Why do you use Unix?
- Thread starter Vamilvas
- Start date
Hah, I was thinking unix was the generic name for linux.
In an OS I was looking for something "better than windows"
Linux is ok I just don't like spending 5-10 minutes on picking up a new learning curve for basic things.
lucasbytegenius
Well-Known Member
I like Linux, they don't force themselves on you and ask you to buy all their products and make you activate your perfectly legit copy of their OS. Still trying to find a distro that has "everything" though.
munkyeetr
New Member
But once you invest that 5-10 minutes and learn it, you can be so much more productive.
What do you mean by "everything"?
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munkyeetr
New Member
What I mean is that if your system is more stable, runs smoother and is more customizable and flexible, you surely will (or at least can) be more productive.
lucasbytegenius
Well-Known Member
Like more essential utils and progs than Ubuntu's got, the ability to get yer packages on another computer and transfer them, to be able if necessary to download the complete software repository, ease of use, a few bits of eye candy, maybe the ability to use Windows drivers, and a few other things. Basicly, a distro with everything and more than Windows has to offer, just for free. If Ubuntu were modded a bit to include more utils and progs, and the sleep bug were fixed for older computers and if I could find the Software Repository on DVDs, it would fit the bill. I once did find the SR on DVDs for Ubuntu, but I lost the link that took me two straight days to find. It was "Kambring" or "Kamdring" University or something like that. You see, I am on dial-up, so downloading stuff is not only slow, it's impossible as you have to get the dialer package in the first place. So, until the ultimate distro is found, I'll probably be using Windows for a while.
tlarkin
VIP Member
Unix has all of that, except for the vendor specific stuff, but the problem is you will have to learn how to use it. It is not hard, it is just different. Ubuntu has probably the best online community out of any OS and their maintainers do a great job of of keeping things up to date.
However, all Linux is based on Unix. Over the years there have been many Unix distros, but they never caught on quite as much as Linux. Qnix, NeXT, Solaris, etc.
lucasbytegenius
Well-Known Member
What's the best one, and where do I get it?
tlarkin
VIP Member
To be honest, there are probably more advantages of using Linux from an end user aspect. I stay out of the GPL vs GNU elitism, and almost all Unix OSes I have ever touched have been based off of BSD.
lucasbytegenius
Well-Known Member
Alright, I guess I have to fill up my HD again with VM HDs with experimental distros.
munkyeetr
New Member
Asking what's the best one is a good way to start a flame war :angry:
I started with SuSE, then Fedora, then Ubuntu, then Debian (plus experimented with tons of others on the side)...now I've used Arch for about 3 years and they say, once you use Arch, you never go back.
I've found this to be true. I tried a few months ago to play around with Ubuntu and Debian again and everything just seemed painfully complicated. It's not for everyone though; it is a lot more hands on and you have to do a bit more initial work to get your system going, but you learn a lot and you have a very streamlined self-customized system that is YOUR system (built by you for you). The wiki is excellent and the community is very helpful if you search for answers on the forum/wiki/google first and try to solve the issue yourself before you post a question. There is very little hand-holding.
It really depends what you want to do and how much you want to learn. Check out http://distrowatch.org
I started with SuSE, then Fedora, then Ubuntu, then Debian (plus experimented with tons of others on the side)...now I've used Arch for about 3 years and they say, once you use Arch, you never go back.
I've found this to be true. I tried a few months ago to play around with Ubuntu and Debian again and everything just seemed painfully complicated. It's not for everyone though; it is a lot more hands on and you have to do a bit more initial work to get your system going, but you learn a lot and you have a very streamlined self-customized system that is YOUR system (built by you for you). The wiki is excellent and the community is very helpful if you search for answers on the forum/wiki/google first and try to solve the issue yourself before you post a question. There is very little hand-holding.
It really depends what you want to do and how much you want to learn. Check out http://distrowatch.org
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No need for all the boldness
You can put it on a CD or DVD, but it must be burned as an iso file. You can't simply copy the files to a disk, or it won't boot up. As for drivers, most are already included, so it should basically work right away. (You might need to upgrade the graphics drivers after installing to get 3D acceleration to work, but that should be about all you have to do with drivers if even that.)
Try Ubuntu or OpenSuse first - they are the least likely to give you trouble.
You can put it on a CD or DVD, but it must be burned as an iso file. You can't simply copy the files to a disk, or it won't boot up. As for drivers, most are already included, so it should basically work right away. (You might need to upgrade the graphics drivers after installing to get 3D acceleration to work, but that should be about all you have to do with drivers if even that.)
Try Ubuntu or OpenSuse first - they are the least likely to give you trouble.
lucasbytegenius
Well-Known Member
OK, probably should've thought about it before posting, sorry. I have tried Ubuntu 9.10 and 10.4, KNOPPIX 5.1 (Great distro, you just can't install it
), Fedora 12, and why I even considered it I don't know, Xubuntu, Kubuntu (I like KDE, but this really over did it in graphics), haven't fully installed Debian yet, but I heard it's a lot like Fedora, trying to install Ark Linux, which is a really cool distro that lets you play Tetris during the install, and am currently seeing what the hubbub is all about in Linux Mint, which seems to be another Ubuntu based distro. Also eperimented with Gentoo, which seems like a great one, I just haven't the space right now, but the LiveCD is great.I'll try the distros you mentioned.
munkyeetr
New Member
lucasbytegenius
Well-Known Member
LOL. Well, thanks for saying it anyway, I don't want to get banned for something as lame as asking what was the best Linux distro and starting a war that lasts 3,000 posts.
lol.
.lol.