I'm sure you guys get asked this a lot, and i know the best way to find out is just to try everything available. well i've tried a couple of live cd distros, but none of them would boot. i tried several suggestions on the intarweb, but i've pretty much given up on them. of course i need a distro w/ some compatability (p4 3.0ghz, 512mb ram, NTFS - if it's supported yet). I'd like something w/ an easy install and an easy to use bootloader so i can keep windows. I'd also like something with a nice UI. i'd like to think i'm all-pro @ the DOS shell, but i have no experience w/ the linux shell. any suggestions? _________________________________ also, does anyone here run Solaris?

Quote: Original post by domstyledesign
I'm sure you guys get asked this a lot, and i know the best way to find out is just to try everything available.

well i've tried a couple of live cd distros, but none of them would boot. i tried several suggestions on the intarweb, but i've pretty much given up on them.

Installing without a LiveCD can be tricky. Especially if you don't have a Linux install already.

Quote: of course i need a distro w/ some compatability (p4 3.0ghz, 512mb ram, NTFS - if it's supported yet). I'd like something w/ an easy install and an easy to use bootloader so i can keep windows. I'd also like something with a nice UI.

All distros have pretty much the same compatabilty as they are all running this here kernel called Linux. NTFS can be read, but writing is trickier.

Quote: i'd like to think i'm all-pro @ the DOS shell, but i have no experience w/ the linux shell. any suggestions?

Suggestion: Install Linux without one of them GUIs to master the commandline.

And if you want a distro recommendation I'll recommend Gentoo. It's a bit too easy to use for me though. You might want to consider something with more problems such as Slackware though, as there is no better way to learn than trying to solve problems you have no idea what they are about.

I suggest you Take the test

if you don't think the results suit you then tell us about your discrepency.

Quote: Original post by Leffe
And if you want a distro recommendation I'll recommend Gentoo. It's a bit too easy to use for me though. You might want to consider something with more problems such as Slackware though, as there is no better way to learn than trying to solve problems you have no idea what they are about.

ya gentoo looks like a good one, but i chose slackware for some reason...
he's right, if u wanna learn how to solve problems, use slackware. luckily i've solved all the problems i've had so far, and it's been a headache, but i've learned quite a bit. :)

to get the live cd to work go to your bios setup and make the cd drive the 1st boot device. this is how I got it to work for me

I am a happy gentoo user, but I _do not_ recommend it to you. You said you want to learn console but you don't know anything about it. You can manage with gentoo (thanks to the excellent documentation), but most likely you would end up whining in IRC channels and reinstalling windows.

At the moment I feel that the best "non-guru" distribution in Ubuntu. It's based on debian, but it's a little more simple. I'd suggest you take this one. You can use a gui to install but learn console after the installation. Of course, debian is an alternative too.

-Richardo

Try MEPIS.

It's a very easy to use distro with all the power and software of Debian (apt-get). It uses KDE by default which is very customizable and has a lot of applications written for it.

I like it because it doesn't have many problems to fix. Other distros: slackware and gentoo will give you a big headache before you get things working. In MEPIS, with KDE, my only problems were to customize the interface, find the right software to install and the ocasional configuration editing. Coming from using Red Hat 9, Vector Linux, attempting to use gentoo, MEPIS felt like a breeze of fresh air and it has very rarely given me configuration/software headaches. I really recommend it to anyone begginning Linux / wanting a distro that you don't have to mess with. The CD you download is a Live cd which also can install to the hard drive.

With other linux distros i've went back to windows in a few days after using them, mainly because of Gnome which didn't fit with my style / needs. KDE feels much better and i think it's more beginner friendly and also more mature.

For that windows look and feel if you want something faimiliar install the "msttcorefonts" package and setting them up in the KDE control panel is a snap.

Good luck!

Quote: Original post by eedok
I suggest you Take the test

if you don't think the results suit you then tell us about your discrepency.

Heh, I had never seen that before, but after taking the test, the highest match I had was Debian by far (81%), so it seems pretty accurate to me.

Quote: Original post by benefishal
to get the live cd to work go to your bios setup and make the cd drive the 1st boot device. this is how I got it to work for me

i'm a linux noob, not a computer noob ;-). the cd booted, it just froze on some screen... i don't even remember which one now, but it's unimportant

Quote: Original post by RichardoX
I am a happy gentoo user, but I _do not_ recommend it to you. You said you want to learn console but you don't know anything about it. You can manage with gentoo (thanks to the excellent documentation), but most likely you would end up whining in IRC channels and reinstalling windows.

At the moment I feel that the best "non-guru" distribution in Ubuntu. It's based on debian, but it's a little more simple. I'd suggest you take this one. You can use a gui to install but learn console after the installation. Of course, debian is an alternative too.

-Richardo

I never wrote that i wanted to learn the linux console. Of course i do want to, in time. but currently i have several projects all going at once and i just want to be productive.

so ease of use is a must (the fewer problems to fix, the better).

According to distrowatch, Ubunto has become the most popular (or at least the most popular page to look at). I was kinda hoping someone would suggest it. The test (thanks!) scored 81% for Ubuntu, Mandrake, and Suse. So it looks like i'm going w/ Ubuntu.

Thanks guys!

I also got my distro I've been using for the last while (Gentoo) on the test. If you're just doing it for learning purposes, then every distro has its advantages and disadvantages. But if you're actually using as a normal operating system that you actually want to do stuff on, Debian and Gentoo are the only ones with normal package management - essential for normal computer use.