A Linux question -

Gaff84

Gaff84

New Member
There seem to be some real Linux buffs around here, so I was hoping to get some advice from you guys.

I'm putting together a computer for my sister out of spare parts I have here and there, and I've already decided to install some version of Linux onto the computer. I was thinking Ubuntu, or kUbuntu. KUbuntu is the version I'm the most familiar with, but she is completely in the dark as far as Linux is concerned.

So this is my question, what do you guys think would be the best version for somebody with no experience with Linux, and would run relatively fast on a computer with these specs -

AMD Sempron 2600+ Socket A
MSI KT6V-LSR Mobo
512mb of PC-3200 DDR RAM
ATI Radeon 9000 128 mb video card
A random IDE 20gb HDD

Lastly, she would probably only use the computer for web surfing and such. Nothing too demanding.

Thanks. :)
 
trying to think of a distro that your sis could use without doing big things,
try out LINUX XP, seems simple enough
 
patrickv said:
trying to think of a distro that your sis could use without doing big things,
try out LINUX XP, seems simple enough
Click to expand...

linux xp costs money. i would say linux mint. it comes with everything installed and ready to go so no hassles. it is very similar to a windows style interface.
 
As with any Linux distro the most demanding thing you'll have to do is set up the graphics card drivers, which really isn't too difficult. I'd recomment Ubuntu (biased) because it has an incredibly large and helpful forum (www.ubuntuforums.org) that also helped me set up my graphics drivers. Other than that it has everything a regular user needs preinstalled.
 
theresthatguy said:
linux xp costs money. i would say linux mint. it comes with everything installed and ready to go so no hassles. it is very similar to a windows style interface.
Click to expand...

i didn't know it costs money cause i downloaded on for free :eek:
but since the OP wants a linux thats not too complicated i'd say FREESPIRE, no hassles just instll and use, unlike ubuntu and others where you have to go to synaptic and reload only to get codecs for mp3 and wma, and video crap, LAME
 
Well, there are countless 'flavors' of Linux/Unix out there, so let's try to narrow the playing field a bit :)

First, how computer-literate is your sister? Does she know how to turn the computer on and click the icons, or is she able to troubleshoot problems and realize how to solve them? That will make a world of difference when selecting a Linux OS to use.

For the most basic comparison for this topic (needless to say each Distro's mileage may vary), KDE-based (Kubuntu, Linspire, Freespire) tend to have more eye-candy 'out of the box' so-to-speak, meaning they tend to take on a bit more Windows feeling to easy transitions. Gnome on the other hand, I've found to be much cleaner and organized from the get-go, and you have to work a bit (very little) to get as much 'ooh and ahh' effects. Kepp in mind that Gnome can be made to look like KDE, and KDE to resemble Gnome, but that's another topic altogether.

When all is said and done, for a 'pure' Linux Distro (not Linspire or any of that), I recommend something in the Ubuntu line. Check out their website: http://www.ubuntu.com/ . At the lower right area of the page, you'll see the related Distros (K/X/Edubuntu). It should be noted that I am also very fond of Ubuntu and am very biased towards it in regards to ease of use and/or transition to Linux from Windows.

Secondly, as far as speed in concerned, I've found all the Ubuntu flavors run quicker than XP. Reason being is that there is simply less going on in the background that affects performance. That being said, of the three, Ubuntu will typically run a bit quicker than Kubuntu on newer, similarly-equipped systems due to the default Kubuntu interface. On older systems with limited CPU/Memory, Xubuntu will outpace them both as it was specifically designed for resource-limited systems.

That being said...I don't know all the much about AMD CPUs and MoBos, but it looks as though you have a decent amount of memory and a decent graphics card. At a glance (looking at the CPU title!), I'm guessing you have a fairly new (2-3 years) CPU? If that's the case, then personally, I would try out either Ubuntu or Kubuntu first and see how system performance is. If you find it lagging, do an install of Xubuntu and compare. By install, I mean actually install it, as the Live CD's that Ubuntu can be run off will not be a good judge of system speed since they are run entirely from the CD and your RAM.

So long as she is just doing the web surfing, chatting, whatnot you mentioned, I cannot foresee any crazy problems arising in her day-to-day use after everything is installed and tweaked to her liking.
 
patrickv said:
but since the OP wants a linux thats not too complicated i'd say FREESPIRE, no hassles just instll and use, unlike ubuntu and others where you have to go to synaptic and reload only to get codecs for mp3 and wma, and video crap, LAME
Click to expand...

Actually, as of Feisty Fawn (7.04), updating flies by, and you can do almost everything via a mouse if you prefer.
 
I recommend gentoo. It's a very newb-friendly distro. ;P

On a more serious note: I vote for ubuntu as well. Another good one is opensuse as windows vista stole most of its look from it therefore it should be an easy transition.
 
Most default installations would run pretty well on those specs I'd say.

I'd also suggest Ubuntu, as well as PCLinux, or possibly even Fedora. PCLinux is KDE based and has become very popular recently. Ubuntu is based on good old Debian, and Fedora is just the cyber love of my life.
 
Yeah, I wouldn't consider Gentoo a beginner distro either. But then again, I used it about a year ago. That's a millenia in distro time.
 
Thanks!

Thanks for all of the advice, you guys.

I went ahead and put Freespire on the machine. I like it a lot, she wasn't too thrilled (waaaaah, I want windows, etc.). I told her she is welcome to spend 100 bucks for xp, then she shut up. Plus my roommate was like, it looks like windows. What is your problem?

Anyway... I don't think she will have any problems with it once I get it working. So far I have no problems, except the sound won't work. I don't know if it has something to do with the sound being onboard, or what. Everything else works like gangbusters, though.

Any advice?
 
What are the system requirements for Ubuntu? There are ubuntu 2008 on ebay at great prices and the seller is comparing it to xp and vista.
 
uposb4 said:
What are the system requirements for Ubuntu? There are ubuntu 2008 on ebay at great prices and the seller is comparing it to xp and vista.
Click to expand...

First off, DO NOT buy Ubuntu. It is 100% free for download and redistribution here: http://www.ubuntu.com/ Quoted from the Ubuntu website "Ubuntu is and always will be free of charge. You do not pay any licensing fees. You can download, use and share Ubuntu with your friends, family, school or business for absolutely nothing."

Any problems you may have with any part of your experience (from install, to upgrades, to whatever) can be answerer here: http://ubuntuforums.org/ (this is, incidentally, one of, if not THE BEST, help forums in existence - there are *NO* stupid questions to ask here and you will get excellent timely feedback on almost any problem you have)

As for system requirements, they vary depending on which 'flavor' of ubuntu you decide to use. Xubuntu uses the XFCE desktop environment and is geared specifically for older systems (from more than 4 years ago up to maybe 10 years ago) as it requires much less hardware performance to run. Ubuntu is the Gnome version and will run smoothly with a 2.0 GHz CPU or higher and 512 MB of RAM. Kubuntu requires the same, but it has a different look and feel to it.

Version 7.04 is the latest stable release. It's name is Feisty Fawn. 7.10 (Gusty Gibbon) is still in beta (or maybe still Alpha) testing and is not recommended for beginners. 6.06 (Dapper Drake) was also an excellent version. For first-timers, though, I would recommend 7.04 as it is able to simplify much of what you would normally have to do via terminal commands.
 
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