrading your distro a bit easier.
Of course, you could just wait a while, until debian sarge is released and then order a complete CD set, but whats the fun in that
If you want the Fresh New Stuff [tm] then I heartily recommend that you build your own LFS. As for KDE 3.1 being in unstable: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
There, now that I've gotten all that out of me, there are four reasons why I don't think that unstable is very "safe" right now:
1. libvorbis0 dependancies have broken the KDE packages (i.e. it was removed and replaced with libvorbis0a leaving no compatibility package :frown
2. KDE 3.1 isn't fully uploaded yet
3. About 789 package bugs :Q
4. Currently being upped to gcc3.2
5. Tons of dependancy errors right now
Sounds like a lot of problems, and it is, but truthfully I didn't relize that anything was wrong until an apt-get sacced my KDE packages and wreaked havoc on my games library. Hopefully this will all be patched up soon, but until then I'm running testing and I'm quite happy about it.
BTW, if you really want the latest in debian you could try sid (i.e. experimental).......
Whenever I get around to taking a hacksaw to one of my cases so I can get the motherboard to fit (don't ask), I will be installing Linux. I will probably go with either RedHat, Debian, or Slackware. I have not made up my mind yet.
Originally posted by: wizardLRU
Uhhhh, Pics
No camera for it really. Basically the jumpers on the motherboard for power, reset, HDD led, etc are a little far to one side and do not fit between the side of the case and the cage for the 5 1/4" drives. And of course no one I know has a dremel :|
I used to detest such statements/ answers by Debian users in the Debian forums/ newsgroups. I used to feel that if someone needs to know why a thing X is good or bad, maybe someone should spend some time to explain why. But after spending a few months toying around with Debian, I believe that the time has come for me to get detested. And here's why:
a. Someone said about Slackware that it is as friendly as a coiled rattlesnake. I will go a step further and say that Debian can be as friendly (to you) as your pitbull or as hostile as your neighbor's... in other words, you should know how to 'control' it or be ready to get bloodied/ intimidated/ feel uncomfortable with (whatever the case may be)
b. I agree with the positive things about Debian posted by wizardLRU. In addition, I must also add that Debian has excellent documentation for *almost all* of its packages. In general, very few people actually bother to read the manuals/ help files; etc; but more often than not, in many distros, I have felt frustrated when I type
>man xyz
and I get the response:
no manual entry for xyz.
c. A regular follower of GNU/Linux distros might notice (and realize as to why
) that many of the distros are based on Redhat or are RPM-based. But in general, the distros being talked about most (Knoppix, Xandros, and..whether you like it or not..LindowsOS). Esp. with reference to Xandros and LindowsOS, why would the commercial distros choose Debian over other distros? Ease of use, reliability and configurability are a few characteristics that come to my mind.What I observed/ expreienced/ realized about Debian was through personal experience, discussion with other Debian users and also a lot of READING OF MANUALS.
<deviation from topic>
I honestly believe that one *must* have his/her own experiences with Debian before they ask others something like:
"Should I try this?" "What will happen if I do so-and-so?" "I am having trouble with so-and-so." without actually TRYING it.
I would appreciate if people said things like "I had problem X and I read/someone told me to do so-and-so; but it didnt work" -->provide references if possible.
It might be because I am semi-Debianized at this stage....
</deviation from topic>
Thats what apt-get.org is for...
Edit: The link posted above does NOT lead you to a pr0n site..
-->In response to wizardLRU's enthusiastic response
TRENDING THREADS
-
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)- Started by DisEnchantment
- Replies: 25K
-
Discussion Intel Meteor, Arrow, Lunar & Panther Lakes + WCL Discussion Threads
- Started by Tigerick
- Replies: 24K
-
Discussion Intel current and future Lakes & Rapids thread- Started by TheF34RChannel
- Replies: 23K
-
-
Facebook
Twitter