Friendliest linux distro

[excollier]

I just wish I could ditch Windows and go totally linux. I quite fancy a #!, Linux Mint and Debian Triple boot, but it'll never happen

 

[sonnetpete]

Being so impressed with 'Mint', tonight I tried connecting the laptop via HDMI to my large screen tv. After a little fiddling I got very good results. The attached photo's are screenshots using VLC player....

 

[excollier]

My laptop only has vga.
Glad you like Mint, I was, and still am, very pleased that I installed it.

 

[Lazarus]

Just installed Mint on my neighbour's Winoze-phobic lappie. It seems the HDD had a corrupted MBR so I wiped it and have started again.

Blotty BIOS didn't like 8GB FAT32 (No FAT16 option for sticks over 4GB in Win 7) USB Stick, so found a 4GB one and Formatted it in FAT16.

Common issue, apparently.

Still, aok.

Looks really nice - but I'm going to give it back without instructions and see how a self-confessed numpty gets on with it.

 

[excollier]

Hope you win a convert to Linux generally, not just Mint.
I was a Windows numpty last summer, now I'm a Linux numpty, but I have learned so much more than with Windows.

 

[Lazarus]

Hope so - I've run the Disc Utility under Mint and it does indeed show 57 forked Sectors.

Ergo, it should last for a little while, then he can buy a new HDD.

I've retained the USB Bootable, so it's just a matter of bung it in and let it install then run updates (about 350M when the existing HDD finally meets its maker.

 

[excollier]

Try downloading Puppy Linux, burn it to a cd. This runs entirely from ram, and it's very fast, no hdd required. It can the be installed to a usb stick for easier use, and is a os in your pocket, booting from any computer.

 

[Lazarus]

I'll bear that in mind!

Cheers.

 

[sonnetpete]

I confess to now being a bit of a Linux junkie......I managed to get Puppy Linux onto a cd and then a memory stick.....I'm using it to browse the web and post this......quite impressed by the speed and the SeaMonkey browser is more than acceptable.....

 

[Lazarus]

Yes, it's just getting started that's the hurdle.

I took my neighbour's newly Minted Laptop back this morning and said it worked a lot like Win 7 for basic stuff ..............


.............. He showed me his brand new Lappie - complete with the somewhat naff looking Windoze 8!

 

[excollier]

@sonnetpete, good, isn't it? I use Puppy a lot, and SeaMonkey is a Firefox variant,(Iceweasel is another) I simply backed up my Firefox bookmarks and restored them into SeaMonkey, and now have a clone browser on a different, portable os.
Slax Linux is a similar set up using KDE for it's desktop (slicker looking) and Porteus is another using XFCE desktop.
Linux quickly becomes addictive just for the sheer variety.
@Tivu, I have never used Windows 8, and it is highly unlikely I ever will, thankfully.

 

[Lazarus]

Ditto on Win 8 !!!!

Mind you, I'm going to have to fit a new HDD into his old Lappie sooner rather than later as the Bad Sector count went from 58 yesterday to 63 today.

 

[excollier]

He's going to keep you busy then. There is a utility in Mint called APTonCD you should check out when a re-install is required.
And when the time comes, set up a triple boot, just to be flashy....wish I could get a shot at a similar job.

 

[mhku]

For the nerds:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3u0crR2V5M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6BpSyru4GQ

:-away

Last Linux I installed was Red Hat, I'll get my coat..

p.s. The Matrix must be watching me as I just got emailed this link: http://lifehacker.com/5993297/ubuntu-vs-mint-which-linux-distro-is-better-for-beginners

 

[Lazarus]

Just spoken to my newly minted neighbour and he is getting on great with it.

Another pervert convert from Windows.

Now all I have to do is wait a few days until the Disc Drive finally graunches to a halt and then fit a new one and reload Mint.

He's a happy chappy.

 

[excollier]

Good to hear it!
If being a nerd means NOT paying through the nose for computer OS and software/Apps, then I am most certainly a nerd since I changed over to linux. Problem is I haven't a clue about programming etc. I just use what others provide (like with Windows, but without the cost).

 

[Juan69]

So are you guys saying that a better alternative to upgrading from Vista to 7 would be Linux?

 

[Lazarus]

Each to their own: The many Linux distros have a massive following, but come in flavours from the high-level (eg Mint, which a total dodo can use "out of the box") through to heavily cut down ones (low-level) that can be infinitely customised in every single respect.

Upsides: Free; Customisable; Much Support; Great Fun

Downsides: Whilst there are Applications covering most functions you'd expect from Windows Programmes, there are some notable omissions. In some of the latter cases, there is a feature called WINE that enables Windows Programmes to be installed. But not always, and not necessarily with ease.

For that reason, I dual-boot the Crunchbang Distro (Low-level) with Win 7 on my Netbook, so I can carry on using Microsoft Money (The best Programme they ever made, yet sadly no longer supported).

Horses for courses.

But if you want to try without risk, many Distros can be burnt to a Live CD or Live USB stick that you can Boot from directly without touching your Hard Drive.

 

[excollier]

Beat me to it!

Watch this:

h***://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPUX-0j5WCo

 

[mhku]

Do any Linux distros offer the same feature as Windows 8 Storage Spaces? I still need to install an O/S on my NAS box and this feature would be very useful.