Linux

[5kgLifter]

Can someone tell what what Linux is and whether it's a good or bad thing; we have a friend who's son is trying to convince her to install Linux but she has no idea what the pitfalls and such are and we don't know either...I figured some of you may have run into it and have some knowledge.

The son's theory is that it will help speed up her computer which is a laptop run on XP and is about 5 years old.

All advice welcome.

[bruteforce]

I do Linux Administration as part of my job as an Oracle Database Admin/Software Engineer. Linux is very solid. Here's the scoop.

Linux is an operating system like Windows or Mac OS. Linux is free, open source, and available in many different distributions (versions if you like) Linux is very stable, does not require anti-virus software, almost impervious to hacking attempts, and highly customizable.

Possible pitfalls are mainly in messing up the current computer during the install. If you do it wrong, you could wipe out all your data, lose your original operating system, and have a very expensive brick. This is VERY unlikely, but I've seen people do it before.

Rather than jumping straight in to installing a new OS, it might be a good idea for your friend to install a virtual machine software like Oracle VirtualBox, which is also free. This will give a safe, virtual sandbox to try the install, test the operating system, and see if they like it before committing to switching OS's or running a dual/multi boot system.

Distros to try are
1. Ubuntu - this is linux on training wheels. Functions about like Windows/Mac
2. Mageia - my favorite for personal use. More customizable, very solid, very fast
3. Fedora - Cutting Edge development version of the highly stable RHEL that is used in most business servers.
4. CentOS - If they need a server, CentOS is the free version of RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) I know I said linux is free earlier, but some companies charge for support.
5. Debian - This has to be on the list because its the old guard. Debian followers are very adamant that theirs is the only real distro. Just remind them about random number generation prior to May 13th 2008. This should shut them up quickly.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[5kgLifter]

Many thanks for the really detailed answer Bruteforce; will copy and paste the info and send it on to her

[BendtheBar]

I was a Linux Jedi back in 99-2000. I played with every flavor and had a dual boot fun box.

[Goat]

Linux fanboy here.

You can also run linux from a LIVE CD, no installation is necessary. And no changes to your current operating system are needed either


Another distro to consider is linux mint

"Linux Mint is an Ubuntu-based distribution whose goal is to provide a more complete out-of-the-box experience by including browser plugins, media codecs, support for DVD playback, Java and other components. It also adds a custom desktop and menus, several unique configuration tools, and a web-based package installation interface. Linux Mint is compatible with Ubuntu software repositories."

Linux can be a little tricky getting every thing to work, mint linux will do most of the heavy lifting for you upon installation.

pclinux is another good distro.

For a faster box, stay away from gnome or KDE, use lxde, xfce or a similar light weight desktop.

I would also stay away from the newest releases, as they can be buggier.

[5kgLifter]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

I was a Linux Jedi back in 99-2000. I played with every flavor and had a dual boot fun box.

See, I knew I'd heard it mentioned here before Jedi, hm.

Originally Posted by Goat

Linux fanboy here.

You can also run linux from a LIVE CD, no installation is necessary. And no changes to your current operating system are needed either


Another distro to consider is linux mint

"Linux Mint is an Ubuntu-based distribution whose goal is to provide a more complete out-of-the-box experience by including browser plugins, media codecs, support for DVD playback, Java and other components. It also adds a custom desktop and menus, several unique configuration tools, and a web-based package installation interface. Linux Mint is compatible with Ubuntu software repositories."

Linux can be a little tricky getting every thing to work, mint linux will do most of the heavy lifting for you upon installation.

pclinux is another good distro.

For a faster box, stay away from gnome or KDE, use lxde, xfce or a similar light weight desktop.

I would also stay away from the newest releases, as they can be buggier.

Many thanks Goat, will pass the info along

[ONpump17]