Linux Which Linux OS would suit me?

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vishalrao said:
how much ram/what cpu do you have? i think even normal latest distro (ubuntu, mandriva, fedora) will do if you have at least 512 mb ram and whatever CPU :) if you have less RAM, try xubuntu since you want "full fledged" desktop...
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i need it for my old laptop with 256MB RAM&P4 mobile 2.4ghz?any other recommendations?:)tried mandriva but runs slow on this laptop...what about mobilin?i think since its developed for netbooks it should be fast on this system...what do u say?
 
thats why i mentioned xubuntu: Get Xubuntu | Xubuntu see the second para (minimum system requirements)... i think this should suffice.. if you need even more lightweight yet full featured maybe try archlinux but be prepared to do a lot of work heh :)
 
vishalrao said:
thats why i mentioned xubuntu: Get Xubuntu | Xubuntu see the second para (minimum system requirements)... i think this should suffice.. if you need even more lightweight yet full featured maybe try archlinux but be prepared to do a lot of work heh :)
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tks ,maybe i thought i need different...i know xubuntu would run well..also i saw mepis Antix which is developed for the same..should i go ahead or should i d/l arch?also read that chakra eases the installation of arch?can i d/l chakra instead of arch?:)
 
if you want to go with arch read the main wiki pages (beginner's guide etc) before you start downloading to get an idea of what work is required on your part... it can easily end in disaster IMHO, so if you want easy stuff xubuntu should be good (im saying xubuntu coz im not familiar with other similar distros, you can try mepis or whatever else you find)...
 
There's a difference between the best distro and the best distro for a new user.

The best distro for a new user would be LinuxMint. I absolutely loved it! Need to install...go to MintInstall. Since it's based on Ubuntu, you can use apt-get in the terminal and ask for help on the awesome ubuntu forums (though the LinuxMint forums are also pretty good). The out of the box functionality of LinuxMint is unmatched.

If you have a basic idea of using Linux, I'd suggest Fedora. It's what I'm using now, though I had some issues with drivers, especially for sound. If you're used to Ubuntu or other .deb package distros, it might take some time to get used to .rpm packages, but it's as simple as typing yum install firefox :) Fedora is what Linus Trovalds actually uses. For the uninitiated, that's the author of the linux kernel.

Fedora's really beautiful though and the community is friendly and helpful. I'll be trying out Debian on my desktop next month and I'll post a review once I get around to it.

If you have an old computer though, nothing, and i mean NOTHING can beat Xubuntu. I use it on a 9 year old desktop... 800 Mhz, 256MB RAM, 10GB HDD and 64MB Geforce 2 card, It runs like a dream!! That is for Intel processors though. If you have a PowerPC, you have little choice but Fedora as it's one of the few distros that has a special version for the PPC.

As you can see, there's absolutely no limit to choice when it comes to distros. If you want a really gorgeous desktop, use a KDE based distro (Opensuse, Mandirva, Kubuntu etc). For out of the box functionality and ease of use, there's LinuxMint and Ubuntu. For a more traditional distro, you can try Fedora, Debian, Knoppix or Mandirva (again). If you REALLY know what you're doing and want some really customizable, use Gentoo and it's crazy Portage BSD. Make sure you have a good internet connection with no download limit.

Out of all of em, I'd go with LinuxMint (which is a better version of Ubuntu, with the same release cycle), Fedora or Mandirva. The rest are all good, but I personally wouldn't use them
 
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karan812 said:
There's a difference between the best distro and the best distro for a new user.

The best distro for a new user would be LinuxMint. I absolutely loved it! Need to install...go to MintInstall. Since it's based on Ubuntu, you can use apt-get in the terminal and ask for help on the awesome ubuntu forums (though the LinuxMint forums are also pretty good). The out of the box functionality of LinuxMint is unmatched.

If you have a basic idea of using Linux, I'd suggest Fedora. It's what I'm using now, though I had some issues with drivers, especially for sound. If you're used to Ubuntu or other .deb package distros, it might take some time to get used to .rpm packages, but it's as simple as typing yum install firefox :) Fedora is what Linus Trovalds actually uses. For the uninitiated, that's the author of the linux kernel.
Fedora's really beautiful though and the community is friendly and helpful. I'll be trying out Debian on my desktop next month and I'll post a review once I get around to it.

If you have an old computer though, nothing, and i mean NOTHING can beat Xubuntu. I use it on a 9 year old desktop... 800 Mhz, 256MB RAM, 10GB HDD and 64MB Geforce 2 card, It runs like a dream!! That is for Intel processors though. If you have a PowerPC, you have little choice but Fedora as it's one of the few distros that has a special version for the PPC.

As you can see, there's absolutely no limit to choice when it comes to distros. If you want a really gorgeous desktop, use a KDE based distro (Opensuse, Mandirva, Kubuntu etc). For out of the box functionality and ease of use, there's LinuxMint and Ubuntu. For a more traditional distro, you can try Fedora, Debian, Knoppix or Mandirva (again). If you REALLY know what you're doing and want some really customizable, use Gentoo and it's crazy Portage BSD. Make sure you have a good internet connection with no download limit.

Out of all of em, I'd go with LinuxMint (which is a better version of Ubuntu, with the same release cycle), Fedora or Mandirva. The rest are all good, but I personally wouldn't use them
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It was a long post but informative...:)i already started d/l arch...does it have all applications out of box?have heard of knoppix but never tried...is linux mint lightweight?will it run in 256MB RAM?also which version to d/l of linuc mint?:)
 
sri_k said:
It was a long post but informative...:)i already started d/l arch...does it have all applications out of box?have heard of knoppix but never tried...is linux mint lightweight?will it run in 256MB RAM?also which version to d/l of linuc mint?:)
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If you can give me more detailed specs of your system and what you intend to do with the system, I can give you a more specific answer. Arch Linux is awesome, but there's a learning curve involved, and not recommended for someone who hasn't used linux much before. It's not a beginner distro, as I'm sure a lot of people here will agree.

LinuxMint will run much better on a 512MB system. For less powerful systems, there is always Xubuntu, Puppy Linux, Damn Small Linux, and Wolvix Hunter. The one i would recommend is Xubuntu or Wolvix. Xubuntu is based on Ubuntu/Debian and Wolvix is based on Slackware. Both use xfce, which requires very minimal system requirements. Once again, it's down to choice.
 
karan812 said:
If you can give me more detailed specs of your system and what you intend to do with the system, I can give you a more specific answer. Arch Linux is awesome, but there's a learning curve involved, and not recommended for someone who hasn't used linux much before. It's not a beginner distro, as I'm sure a lot of people here will agree.

LinuxMint will run much better on a 512MB system. For less powerful systems, there is always Xubuntu, Puppy Linux, Damn Small Linux, and Wolvix Hunter. The one i would recommend is Xubuntu or Wolvix. Xubuntu is based on Ubuntu/Debian and Wolvix is based on Slackware. Both use xfce, which requires very minimal system requirements. Once again, it's down to choice.
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i have used mandriva&PCLOS before...am looking for distro for my laptop with 256MB RAM&2.4ghz clock speed...so a lightweight OS would be better with all included applications out of box...also i want to learn the various commands of linux or dunno if they are same for debian,gentoo,fedora etc...hows knoppix?so suggest the best linux distro keeping the ease of use&very minimum memory req&processing power...:)hows is MEPIS antix?
 
AntiX is MEPIS based, and I've only heard good things about it, but community support might be lacking. As bad as xubuntu is, it's not for lack of support.

In your case, I'd either go for Wolvix Hunter, AntiX or Puppy Linux. Try em all out and let us know what you decided on.
 
karan812 said:
AntiX is MEPIS based, and I've only heard good things about it, but community support might be lacking. As bad as xubuntu is, it's not for lack of support.
In your case, I'd either go for Wolvix Hunter, AntiX or Puppy Linux. Try em all out and let us know what you decided on.
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Antix will give it a try,but let me finish d/l arch :P..i am on pathetic 256kbps conn...:@ there are various distros to try going mad seeing at them which one to use,even PCLOS has minime,then there's slax,dunno which one to use...will try one by one&let you know...also the one on my priority are antix,linux mint&wolvis hunter&lastly arch...
 
Why are you downloading Arch? You want to try it before an "easier" distro like Xubuntu? It will take hours during installation and manual configuration since it downloads more stuff that you need :P But yes, it brings a lot of fun back into Linux usage... just make sure you read the wiki carefully, step-by-step to avoid a disaster or the need to ask questions and wait even more for answers which are already on the wiki pages heh.

edit: if you want to try multiple distros it makes sense to go in reverse order of preference so that the last one is the one you can stick with :) please do post your experiences/opinions with each distro in this thread and the one you finally settle on for our gyan... usually people who respond to "what is the best" questions are those who have only tried 1 or 2 and claim they are the best without knowing about the others!
 
vishalrao said:
Why are you downloading Arch? You want to try it before an "easier" distro like Xubuntu? It will take hours during installation and manual configuration since it downloads more stuff that you need :P But yes, it brings a lot of fun back into Linux usage... just make sure you read the wiki carefully, step-by-step to avoid a disaster or the need to ask questions and wait even more for answers which are already on the wiki pages heh.

edit: if you want to try multiple distros it makes sense to go in reverse order of preference so that the last one is the one you can stick with :) please do post your experiences/opinions with each distro in this thread and the one you finally settle on for our gyan... usually people who respond to "what is the best" questions are those who have only tried 1 or 2 and claim they are the best without knowing about the others!
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me started downloading arch because some recommended it..i think&also they claim it be light weight...

also went by its reviews got to know that it offers minimum GUI experience...

it offers command based installation...:(now already downloaded more than 250MB so won't stop the d/l...

Regarding MEPIS i am quite eager to try it out...:) now i know xubuntu is based xfce which is known to be light weight but then i got to know ubuntu has lighter versions known as u-lite,fluxbuntu...

Will let you know which distro am quite comfortable after trying them...me becoming a linux enthusiast soon...;)
 
sri_k said:
me started downloading arch because some recommended it..i think&also they claim it be light weight...
also went by its reviews got to know that it offers minimum GUI experience...

it offers command based installation...:(now already downloaded more than 250MB so won't stop the d/l...

Regarding MEPIS i am quite eager to try it out...:) now i know xubuntu is based xfce which is known to be light weight but then i got to know ubuntu has lighter versions known as u-lite,fluxbuntu...

Will let you know which distro am quite comfortable after trying them...me becoming a linux enthusiast soon...;)
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can someone shed light on these distros?U-lite&fluxbuntu...
 
fianlly downloaded atnix mepis&arch..but will try antix first...how to begin with installation?i mean shall i format the hdd&isnatll mepis or use it with xp?there isn't any data in laptop so won't bother even if installation is messed up...
 
Dark Star said:
^^Its upto you, you want to dual boot or just singe boot :P
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Err it depend upon me but i am thinking of installing arch with MEPIS will that create a problem later?:)
 
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