Choosing suitable Linux

T

The Weather

New Member
I've got an old computer which exists mainly for the sake of experimenting. I have been thinking a bit back and forth lately, and I can see no reason for not installing Linux on it. However, one question raises; Which Linux suits the beginner today?
 
lee101

lee101

VIP Member
Firstly, what are the specifications of your old computer, as linux sometimes has trouble running on very old computers. And for a beginner i would reccomend ubuntu linux - www.ubuntu.com It has a similar layout to windows xp and is very easy to get to grips with

Lee
 
TheChef

TheChef

New Member
Try out different distros, see which one you like best. The decision shouldm come down to personal preference.
 
T

The Weather

New Member
It's got at least 128 MB. I don't remember right now. I've logged on it maybe four times. It's a Pentium II.

I've downloaded Knoppix now, and prepared for burning ISO image. I just need to get hold of a CD with enough storing space.
 
A

AcrossAndi

New Member
Most versions of Linux are good, but the thing is, you have to find the right distrobution to suit your tase, needs, and knowledge. Thats why Windows users are called "END USERS", for they don't know much.

But there are those that use Windows because they have to have the same OS that their Work, TAFE, UNI, or other educational facility is using.

It SUX....

Go with Fedora as a good choice. And make sure you don't use the root account unless you are installing new drivers or software.

Enjoy yourself!

Regards,
Andrew.
 
Motoxrdude

Motoxrdude

Active Member
I have ubuntu, it works for me because i am a total newb when it comes to linux. IT uses very little resources compared to windows, and it is pretty fast.
 
T

The Weather

New Member
Well, I'll check Knoppix now. Finally got hands on some CDs. Time to test the newly burnt CD. That's what I like; it runs from a CD; suits the amateur perfectly, as you are not that 'bound' if you experience serious problems.
 
B

B-MAN

New Member
I'm a gentoo fanboy :p

Gentoo's manual is good enough for beginners + you can get great support on irc. You can install it with nearly any linuxlivecd. It takes aLONG time to install but it can be customized to your system making it faster and more stable.

If you want to learn about linux, gentoo forces you to learn it. It was my first linux and it worked out very well.

Check Gentoo.org
 
Decadence

Decadence

New Member
sorry for bringing this thread back to life, but...when you say ubuntu boots off a cd...can i burn it to a cd, run it, take it out and use windows like normal or does it save it onto the hdd? I would like to keep windows but get ubuntu just to learn about linux. I know nothing about linux and i don't think i have the windows installation disks so if i can't get back into windows im SCREWED! So please help me on my magical journey into linux.
 
P

PC eye

banned
Decadence said:
sorry for bringing this thread back to life, but...when you say ubuntu boots off a cd...can i burn it to a cd, run it, take it out and use windows like normal or does it save it onto the hdd? I would like to keep windows but get ubuntu just to learn about linux. I know nothing about linux and i don't think i have the windows installation disks so if i can't get back into windows im SCREWED! So please help me on my magical journey into linux.
Click to expand...

An easier version would be a Live distro over one that installs to the drive. In fact the highly recommended distro for retrieving data off of an MS OSed drive when it has become unbootable is the Knoppix Live for dvd originally that offers a few updated cd iso images free of charge at http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html (looks like a home page) and http://www.knopper.net/knoppix-mirrors/index-en.html is a long list of download mirrors. Note when scrolling down a download page the most recent dates are seen instead of the latest at the top.
Look for a 699mb iso for April 2006. Then take NERO, Roxio's Easy Media Creator, or another program that writes iso images and burn to an 80min. cd-r. That's all it takes. You simply boot from the cd after. :D
 
4

4W4K3

VIP Member
I still have I think 10 Ubuntu install CD's and 10 liveCD's. You can run it off the live CD jsut like Knoppix, or actually install it to the harddrive. I also have 5 64-bit versions but they won't work on your older machine. If you'd like to keep your Windows install and dual boot you can do that as well, and just choose which OS you want to load at boot up. That's what I did. I am a Linux n00b as well, and Ubuntu is definetly a good beginner choice.
 
Decadence

Decadence

New Member
i want to choose which OS i want to run at startup and boot Ubuntu off a disk. I don't understand any of that "grub" stuff
 
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