I need help. No, not that kind of help. I need your technical advice, specifically as it relates to Linux distributions. I've been running Linux in one way or another since 1992 and as my exclusive desktop environment since 1996, so we aren't talking that technical. It's just that I feel it may be time for me to part company with my current distro. That's where I need your help. Watch the video, then let me know what you think. So . . . Mandriva? OpenSUSE? Fedora? Stick with Kubuntu? |
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Marcel GagnéWriter and Free Thinker at Large |
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[...] odd changes) and I want to follow that excitement. That's part of the reason I went through my distro crisis of faith lately (I switched back to Mandriva, by the [...]
New linux of choice
You never did actually get into why Kubuntu isn't doing it for you...so it would be difficult to give you a clue.
But, like you...I have used several linux distros.
I began with Xandros...and moved to Debian, Mepis and Ubuntu.
I've used PCLinuxOS, and Freespire/Linspire/Lindows, I've used OpenSUSE, and Fedora, Vector, and Sabayon....so I think I have a pretty good idea of the different strenghts and weaknesses of each linux distro.
If you liked Mandrake/Mandriva...then look at PCLinuxOS. Its a very good distribution....Texstar has outdone himself.
If however....you really like a good KDE distro...may I suggest one you did not mention....one that I use myself called Sidux (based upon Debian's unstable branch)
It is pretty solid...and with a little tweaking lightning quick.
Distro..
I am currently running three Ubuntu 8 desktops, 2 for my kids and 1 as my main work desktop. I know its not your preferred desktop KDE, I was a KDE'er myself, but I have had very positive results.
Relating to external hardware, no issues finding my networked Cannon i80 printer, iPod, digital cameras, video cameras, zip drive, 2 external usb hard rives and the standard mouse, monitor etc.
Not that these things can not be accomplished in many other distro's but this is the very first time I have had them all work right out of the box after a stock install. Usually some tweaks here and there but not this time.
After getting used to Gnome and tweaking it up to be more to my liking I am pretty happy. These are just my observations and everyone has different gear and preferences and *nix operating systems are all about choice so it might not work for others but it sure works for my needs.
Keep up the awesome work MG!
Peace, Dacoto
What Distro Now?
I was using Kubuntu and Mepis, but since I have been using Mint 4.0 Daryna and i can say that it is about the best "out-of-the -box experience that I have had. It is very quick to load ; does not appearto be too bloated.
What distro now!?
It all depends on the 'equipment' one has to play with.... For some there are 'all the boys with all the toys'.... I still 'do' with some 8 year 'old' machines; amongst newer ones...
Having said all that:
1. Ubuntu/Kubuntu:
Ubuntu/Kubuntu 6.10 was the latest version capable of playing with these oldies.... Only now is 'ubuntu 8.04' capable of playing again with these machines.... 8.04 is sort of 'handicapped' on an old 'all Intel' machine: It boots without any signs of booting.... However it 'does' ultimately boot... => 'Ubuntu' has the advantage of being able to run 'Kubuntu' on the same 'partition'... Giving one the 'advantage' of running two different 'systems' from the same partition
2. PCLOS: Is one of my very 'favorite' distros..... Based on 'Mandriva', it has 'scads' of advantages over 'Mandriva', since it incorporates 'Sybnaptic', 'apt-get', and 'rpm' features 'out of the box'... Plus it automatically sort of incorporates 'non-free' applications, for which one probably has to purchase Mandriva's 'Power Pack' to get.... All things making it very 'easy' for a 'noob' to get around in => Mandrake (unfortunately) purchased the very excellent Brazilian rpm distro 'conectiva', (making it Mandriva), but then never incorporated things like 'Synaptic' in it, which 'conectiva' had.... => PCLOS says what it 'is': "Radically Simple".... And it 'is'.... Furthermore there are developments within 'PCLOS' worthwhile noting and looking at, such as a 'Community Developed' Gnome, which 'looks' dramatically 'pretty'... And they are working on a Linux version for the 'Asustek eeePC', which 'could be' an improvement over 'Xandros', for that machine => Also the Dutch 'PCLOS Users Group' issued a complete 'Photo Edition', for those interested in the 'Art of Photography'!!
3. Linux Mint: Another one of my very 'favorites'.... Linux Mint is to Ubuntu, of what PCLOS is to Mandriva... This distro is 'extremely powerful', giving people the added 'attractions', which Ubuntu does not have; (and then some)!! => I am waiting for their newest version called 'Elyssa' to come out, which is in 'beta' stage right now => PCLOS and Linux Mint are to be admired for what they really have achieved, and done.... Ultimately they are only a small group of people doing 'extra ordinary' things, not done by others!!
Personally, (and I say Personally), I don't like Suse or Fedora.... I have struggled too many times with Fedora in the past.... And I believe Suse to be totally 'bloated'; and I am not really liking their 'update' process, such as very 'slow and cumbersome' delta-rpm's, etc...
What distro now!?
On second thoughts, Marcel:
If you are 'bored' with the distros you have, or know:
Why not join one of the 'Development Groups' of 'PCLOS', 'Linux Mint', or 'other'??
1. I am 'sure' they can use your Linux 'knowledge', 'attributes', and 'savvy' to help them 'shape' their next editions and versions of Linux.... The way 'you' want it; the way the world 'needs' it!!
2. Maybe even 'start' a new essential and commercial line of 'affordable' Linux Laptops and Desktops; equipped with exactly the Linux OS you have dreamed 'creating'
I wish you all the success with 'those' endeavors!!
What distro now!?
Some more second thoughts, Marcel:
Brazil is going through a 'nascent' native computer phase....
One of those 'new' computer builders is 'positivo'; which probably got started by an editor of educational books and educational learning software.... So why not manufacture computers??: Laptops, Desktops, and a 'kid laptop', (called 'mobo').
They claim to be selling now 25% of all machines sold in Brazil.... And they are providers to the Brazilian 'Ministery of Education', for classroom use.
They seem to have a mixture of 'Celeron' and 'Core Duo' cpu's.... AND, they equip their machines with either 'Linux' or 'Vista' Operating Systems....
My suggestion: Go visit Brazil, and check them out.... Check their Linux... Check their operations.... => As a 'Quebecois'. you would 'love' the 'lively' Brazilian 'environment' and 'atmosphere'!! Yet they're technically very well developed!!
Then 'see' if you can 'import' and 'sell' some of those Linux adapted computers into Canada or the US; since their components are Linux compatible.... Equipped with 'your' Linux!!
http://www.positivoinformatica.com.br/site/
Also, (and just for fun), watch some of their 'YouTube' videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8PIl0PALps
Although you probably won't understand it, they're really fun to watch!!
What distro now!?
More second thoughts boiling up, Marcel... It's a darn nuisance:
To me the world is racing towards a point, where people can have their computers on their cellphones, which is turning out to be a battle of the 'Titans'.... Forget about the clumsy and large Desktops and Laptops!!
Linux is presently playing a very prominent 'role' in that battle, through 'Linux Mobile', (LiMo), in contrast to 'Windows Mobile'..... Major companies, such as Qualcom (San Diego), Motorola, Nokia, etc., are involved in that battle, using Linux... It is a battle for the OS, amongst other things... It's a battle against the 'Apple iPhone', 'Windows Mobile', and other OS'!!
The same thing is happening in the field of 'hardware': Intel's 'Atom', AMD, the new 'Nvidia' Chip, etc.... 'Solid State Drives' versus 'Conventional Drives'.....
Basically, what it is coming down to, is creating really 'spectacular' and impressive results with relatively primitive, (but very very sophisticated), diminutive devices and software....
Ubuntu is coming out with a 'mobile device' version, in its 'up and coming' November 2008 edition.... PCLinuxOS, (PCLOS), is preparing a new version for the 'Asustek eeePC', which has been a success as an intermediate stage migration towards smaller, and smaller, and smaller; doing with less and less and less ....
Isn't it time, Marcel, to switch your attention to the 'small', leaving the big clumsy Desktops and Laptops on the side..... What the man, (or the woman), in the streets want is cheap, plentiful, everywhere, spectacular, communication... With the benefits of GPS, and all the 'other' spectacular applications!! I've seen them, and I am impressed.... Doing so much, with so little!!
re: Switching my attention to the small
Hello hansie,
You said :
While I understand what you are saying, and I appreciate the power these little devices are giving us, for many of us they aren't much more than cell phones with a few toys. That isn't to say the technology isn't exciting or that mobile devices aren't changing the way we live. All this is true. However, when I sit down to write a 2500 word article, or a book, or log on to several customer systems to administer the various services they need, a mobile device isn't going to cut it. I need a powerful desktop (or notebook) that lets me multi-task, a large screen for manipulating my documents, and all the trappings that come with that.
I, too, am impressed with the growth of small, but it's a long way from the hard slog of day to day work. At least for me.
-- Marcel
What now Brown cow?
Mandriva's PowerPack flavor is quite feature complete, and dead easy simple to both use and run.
Open Suse's '11-Beta(latest)' however needs just a tad more user input to totally turn into a complete modern desktop distro.
Having used both, I decided to keep them both and alternate between them as the mood strikes.
Joe
Modesto, Ca
Distro of choice
Hello Marcel,
I hope all is well with you and yours!
Mandriva, Fedora or OpenSuSE.
Only one of these three choices stands out.
Mandriva.
Why? Just because I like Mandriva.
Okay, okay it's a commercial Linux offering which has it place in the Linux world. Oh yes, it's also a French-owned company which appeals to me since I am a descendant of French-speaking Swiss immigrants to the U.S. No personal bias on my part. * Cough *.
Personally, I have grown extremely well into Debian 4.
I can make this distro into nearly anything I wish it to be. Server, desktop or sandbox. I can can perform a Net install and then make it either into a KDE, GNOME, Xfce or other desktop. It is rock-solid stable on every piece of hardware I've graced it with. The sheer number of Debian repositories boggle the mind. Of course, for me that's not hard to do.
In any case, I hope you find a distro which "feels" right for your computing set up.
Troy in Portales, New Mexico
Ubuntu? Wanting to stick w/ KDE?
Vista's not an option? ;)
I've been playing with serveral different versions. I downloaded Virtualbox and set up Ubuntu, Kubuntu, FreeBSD, gOS, Fedora, and probably a few others I don't remember. I keep ending up on Ubuntu. I ran SuSE for years but by the end it frankly seemed kind of bloated. Of course, that might be because I kept installing more and more stuff. A clean install of OpenSuSE might be nice.
I guess I'm wondering 1) if you want to keep using KDE and 2) why the disillusionment w/ Ubuntu.
BTW, I like the Marvin on your bookshelf.
re: Vista?
Hello TheKNICK,
You said:
Funny guy . . . er, no. I want a real operating system, one I can depend on.
Glad you like Marvin. I'm also rather fond of the Ultraman figure standing below him. As for the other questions, yes, I do want to stick with KDE. While I enjoy working with GNOME from time to time, I find KDE that much more polished, flexible, and powerful. I honestly believe that the most exciting, innovative, and promising shift in the desktop has to be KDE 4.X and I want to follow that excitement.As for my disillusionment, perhaps I can quote from one of my WFTL-LUG posts.
First and foremost, I just don't feel like Canonical's heart is in Kubuntu, and that's entirely their perogative. As I mentioned above, there are exciting things happening in the KDE world and yet, Kubuntu seems to lag behind the other major distros. In terms of desktop support in general, while Ubuntu (and the other 'buntus) are great products, Canonical doesn't appear to be putting a lot into developing the two major desktop environments. I'm told there are two GNOME developers on the payroll and only one KDE developer. I would like to think that the distro I put my support behind for the next two or three years is one that is committed to developing the Linux desktop environment.
Don't get me wrong. I think Canonical has done wonderful things with the promotion of Ubuntu. No commercial Linux distributor is pushing Linux and FOSS out of the goodness of their hearts. Linux and FOSS for these players (Mandriva, SUSE/Novell, Canonical, RedHat) is a multi-million dollar business. For other indirect Linux players (HP, IBM, Google), Linux represents billions.
However, Linux and FOSS is at least partly about giving back while you are busy taking in.
As I mentioned in the video clip, I am more than willing to be shown the error of my views. I am far from being all knowing, but as KDE moves boldly forward, things in the Kubuntu world seem to be taking their sweet time, and that has to, at least, partly come from the top.