Linux, Which one to choose...?

[azndrifter318]

My school recently gave me a computer, nothing great (500mhz, that's it). I've been wanting to try out linux but dare not to mess with my main computer I use. I've seen a bunch of Linux distributions, but which one is good for a Linux n00b like me? I would prefer a distribution where I only have to download 1 disk also. Tnx! Primarily I wanna use Linux for gaming and generally writing docs, and all the other office stuff.

 

[Flerbizky]

ATM I'd say Fedora....

 

[Spock]

I Frequently use ARKLinux http://www.arklinux.org/ for just about anyting, although it still in alpha stages, i havent seen really any problems, other than it wont connect to the "net" on a dialup modem, i highly recomend it

 

[LoudMusic]

Originally posted by azndrifter318
My school recently gave me a computer, nothing great (500mhz, that's it). I've been wanting to try out linux but dare not to mess with my main computer I use. I've seen a bunch of Linux distributions, but which one is good for a Linux n00b like me? I would prefer a distribution where I only have to download 1 disk also. Tnx! Primarily I wanna use Linux for gaming and generally writing docs, and all the other office stuff.

Dude, in another thread you're asking how to set up a home network game with Windows. Perhaps you should figure that stuff out before you jump into Linux. It's no walk-in-the-park.

 

[emad]

first, what LoudMusic said - you have GOT to learn the tough stuff of windows before you go into linux and start using command line stuff. You will also have to do some crazy stuff to get WINE working for emulation.

Now, if you learn the advanced things (most importantly, dos), take these suggestions:
For the 500mhz, it will be hard to choose a distro due to the lack of power.

Give Mandrake9.2 a try (check first if the BlackBox window manager is available) You will HAVE to use something light with that little juice. Mandrake 9.2 is a good choice because it's insanely easy to install.

Another good choice is PuppyLinux or Damn Small Linux - both of which, are 30 megs and boot off a cdr (there should be a way to install to hard disk as well). They will also work with even the very slowest computer you find.

 

[Super-Supra]

Isn't Redhat the bestest?

 

[LoudMusic]

Originally posted by Super-Supra
Isn't Redhat the bestest?

Normally I would just laugh, because it seem this is intended as a joke. But I'm honestly not sure if it is.

Speaking of Linux distros booting from CD ...

Knoppix is a nice one. Also Mandrake has made a CD bootable distro. They're nice because you don't have to mess up your computer in order to try it out. You can play with it on your fastest machine and then decide if you want to put it on something else.

 

[emad]

@super-supra
Mandrake and Redhat are equals for user-friendlyness.

The best of the best is the one you have the most success with. I personally, would pick Gentoo as being best since it's installer, though time consuming and difficult, will custom-compile the kernel to your rig.

 

[Burnout]

I used the Knoppix Live CD to figure out whether or not I wanted to instal Linux on my computer. I decided to and I used ArkLinux. It was increadibly easy to instal and run, except I never could get it to connect to my DSL...

Of course, you have very little CPU power so I would try and stick with a very light GUI.

 

[skip0110]

Fedora or Redhat would be the most user-friendly, IMO. They install eaily and come bundled with GNOME and/or KDE, which are desktop managers (give you a nice windows-like interface). If you use a window manager/desktop manager with a small footprint, chances are it will not be very easy to use.

However, I think that Fedora will be managable (note.. MANAGABLE, not fast) on your machine. Good enough for learning linux. For comparison, I installed Fedora on my OLD box (180 mhz, 96 mb ram, 4 mb video, you get the idea, this machine doesn't even ahev a USB port!) and it is slow, but still usable. However, NT 4.0 ran a lot faster on the same machine.

Note that it's the desktop thats slow, not the Linux kernel. So using a simpler window manager (check out IceWM and Ion) will make it run a lot faster.

As for the downloading, for a minimal fee (like $7) there are websites that will mail you all the linux cds.

I hope this was not too much of a ramble.

 

[skip0110]

Another note:
For comparison, my particular Fedora install takes up 3.3 gig, but that is a realtively full install. When running GNOME desktop wth IceWM as the window manager it uses about 100 mb ram. That can be expected, less than 128 mb ram will probably not work too well.

 

[Flerbizky]

Originally posted by skip0110
Fedora or Redhat would be the most user-friendly, IMO. They install eaily and come bundled with GNOME and/or KDE

Just to straighten things :

RedHat - Server Products - You pay for RedHats....

Fedora - What used to be the free RedHats - A project sponsored by RedHat..

 

[azndrifter318]

Originally posted by LoudMusic
Dude, in another thread you're asking how to set up a home network game with Windows. Perhaps you should figure that stuff out before you jump into Linux. It's no walk-in-the-park.

it's nothing serious, i just wanted to try out a new OS for kicks.

 

[LoudMusic]

Ah, then I would go with Mandrake. It's the most "user friendly" of the bunch.

 

[azndrifter318]

I've downloaded the .iso files, but not real sure what to do with them. Is it like raw data for a cd? Do i just burn the file like i would would any file?

 

[Flerbizky]

Most will CD burning proggies will know what to do with a .iso file... Got Nero ?....

And Btw. friggin' way - I recieved a promo copy of Xandros at wrrk the other day and I must say that I am VERY VERY impressed with the installation and basic behaviour of it. It is very slick and pretty fast for a full on OS... Installed it on a 450Mhz Sellery w. 256Mb ram... So if you can find a copy of that I highly recommend you give it a go as well... (Or I could make you an ISO you could DL....)

 

[azndrifter318]

I got Roxio Easy CD creator. Would you recommend Xandros over Mandrake? Oh and a quest. for linux users. Will my old pc games work on linux?

 

[Flerbizky]

Roxio should work just fine.. Look for something like "Burn CD from image file" - That should do the trick...

Some older games should work yes - Never really looked into that part though...

And yes - From the little time I've had to play with Xandros I'd say it's easier for n00bs than Mandrake....