Which Linux flavor should i go with?

[EMOKDOOM]

If you want a good performing pre-configured distro which isn't resource hungry Crunchbang is great. That being said, I don't agree with the whole "make it noob proof" philosophy going around these days. If you want to become a proficient Linux user get a distro that lets you do it the hard way. I started with Slackware 7.1. It was a good learning experience. I like starting from the ground up still to this day. I would much rather install what I need than get rid of what I don't. For me this is much efficient.

My favorites have all been mentioned. Arch, Debian, Gentoo, Slackware. The only distro I would really not recommend to a newcomer is Linux From Scratch. Good luck and have fun!

I can see what you mean, but i doubt everyone can adapt to a non-pre-configured OS and know how to work around it like you. Kinda of like learning how to ride a motorcycle. Some people are capable of starting off with a liter bike and be fine, others will kill themselves if they don't start with a puny 250cc

I think I’d like an in between. Everyone says no matter your preference, there's always a Linux flavor for you. The only problem is finding it :3

[proxx]

I'd like to eventually run Arch or Slack. I hear good things about both. Like i said though, i'm liking suse and i have to learn my way around Linux so i'll learn with the little chameleon

That's funny if nVidia actually changed their minds for that. I haven't been had this OS for even a week and i already see a lot of borderline BS that can be resolved if some were a bit less stubborn. Can't run Netflix even though i have Firefox, minimal codec support out of box. i know it's shit i can fix but it's somewhat ridiculous that most of it isn't suppose to be tinkered with just because it's not Windows or OSX.

Yeah I think you mean silverlight, yep microsoft refuses to support that for linux , its pathetic.
These kinda things require dirty hacks.
For example you could run simulated android and use the application from netflix or something down that road.
Or just for those cases run a virtualbox with win.

Im not gonna admit there are certain sarcrifices when it comes to running linux.
Hardware support can be a reAL pain in the butt.
My gf cant watch some series because it needs fucking silverlight.
But its not really to blaim on linux, its the vendors and comapnies that just look the other way.
Someday.....

Glad your happy with your install.
Codecs can often be installed by one line of code or by a few clicks, easier than on winblows.
Do you use virtualbox or virtualmachine ?

I can see what you mean, but i doubt everyone can adapt to a non-pre-configured OS and know how to work around it like you. Kinda of like learning how to ride a motorcycle. Some people are capable of starting off with a liter bike and be fine, others will kill themselves if they don't start with a puny 250cc

I think I’d like an in between. Everyone says no matter your preference, there's always a Linux flavor for you. The only problem is finding it :3

Your first year(s) with linux your gonna be a distro hopper anyway.
At least I think you should.
I found my home (arch) after a long time.

[cuntpunch]

I can see what you mean, but i doubt everyone can adapt to a non-pre-configured OS and know how to work around it like you. Kinda of like learning how to ride a motorcycle. Some people are capable of starting off with a liter bike and be fine, others will kill themselves if they don't start with a puny 250cc

I think I’d like an in between. Everyone says no matter your preference, there's always a Linux flavor for you. The only problem is finding it :3

Point taken. I don't know that I was very good at first. Just so stubborn that I wasn't going to stop. When I found Knoppix-STD I did learn more about security than I was with Slackware. Pre-configured is great to find out about tools. I just have had modest hardware most of the time. So it became a habit to strip things down any OS.

[Firo]

When i first started using linux, i was in some forum and a big majority of people were linux users. I asked the n00b question of which one is best... some guy commented " you aren't going to be a pussy ass bitch you are gonna use Arch". Best linux advice I've ever had in my life. I like the idea of learning things the 'long way' so to speak. Not always the hard way but how am i going to get the most out of any situation or experience.

[proxx]

When i first started using linux, i was in some forum and a big majority of people were linux users. I asked the n00b question of which one is best... some guy commented " you aren't going to be a pussy ass bitch you are gonna use Arch". Best linux advice I've ever had in my life. I like the idea of learning things the 'long way' so to speak. Not always the hard way but how am i going to get the most out of any situation or experience.

Absolutely, Arch is the way to go.
No regrets whatsoever.
Sometimes it can be a real bitch but thats mostly my own fault.
Fellow archers get a +1

[irenicus09]

It came without the capability of playing mp3s and a lot of other media which was seriously odd. Also trying to get VB running is a bit of hassle but i'm sure i'll get it down soon

There you are wrong my friend. You can play mp3's and whatever video / audio formats you want, just install the proprietary codecs through your package manager. I've never used Opensuse & stopped using Ubuntu after 10.04...so not sure how to help you, but you can always google you know

I'm now a permanent resident in the land of Gentoo, and when I was at your stage I was always distro hopping around so it's not a bad thing. Experiment & look around...find the distro of your choice...but remember one thing: Do not judge a distro based on it's looks.

If you understand linux you'll never feel the need for windows, other than gaming and stuff. It's better in every possible way I can imagine: speed, performance, stability, security, etc.

As for visual basic, forget it. It was meant for windows dev anyway, and there are better IDE's & even cooler, cross-platform languages.

Adios.

[vezzy]

Everyone here seems to kiss the Linux kernel's ass, but is there even a single BSD user in this forum?

I am seriously considering switching to a BSD variant, likely FreeBSD.

[proxx]

Jup ran BSD for a while and im considering of doing that again.
Linux is just linux I love it and it remains my favorite unix thus far.
However when I started BSD I was really unexperienced with unix.
One thing thats bothers me is that there are even less packages than for linux.
Also unsupported hardware in my case, which sucks and is not BSD's fault but the netto effect remains the same.
BSD is always a little behind and not as bleeding edge thus hw support is always a little late.
Funny detail is that many games that run on linux run better on BSD
Btw I never know which to choose.

Friend of mine runs solaris which seems interesting , never really took the time to investigate it.

[vezzy]

I frequent a community where the owner is maniacally obsessed with trying every single operating system he can get his hands on (all BSD variants, Linux distros, BeOS, Haiku, Solaris, Plan 9 from Bell Labs, etc.)

I know for a fact that OpenBSD has a pretty hardened kernel and is more secure against insecure coding/memory exploits. Of course, Linux has PaX and grsecurity too, which is why I'm interested in Alpine Linux as well, since it integrates all of that into a nice package with a very low memory footprint (3-4MB).

I'm getting a new laptop soon, so I'll have to make the decision. Right now, I'm looking towards Alpine.

[irenicus09]

Everyone here seems to kiss the Linux kernel's ass, but is there even a single BSD user in this forum?

I am seriously considering switching to a BSD variant, likely FreeBSD.

I love Freebsd, other than that I also tried Ghost BSD which comes with Gnome2.x

In terms of security, BSD's are more secure by default (out of the box) but Linux Distro's like Gentoo can also be configured to get to that point.

Personally I'm not a big fan of BSD's if we're not talking about servers, cos I want bleeding edge software and don't wanna wait a decade to get support for my hardware or the latest greatest stuff.

Try BSD yourself before judging others.

Goodluck.

[str0be]

Been using FreeBSD since the 5.x series. But ever since a Linux Steam client was released...

[F1.z3ro]

Everyone here seems to kiss the Linux kernel's ass, but is there even a single BSD user in this forum?

I am seriously considering switching to a BSD variant, likely FreeBSD.

I've always liked BSD.  I am not currently running it as a desktop OS as I consider it more appropriate for severs, etc.


On another note, other than the installer and what comes packaged in the distro....one linux is as good as another.  Really comes down to preference more than anything.


If you were having issues, it's likely do to configuration issues.  Some distros are better suited for beginners than seasoned vetrans.  You may want to try a distro that automates the install a bit more.

[Swerve]

I use BlackBuntu.

Homepage: www.blackbuntu.com
Forum: www.board.blackbuntu.com

[xzid]

Keep windows and install a minimal distro like debian, arch or Gentoo in a VM and use Cygwin mintty/ssh to access it. Add tmux and you're good to go.
 
Unless you actually want a Linux desktop, I always preferred windows for general usage.

[proxx]

Keep windows and install a minimal distro like debian, arch or Gentoo in a VM and use Cygwin mintty/ssh to access it. Add tmux and you're good to go.
 
Unless you actually want a Linux desktop, I always preferred windows for general usage.

That way you never really learn but thats just my opinion.