Playing with Linux for the first time

[Shephard]

I installed Linux Mint Cinnamon on Virtual Box just now. I have been too lazy to buy a new hard drive for my other system which was going to be the Linux test system.

This doesn't seem so bad though because I can easily install different distros and delete them if I don't like them.

So far I like the interface of Linux Mint. It's very clean looking. I also like the Software Manager.

Any specific programs I should install that are great and wouldn't be on Windows?

What other versions of Linux should I try? I remember in the other topic someone said Arch Linux. I know of Ubuntu and Debian.

Thanks

 

[sze5003]

I've messed with ubuntu and it was alright. I like open suse too. Always wanted to try mint but I never did.

Pretty much any program you want in windows you can have in linux except for ms type programs like office and visual studio. Try open office.

There are lots of packages you can find in the software manager by searching on there.

 

[Shephard]

Libre Office comes with Linux Mint. I heard it's just like Open Office which is what I use on Windows.

Also comes with Firefox which is the best browser.

 

[lxskllr]

Most things that were originally made for GNU/Linux have Windows ports. The software is good and unrestricted, so people put it on Windows too. IOW, there's no "killer app" for general purpose computing. There's a lot of specialty programs, especially on the command line that can make life easy, but not necessarily for day to day use.

GNU/Linux's killer app is the freedom to do what you like, and change things to suit your needs. It's highly scriptable, and a lot of things can be changed by editing config files. They aren't hidden behind some binary blob.

 

[Shephard]

well I don't even know how to use the command line. Not sure if I would have any use for it right now but that's good to know.

What versions do you recommend I try?

From some videos I have watched ubuntu looks similar to OSX.

 

[lxskllr]

well I don't even know how to use the command line. Not sure if I would have any use for it right now but that's good to know.

The way to think of it is like a program without controls. You can use individual commands as a part of a script. That may not be as immediately useful to you, but it might in the future. It also allows people to write programs quicker. There's lots of little utilities that might not otherwise get written, but they provide functionality you can tweak by hand.

What versions do you recommend I try?

From some videos I have watched ubuntu looks similar to OSX.

Try a bunch, and see what you like. You can also install different desktops to Mint. Pick which desktop you want at login.

Here's a few I like

Kubuntu
Ubuntu
Xubuntu
Bodhi
Crunchbang

 

[RoarTiger]

Ubuntu
Mint (MATE) now with Debian flavor
openSUSE (KDE)
Bodhi
Pear

The top three are full featured distros, I picked the desktop I thought each did best. Of course that is all personal preference so feel free to ignore. Picked Bodhi for Enlightenment and as an intro to lightweight. Chose Pear because I just tried it and found it was quite good if you prefer OS X style desktop without lot of tweaking. I am first and formost a windows user who occassionally tries out distros for fun. I am sure others with more experience can help more, but the ones I listed cover most of the "feel" I have experienced from various DEs.

 

[FrankRamiro]

I installed Linux Mint Cinnamon on Virtual Box just now. I have been too lazy to buy a new hard drive for my other system which was going to be the Linux test system.

This doesn't seem so bad though because I can easily install different distros and delete them if I don't like them.

So far I like the interface of Linux Mint. It's very clean looking. I also like the Software Manager.

Any specific programs I should install that are great and wouldn't be on Windows?

What other versions of Linux should I try? I remember in the other topic someone said Arch Linux. I know of Ubuntu and Debian.

Thanks

if i were you i wouldn't change a thing besides just a few nacessary apllications cause when you install mint 14 mate it comes from default with all you need to be happy. i myself tried Xfce4 and tried other browsers and other stuff but i got problems so i went back to linuxmint14 mate original state which gives all i need without gliches,

 

[Shephard]

are you saying some versions of Linux are very glitchy?

Firefox is the best browser and my favorite. No need to change.

I see it has VLC. MPC-HC is my favorite, but I am not sure if it's for Linux.

I haven't tried anything besides Mint. Hope to on my days off.

 

[Eureka]

are you saying some versions of Linux are very glitchy?

Firefox is the best browser and my favorite. No need to change.

I see it has VLC. MPC-HC is my favorite, but I am not sure if it's for Linux.

I haven't tried anything besides Mint. Hope to on my days off.

Most versions of Linux are glitchy.

Linux is a decentralized, tweaker's OS. It's powerful in terms of flexibilty but that very same flexibility keeps it from being truly quality-controlled.

Mint is probably the most Windows-like Linux distro you'll find. If it works for you, keep it and keeping working with it.

 

[Shephard]

but are there any major glitches? I can understand with versions not so popular.

I am going to be testing a few versions and ones recommend in my topic.

I already like Mint so it will definitely go on my other computer when I get a hard drive, unless I find a version I like even more.

I will be building a computer for my cousin, who does not game, so I may put Linux on there for him. I just don't want him to have an OS with any major glitches or security issues.

 

[Phenakism]

You could also check out http://distrowatch.com/ (if you haven't already) for a low down on the most popular distros.

 

[octoolguy]

Hi Shephard, I have been messing around with ubuntu 12.10 but can't seem to get it to load on my desktop xp machine. So after reading here I thought I'd try Linux Mint. I have downloaded it to a thumb drive. How do I install it from there? I'm trying not to have to burn another dvd. What do you suggest?

Ray

 

[Eureka]

but are there any major glitches? I can understand with versions not so popular.

I am going to be testing a few versions and ones recommend in my topic.

I already like Mint so it will definitely go on my other computer when I get a hard drive, unless I find a version I like even more.

I will be building a computer for my cousin, who does not game, so I may put Linux on there for him. I just don't want him to have an OS with any major glitches or security issues.

I don't know of any major glitches on the big distros now. However, I would say it is still a pretty bad idea to put Linux for someone who doesn't actively want it. It's something you have to discover yourself, or else it could get very miserable down the line.

Even though I can work my way around Linux decently well, I never made a permanent switch over from Windows. There's just too many things I can't pick up fully.

 

[Eureka]

Hi Shephard, I have been messing around with ubuntu 12.10 but can't seem to get it to load on my desktop xp machine. So after reading here I thought I'd try Linux Mint. I have downloaded it to a thumb drive. How do I install it from there? I'm trying not to have to burn another dvd. What do you suggest?

Ray

Don't download it to the flash drive directly. Download the iso to your desktop. Use this to load it onto an empty flash drive: http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

 

[Shephard]

Hi Shephard, I have been messing around with ubuntu 12.10 but can't seem to get it to load on my desktop xp machine. So after reading here I thought I'd try Linux Mint. I have downloaded it to a thumb drive. How do I install it from there? I'm trying not to have to burn another dvd. What do you suggest?

Ray

sorry I didn't see your post.

I am running Linux Mint on a virtual machine right now because my other computer doesn't have a hard drive.

To put it on a real computer, download the .iso from Linux Mint website. Then you will need usb software to 'install' the .iso on the thumb drive. You can't just copy and paste. It needs to be bootable.

 

[octoolguy]

Thanks Eureka, I'm in the process of it right now. I hope I can dope this out. It's all new and quite Greek to me. Luckily, if I screw it up, it's only my xp machine and not my primary win 7 laptop.

Ray

 

[Jodell88]

but are there any major glitches? I can understand with versions not so popular.

I am going to be testing a few versions and ones recommend in my topic.

I already like Mint so it will definitely go on my other computer when I get a hard drive, unless I find a version I like even more.

I will be building a computer for my cousin, who does not game, so I may put Linux on there for him. I just don't want him to have an OS with any major glitches or security issues.

Yes, there can be major glitches. However, using a distro like *buntus, Mints, Suses, etc, mostly shields you from discovering them due to their dev cycle. Other distros more on the cutting edge won't have such protection.

 

[octoolguy]

Hey Eureka, I did exactly as you said. I pulled the usb out of my laptop where I had done the download and the Unetbootin conversion. I put it into the usb slot in my desktop computer and rebooted it. What is supposed to happen after that. I went to the drive letter and opened it but there doesn't appear to be any files on the drive. I double clicked on the drive but nothing happens. What have I screwed up? Take me through it again please. I thought I did it right. It seemed to be creating the bootable usb drive from the .iso file. Hmmmmmmm??

R

 

[Jodell88]

If you prepared the USB drive correctly you should tell your computer to boot from the USB drive.

 

[octoolguy]

If you prepared the USB drive correctly you should tell your computer to boot from the USB drive.

I'm not sure how you mean. What preparation do you mean and how do I tell my computer to boot from the usb? I'm sorry for being this ignorant but I'm learning as we go along.

Ray

 

[Jodell88]

I'm not sure how you mean. What preparation do you mean and how do I tell my computer to boot from the usb? I'm sorry for being this ignorant but I'm learning as we go along.

Ray

By preparation I mean using unebootin to create a bootable USB drive. Then you have to tell your computer (usually in the bios) to boot from USB. If there's a list such as cd-rom, hard disk, etc make sure boot from USB is first.

 

[octoolguy]

I have three different references to usb in the bios. There is usb-floppy, usb-cd/rom, and other usb-something. I can't remember. Anyway, there is no plain usb listing. I have tried all the combinations. I have cd/rom first, floppy second, and h/d third. The only thing I haven't tried is to take everything out except the usb listings. I'm not sure what to do from here. If you have an answer, I'll be back later this evening. I have to go shoot some pool for a while.

Ray

 

[Eureka]

It should be USB-CDROM. Did you make sure that you loaded it to the flash drive?

Also, did you check diskimage and not distribution:

Select the USB drive from the dropdown list, and it should have loaded fine.

When you start up your computer, make sure you hit the key that selects boot devices (not regular BIOS). Then you select the USB from that list (it may see it as a CD-ROM).

 

[Phenakism]

Why not just use the mint4win installer, located in the iso? I mean if ya just wanna check it out, its easier to install and remove.