So I've been wanting to try out linux for a while, but haven't been able to decide on a distro. Mainly i want a distro that is semi easy to learn on, but also very customizable(i would like to eventually basically create my own personal OS). I have very briefly played around in a copy of Mini Linux i have on a flash drive. I also don't have a computer to put it on so i would like to be able to set up a dual boot for it on my laptop thats currently running win 7. Some of the distros I've looked at are: -Ubuntu -Linux Mint -openSUSE -Fedora -Debian I've also looked around at various other posts on GC talking about the various linux distros, but none of them really touched on the types of questions i had(and if they look like they did from what i wrote, i probably just didn't do a very good job of writing what i want... lol, but i didn't feel like any of them did) I would like to be able to use it for the following tasks: -Programming(i am currently in college studying Computer Science) -Possibly some server tasks in the future -Web browsing -Music -Possibly some gaming but will mostly be doing that on my tower(once i fix a problem i've been having on it... but thats a whole other post. Lol) Also if anyone has any suggestions for a good guide(either to go with a specific distro of linux, or just a general one) to help in learning to customize and just get acquainted with the Linux OS. I appreciate any input Thanks GC!
I always recommend Ubuntu for first time Linux users. It typically has an easy setup, and can be used entirely without a command line from the start. However, it can still do pretty much anything a Linux distro can do. And any Linux OS will be super customizable. As for learning, I can't offer that much help. I learned everything I know from using my Linux machine, and random google searches for specific commands/etc. Once you get good with the terminal and whatnot, I would advise you switch to Arch Linux. It is essentially all the stuff you need to build your own Linux flavor. You install your own desktop environment, every single application, hardware driver, everything. It takes quite a bit of linux-ey skill, though. Good luck and have fun.
Hmm, yeah thats the one distro I've probably seen recommended the most is ubuntu, and the main thing i was concerned about was their being somewhat of a limit to how much i can customize(at least somewhat easily). The other thing i was somewhat concerned about was that i heard that ubuntu can be somewhat of a resource hog, however i don't know if that means just in terms of linux distros, or just as a general OS. Cause the laptop i want to put it on isn't too great( intel core 2 duo @ 2ghz with integrated graphics blah blah blah). But from what i've understood linux is supposed to perform really well on both outdated machines/not very high end machines, is this still true for ubuntu? also you say it can be used entirely without a command line from the start, that means that i will have the opportunity to use the command line to start learning right? and is it possible(as well as somewhat efficient) to run ubuntu from a flash drive? cause it would be nice to be able to just have a flash drive with my linux OS on it and be able to avoid having to set up a dual boot(if its even that hard lol). I have both an 8 gig as well as a 1 gig flash drive that i could use for this. lastly, will i stll be able to access all my windows files on the harddrive? with either the booting off a flash drive method, or if/when i set up a dual boot for it Thanks again
I run Ubuntu 10.10 on a dual core Pentium @ 1.6GHz with 4gb RAM and ancient integrated graphics. It runs perfectly, with really intense Compiz desktop effects. It can even run some of the FPS games I've tried, with results that didn't suck. IMHO, Linux is the best way to milk performance out of crap hardware. Yep, you can use the command line whenever you want, but Ubuntu typically has a GUI alternative for most everything. Again, yep. It's possible, but not efficient. It would be like a liveCD; you wouldn't be able to modify the system. (I think, haha) Fortunately, it's easy as hell to dual boot. Just pop your Ubuntu CD in, go through setup, and select install ubuntu alongside other OS or whatever. Drag the little bar on the screen to determine how much space each OS gets, and install it. Done. It can get tricky there. I have done a setup for a friend with a 10gb partition for Windows, and another for Ubuntu, with the rest of the hard drive in FAT32 format that's used as a data partition for both OSs. If you want to do that, make a Parted Magic CD (Or a similar tool) and get your partitions set up beforehand, then install Windows, then Ubuntu. I don't know how that would work with newer versions of Ubuntu or of Windows though. When I tried it, it used XP Pro and Ubuntu 8.04.
Alright, so if i want to set up a dual boot with ubuntu without having access to the files on my windows OS, I can just download the file from the website and put it on my FAT32 formatted flash drive and then reboot and boot from the flash drive and then during the install process of ubuntu it allows me to partition another drive for me to install it on? Also, how would you suggest i set up the partitions? just one partition for all my ubuntu related stuff? I don't think ill need that much space, but have up to 50 gigs of space on my C drive that i can re-purpose for it, however i would like to only use around 20 gigs of that(if i even need that). or will i need to set up 2 separate partitions like i have for my with windows, where i have one small drive for the OS itself and then my C drive that actually has all the files that i use. I also noticed on the ubuntu website that theres a desktop version of the download as well as a netbook version of the download, i don't have a netbook, but would that still be what i would want for just a regular laptop? or will the desktop version run fine as well? Lastly, how hard would it be to after i use and get used to linux for a while on ubuntu, to then upgrade/swap it out for a version of Arch Linux, or possibly even some other distro? Because thats the main reason i would want to boot it directly from a flash drive vs installing it.
You have to burn the .iso file to a cd-type disk if you want to boot from it. If you only have a flash drive, you'll have to use a program such as unetbootin to put the .iso on your flash drive in the proper manner. And, you'll have to check your BIOS configuration and see that it supports USB booting. Ubuntu only needs around 2.5gb to run, so the rest will be filled by whatever you put on it. Just make the partition as big as you need. The netbook version is made mostly for <10in screens. It focuses on fitting all the stuff it needs into a tiny display. If you have a full size laptop, then the desktop version will probably better, but both will run. Very simple. Just back up whatever you need, wipe the Ubuntu partition, then install the new Linux OS to that partition. Heh, sorry about the late reply. I was out of town and forgot my laptop charger.
Ubuntu. Their forums are huge and very helpful, if you're starting to learn Linux, at least you won't feel so lost if there are some decent guides and forums. SuDZ
my first go with linux was mint and I picked it up easily and really liked the features it had built in
I just wanna say thanks for all the input guys! I went ahead and got Ubuntu 10.10 installed with a dual boot on my laptop(I got the desktop edition). Only problem I really ran into is it didn't detect my wireless card right away so i just had to use an ethernet cord then download the driver. However I am now having a weird problem with connecting to my network. Was going to see if maybe you guys could help me. Okay so heres the deal, I installed Ubuntu on i believe sunday, and I remember being able to use the internet, then yesterday when i tried to connect(I am on a college campus, and the networks use SafeConnect). I kept getting prompted to download the Policy Key for it that would give me access to the network. The only problem is the Policy Key is a .exe installer and they don't have any linux compatible versions. So I called the IT department on campus and they didn't really get what i was telling them i guess cause they were trying to get me to install this program that would let them remote access my computer and see what was going on. Oddly enough about 10 minutes after getting off the phone with them(my problem still unresolved) The internet just started working. So i was able to use it fine for the rest of the day again. Then today the same thing happened as yesterday, I kept getting prompted to download the Policy Key for SafeConnect. So I again decided to call the IT department, and this time I talked to someone different, and more helpful. What he suggested(and it made sense to me-I think he may have confirmed this too) That on the network-likely because i have a dual boot set up with Windows 7 also- My computer is still being detected as a windows based operating system and therefore am being prompted to download file for windows. There is a system set up for if the computer is detected as a linux computer to just be prompted for a userid and password, but as I said before this is not the case. So i was wondering if anyone knew any workarounds for the SafeConnect thing, or if theres anything i can do so that it will recognize the computer as a linux machine, and subsequently give me the right prompt when I try to use the internet. Thanks for any help
Well, you could start the .exe program with wine. Wine is a Windows program loader for Linux. Search the repositories/ubuntu software center for it, and try to open the program. It has a fairly high success rate, depending on the Ubuntu version, wine version, and application. If not, then I can't really help. I don't know a thing about networking.
Haha alright, ill probably do a little research on wine, see if i can find out if it will work with that program. how demanding in the program? cause i'm pretty sure the SafeConnect thing installs and then just is always running in the background and if its not thats when you get prompted for the download Honestly the main thing thats fucking with me about this is i know that i've been on the network and that it has worked lol, ill probably open another topic to get the attention of people who know a lot about networks