<Vanity> Looking for a good beginner Linux Desktop, any help?

[this_ol_patriot]

Hey mods if this isn't in the right place please move or delete. I don't write vanities much but since I'm asking for the broad knowledge of fellow FReepers maybe I'll be forgiven.

I'm looking for a good starter Linux desktop OS for my wife's computer, I have an old Win2k box (P31G-512) that I can use but needs the OS re-installed after years of abuse by the kids. I can put put a clean Win2k back on but figured this is a good time to learn a bit about Linux, so I've been checking out some distros. I'm looking for a package for light internet and office uses, just everyday surfing and doing a report now and then, nothing fancy, the ability to emulate Windows for some old solitaire and board games would be a plus

I saw that Xandros, Mepis, Linspire or Lycoris are recommended as good starters at Distrowatch. So what do you think?

I noticed there are fees associated with getting those distros and I can see why, a lot of work appears to have gone in setting up those packages. I am aware of the "free-free" distros like Debian and Fedora but I don't think I'm ready for those. I do have a bunch of DOS and Windows experience, have XP Pro and XP Home gaming machines and a 98 junk machine running now and have been using MS stuff since DOS 3.1.

So what do you say folks, what I read here will probably determine what I do.

Thanks,

t_o_p

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

I've done a number of linux installs over the years and they all pretty much "just work".

My most recent install has been Fedore Core 2 - Fedora Core is Red Hat's attempt to move out of the non-Enterprise market so they allow the consumer side of things to be maintained by the community.

My understanding is that FC2 is the "stable" FC release while FC3 is more "bleeding edge".

In any case I have been delighted with FC2. I got samba working with it (hint turn off the linux firewall before trying to make samba work). As others have pointed out frequent updates are important and FC2 pretty much automates this.

All in all, FC2 is the best linux distro I have ever worked with. And it's a free download.

[ThePythonicCow]

I guess there is no use in making changes to fonts and stuff using a Live CD, it doesn't store anything for later use on the hd or does it?

Google'ing for something like "live cd boot linux store settings" shows such possibilities as:

Persistent settings

Even though Knoppix boots from a CD, you can store settings and files if you have an available hard drive. Otherwise all the changes you make are lost when you exit Knoppix. Creating what Knoppix calls “persistent settings” is covered in chapter three (hacks 21-31). Other gems like importing settings from Windows Mozilla, OpenOffice.org, gaim and mounting your windows directory are  appropriate and a friendly touch.

The above is from the site: Knoppix Hacks Reviewed.

[this_ol_patriot]

Thanks, I found an article on the saveconfig script and the boot parameters needed to run from a saved myconf. I didn't try it yet.

[this_ol_patriot]

BTW: This is hell of a lot of fun, I wish I would have started earlier and had more time but only during vacations will I be able to spend the days I need to learn this.

Thanks for your time, everybody. In the end I'll probably run through all the free distros if I get the time and have the ability to install and use them. I was looking at Gentoo and Portage but want to learn the basics and more before I attempt that.

[LTCJ]

YASR (Yet Another SuSE Recommendation). I've been running a Windows/Linux dual boot system of one sort or another since I purchased SuSE v6.4. I've bought two other boxed sets since then. When SuSE 9.2 came out, I transitioned the entire family over to Linux. I did a free (via FTP) install of v9.2 over a year ago and I've been so pleased I'm planning on purchasing the boxed 9.3 to do an upgrade.

Since you mentioned your family, I'll add a very strong recommendation for Dansguardian for whatever distribution you decide to go with. It's a free, powerful content filter which will allow you to control access to what gets onto your system - either software/malware-wise or inappropriate web material. It's default configuration is pretty restrictive but it's easy to administer in order to tailor it to what you deem appropriate.

[Liberal Classic]

SuSE has excellent manuals, and has for a long time.

For just getting your feet wet, you could get a Knoppix CD. These run "live" from the CD and automatically detect your hardware. You can experiment with Linux without actually installing it to your hard drive. They also make great utility/rescue disks.

[Liberal Classic]

With the disclaimer is that I do unix work commercially so partioning, building software packages, configuring daemons is all second nature to me let me say that installing Linux from Scratch is a PAIN. Gentoo is Linux from Scratch without the pain and suffering, but you do lose a little ability to customize.

[ThePythonicCow]

Before I forget, let me thank-you for following up on your initial post with further comments on what you were doing, and replies to the suggestions offered.

This is a pleasant change from the usual case, where my replies are meant with silence.

And a couple more web pages I saw this morning that relate to you inquiry:

• SuSE 9.3 Linux fails home-use test
• Securing Linux, Part 3: Hardening the system

[this_ol_patriot]

Well the latest update, this is being posted using the hd install of Ubuntu. It took about 45 minutes, went without a hitch and everything is usable,I even have sound, well there's a few things I haven't checked but I have excellent tutorials to read and a very responsive forum at ubuntu to read and post if needed. It's not dual boot so that made it easy, just wipe everything.

If this is the way of Linux now, very soon it will be on many more boxes. My wife, who will be the main user, that is if she can drag me away, was already using it and while she is not unfamiliar with using computer programs in no way is she educated in the inner workings of the OS, setting up programs or configuring these machines. She uses Windows at work but was able to pick up the Gnome inetrface like nobody's business. Ha!

As for myself I'm learning 100% more each day, today I've become familiar with the file structure, permissions, using the command line and using the repositories and soon will find out if I need to install updated video drivers. Now though I have to do the more mundane things like setting up Firefox with the extensions I like, digging around the menus and finding out where to do all normal computer stuff and the like.

This has been perfect for my needs, I have an usable system with minimal work BUT all the complexity is there when I'm ready to dive in. Let's just say I love this and I have that same feeling I had when I booted my first PC back in the last century, this has brough back a love for computing I've always had, the computing that is not just playing games and running programs, the wonder of those first years with that mysterious DOS command line and making all those boot disks (loadhigh) to get my games to run and the joy of my first BBS is all here again. Not bad for an old man, well I'm 50 and not too gray.

Thanks again all,
t_o_p

[ThePythonicCow]

Sounds like you're having a blast. Welcome to Linux. Thanks for updating us.

[this_ol_patriot]

I had a baptism so-to-speak. I was having problems getting a higher refresh rate I know my monitor was capable but I didn't but I didn't have the option to change to them in the screen resolution dialog they were there up to 75hz but not beyond, I had the resolutions but not the refresh rate, anyway that's moot.

I did a "sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg" to reconfigure the x server and on next boot, oops command line only, I knew I messed something up, so I did it a again from the command line (must remember SPACE bar marks, ENTER proceeds) and took it slowly step by step, that was successful but I only had 60hz after a reboot. Anyway the answer was a simple edit of xorg.conf setting the correct frequency ranges from the monitor manual and I had it.

[this_ol_patriot]

Update, I went kind of nuts and now have a XP/Linux dual boot on my main machine, so that's two Linux machines in the house. The old machine has some flakey hardware, not the OS fault, and I couldn't stop messin' with Linux so I took the plunge and set up a dual boot system on my main. It went surprisingly easy but I kind of cheated and installed XP clean first, I really didn't feel like shrinking the old XP partition and then having to re-install anyway if it messed up. GRUB is up to the task and I have had zero complaints from XP.

I have Linux running all the time and only use XP, hehe, well I haven't spent much time in Windows lately but it will be there for games when I get the urge to play again.

[ThePythonicCow]

Sounds like you're having a blast ;).

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Way to go....running Xandros V3, can even run some of the multi media stuff with it.

[chronic_loser]

I really like ubuntu, b/c of the gnome desktop. Mepis is phenomenally easy, and very feature rich.

[LearnsFromMistakes]

ping for an update/bookmark. I think I will give Knoppix a shot right now.