---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: gajendra khanna <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Sun, Oct 12, 2008 at 2:18 AM Subject: [EMAIL PROTECTED]:1921] [OT] (possibly) Most user friendly Distro for non-techies To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Hi All I have been looking for a truly user friendly distro to suggest to those who want to install Linux on their disks minus the gyan. And I think I have found it - Knoppix 5.3.1! Knoppix is the best live distro seen by me till date. The quality put together by one man is really amazing. It has an installer script called knoppix-installer which is to be run from root console. Other than the default option of type there is an option called Knoppix Cd-like (or similar). (You should have made + formatted your root- recommended 15 GB size- and swap partitions earlier with partition editor or QtParted ). Rest of the options are very easy (choose correct partition, choose to install to mbr and wait for it to copy. Say no to floppy boot if you don't want it) The installer installs the system to hard disk to work like from DVD. (No CD for 5.3.1 - Its DVD only.). Shows initially 75% till all the data gets copied (9 GB of wonderful software). (Best part is that while its installing you can listen to songs on other partitions or play other games including sudoku! Also you can check that the hardware will work before you actually install it including Compiz, audio, ethernet, wireless etc). Once its completed reboot and remove DVD. You will get a DVD like system (ignore the "errors" during initial bootup) booting directly into the system (no passwords to enter for user and even root) as you go into the default knoppix user with wonderful effects from compiz and More software than you will need of all kinds. (mp3 works out of the box. Non-free codecs can be installed separately if you want). (Don't update - upgrade with debian though if you don't want to remove the customisations knopper did. All softwares are already there in much usable state. No repos etc needed for those without net as well since what you need is likely already there). So to sum up advantages:- 1. No passwords to enter anywhere. 2. Easy configuration of hardware. 3. Wonderful looks with Compiz out of the box. 4. Over 6000 packages (more than commonly needed) in much usable state - so no need to use Synaptic. 5. Fast bootup 6. All disks recognised out of the box. (Made read only by default. Making writable is just unticking it in the properties. Just double click to mount). 7. Pen drives work directly without headache. 8. You can check the hardware before installing to disk. 9. Almost No need to go back for support after installing due to its intuitive interface. There are very user friendly scripts available for configuring the network, sound, printers also. (Set keyboard to US to avoid seeing German!). This version even has facility of audio desktop for the visually challenged! (Adrianne, named after Knopper's wife). Some supported tv tuner cards can also be configured. Thats it. A wonderful looking system with almost no headaches. It should work on big USB drives also (although the swap on it may really kill its life). It also has a persistent-image mode where you can make your USB persistent - a file made to store your "home" on pendrive. Just enter it in boot options to use the pendrive as home. Take the DVD and pendrive to any system - It becomes your system! (No copying/NO syncing required). (Carrying the DVD is not practically a hassle even though many people try to make it out to be one). Regards Gajendra Note: I am not endorsing it. Just telling the capabilities you can offer to non-techie friends which one doesn't get with other distros to this extent. Try it yourself to see if it suits you/them. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list -- group http://groups.google.com/group/iitdlug -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- -- ┌───[ Narendra Sisodiya ]──────────────┐ │ http://narendra.techfandu.org │ http://www.lug-iitd.org └────────────[ +91-93790-75930 ]──────┘ _______________________________________________ ilugd mailinglist -- ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org http://frodo.hserus.net/mailman/listinfo/ilugd Archives at: http://news.gmane.org/gmane.user-groups.linux.delhi http://www.mail-archive.com/ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org/
