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How to choose Linux

duncan5200
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I want to try to use linux, to maybe learn some programing, and would like to find out how to choose the proper Linux os, and where to buy or download it. Are there any reccomendations for linux os version?

Thank you in advance for the help.

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If your just wanting to get started i would recomend Ubuntu Desktop

I am a happy wuffy

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If your just wanting to get started i would recomend Ubuntu Desktop

This is probably a stupid question but where do I download it?

Mouse: Razer Death Adder 2013 Keybaord: Razer Black Widow Ultimate 2013

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http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php

 

Hands down the best beginner distribution. Get the Cinnamon version and the experience should be fairly familiar. You will need to learn some terminal commands along the way but there is great knowledge available online and this really is what defines Linux. You can get Ubuntu, but what you'll really get is a dumbed down distribution that stands in the way of the Linux experience you most likely want.

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Never pay for Linux, unless it seems really legit.

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My first linux distro was Ubuntu Desktop which makes installing most applications easy using the Ubuntu Software Center, but there are lots of other alternatives available for free. Linux Mint is also good choice if you're getting started, the user experience is closer to windows than most other distributions (that i'm aware of).

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http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php

 

Hands down the best beginner distribution. Get the Cinnamon version and the experience should be fairly familiar. You will need to learn some terminal commands along the way but there is great knowledge available online and this really is what defines Linux. You can get Ubuntu, but what you'll really get is a dumbed down distribution that stands in the way of the Linux experience you most likely want.

Thanks I was lopoking for something to learn some commands, I will deffinetely try that, it is free or pay?

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You can get Ubuntu, but what you'll really get is a dumbed down distribution that stands in the way of the Linux experience you most likely want.

It's people like you that stand in the way of Linux having more widespread acceptance. He doesn't know what experience he wants, he's new. Even if you consider Ubuntu to be dumbed down, it's still far more hardcore than Windows and being easy to use is a virtue, not a blemish. 

 

The entire engineering department at WPI runs on Ubuntu. CS majors run it. If you assume CS majors are all stupid, then your assertion makes sense. Otherwise it simply does not.

"You have got to be the biggest asshole on this forum..."

-GingerbreadPK

sudo rm -rf /

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Thanks I was lopoking for something to learn some commands, I will deffinetely try that, it is free or pay?

 

Free. Every good distribution is free. :)

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Thanks I was lopoking for something to learn some commands

He doesn't know what experience he wants

 

There you go. For the record I am a CS major.

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There you go. For the record I am a CS major.

You can learn commands from Ubuntu just as easily as in Mint. I don't know what your point is.

 

I assume you hate Ubuntu because of Unity. Well, guess what, not everybody wants a UI that looks like it was coded in 2003. 

"You have got to be the biggest asshole on this forum..."

-GingerbreadPK

sudo rm -rf /

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My suggestion is that your grab three USB thumbdrives and put the ISO's of the top three distributions and just boot them from USB.  Try them each out for a day or two and then pick the one you like best.

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Have a look at this site http://distrowatch.com/

There you can read up on the various distros and find download links^^

 

The good thing about linux is that you can choose whatever flavour you want. 

Personally i've fallen for fedora (It has yum commands. How can you not like that?) 

Choosing one is not easy though. But you could always download virtualbox and test out various distros in that

It's really simple^^ 

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You can learn commands from Ubuntu just as easily as in Mint. I don't know what your point is.

 

I assume you hate Ubuntu because of Unity. Well, guess what, not everybody wants a UI that looks like it was coded in 2003. 

 

I don't hate Ubuntu, not at all. I most definitely dislike Unity but that's not what this is about. Ubuntu is a great distribution for normal people, it's actually usable for people who don't know anything at all about Linux let alone PC's. This fact however has taken a lot away from the Linux experience that most power users I know want. When I started using Linux it was because I wanted a challenge, I wanted to learn, and this is most easily done with a distribution that pushes you in the right direction. Ubuntu doesn't do that.

 

As for Unity I really don't know a single soul that likes it over MATE or GNOME(like desktop environments). Most CS students I know that use Linux eventually moved on to tiling WM's like awesome (which I prefer), this of course is not for people just starting out with Linux though.

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I don't hate Ubuntu, not at all. I most definitely dislike Unity but that's not what this is about. Ubuntu is a great distribution for normal people, it's actually usable for people who don't know anything at all about Linux let alone PC's. This fact however has taken a lot away from the Linux experience that most power users I know want. When I started using Linux it was because I wanted a challenge, I wanted to learn, and this is most easily done with a distribution that pushes you in the right direction. Ubuntu doesn't do that.

 

As for Unity I really don't know a single soul that likes it over MATE or GNOME(like desktop environments). Most CS students I know that use Linux eventually moved on to tiling WM's like awesome (which I prefer), this of course is not for people just starting out with Linux though.

How exactly does Mint "push you in the right direction" more so than Ubuntu? By being harder to use? Please elaborate.

 

MATE is ugly and GNOME is a cluttered mess, as described in Torvalds himself's lengthy G+ post on the subject. 

 

Tiling WMs are better than desktop environments for power users, I definitely agree. I personally prefer OpenBox and xmonad.

"You have got to be the biggest asshole on this forum..."

-GingerbreadPK

sudo rm -rf /

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If you really get into Linux it's a trial and error approach.

You will most likely try many distros before you find what you like.

 

But hey, it's all free, so no problems there,

and with virtualbox it's even easier to test what you like

without messing with you disks.

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Step 1: don't

Step 2: enjoy life

 

For real though, Ubuntu is the most useable Linux distro, with the widest support, a clean UI, and good built-in programs.

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Ubuntu is good, But I'm not fond of Unity. I put Mint on my shittop recently and it's very snappy and doesn't lag. I use the terminal more than graphical interfaces now because it is alot faster. To me, you can customize Mint more aswell. For example, this is what I have gotten mine to look like just after a day of messing around:

D3NRzxz.png
 

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Has Ubuntu moved to systemd in their latest release? If not it may be better to go with a distro on systemd as like it or not, that is where things seem to be heading for Linux in general. I know Fedora 20 uses systemd and is easy to install and should work mostly out of the box.

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Has Ubuntu moved to systemd in their latest release? If not it may be better to go with a distro on systemd as like it or not, that is where things seem to be heading for Linux in general. I know Fedora 20 uses systemd and is easy to install and should work mostly out of the box.

According to http://askubuntu.com/questions/490946/is-ubuntu-14-04-using-systemd they're using Upstart with systemd planned for 14.10 or beyond. 

Arch Linux also uses systemd, which is excellent. 

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I recommend Solydk or Linux Mint Cinammon

http://solydxk.com/homeedition/solydk/

http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=158

They come with firefox, VLC and Libre Office. Think you will find them quite user friendly.

 

If you want Ubuntu, like many of us you may not like the Unity desktop interface. In that case you can download Kubuntu which is Ubuntu with the KDE desktop interface which you will find easier than Unity as a transitioning windows user

http://www.kubuntu.org/

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If you want Ubuntu, like many of us you may not like the Unity desktop interface. In that case you can download Kubuntu which is Ubuntu with the KDE desktop interface which you will find easier than Unity as a transitioning windows user

http://www.kubuntu.org/

All this hatred for Unity...is it unmanly or something to want a UI that looks nice and works?

 

KDE is just plain fugly.

"You have got to be the biggest asshole on this forum..."

-GingerbreadPK

sudo rm -rf /

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