user friendly Linux distro?

[todd_k]

I'm looking to give linux another shot and I'm looking for a "plug and play" easy version. I tried Red Hat 8 about a year ago and it did not go well. I want to dual boot with Win XP Pro. So far on another board, Knoppix Live and Unbuntu were recommended to me. Any others I should consider?

 

[user 574]

One of these words are not like the other, one of these words just don't fit:

Plug
Play
Easy
Linux



I get that inkling every couple-o-years myself. Last time I tried about 2 years ago (don't remember which flavor) it was a fiasco and yes, I'm very techy. I got AIX for our financials. Think it was trying to put the gui on it that was all f'ed up.

 

[Truble]

I am also techy....windows techy. It is what I do for a living. I run Slackware. I thought that it was easy to get going, as far a linux goes, and I liked the fact that the distro/ver that I installed had native support for my video, audio, media, and wireless (laptop). I don't use it that much, but it is handy, and the xwindows in it is stable.

 

[david_42]

I run CentOS at home and on my company's server. It's not too bad, but I've 15 years of UNIX experience. Slackware is one of the better choices, if your background is wintel.

UNIX + easy = Mac OS X

 

[Vagrant]

Slackware's gotten much more user friendly since the 2.0 days, but there are other distros more geared towards user friendlyness. Gentoo is pretty straight forward and installs a GUI (Graphical User Interface, like Windows) pretty easily. If you're coming from a strong windows background, a GUI makes the transition or learning process a lot easier. It also comes with a html install guide that you can follow along with as you're installing and it gives options on what type of install to use. There are some areas where it gets hard to understand, like the "stages". Ubuntu I've never used, but have heard it was easy to install and use as well.

Most current linux distributions have driver support built in for most devices. Chances are, if you look at the release date of the distribution version and it's newer than the hardware you want to use, it'll support it.

If you want to PM me with some linux questions, please do. I was a linux/unix administrator (4 years) and used it as my main OS for a while before I was in the Marine Corps.

 

[olllllo]

Always had hardware problems, but I'm always getting new gadgets.
The best distro for me was to distro the disks in the can.

 

[Nate]

I run Fedora on numerous machines... pretty good.

 

[knewshound]

Ubuntu is easy to install, loads all your drivers, unless you have some weird hardware, has an easy to use GUI and works very wel indeed.

What have you go to lose?

Cheers,

knewshound

 

[disaffected]

Here is a little quiz that supposedly helps find the right Linux distribution for you.

Linux Distribution Chooser

I run Slackware on my home systems, but I've also run Red Hat, Fedora Core 3 and 4, Debian, and Damn Small Linux. I still run Damn Small, in fact. It is my portable distro of choice. I carry it with me in my wallet on a 50mb credit card-sized CD. I typically keep the current Live CD of Knoppix in my brief case, too.

 

[todd_k]

that quiz is telling me ubuntu, kubuntu, and mandriva. I'm downloading ubuntu now and will install it tomorrow.

 

[disaffected]

Well, good luck to you. It should be relatively fun and easy, compared to some other distros. That ease of use is one reason why Ubuntu has such a large following.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Ubuntu or Debian? That is the question...

I'm seriously considering migrating my primary desktop machine to Linux tomorrow. I'm tired of Microsoft's crap, and I think Linux has finally amassed enough good software to justify giving it another shot. OpenOffice, Mozilla, QBrew, etc - good stuff!

So, Ubuntu looks promising, and I'm currently running Debian on my Slug media gadget. I've successfully installed Slackware and Red Hat before, but they seem dated. Oh...the choices...

Anybody wanna help me make up my mind?

EDIT (in case you care...):
I'm gonna go with Ubuntu. It's close enough to Debian (my current comfort zone) that I should feel at ease with it, but I like the "plug and play" aspects of it over Debian. I'm going to check out the latest release of Enlightenment (the window manager) as well - it looked really promising back when I was messing with Linux in college. Now it's pretty mature, and I'm excited to see the progress!

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Whoopee! I'm posting from my fresh Ubuntu installation!

It couldn't have been easier! Surely I need to tweak it a bit, but it seems as if most (if not all) of my hardware/peripherals have been detected and set up, and I have network access.

I'm impressed! So far, I highly recommend Ubuntu!

 

[JustDave]

Congrats! I'm sure you'll love it. I have Ubuntu running my DVR at home, plus a laptop (still haven't gotten around to installing it on my main PC), and it's great.

I've also found the forums at http://www.ubuntuforums.org/ to be pretty helpful if you have any questions. Good luck!

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I have Ubuntu running my DVR at home...

You read my mind. I migrated to Linux with the intent of converting my current desktop machine to an HTPC (home theater PC).

 

[JustDave]

Now, you said "intent", did that ever become a reality? Or is it still in the planning stages?

If you haven't already, you may want to check out the MythTV program -- it's pretty cool, and it's amazing what you can do with fairly basic hardware (assuming you purchase a TV tuner card with hardware encoding).

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Now, you said "intent", did that ever become a reality? Or is it still in the planning stages?

Still planning it - right now it's just my everyday desktop computer. Whenever we upgrade SWMBO's laptop, I think I'm going to finish the media project.

I like the look of MythTV, too - will definitely check it out!

 

[jjasghar]

Ubuntu is easy to install, loads all your drivers, unless you have some weird hardware, has an easy to use GUI and works very wel indeed.

What have you go to lose?

Cheers,

knewshound

ubuntu++

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I may try QBrew...but BeerSmith installs and runs very nicely with Wine. It even accepts my license key, and I managed to keep all of my old recipes! Sweet!

 

[Drunkensatyr]

You read my mind. I migrated to Linux with the intent of converting my current desktop machine to an HTPC (home theater PC).

1st he has to build the kegerator w/ built in surround sound, and the self surfing remote

 

[scottthorn]

Just wanted to chime in as another satisfied ubuntu user.
It's definitely the most user-friendly *nix distro I've experienced.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Y'all have GOT to check out the Compiz WM! It's freakin' amazing! You need a decent 3D graphics card, proprietary drivers for it (most likely - I'm using an ATI card with fglrx), a working Xgl installation, and a little bit of bravery. Do some Googling...you'll find plenty of info. If you're not using an AMD 64 installation, you can use the latest Compiz Fusion WM (Beryl/Compiz merger software).

Anyway, it's a pretty cool (if a bit gimmicky) manager that takes advantage of the 3D card to give you some pretty sharp desktop graphics. It gives you the standard option for several "workspaces," but they're oriented on a cube that you can rotate with the mouse. Here's a screenshot (sorry so small...HBT likes to resize large files). I have my surround sound client software (connected to mpd on the NSLU2 Debian Slug in the living room) on the left, and Firefox on the right.

EDIT:
Another gratuitous screenshot - this time with both apps on the same workspace. Compiz has a "wobbly" plugin that makes your windows appear flexible as you move them around. You can "peel" them back like this: (I'm not sure of the utility, but it's fun)

Also, YouTube has a bunch of Compiz demo videos.

 

[talleymonster]

I had Ubuntu about a year ago. I liked it, but then I got a copy of SUSE and I loved it! Very user friendly, a lot of media software.