I don't think Linux is as stable as everyone says it is but still better then windows 7
Sent from my iPhone On Jan 12, 2012, at 8:25 AM, Roy <[email protected]> wrote: > Linux is a choice users make. It is hard to find it pre-installed, > but if you try hard you can find pre-installed Linux. That means that > people who come to Linux have made a decision for whatever reason to > turn away from what they were using. There are lots of reasons to turn > to Linux. It has an advanced file system that requires no maintenance, > that logs everything and the new ones have rollback features. The file > system is faster and more durable which makes it suitable for servers > and your most precious data. Linux currently has no viruses in the > wild and security is such that it would hard to get infected and even > harder for it to spread. Not saying it can't be done, but you would > need lots of careless people to make it happen. Linux pioneered the > concept of the app store which everybody is familiar with. We have had > secure repositories and package lists since the 1990s. Finally Linux > gives the user ownership and control over the computer. Nothing goes > in without your permission. It never forces you to update, upgrade or > nag afterwards. It does not carelessly add icons everywhere, messing > up your system. It will never check up on you or monitor your computer > looking for illicit material. There are many advantages. > > This also provides Linux with an advantage that new users initially > find frustrating and even see it as a disadvantage. That is choice. If > you have never had choice then getting it can be either exhilarating > or confusing. What choice to make when you have so much? > > I can't tell anyone what type of shoes to wear. It is a personal > thing. Why would I presume to tell them what distribution to run? I do > not know their past, their habits, their intended use, their hardware, > etc. That si why Linux has had a hard time making it on the desktop. > We offer so much choice and many people want to be told. Apple has > made a killing doing just that. They offer you only a few systems and > one software choice. They make sure that they work flawlessly together > and you can do that if you are a dictatorship. You are calling all of > the shots. Linux is at the opposite end. Nobody is calling the shots > and we have no hardware made specifically for it. It is a wonder that > Linux works at all. Buy lots of people work very hard to make it as > good as it can be under these circumstances. > > How to deal with choice? > > You computer will determine the number of options you have. A newish > computer (4 - 5 years old) can run just about everything. An older > computer reduces choice. You may have to consider a more modest > desktop environment. > > Desktop environment is probably as big a decision as the distribution. > There are several. Not all are equal. You can run applications from > most desktop environments in another. There are few exceptions. > > The oldest of the big ones is KDE. It has been around for over ten > years and preceded GNOME. KDE uses a traditional desktop approach, but > is very configurable and has all of the bells and whistles. It has its > own applications and is complete. It is comparable to Windows 7. > > GNOME is the next biggy. It is the most popular largely because of > Ubuntu. However, Ubuntu no longer uses a GNOME frontend. GNOME si > still largely popular, but has undergone a major overhaul. It is > written in GTK. The previous versions of GNOME used GTK 2 but it > became maxxed out in terms of what programmers could do so GNOME came > out with GTK 3 and rewrote their desktop environment, That upset a lot > of GNOME users who longed for a traditional desktop environment, which > GNOME abandoned. The new one is called GNOME Shell and it is not what > most people are used to. It can be configured with extensions to look > and feel more like a traditional desktop. Only one distro comes > configured this way, at present, Linux Mint. > > The new kid on the block is Unity which is Ubuntu's answer to GNOME > Shell. It looks similar, but bolder. It takes what GS does and moves > it to another level. It has upset a lot of people like GS did. > However, it is answering back with more configuration options and its > own extensions called lenses and scopes. > > GNOME 2.x is the old GNOME it is still around on older versions of > distros. Debian stable uses GNOME 2, as do older versions of Mint and > Ubuntu. You can still download them and try them. The problem is they > have no future as GNOME killed GNOME 2.x > > XFCE is a traditional desktop that comes closest to old GNOME. It is > fast and very configurable. It has been around for a long time and is > in active (but slow) development. > > If you have an older computer then you have other choices. LXDE is > lightweight and attractive, but low on configuration. Openbox and > Fluxbox are even lighter and less configurable. There are many more > such as Enlightenment, but you really have to get into basics to > configure them. > > Distributions choose a desktop environment, window manager, package > manager and applications and libraries to run on the Linux kernel they > base everything on. You can often tell how old a distro is by looking > at its kernel version. That will tell you how up to date it is and > whether it will run the most recent hardware. So a distribution is a > package deal (operating system) and the desktop environment is what > you see up front and use on a daily basis. > > What you need to know about a distro that you cannot see on a Live > DVD/CD is the package manager and how well it works, the number of > packages available and the size and friendliness of the community. > There are two main package types: rpm and deb. Distros are referred to > as being an RPM distro or a Debian distro. RPM packages do not work on > Debian based systems and vice versa. Debian is widely considered the > easiest to use, the more stable and has by far the most packages. > There are more RPM based distros, though. The most popular distros use > Debian. > > The more popular a distro the more users it has and therefore the more > help available to you. Because Ubuntu has corporate backing they have > the most online information, the most forums, most web sites, podcasts > and journals dedicated to it. It also has the biggest repositories > because it is Debian based. In addition many third party developers > release packages in Ubuntu format only or Ubuntu first. Ubuntu also > has PPAs which are personal package archives which you can add to your > sources and get things nobody else can. Many of these work with Ubuntu > based distros such as Mint, but that is beginning to change because > Mint has gone with GS instead of Unity. So Mint users have to be more > careful than in the past. > > The most popular distros are Ubuntu (Debian based, Unity 2 and 3D or > GNOME classic desktop environment, depending on version), Linux Mint > ((Debian based, GNOME Shell with extensions or GNOME classic desktop > environment, depending on version), Fedora (RPM based, with GNOME > Shell), openSuSE (RPM based with GNOME Shell and KDE versions), > PCLinuxOS (RPM based but with apt and KDE desktop, only in 32-bit), > Mageia (RPM based fork of Mandriva, KDE), Mandriva (RPM, KDE), MEPIS > or SimplyMEPIS (Debian stable, KDE), aptosid (Debian experimental, > KDE) and Debian (Debian stable, GNOME 2.x). > > There are many Ubuntu derivatives which come from Canonical but have a > different desktop environment. Kubuntu is KDE, Xubuntu is XFCE, > Lubuntu is LXDE, Ubuntu Studio is for media and it uses XFCE now. > Edubuntu is for education and uses Unity 2D. Mythbuntu is MythTV with > an XFCE desktop. Linux Mint is not from Canonical. It is based on > Ubuntu, but uses GNOME Shell with extensions and they are working on a > clone of GNOME 2 called Cinnamon. Ultimate is not from Canonical but > it is Ubuntu (older version usually) with everything but the kitchen > sink added. Fuduntu has nothing to do with Ubuntu. It is Fedora based > but took the untu part because it aims to take Fedora and make it easy > to use like Ubuntu. Unity OS has nothing to do with Unity desktop. It > is Mandriva based and uses Openbox as its DE. > > There are other things such as the installer. Ubuntu and its kin have > a good one, as does openSuSE. I am not big on Mandriva's or Fedora's. > > It is complicated, but you can simply things by asking yourself some > questions? > > Do you want Debian based or RPM based? That cuts choices in half. > Do you want a large community or do you care about support? > Do you want a large number of applications or will you run only a few? > Which desktop environment suits you best? > > Then you match things up and try a few live disks. If you don't like > one then try another. Use a usb stick or re writable disk. If you are > like the typical Linux user then you will start with one distribution > and then change after a time. > > A comparison of distributions can be found on Wikipedia at: > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Linux_distributions > > Somethings to pay attention to in this. > > Developer - one person development often means control by one person. > Development could slow or stop at any time should the developer not be > able to work. This happened to PCLinux OS when Bill Reynolds, AKA > Texstar, became ill and MEPIS has been marred by slow development. > Corporate backing can mean many things, good and bad. Corporations go > under or are taken over as happened to Novell. Community based distros > can be good, but they have their own set of problems. Getting > agreement is hard so things often move at a slow pace and disagreement > leads to division and forks. > > Look at release dates, first and last. It shows how old it is and > whether it is being actively developed. > > Base distribution we have talked about. > > Purpose should match your own. Desktop instead of server, etc. > > In the Technical section look at Install time desktop environment. You > can add and desktop you want after in many distributions, but you get > this one as part of the package. > > Architecture means what chipset. Most users will only care about the > first three columns. > > Package Management and installation is important. Pay attention to > overall number of packages, package management tools and format. Also > look to see if it has a graphical installer. Some do not. > > The last section is Live Media. Green straight across gives you the > best testing options. > > Security features is next to useless info since anything you would use > would come with either SELinux or AppArmor. > > Anybody who says use this or that is basing it on his or her personal > preference and since you do not know them you cannot know if it will > work for you. Take your time. Do your home work and try various > possibilities. All of the major distros are good or they would not be > where they are. But likely only one is good for you. > > Roy > > Using Kubuntu 11.10, 64-bit > Location: Canada > > On 12 January 2012 04:16, dvdpst <[email protected]> wrote: > > Not all are live Distros. Most are but you do not understand what I said. I > > built the system > > for that company. It is very security demanding. The system count And times > > the run time > > of all drives. Not only the HD but the CD/DVD drives to. Among with any > > saves and to what > > drive. Only way I could bid on that contract. Government requirements. I > > needed some thing > > that would load to ram and run from ram. > > > > I am trying to convince management to switch to Linux as their OS. Will > > know tomorrow > > if I have clearance to bring my laptop to do an clean install of Linux. If > > you have any other > > suggestions, I am open to them. > > > > david > > > > > > > > On Wed, Jan 11, 2012 at 9:49 PM, g.linuxducks <[email protected]>wrote: > > > >> ** > >> > >> > >> All of Linux distros are "Live Distros" meaning they all pop in and run > >> only the demo mode without installing anything and allow you to use > >> Linux in a limited fashion to decide whether to install it right from > >> the demo ' "Live Distro". It is not only Puppy that does that - all of > >> Linux distros do that in other words. (Either from CD/DVD or from USB > >> Drives and those also for Netbooks). > >> > >> I believe Ubuntu Linux is the best "presentation" of Linux and > >> especially for Windows lovers. These want a system that can do > >> everything that Windows does and better. Showing these Users a limited > >> Linux distro is certainly NOT turning them onto Linux as you think. In > >> fact they will laugh at you. If those are not presented with good cause > >> to leave Windows or add Linux they WILL go on their merry way with > >> Windows with the impression from a stripped down version rather than a > >> full blown does everything version. > >> > >> This is very simple. I can log onto Ubuntu Linux and check just about > >> all of several email acounts in the same amount of time it takes Windows > >> to fully load ready for use. That is NO exageration at all from myself > >> as a Windows lover since year 2001 (XP then Vista). > >> > >> I think you would want to show that and a full blown Linux that rivals > >> Windows. Take it from a Windows diehard. > >> > >> > >> On 01/11/2012 03:59 PM, dvdpst wrote: > >> > Most people I deal with just want to see what linux is. Most are using an > >> > company computer when they > >> > ask to see what Linux is. So I need some thing that will not touch the HD > >> > as I have developed the programme > >> > that the IT dept. uses to monitor the systems. And I need some thing that > >> > will only load in ram. > >> > No reason to go to time and trouble to install an real system when they > >> can > >> > get an idea of what it is from > >> > Puppy. Plus that is the only one I have on CD at this time. Of the ones > >> > that went with Linux, they wanted some thing better. > >> > I always show them Ubuntu and Kubuntu. I do mention that there are > >> > countless distos out there. > >> > Of the ones that saw Puppy like it and ask for some thing better since > >> > Puppy looks and acts so much like Windows. > >> > Only one that I show it to stay with Puppy. But all they wanted was some > >> > thing for internet and email. > >> > > >> > david > >> > On Wed, Jan 11, 2012 at 1:51 PM, Roy<[email protected]> wrote: > >> > > >> >> ** [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ To unsubscribe from this list, please email [email protected] & you will be removed.Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LINUX_Newbies/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LINUX_Newbies/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
