On Fri, Nov 25, 2011 at 5:09 AM, Sam Vagni
<sam.vagni@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello Sam,
Hello.
> It's good to go with, depending on what you're looking for.
> If you want to learn, there's no Linux distro better for the purpose,
> but an easier introduction could be by downloading and installing LMDE
> here:
http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=1818 which many are switching to
> from Ubuntu.
free due to its relatively low release schedule, it contains highly
tested softwares and that's why sometimes, it lacks the cutting edge
technology, I just need the most stable version to learn so that once
addicted to it, I might feel better, I know for all reasons, that
learning would be taking much much time since it is my curiosity to
know not the full time job (which is a different one). But, yes, I
would definitely go with your suggestion of Live CD trials of Linux
Mint too, I heard of it being one of the most simplest distro in the
world of Linux, but I have only heard.
> After playing with that for a while and you feel you would like to get
> more 'hands on', by all means, install Debian.
Ah well, Debian, as I heard is one of the most stable and bug free (I
think 0% bugs) distro...But I know that it might take way long time to
be compatible with Debian, to know how it works and how to accomplish
tasks using Debian, one of the most matured Linux distribution (I
heard this too, :)...).
Well, there is no truly bug-free software. Debian has bugs, just like everything else. After all, there are bugs in the upstream packages which then get pushed into Debian. The Debian team does a good job of mitigating those bugs. I was recently affected by a regression in the nvidia driver. Upstream fixed it, and Debian pushed it out. That is the main difference between Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) and commercial software. MS has a number of bugs that are 17 or 18 years old that they admit they will never fix.
On Thu, Nov 24, 2011 at 3:19 PM, Lisi <lisi.reisz@gmail.com> wrote:
> A simple, accepting all defaults to make life easy, installation of Debian 6
> or higher will give you GNOME. Anything else is more complex.
That's right but please let me know 'Anything else' include(s) what?
Like since I am downloading Debian, so it is Debian 6 only and since I
have to install a fresh system, why would I go a version earlier than
6?s
I believe he means installation of other desktop environments (e.g. KDE, XFCE, Enlightenment, etc.)
> GNOME is the *default*, and that was the question I was answering. I do not
> myself use GNOME.
Okay,GNOME is default, but amazing that you yourself don't use the
default...? However, its your personal choice, but I am sure there is
no issue with GNOME....
I also do not use GNOME. I am a KDE user, and prior to that I used Enlightenment. One thing you have to remember is that Linux is about freedom of choice. There are several choices for any conceivable app you might run. In the Windows world, you have one or maybe two apps to do a given task. With Linux (and *BSD), you may have half a dozen tools to do the same task.
> It also depends on what you want to learn and how deeply you want to delve
> into Linux. I have been working with Linux for many years (I started using
> Linux to teach myself SunOS 4.1.3). I started with Slackware (2.2.0.1) and
> progressed to RedHat, then started using Debian, where I have been ever
> since.
Since you finally stopped at Debian, I came to know that Debian should
be the king here otherwise you could have tried others more and
stopped there, however, this is what I feel. Yes, target of mine is to
know Linux basics, like how basically a Linux System works!
Personally, I think Debian has the best balance of the Linux distros I tried. I like, and am comfortable with, the package management system.
Also, if I might suggest a couple of sources for additional Linux information, a couple of Linux podcasts come to mind. The first was Chess Griffin's excellent Linux Reality podcast, which is no longer made, however the archives are still available at
http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=creator:%22chess%20griffin%22&usort=date
The other is called Linux Basix, and is available at
http://www.linuxbasix.com
> That said, IMHO, if your goal is to become a sysadmin or similar work, I
> would recommend, at some point, dabbling in Slackware, Gentoo, or for the
> truly hardcore, Linux From Scratch. While this can be frustrating at times,
> it also has the advantage of honing your troubleshooting skills. If you are
> wanting to become more of a casual user, Linux Mint, PCLinuxOS, Ubuntu (if
> you can get past the Unity interface) are more complete solutions, drop a CD
> in and it installs. It's like buying a car. You don't buy your teenager a
> brand new Aston Martin DB9...You get them an older Honda Accord.
Well, I try Live CDs. But you didn't say anything of Debian apart from
Gentoo, Slackware, etc... whatever be many other distros.....
Don't get me wrong. I really like Debian, And you can learn from Debian, but there are a lot of things that Debian does *for* you. It is great for day-to-day operation, but if you want to get down in the weeds with the OS, one of the first set of distros I mentioned (Slack, Gentoo, LFS) might be a better laboratory environment. The second group does even more setup for the user than Debian. (and the three that I mentioned are based on Debian :) ) I was merely showing you the range of options which you might explore...From having to compile your way to a working system and being familiar with every config file on the system all the way through "answer 4 questions and your system is installed." Debian falls somewhere in the middle of that range.
--b