Posted on 08/23/2013 6:10:14 AM PDT by ShadowAce
There are literally hundreds of Linux desktop distributions. Here's how to find one that's right for you. On a regular basis I use five different Linux different distributions. Over the decades, I've used pretty every much every major Linux distribution out there... and I haven't even touched more than 10% of all available Linux distributions.
If I, who've made something of a career of tracking Linux, can't keep up with all the distros how can you?
Honestly, you can't. No one can.
So how can you find the right Linux for you? This handy, dandy guide will help.
But before I dive into the distributions, let me kill a few myths. First, Linux is not hard to use. You don't need to know how to use cryptic shell commands or be a programmer to use desktop Linux. Anyone, and I mean anyone, can use it.
There are also lots of applications and games you can run on Linux. True, you can't run all of your Windows applications. Although, as it happens, thanks to Wine and Crossover you can run some popular Windows programs on Linux.
But you may find that you don't even need those Windows apps. Linux supports many free applications that can take the place of some of your favorite commercial applications. These include LibreOffice or OpenOffice for Microsoft Office; Evolution for Outlook; and GnuCash for QuickBooks.
And, yes, there are many games for Linux as well. Some are native games and some are based on Steam. Many popular Windows games, such as Guild Wars and World of Warcraft, can also be played on Linux with the aforementioned Wine and Crossover.
That said, here is my list of the best Linux distributions based on how you plan to use it.
Let's say you do pretty much everything you want on the Web. You write with Google Docs, you use Mint for your personal finances, and Gmail for your e-mail. If that's you, then what you want to use is Google's Chrome OS.
Although almost none of its users can tell it, Chrome OS, the operating system behind the popular Chromebook, is based on Gentoo Linux. But then again, that's the point of Chrome OS. It's the operating system that's meant to be invisible.
While you can pry open a Linux shell interface on Chrome OS if you really want to, you'll never need to get to it. Chrome OS uses Google's Chrome Web browser for its interface. And everyone knows how to use a Web browser. Right? Of course, right!
If that's you, then Ubuntu is for you. Many old Linux hands don't care for Ubuntu because they find its Unity interface to be shockingly different from the old GNOME 2.x interface.
In addition, they don't like the way Unity gets in the way of directly accessing the system. Fair enough, Unity is not for the experienced Linux expert. But for someone who wants a simple-to-use interface that can quickly master (about 90% of the population), Unity is great.
How easy is Ubuntu with Unity? I got my 79-year old mother-in-law on Ubuntu and we don't even speak the same language. So much for Linux being hard to use.
Canonical, Ubuntu's parent company, also plans on moving Unity to its forthcoming smartphones and tablets. That's because Unity was designed from the start to be a universal interface for PCs and touch devices. Unlike other such attempts, Unity actually works. That's in no small part because Ubuntu has been polishing Unity for several years now.
So, if you want a Linux that a full Linux distribution with the easiest possible learning curve I highly recommend the latest version of Ubuntu.
Even the most hardcore Windows fans are finally beginning to crack and admit that Windows 8 has been a flop and while Windows 8.1 looks better, it doesn't look that much better. What's a Windows XP or 7 user to do? He or she should turn to Linux Mint. In particular, the version using the Cinnamon interface.
Unlike Chrome OS and Ubuntu Unity, Mint with Cinnamon sticks with the Windows, Icons, Menus, and Pointer (WIMP) interface you've grown to know know and love from years of traditional desktops. It's not a one-to-one match with the XP or Windows 7 Aero interface, but Windows users will find Cinnamon much more familiar than Windows 8's Metro.
Linux users who loved the GNOME 2.x style interface will also love Cinnamon. Another worthwhile alternative for people who are found of GNOME 2.x, and which is also integrated into Mint, is MATE. While Cinnamon rests on the foundation of the GNOME 3.x desktop, MATE is an outright GNOME 2.x fork.
Mint, unlike many distributions, also comes with easy access to proprietary software. Some Linux users hate such programs and hardware drivers, but I've found that in practice they make Linux easier to use.
Personally, I really like Mint with Cinnamon. It's not perfect, but it's about as close as a Linux desktop gets in my experience. While I use lots of Linux distributions, Mint is my current favorite.
I hear you. Then the distribution you want, and the first choice of Linus Torvalds and most Linux kernel developers, is Red Hat's community distribution Fedora.
Fedora is cutting edge Linux so you need to be a little careful lest you nick yourself with it. More so than any of the other distributions this one is meant for expert users. That's not to say it's hard to use, although I do confess that I dislike its default desktop, GNOME 3.8. You can, however, also use the MATE or KDE 4.10 desktops.
Fedora includes many of the newest versions of Linux and open-source programs -- for example, the latest major GCC, Ruby, and PHP releases. It also now includes the MariaDB as its default database management system (DBMS) instead of MySQL. Eventually, Red Hat is expected to move its enterprise server standard DBMS to MariaDB as well. This is one reason why so many programmers like it. Fedora is ready for serious developers.
You don't need to dream in C++ to use Fedora. It also works well for experienced Linux users. But, if you're just coming to Linux, I'd start somewhere else.
Here I think you have several good choices. These are: PCLinuxOS, Kubuntu and openSUSE. Of this trio, I prefer openSUSE, but they're all worth taking for a test drive.
While I had no fondness for the KDE 4.x interface at first, over the years its developers have improved it and I rather like it now.
In my experience, PCLinuxOS is just a good, solid independent distribution. It's backed by a passionate user community who take the time to help their users.
Kubuntu, just like the name hints at, is the official KDE on Ubuntu desktop. That sounds great, and it is good, but Canonical dropped active support for Kubuntu in early 2012. The distribution has since picked up support from a company named Blue Systems, but it's still as tightly integrated into the Ubuntu world as it once was.
OpenSUSE, like Fedora, has the backing of a major Linux company, SUSE. This is a very solid, reliable Linux distribution. If you want a top Linux you can count on, and that's not quite so much on the bleeding, leading edge as Fedora, openSUSE is an excellent choice.
Still not sure? Just download them and try them. All of them are free, all of them, except Chrome OS, can be installed from a CD, DVD, or USB-stick. What works for me may not work for you, but with these choices I'm pretty darn sure you'll find one that works well for you.
Good luck and happy computing!
downloading PlayOnLinux now
Believe it or not.. I loved DOS.. Part of the reason is because so many COULDN’T use it :D (I am so evil ;^))
PlayOnLinux has a lot of interesting stuff
Warzone 2100 drives me nuts, lol
have you tried 0AD?
The first rule of choosing a desktop Linux distribution is, nobody talks about choosing a desktop Linux distribution!
The second rule of choosing a desktop Linux distribution is, nobody talks about choosing a desktop Linux distribution!
will I need to download Internet Explorer?
Any emulator including wine is going to have issues. Add that to the required overhead and games that require absolutely top end specs aren't going to run well period.
What is needed is a suite of APIs that completes with DirectX but is easier to develop on.
Warzone, once you get into it, is a real challenge.. Can’t count how many times I’ve beat the darn thing now.. can’t get the hardest lvl though :p
When I play it (last time was probably about a year ago), I set up skirmishes anymore :p
(BTW, make sure you have the sound and vids downloaded too.. a bit low tech (I believe it was originally made in 1989, or so), but the Linux game gurus have updated it a LOT since the original).
0 A.D. .. hmm, I think I tried it out a year or 2 ago.. (Like Civilization, right?)
Will look into it again. (Sadly, between reading the news (keeping up on the destruction of morals) and work, not too much time to play anymore :/
One thing I really haven't messed with a while lot in linux beyond getting it working is sound.
A month or so ago, I loaded up Fedora 18 on my main desktop. At first I had issues getting sound working at all, and finally managed, after poking around a bit to at least get my mp3s and stuff to play. I have a harman/kardon speaker system, and the sound is really freaking muddy. It's like there is a bunch of sound processing going on behind the scenes, and the speakers are interpreting it as reverb or other surround sound stuff.
I realize there have been several evolutions of how sound is handled over the years, and would not be at all surprised if I have some artifacts of that in my .kde, .local or other user-based config directory. (could even be a system config somewhere.
To make matters somewhat worse is that I apparently have two audio controllers, and the system has been inconsistent with which it prefers. I'm assuming the "HD Audio Controller" below is the contoller on the motherboard, and the NVIDIA one is relating to the HDMI out on my video card (I just dug around and located a spare HDMI cable - I'll deal with testing that out some other time)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801JI (ICH10 Family) HD Audio Controller
02:00.1 Audio device: NVIDIA Corporation High Definition Audio Controller (rev a1)
The KDE 'mixer' program seems to adjust the volume sometimes, but when I run VLC, it's like there is a completely different volume control that is independent of that.
It appears I'm running pulse audio
zeugmaamp 13868 1 0 Aug07 ? 00:18:28 /usr/bin/pulseaudio --start
But I've seen messages indicating some programs expect 'alsa' in addition or in place of that.
Do any of you guys have a good resource for getting this stuff cleaned up, so it will be more straightforward going forth?
The people at the forum claim it works “one click” but my computer won’t even unzip it
will I need to download Internet Explorer?
right-click, OPEN WITH... WINE
I am so stupid sometimes
could not nstall Mono or Gecko or something
now for DirectX
lolz
Yes, to play WOT I will need some version of IE which is loading now.
Actually, I get more FPS running WoW on Linux than I had on Windows.. The setback was the crashes, because WoW was originally made for less than 2 gig RAM.. and happened on both Linux AND Windows, was overcame with someone that made a small indy patch that changed the original WoW.exe to use the +LMB of the PC’s full RAM (in my case 16 gig).
The Biggest difference when running a game (or a heave resource app like Photoshop), is the background. Windows has A LOT of stuff running in the background, whereas Linux doesn’t.
The DirectX is still an issue (most replace that with OpenGL, but it is also becoming aged).
It IS possible to run either the Linux replacements D3D OR the DirectX(WIN) (DX9-DX11), but is a real pain to get it working. I actually had it working perfect once (DX11) and was amazed in the difference between Win and Linux... I wish I could remember how I did it (was about a year ago.. and reinstalled/upgraded since then).
I learned a lot just attempting a Linux from Scratch install.
Still fall back to Debian w/o X windows—don’t usually use my Linux machines for typical desktop activities.
WOT looks like a big big download
If you are having sound issues, I recommend trying Mint Mate (or my personal favorite, KDE).. 99.9% will work from the LiveDisc
For Gecko, usually it will be installed with the game/app... but, if not, make sure you have WineTricks installed also, so you can get the needed DLLs
bkmk
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