[Deagon]

You could always try a Distro quiz like one of these;

http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/

http://polishlinux.org/choose/quiz/

It seemed accurate for me when I tried it a moment ago. It said I'm 100% Debian and 100% Kubuntu

It asks you a series of questions about your prior computing experience, then what your looking to use linux for and finally the features you would like.

It gives you an answer in percentage for which Distro it thinks would suit you best. Then provides links to their websites.

Worth a try, if nothing else.

[RootbeaR]

Originally Posted by Wino

I upgraded 8.04 to 8.10 thru the Check for Updates - you have to enable this feature in Update. It upgraded same as an update. Did not have to down load or make an image disk..................or am I misunderstanding your post?

Also did the same with 8.10 to 9,04 on another machine.

No, they could have changed their methods, but how big was the download to update?

[Wino]

Originally Posted by RootbeaR

No, they could have changed their methods, but how big was the download to update?

It took about 45 minutes to an hour and worked very similar to the SP udates for XP from MS Update site. the 8.04 to 8.10 not so long (dual core AMD 4800). The 8.10 to 9.04 was the long one. Rather painless operation considering I'm still learning ubuntu / linux. The 8.10/9.04 upgrade was on an old P3 - 1.8Mhz and slow operating in comparison. I do not recall if they even showed the size of the upgrade, probably did, but I took no notice - started the process and walked away, and checked every now and then for progress.

The option to upgrade is not a default setting. You have to open the Update file and rummage around (to find the option to show upgrades). Once it is set, any future upgrades will be shown along with the normal updates.

[1002richards]

Originally Posted by brett888

I would also like to add,dont get to attached to your install in the beginning,if it your first time you will end up messing it up before you get done with it and redo it a week later.
So with that...just consider your first install for play find your way around,customize it,get all your players to work.
Now keep playing till you break it ,,now reinstall and learn from the first time around what you shouldnt do

So true!! That's exactly what I've done a couple of times. Install takes (me) about 20-30 mins and as I have all my docs etc elsewhere I don't have hassles with that. Once I've stopped experimenting I'll set things up a bit different and use the built-in back-up tools.

[aka Brett]

I remember my first install...it went pretty smooth.
I then had to work out a couple issues with wireless and sound,i should have been happy after resolving,but not me,I had to have every bell and whistle there was.it was never enough,i finally ended up with 2 windows mangers running at the same time,I couldnt get around the os very well,as everthinbg wasnt showing,so I had to shoot it...it lasted about 2 weeks.
I learned from it...it was much easier the second time around with the os.
It was my fault no doubt....you can cripple any os with enough effort.

I treated W7 beta the same way when it was first released.....a few days later i was reformatting.

Linux has come along way and many times it will work perfect right after the install...becoming very user friendly.no driver workarounds needed

I think everyone should have a dual boot,with windows and a linux distro
you never know when windows could get infected..not boot or what have you..or a worm going around.

Its free,safe and very customizable.

[Wino]

Originally Posted by RootbeaR

No, they could have changed their methods, but how big was the download to update?

The following link shows how to set it up. I was going from memory and thought it was in update file (although that's where it will show if available). Apologize for misleading info in my post above.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/IntrepidUpgrades

[1002richards]

Just giving Crunchbang linux a try - based on Ubuntu but very minimilist, easy install and impressed so far:
http://crunchbanglinux.org/

[eddie5659]

Thanks guys, but at the moment its taken a back burner. My main pc's CHIP fan has failed, so waiting for a part to be sent from Hong Kong.

So, as the other pc hasn't got a network card yet (its on my wish list), I can't download and burn the ISO to install, with or without the updates.

Come to think of it, I don't think the cd drive in it can burn


Having to use a laptop at the moment. It has burning available, but its not mine, so not adding anything to it.....until I get the go ahead.

As soon as my pc is up and running, I'll get installing

[yashiro81]

Hello, I'm also trying to get into Linux. I was wondering what I should use for an AMD Athlon 64 laptop? I'm looking for the easiest wifi setup/configuration. Thanks.

[aka Brett]

I recommend this
no partitioning needed....it installs a looped partition within your windows install and can be removed later.

http://wubi-installer.org/

[bullet303]

Personally I have not used any other linux OS...but, I did my research beforehand and Ubuntu is one of the most widely used which should make getting support for it easier than others.

In my opinion.

[absolutezero1287]

Archlinux is the way to go for rolling releases. However, it is not newbie friendly. It has a much steeper learning curve but is way more customizable than Ubuntu.

[pfausette]

Ubuntu seams to be the mainstream way to go currently which will help with questions as more people are using it. In my opinion unless Know someone face to face style you might want to look into Mandria. I've had a dual boot computer for about three years now and have just pretty much made the switch where I only use the legacy O.S to run free-ware. I'm so much more comfortable on a computer that the browser doesn't crash on a regular basis and I can force quit an application if it has to be done rather that reboot. Ubuntu requires that you down load a source file and compile it to run it. Mandriva has a version that includes a lot of programs with it so you can learn how to use tar files at more of a convenience than with Ubuntu. They do charge about $60.00 for it but it doesn't have that much more than the free version. As I understand it there is no free dvd recorder application for Linux but I'm not positive on this. On Mandriva you can use something called Urpmi in which you paste a web address in the command terminal and it loads information into the rpm manger so when you want to load a program you put a check in a box, press apply and Urpmi down loads the rest of it for you. Then you just select to add the program and its automatically in your applications file.It's almost as easy as windows. Mandriva also uses rpm files which are binaries you just down load and and click to install basically. If you have a copy of your Windows O.S and you want to learn, dual boot it yourself. Grub is the most recommended boot program. If you would not rather take the risk maybe you should inquire at the price of having someone reputable dual boot it for you. Your going to get tired of the live disk fast. Virtual machines are not worth the trouble in my opinion. I couldn't get one to work the same way twice and then I couldn't get it to work at all. Don't put Windows on a small partition because some programs that have their own libraries won't work right unless they are on the same drive as the O.S. All you may need for Windows XP is two gigs but 40 is comfortable. I used 20 which is running short.Most Linux distros come with a partitioner and a boot loader if I remember correctly. I Looked at every book I could find in stock at BandN and Borders and every one I looked at was only suitable as a coaster on a coffee table. No information inside,just something to take up space and get a royalty from.Your best informational bet is going to be tutorials, not usually forums. You will notice that the same questions arise over and over again on forums for a reason and its not because the forums are not searched. You have to be able to convey what you can do or it doesn't do anyone else any good.I only use them when I'm desperate so don't count on them to get you through. I think Ubuntu is comparable to Mandriva and is less proprietary but Mandriva is easier and is still Linux. After you can use free software and get a printer to work on Linux you will not miss the .exe anymore . Most of the Linux only websites have tutorials.Good luck!

[eddie5659]

Back I am again

Okay, I can narrow things down a bit as I'm getting into some programming.

First off, it's SAS programming. The second, is this is the requirements for Linux:

Linux for x86 (x86-32): RHEL 4 and 5, SuSE SLES 9 and 10
Linux for x64 (EM64T/AMD64): RHEL 4 and 5, SuSE SLES 9 and 10

http://www.sas.com/technologies/bi/a...ase/#section=5

Now, I currently have an XP Home system, and will sort out the partitioning on it in a bit, but are any of those free?

Many thanks to all that replied

eddie

[LinuxHacker]

Eh, those are just tested platforms, not requirements. RHEL isn't free but Fedora is pretty much the same thing and it's free. If I was you, I'd just use Gentoo and forget about it