linux geeks - distro recommendations

[Bender]

not for me, for my wife. She is NOT a geek at all on computers, she just wants everything to work, all the time, with no problems ever... :rolleyes

She is using one of my old machines, which IIRC is home-built machine by me: AMD Athlon XP2000, Antec case, CD burner, usb1 ports and usb2 ports.
No DVD drive, no firewire. Her internet connection is via a netgear wireless usb adapter.
She currently has windows 2000 professional on it. However, the OS is totally trashed - viruses, hijackers, trojans, and everything else. I told her to buy an XP CD for like $100, but no, she wants something free.
I was able to boot into Safe Mode, and backup her pictures folder and itunes music folder, so we can now wipe out the disk and reinstall an OS.

I told her I would put a linux distro on it for her... but I am kind of nervous of her getting mad all the time because something 'doesn't work' right away.

Personally, I have used linux off and on for over 5 years. I've used Mandrake/Mandriva, Red Hat 9, Fedora 2 (also Fedora 3 and 4), and Debian.

For my wife I would want a distro where everything works 'out of the box'. If I remember, Fedora and Debian refuse to include any codecs in their distros, such as mp3 players, dvd players, etc.

So I am thinking Mandriva powerpack for my wife. Or is there another 'newbie' distro out there that would be better?

sorry for the long post, I am bored at work.

[koriwhat]

ubuntu... plain and simple.

[Borosai]

You should take a look at SimplyMEPIS (http://www.mepis.org/) as well. Just give the LiveCDs a spin and see how comfortable she feels in whatever distributions you choose.

[Bender]

I knew someone would suggest ubuntu.

I installed it once about 2 years ago. Personally, I wasn't crazy about it, although I know it is popular. I wasn't used to all that "sudo" stuff.

I will read up about the newest ubuntu release however.

I would prefer a distro that can be perpetually updated / upgraded. I remember distros such as mandriva being "point releases", in other words, you can only update the core programs up to a point, and then if you want the latest and greatest, you would have to wait for the next version of mandriva. I think debian is a "rolling distro" in that you can continually keep it updated, including core programs & the kernel.

As long as my wife can email (she mostly uses internet email - gmail, hotmail, etc), has reliable wireless internet, has a good music player and organizer, and can retrieve pics from her dig camera, she will be happy.

edit: yeah, liveCDs are a good idea. I will make one for her to try out. I'll have to tell her that it won't normally be that 'slow' once it is installed on the H-D.

[ElNono]

not for me, for my wife. She is NOT a geek at all on computers, she just wants everything to work, all the time, with no problems ever... :rolleyes


You should either get a Mac (preferred), or turn the box into a Hackintosh.
Problem solved.

I actually just bought one of the new Mac Mini for home. They're fairly cheap and should do all you need.

[Bender]

she wants something free

[koriwhat]

You should either get a Mac (preferred), or turn the box into a Hackintosh.
Problem solved.

I actually just bought one of the new Mac Mini for home. They're fairly cheap and should do all you need.

osx is def the way to go but gnu/gpl free shit is a lot less expensive... hahaha.

ubuntu, not that i use linux anymore anyhow, is very user friendly and the only time i've ever used sudo command in that distro was to install some tablet drivers though now all those tablet drivers, wacom, come preinstalled and ready to roll.

my buddy swears by ubuntu and i swear by osx. pick your poison and if you have deep pockets then go for a mac.

[baseline bum]

I knew someone would suggest ubuntu.

I installed it once about 2 years ago. Personally, I wasn't crazy about it, although I know it is popular. I wasn't used to all that "sudo" stuff.

I will read up about the newest ubuntu release however.

I would prefer a distro that can be perpetually updated / upgraded. I remember distros such as mandriva being "point releases", in other words, you can only update the core programs up to a point, and then if you want the latest and greatest, you would have to wait for the next version of mandriva. I think debian is a "rolling distro" in that you can continually keep it updated, including core programs & the kernel.

As long as my wife can email (she mostly uses internet email - gmail, hotmail, etc), has reliable wireless internet, has a good music player and organizer, and can retrieve pics from her dig camera, she will be happy.

edit: yeah, liveCDs are a good idea. I will make one for her to try out. I'll have to tell her that it won't normally be that 'slow' once it is installed on the H-D.


The only time you're likely to need sudo in ubuntu is when you're installing software. ubuntu is very easy to use for a linux, but it's still a UNIX and therefore has a high learning curve. You're crazy for thinking linux on a computer of someone who is not into this kind of stuff though. Go register for demonoid and download a WindowsXP cd if you want something free.

[Bender]

what about those sealed XP CDs that come with new computers? I mean, I have access to a couple of sealed XP discs that came with new computers, but I don't want for the company to get in any kind of trouble, or anything...


You're crazy for thinking linux on a computer of someone who is not into this kind of stuff
I would install the distro, and keep it maintained and updated, install packages, and help her with any problems.

[ElNono]

If the computer is currently trashed with "viruses, hijackers, trojans, and everything else" why in hell do you even consider installing XP?

Just give Ubuntu a try, and see what it looks like. I heard good things about it. I still think a Mac would work better for her, but if you want free and more important, trouble free, then by all means give Ubuntu a try.

[koriwhat]

The only time you're likely to need sudo in ubuntu is when you're installing software. ubuntu is very easy to use for a linux, but it's still a UNIX and therefore has a high learning curve. You're crazy for thinking linux on a computer of someone who is not into this kind of stuff though. Go register for demonoid and download a WindowsXP cd if you want something free.

there's no real learning curve with ubuntu... not these days atleast.

my friend put it on a computer for his 60 yr old mother who has absolutely no computer skills and seems to get by just fine. all she uses ubuntu for is her email, internet, and sometimes the occasional office bs.

it's pretty much install and go. if you want more software you just open up your installer through your "start" menu and there ya go. no sudo needed for that unless it's something obscure like a driver that's not included or isn't yet supported through the package manager/synaptic manager.

xfce is pretty cool too if you want to add a little spice to the os.

[Bender]

what does ubuntu use for package installation, apt - like debian? Does it come with all the software repositories already setup and built into the distro? It's all GUI I suppose. Back with debian I used to update via the command line, with apt. As I remember, synaptic (graphical apt) was available, but I prefered command line.


If the computer is currently trashed with "viruses, hijackers, trojans, and everything else" why in hell do you even consider installing XP?

her computer was previously used by several people, her grown son, grown daughter, our younger son, herself, neighbors occassionally, and other visiting family members...
With just herself using the computer now, I suppose XP would be workable.
I personally like windows 2000 professional, but for multimedia stuff, such a burning CD-RWs, DVD-RWs... it sucks big time. You need 3rd party s/w for that stuff. I don't like how it handles usb stuff either. XP is much better in both of those instances.

you don't need to defend linux to me, I hate MS with all my being, and really like linux.

[koriwhat]

what does ubuntu use for package installation, apt - like debian? Does it come with all the software repositories already setup and built into the distro? It's all GUI I suppose. Back with debian I used to update via the command line, with apt. As I remember, synaptic (graphical apt) was available, but I prefered command line.

yeah you can apt-get software but it's not really needed as long as it's in the package manager already. no command line stuff at all... it's all a matter of search, click, and install these days.

there's the package manager(like the add/remove in windows) and the synaptic manager as well which is just like the package manager but you can customize things a bit more.

[Bender]

ubuntu is sounding good to me, for the wife that is. Is it "pretty"? First impressions mean a lot... :lol

[koriwhat]

ubuntu is sounding good to me, for the wife that is. Is it "pretty"? First impressions mean a lot... :lol

are you suggesting it looks like it did back in the early 90's? nah... it is way more graphically advanced these days especially with the addition of compiz desktop effects and all the other shells like xfce out there, moreso then windows will ever be.

[Bender]

no, that last time I had a linux machine (about a year ago, or slightly more), my linux distro looked very nice. I suppose they even look prettier now, since people like that eye candy on their computers.

[ElNono]

you don't need to defend linux to me, I hate MS with all my being, and really like linux.

I don't really have a problem with MS, other than you do need to know what you're doing unless you want your computer trojaned 10 different ways. It's high maintenance like that.

[velik_m]

Go with Kubuntu (Ubuntu+KDE). Also Ubuntu is more or less Debian only with more regular updates. Wireless might be a problem (with any linux).

[Bender]

I was hoping that wireless would be pretty much automatic with linux these days

edit: how's the ubuntu installer? It's been a couple years since I've installed a linux distro. Especially the partitioning options. I want to wipeout the entire disk and make new partitions, and also I would want a separate /home directory, and not have /home being under /root.

any partitioning tips..? it's been a while... :lol

[koriwhat]

ew kde... gross! kde only if you wanna take 1 step forward and 2 steps back.

[Bender]

back in my years with different linux distros, I generally stuck with gnome. However, I usually installed both kde and gnome, I just usually used gnome after installation.

[baseline bum]

I second the hate on KDE. It looks cartoony and tries too hard to be like Windows. I also had tons of stability problems last time I used KDE (when I briefly tried FedoraCore). Ubuntu's the first mainstream distro I have liked since Slackware. Between Slackware 10 years ago and Ubuntu starting a year ago I used to use LFS, which I thought was a deceptively easy OS that didn't have the headaches of all the big distros. Multilib and modular X11 made LFS a nightmare though.:depressed

[Bender]

yeah KDE was trying to be like windows I suppose. Plus I think it was a resource hog if I remember...

Can you trash ubuntu without a root password? I mean, if I install it for my wife, and give myself a root p/w, and make my wife a regular user, will ubuntu let her screw up the system?

[balli]

I'm not a linux geek by any means but I partitioned and installed Ubuntu on my old laptop about 2 months ago without a hitch. I barely use it, but it looks fantastic (if your video card can handle running the Compiz Fusion skin/program/whatever it is, even better). Anyways, just thought I'd chime in to say that for a non-linux geek, Ubuntu's been a cakewalk to install and operate.

[Bender]

I used to be a linux geek, but its been a while since I've used it. I'm sure I'm quite rusty. Windows rots your brain, just pointing and clicking without thinking.

I don't remember what video card (if any) I put in that old machine she is using. If it has a card, it is probably a low-end nvidia card... 128MB probably. either that, or onboard video. I wasn't a gamer back then (I'm still not a gamer, but I like a decent video card these days).

[baseline bum]

I'm not a linux geek by any means but I partitioned and installed Ubuntu on my old laptop about 2 months ago without a hitch. I barely use it, but it looks fantastic (if your video card can handle running the Compiz Fusion skin/program/whatever it is, even better). Anyways, just thought I'd chime in to say that for a non-linux geek, Ubuntu's been a cakewalk to install and operate.

I have a system with a cheapass motherboard and integrated video (GeForce6150 or some crap) with 1GB system RAM, and compiz works flawlessly on Ubuntu. I was shocked.

[Bender]

most linux distros don't have the overhead drag on system resources like windows does.

well, that's good to know, bb. Hopefully ubuntu will work nicely on her machine.

I'll d/l and burn the install CDs this weekend, and a live CD if ubuntu has one. I'm taking off Monday and Tuesday for vacation, so I'll have some time to screw around
(what a vacation... right?)

[spurster]

Get Ubuntu. I've used and liked RedHat, Fedora Core, and KDE for a long time now, but from what I've heard, Ubuntu is not as needy.

[rold50]

Yes. Get Ubuntu. It's very easy to install and use. The GUI / 3D desktop has really improved vs 2 years ago. I'm still using a Geforce 4 and Compiz works perfectly for me.

One thing I really like about Linux distros is that you can have hot keys for practically anything. When I use windows, I feel that it's very slow in terms of "interaction" because I always have to use the mouse to do things. With linux, I can just use my keyboard to bring up a terminal, minimize a window, move a window around..etc.

[koriwhat]

most linux distros don't have the overhead drag on system resources like windows does.

well, that's good to know, bb. Hopefully ubuntu will work nicely on her machine.

I'll d/l and burn the install CDs this weekend, and a live CD if ubuntu has one. I'm taking off Monday and Tuesday for vacation, so I'll have some time to screw around
(what a vacation... right?)

the install cd/dvd is also the live cd/dvd. :king

[velik_m]

yeah KDE was trying to be like windows I suppose. Plus I think it was a resource hog if I remember...

Can you trash ubuntu without a root password? I mean, if I install it for my wife, and give myself a root p/w, and make my wife a regular user, will ubuntu let her screw up the system?

By default, the root account password is locked in Ubuntu. see: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RootSudo

I actually preferred Gnome for its minimalist approach and i still use it, but i feel they went too far in this regard.

[sabar]

Some random thoughts.

Use ubuntu.

KDE3 is stable and looked better than gnome

KDE4 is way too unstable and has poor performance, plus gnome looks much better now a days.

Mandriva 2009 is unstable out of the box and forces pulse audio down your throat.

Ubuntu doesn't like proprietary software. This means you need to dump the free video drivers (they suck), the free flash player (it sucks) and get Microsoft's truetype fonts installed (most web pages don't specify fonts for linux and will look weird using the default).

Theres some other annoying things regarding distros forcing free software down your throat when they are clearly buggy and not finished just for the sake of being free, but thats for another discussion. Adobe Flash Player vs. free flash player is a great example.

[bobbybob0]

ubuntu is sounding good to me, for the wife that is. Is it "pretty"? First impressions mean a lot... :lol

From my experience with ubuntu you can choose between two desktop manager: GNome or KDE.

The KDE version is much more powerfull whereas the GNome one is much simpler.

When you download ubuntu and burn it on a CD it can boot it as a "live" Linux meaning you don't need to install anything on the hard drive to get a running system. Just burn the two versions, give it a try and let your wife decide which version she prefer.

My 2 cts.

[koriwhat]

The KDE version is much more powerfull whereas the GNome one is much simpler.

uh, what? more powerful? i don't get it... it's a freakin' shell with a shitty gui and same goes for gnome. xfce is where it's at!

just like explorer is a shitty shell on winOS so is kde on linux.

[Bender]

I'm gonna d/l ubuntu tonight. If I d/l "ubuntu", can I later use KDE, gnome, or xfce or whatever? If I want to try xfce, should I d/l "xubuntu" or does it matter?

From what I remember with other distros, they came with a default GUI shell, but you could install other ones if you want. Is ubuntu the same way?

So the question is, if I d/l ubuntu, can I install and run xfce instead of gnome, and vice versa if I d/l "xubuntu" can I install gnome?

[dougp]

How about Ubuntu with the netbook remix interface? It'll be very simple for her to use as everything is on the screen. Or you can use gOS?

[rold50]

I'm gonna d/l ubuntu tonight. If I d/l "ubuntu", can I later use KDE, gnome, or xfce or whatever? If I want to try xfce, should I d/l "xubuntu" or does it matter?

From what I remember with other distros, they came with a default GUI shell, but you could install other ones if you want. Is ubuntu the same way?

So the question is, if I d/l ubuntu, can I install and run xfce instead of gnome, and vice versa if I d/l "xubuntu" can I install gnome?

yes you can always install the other GUI shell.

[Cry Havoc]

uh, what? more powerful? i don't get it... it's a freakin' shell with a shitty gui and same goes for gnome. xfce is where it's at!

just like explorer is a shitty shell on winOS so is kde on linux.

+1 to the Ubuntu recommendation.

I'm willing to say that Ubuntu would FLY on a computer with a 1.5 ghz processor and 512 mb of RAM. It is just so much more efficient at handling processes and allocation of memory than Windows has ever thought about being.

[Bender]

I d/l the ubuntu iso last night. checked the md5 sum this morning, it was perfect. burned the CD (with InfraCD something or other). couldn't figure how to check the md5 of the burned CD though. guess I'll just boot my wife's machine with it this evening and hopefully it will give me the option of wiping out the entire windows HD and install ubuntu over it.

If I like it, I will probably make my windows XP desktop a dual-boot machine with ubuntu.

Thanks

[Bender]

my wife is asking me if she can use her ipod within linux... synch and all that...

I googled a little, but much of the info is kind of old.

edit: ok, looks like there are a couple of linux programs that work with ipods... so nevermind.

[koriwhat]

ipods work with linux.

[Bender]

I ran the CD live on my wife's machine. everything worked fine, except for the wireless internet. But that was just the case of me having to name the connection, and provide the SSID and 128-bit key. After that... internet works great.
I went ahead and told it to install itself, using the entire H-D, wiping out windows.

I think my wife will like it. Thanks to all who suggested ubuntu. In fact, I think I'll go ahead and put it on my XP machine, as dual-boot.