Operating Systems > Linux and UNIX

Finding The Right OS

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cymon:
I would never, ever, recommend anything RPM-based to a newbie. The last thing someone needs when using a new operating system is a dependancy hell. You can use ubuntu, or Debian if you're up to a bit of research.

Siplus:

--- Quote from: cymon ---I would never, ever, recommend anything RPM-based to a newbie. The last thing someone needs when using a new operating system is a dependancy hell. You can use ubuntu, or Debian if you're up to a bit of research.
--- End quote ---


Huh. I started with Redhat 8 and I never had a 'problem' with dependancies. I know 'dependancy hell' exists, i hear people talking about it, but I have never experienced it. Apt-get works for Redhat/Fedora.

In my opinion, the UI involved in installing rpm's on fedora is much better than the UI involved with installing deb's on ubuntu.

In fedora, I can just double click on an RPM in Gnome and it will ask for Root's password and install. In Ubuntu I have to 'sudo dpkg -i package.deb' in a command line.

New users typically like GUI more than entering commands in CLI :-P

cymon:
Using .deb packages is a bit like buying OSX Tiger, then running nothing but classic apps on it. If you're running Ubuntu, or anything else Debian based, then you should use apt-get. Otherwise, you're making it harder to do something that was designed to be simple.

worker201:
Dependency hell is part of the fun!  Seriously!  You can learn a lot just by going through it a few times.  By definition it forces you to see what libraries are used where, and gives useful insights into the inner-workings of Linux.

But unfortunately for me, programs like synaptic have made system maintenance in Fedora extraordinarily easy.  Dependency hell is no longer my problem.  Of course that deprives newbs of the challenge and experience of figuring out how to use the rpm command properly to query, erase, install, and upgrade.  Or doing web searches for rpm repos that have the packages you need.

[offtopic]I think that the marketing dicks who decided that everyone gets to use a computer have kinda ruined things for the rest of us.  If every dumbhole wants to use a computer, of course you are going to have garbage like Windows, Excel, Powerpoint, Roxio, and proprietary scanner interfaces.  I'd rather have only people who really care about computers - how they run, how they could run, how they should run, and how to build your own - using Linux.  That would prevent the industry from getting too user-friendly, since so far, it seems that user-friendly = poweruser-unfriendly.[/offtopic]

Jenda:
I can recommend using Ubuntu. I started with Mandrake - which I can honestly NOT recommend :), and then switched to Ubuntu. I'm quite advanced now as a Linux user and see no reason to switch from Ubuntu. It is a slight resource hog, but nothing compared to Windows - and can be easily chopped down to be less demanding. With specs like yours - you have nothing to worry about.
There are many expert users who are happy with Ubuntu - so I don't see why worker201 says they hate it. You can download it from ubuntulinux.org or order free (really free, no $ at all) CDs on shipit.ubuntu.org - it takes them 6 weeks to deliver though.
Ubuntu uses Gnome by default, and if you want something more robust (and more demanding resource-wise), you can switch to KDE (called Kubuntu) and if you want it to be more lightweight (but not just CLI), you can use XFCE (Xubuntu) or Fluxbox (Flubuntu - not too widespread ATM). Ubuntu has massive online support at Ubuntuforums.org and on IRC at #ubuntu, #kubuntu, #xubuntu etc. Definitely a good place to start - and has LiveCDs available if you want to try it out.

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