The move to Linux-Things you need to know
It may not be quite as easy as you think...
Friday, April 15, 2005 by PurrBall | Discussion: OS Wars
Update: yum makes life easier. To install a package, for exaple, The GIMP, you would go ito terminal and type 'yum install gimp' or for Firefox, 'yum install firefox' etc. No more web searching!!
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tjesterb
Reply #42 Monday, June 13, 2005 6:02 PM
Reply #42 Monday, June 13, 2005 6:02 PM
Kona, I thought you didn't have any spyware or viruses anyway?
PurrBall
Reply #43 Monday, June 13, 2005 6:42 PM
Kona-- I HAVE tried Ubuntu, and many others, yet like Fedora the best. I have uninstalled some software (OpenOffice.org is far worse then KOffice). I think it just is a matter of personal preference.
Reply #43 Monday, June 13, 2005 6:42 PM
| No thanks. Ubuntu is far easier to use and learn - and far less bloated. |
Kona-- I HAVE tried Ubuntu, and many others, yet like Fedora the best. I have uninstalled some software (OpenOffice.org is far worse then KOffice). I think it just is a matter of personal preference.
MasonM
Reply #44 Monday, June 13, 2005 6:51 PM
Bingo! While Slack has always been my primary distro of choice, I have tried/used a lot of different ones. They all have their pros and cons. Personally, I hate RPM distros. But that's just me. Others love them. Go figure
I really didn't like Ubuntu much when I tried it, but liked Mepis a lot for what it was. It's as much a personal taste thing as anything else. I say use what works for you.
Reply #44 Monday, June 13, 2005 6:51 PM
| I think it just is a matter of personal preference. |
Bingo! While Slack has always been my primary distro of choice, I have tried/used a lot of different ones. They all have their pros and cons. Personally, I hate RPM distros. But that's just me. Others love them. Go figure
I really didn't like Ubuntu much when I tried it, but liked Mepis a lot for what it was. It's as much a personal taste thing as anything else. I say use what works for you.
ZubaZ
Reply #45 Tuesday, June 14, 2005 6:57 AM
Linux is immune? I remember hearing that about Macs until a friend posted this: Link
Has Linux just not been targetted? My XP system is protected via firewall, anti-spyware, and virus scan - there's no sell there. And I already own all the software my wife needs.
The reason I used Ubuntu for my daughter was that it was new hardware (for going off to University) and I didn't want to pay for OS and software. {It also makes her feel good as a Socialist using open source apps, Sheesh!}
For a new PC, a Linux distro makes sense, I guess it doesn't for a pre-existing system.
Reply #45 Tuesday, June 14, 2005 6:57 AM
| Well you could try to explain to her that Linux is immune to spyware and malware and viruses bsides the need for no defragmanting the hard drive. Start up times are faster and all the software is mostly free. And Linux uses less resources than XP. |
Linux is immune? I remember hearing that about Macs until a friend posted this: Link
Has Linux just not been targetted? My XP system is protected via firewall, anti-spyware, and virus scan - there's no sell there. And I already own all the software my wife needs.
The reason I used Ubuntu for my daughter was that it was new hardware (for going off to University) and I didn't want to pay for OS and software. {It also makes her feel good as a Socialist using open source apps, Sheesh!}
For a new PC, a Linux distro makes sense, I guess it doesn't for a pre-existing system.
dissimuloorator
Reply #46 Wednesday, June 15, 2005 12:27 AM
Reply #46 Wednesday, June 15, 2005 12:27 AM
I really like Kubuntu with KDE, gives me all the features I am used to with Windowblinds. Rollup, themeing, Docking bar, Virtual Desktops, Open Office. I didn't mind Konquorer as a browser, and sudo apt-get install firefox was about as simple as it gets as install goes. The only trouble was mounting some additional hard drives. That was solved in two shakes though. Mounting them was actually pretty simple. apt-get is a really neat command.Kynaptic is a nice utility to install packages also. I have moved two of my machines to Kubuntu now.
XX
Reply #48 Thursday, June 16, 2005 3:35 PM
Reply #48 Thursday, June 16, 2005 3:35 PM
Hmm I prefer XFCE. It's much simplier and faster. KDE slows down my old laptop so much it's basically unusable.
MasonM
Reply #49 Thursday, June 16, 2005 3:53 PM
That's a pretty common misconception. Linux is not immune to a virus. There is, however much better system protection inherent in Linux. Firstly, a virus would have to actually be executed. Secondly, if a user does execute a virus, it can only do damage to that user's files, not the system as this would require root access unlike Windows where a virus can run rampant and destroy system files at will.
It's unrealistic to claim that "LInux just hasn't been targeted" as a large percentage of servers out there run on Linux. The truth is, the virus writer/user who has ill intent just gets more "bang for the buck" writing Windows virus.
Despite the FUD from Microsoft, Linux is inherently more secure than Windows. Also, though it may take Microsoft many months to fix known security holes, in Linux this often happens in a matter of hours as there are so many different people with access to the source code and constantly testing and developing Linux. I have personally seen cases where a security hole was discovered in the Linux kernel, emails went out over mailing lists, and a patch was available for world-wide download within 2 hours of the original email.
Reply #49 Thursday, June 16, 2005 3:53 PM
| Linux is immune? I remember hearing that about Macs until a friend posted this: Link Has Linux just not been targetted? |
That's a pretty common misconception. Linux is not immune to a virus. There is, however much better system protection inherent in Linux. Firstly, a virus would have to actually be executed. Secondly, if a user does execute a virus, it can only do damage to that user's files, not the system as this would require root access unlike Windows where a virus can run rampant and destroy system files at will.
It's unrealistic to claim that "LInux just hasn't been targeted" as a large percentage of servers out there run on Linux. The truth is, the virus writer/user who has ill intent just gets more "bang for the buck" writing Windows virus.
Despite the FUD from Microsoft, Linux is inherently more secure than Windows. Also, though it may take Microsoft many months to fix known security holes, in Linux this often happens in a matter of hours as there are so many different people with access to the source code and constantly testing and developing Linux. I have personally seen cases where a security hole was discovered in the Linux kernel, emails went out over mailing lists, and a patch was available for world-wide download within 2 hours of the original email.
PurrBall
Reply #50 Thursday, June 16, 2005 4:25 PM
I would never go with a non-RPM distro, thus why I ended up using Fedora after trying different distros. To install something, all I have to do is go to the best RPM site (http://rpm.pbone.net/) in Firefox, click on the download and boom-- it instantly installs itself, and solves the dependencies, if needed. Tarballs are the most evil thing ever invented.......
Reply #50 Thursday, June 16, 2005 4:25 PM
| I hate RPM distros |
I would never go with a non-RPM distro, thus why I ended up using Fedora after trying different distros. To install something, all I have to do is go to the best RPM site (http://rpm.pbone.net/) in Firefox, click on the download and boom-- it instantly installs itself, and solves the dependencies, if needed. Tarballs are the most evil thing ever invented.......
PurrBall
Reply #51 Thursday, June 16, 2005 4:27 PM
Exactly.
Reply #51 Thursday, June 16, 2005 4:27 PM
| just gets more "bang for the buck" writing Windows virus |
Exactly.
MasonM
Reply #52 Thursday, June 16, 2005 4:37 PM
LMAO Thanks for proving my point! While you wouldn't use anything but an RPM distro, I would personally never use one at all. It's that pesky personal choice thing.
Kinda how I feel aout RPMs. Especially when they're expecting dependent libraries in a certain place and they're actually installed in another place thanks to some developers who just like to change things around for no good reason. They didn't invent the term "dependency hell" for nothing
It really is about choice. I have friends who won't use anything but Debian or Debian based distros. I think Debian is ok, apt works pretty well. But I like fast and Debian distros just seem to run a lot slower because of the too generic compiling they use.
FC is faster than Debian, but still a tad slow for me (not to mention those nasty RPMs
). I've used many different distros and have found that Slack, Arch, and Gentoo (if it moves, compile it ) to be the fastest.
But like I said, it's all personal taste. I won't knock anyone choice of distros. If it works for you, use it.
Reply #52 Thursday, June 16, 2005 4:37 PM
| I would never go with a non-RPM distro |
LMAO Thanks for proving my point! While you wouldn't use anything but an RPM distro, I would personally never use one at all. It's that pesky personal choice thing.
| Tarballs are the most evil thing ever invented. |
Kinda how I feel aout RPMs. Especially when they're expecting dependent libraries in a certain place and they're actually installed in another place thanks to some developers who just like to change things around for no good reason. They didn't invent the term "dependency hell" for nothing
It really is about choice. I have friends who won't use anything but Debian or Debian based distros. I think Debian is ok, apt works pretty well. But I like fast and Debian distros just seem to run a lot slower because of the too generic compiling they use.
FC is faster than Debian, but still a tad slow for me (not to mention those nasty RPMs
). I've used many different distros and have found that Slack, Arch, and Gentoo (if it moves, compile it ) to be the fastest.But like I said, it's all personal taste. I won't knock anyone choice of distros. If it works for you, use it.
PurrBall
Reply #53 Tuesday, August 16, 2005 8:33 AM
Reply #53 Tuesday, August 16, 2005 8:33 AM
I like Fedora. Berry is nice and fast, but has a text-mode only installer. 
So I use Fedora on the Hard Drive and Berry as a Live CD.
So I use Fedora on the Hard Drive and Berry as a Live CD.
PurrBall
Reply #55 Wednesday, August 17, 2005 6:18 PM
Reply #55 Wednesday, August 17, 2005 6:18 PM
Sure.
First, KDE has a nice UI.
GNOME's look and feel still gives me nightmares.
GNOME uses the GTK+ engine to draw all of its UI elements which is much slower. It also comes with a few applications.
KDE comes with all of the apps you will ever need.
Right now I'm typing this in KDE Konqueror, which is the KDE web browser/file manager. It's also highlighting everythong I type incorrectly in red.
Konq is very fast. It seems to work well with WC. You can also use Firefox.
GNOME GTK+ apps work fine in KDE, and vice versa.
KDE includes KMail for email, and Kontact which KMail integrates into, and the news reader, RSS, calendar, etc. integrates into. It works great for Gmail, and a replacement for Outlook.
The KOffice suite (be sure to select thing when installing!!!) is basically Microsoft Office. It doesn't offer MS Office compatability to my knowledge. For that you'd want OpenOffice.org.
KDE offers a centralized Control Center, wile GNOME has separate control applets (it does in Fedora at least).
Things in KDE are easier to get access to. It's a nice optimized UI.
KDE has Kopete for an IM client, it works great with MSN, and is compatible with all the rest.
And KSirc is an IRC client.
So KDE has much more softy then GNOME.
KDE also has a great help system.
Any thing else?
First, KDE has a nice UI.
GNOME's look and feel still gives me nightmares.
GNOME uses the GTK+ engine to draw all of its UI elements which is much slower. It also comes with a few applications.
KDE comes with all of the apps you will ever need.
Right now I'm typing this in KDE Konqueror, which is the KDE web browser/file manager. It's also highlighting everythong I type incorrectly in red.
Konq is very fast. It seems to work well with WC. You can also use Firefox.
GNOME GTK+ apps work fine in KDE, and vice versa.
KDE includes KMail for email, and Kontact which KMail integrates into, and the news reader, RSS, calendar, etc. integrates into. It works great for Gmail, and a replacement for Outlook.
The KOffice suite (be sure to select thing when installing!!!) is basically Microsoft Office. It doesn't offer MS Office compatability to my knowledge. For that you'd want OpenOffice.org.
KDE offers a centralized Control Center, wile GNOME has separate control applets (it does in Fedora at least).
Things in KDE are easier to get access to. It's a nice optimized UI.
KDE has Kopete for an IM client, it works great with MSN, and is compatible with all the rest.
And KSirc is an IRC client.
So KDE has much more softy then GNOME.
KDE also has a great help system.
Any thing else?
aimzzz
Reply #56 Wednesday, August 17, 2005 7:04 PM
Reply #56 Wednesday, August 17, 2005 7:04 PM
Oooo... you may be sorry you asked! My situation is that I got a 200 GB disc for my birthday. Also still have my 30 GB, so I may not have the world's newest setup, but there's a little room ot play around. I was planning to try Linux to see what it's like when I stumbled across your thread. I'm good with XP but a complete noob to Linux.
So here are some noob questions.
I was just reading some of the basics on the Fedora site. How do KDE & Gnome relate to what I'd get from Fedora? Does the Fedora Core have a KDE or Gnome GUI, or something else? Or if, for ex. I wanted to try KDE, should I get Linux from the Kubuntu site?
The discussion of RPM distros was a bit intimidating. In looking at Fedora, it seems like getting Linux there would ensure getting all the necessary pieces of their install. Do you have to know what you need in advance at a RPM distro? If something’s missing, can you find out by running sha1sum?
I have more, but will post this much while I continue writing
So here are some noob questions.
I was just reading some of the basics on the Fedora site. How do KDE & Gnome relate to what I'd get from Fedora? Does the Fedora Core have a KDE or Gnome GUI, or something else? Or if, for ex. I wanted to try KDE, should I get Linux from the Kubuntu site?
The discussion of RPM distros was a bit intimidating. In looking at Fedora, it seems like getting Linux there would ensure getting all the necessary pieces of their install. Do you have to know what you need in advance at a RPM distro? If something’s missing, can you find out by running sha1sum?
I have more, but will post this much while I continue writing
PurrBall
Reply #57 Wednesday, August 17, 2005 7:21 PM
Reply #57 Wednesday, August 17, 2005 7:21 PM
yum (console updater/installer, solves dependencies) and up2date (graphical updater, solves dependencies) both work great for me.
Fedora comes with a choice of GNOME, KDE or XFCE. You have to select to do a custom install to install those. I would recommend installing both GNOME and KDE.
RPMs are like setup EXEs. Very easy. And you can go to http://rpm.pbone.net/ if you need something not avaliable on yum.
To use yum:
Open a terminal in root (Super User) mode. Type:
-For first use:
yum check-update
-to install:
yum install (e.g. gimp)
-to update:
yum update
Very simple program...
And up2date alerts you when updates are available in your system tray.
Fedora comes with a choice of GNOME, KDE or XFCE. You have to select to do a custom install to install those. I would recommend installing both GNOME and KDE.
RPMs are like setup EXEs. Very easy. And you can go to http://rpm.pbone.net/ if you need something not avaliable on yum.
To use yum:
Open a terminal in root (Super User) mode. Type:
-For first use:
yum check-update
-to install:
yum install
-to update:
yum update
Very simple program...
And up2date alerts you when updates are available in your system tray.
aimzzz
Reply #58 Wednesday, August 17, 2005 7:21 PM
Reply #58 Wednesday, August 17, 2005 7:21 PM
The Fedora site says Linux partitions need to be formatted in VFAT. Never heard of VFAT—is it the same as FAT32? (I hope.)
Don’t have a CD burner but I’m assuming there’s a way I can make a boot-floppy & install to the Linux partition from images saved to a different partition.
From the Fedora site I got the impression that it’s best to get the files via BitTorrent. Never used it before, but I installed it earlier tonight. Do you recommend going that route?
Don’t have a CD burner but I’m assuming there’s a way I can make a boot-floppy & install to the Linux partition from images saved to a different partition.
From the Fedora site I got the impression that it’s best to get the files via BitTorrent. Never used it before, but I installed it earlier tonight. Do you recommend going that route?
PurrBall
Reply #59 Wednesday, August 17, 2005 7:22 PM
Reply #59 Wednesday, August 17, 2005 7:22 PM
When installing Fedora you can use the Disk Druid utility to add a / partition and a /swap partition to your 30 gig. Very easy utility.
aimzzz
Reply #60 Wednesday, August 17, 2005 7:23 PM
Reply #60 Wednesday, August 17, 2005 7:23 PM
what/where is yum? Looks like it's a program but ...
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Reply #41 Monday, June 13, 2005 3:18 PM
No thanks. Ubuntu is far easier to use and learn - and far less bloated.
Well you could try to explain to her that Linux is immune to spyware and malware and viruses bsides the need for no defragmanting the hard drive. Start up times are faster and all the software is mostly free. And Linux uses less resources than XP.