1st time Linux user

[Shuie]

Im running Linux, MEPIS distribution, off of a CD right now on my work laptop. This is the 1st time Ive ever even seen Linux and I havent used UNIX since I was writing C++ programs in college. Im actually on a wireless connection in a hotel right now and everything is working the way its supposed to. I must admit that I'm kinda impressed. If it allows me to post here, it does half of what I need a personal machine to do . I think im going to load this on my machine at the house

What are some other good distributions that I can try out? Ive already downloaded Knoppix as well. Where can I learn more about Linux and how to set up a functional Linux environment at the house?

TIA

[bryanthompson]

I used Redhat 8/9/10 for 3 and a half years, then Fedora 2 for a few months before buying my Powerbook. I really really liked Fedora... They have done a lot of stuff to make it more friendly to Windows migrants, plus the drivers are getting better and better... I'm impressed that the distro you picked up set your wireless up and found your laptop drivers... I never had good luck with laptops and linux, so that's awesome.

Anyway... if you go with an RPM based deal, get apt-get and synaptic... it's the best way for linux newbies to keep control of their packages without getting into dependency hell.

Good luck! If you just cut all ties from windows your life will be much much better

[Shuie]

It didnt exactly turn on the wireless for me. I had to throw a switch in the 'Network Interfaces' settings, but it was easier than I thought it was going to be. Its a little slow and it seems like its hanging sometimes but I guess thats because it is running from a CD.

Ive got no issues with Windows. XP Pro with Mozilla is as stable as anything I could ever ask for. I just dont have access to all of the free software I want for my personal use anymore.

[dd74]

Shuie - good for you. Google "Linux forums," and you'll get more than enough.

P.S. I've still to get my wireless in order. I may call on you later for help.

BTW: will you load it on your personal machine permanently, or use the "live CD?" I have Knoppix and actually like it more than SUSE 9.1. However, I still haven't figured out how to load Knoppix permanantly onto my hard drive.

Any ideas?

[Shuie]

I tried to get a screenshot of the of the switch I turned on for the wireless, but that doenst seem to work the same way it does in Windows.

Ive talked to a couple of people who say to partition the hard drive and run multiple OS's from the same machine. Im going to use the CD's until I get a better handle on this stuff and decide which one I want to use.

I have a link somehwere for a knoppix forum. I havent spent any time there but I would bet those guys could help with just about anything. I think its knoppix.net.

[bryanthompson]

I had to format all of my drives and throw out all windows cds... that's the only way I could stick with Linux. It's so easy to get stuck on some small problem and think, "damn, this is so much easier in windows." After you get to know more, it gets easier... but for me it was cold turkey or I found myself on windows again.

If you're doing Linux for the free software, cool... I did it becuase it was the best for doing Java work & server things, but there's a ton of crazy OpenSource stuff. One of my favorite Linux apps is Blender3d (blender3d.org). take a look at what some of them have created with blender... it's amazing stuff. I wouldn't have thought a free program could do all of that.

[dd74]

Knoppix.net is a good forum. It's about as large as this forum, so there you have it with its popularity. Evidentially, Knoppix is much like Gentoo.

Bryan: I'm hedging toward "cold turkey" as well. XP and Linux don't play well, and quite frankly, I think XP, as improved as it is, is still a dangerous OS by nature of extenuating influences (viruses, spies, etc).

My only problem is networking. Wireless for one, and connecting to a Netware network the other.

Have you been able to connect to a Windows-based network with Linux?

[bryanthompson]

I ended up getting the networking set up accidentally... I had been screwing around with samba for a long time, but I hadn't let windows take enough time to load the smb share... so I never knew it was there until one day I was browsing for the network and got up to talk on the phone for a half hour or so... when i got back, my share was there! I was like, no freaking way!

Are there any samba experts here? They'd be more help... pretty much everything I know I've stumbled upon in one way or another

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Somewhere out there are instructions for installing Knoppix on HD. I know this because I followed them and got it running on one of my antique P2 boxes.

(...)

Yep, here it is. At a Kiwi site no less (CamB you should be proud).

http://www.freenet.org.nz/misc/knoppix-install.html

Caveat: this doesn't really detail how to make Windoze and Knoppix co-exist friendily on the same system.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

PS I actually have a Samba share setup on my main Linux box that I access using my Mac. Goofy, I know.

[dd74]

Blue - my hero.

Nah - Windows will have to be erradicated. I might get a 5400 RPM drive soon with an 8mb buffer to R&R my 4200 standard IBM, so I'll do the full install on that - or maybe I won't wait.

My Mac at work can get to the Netware.

BTW: can anyone float me a yellow dog CD, or any other Mac flavor Linux? I'm time crunched to download the entire OS.

I've got a seven-year old powerbook, that (go figure), is still as fast as my year-old centrino IBM. LOL!

Anyway, I'd like to try Linux on Mac if possible.

[bryanthompson]

open a terminal on your mac... there, you have unix

I've seen sites where they got redhat installed on apple... not really sure why you would though.

[dd74]

Originally posted by bryanthompson
open a terminal on your mac... there, you have unix

I've seen sites where they got redhat installed on apple... not really sure why you would though.

Unix? Not with Mac OS 9.1.

Redhat on Mac: why not?

[id10t]

Mepis and Knoppix are both based on Debian - a good stable distribution.

As for what hardware/architecture you can put linux on, just about everything (cpu wise) is supported - ppc (mac, some ibm), x86 (intel/amd/cyrix/via, etc), transmeta, Alpha, Sparc, ARM, and a ton of other stuff you've never heard of.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

You've seen the light, my son. Congratulations. Linux is THE best OS out there for PCs - bar none, period.

Windows is a joke - it's for people of the same mentality that use AOL. You'll thank yourself for going Linux, and no you don't have to be a hardcore "computer geek" to see the benefits from it.

[nostatic]

OS9.2.2 is the last "classic" version of the Mac OS. But David, that was about 4 years ago. There's this new OS they've got. You might want to give it a try

As for linux on apple hardware, we've run YellowDog before. You can't just run any linux distro on a Mac...

[BlueSkyJaunte]

dd's PowerBook is 1997 vintage, if my math is right. (2004 - 7 = 1997, right?). Hell, Porsche was still making aircooled cars back then.

I don't think OS X is an option.

[id10t]

nostatic - between Debian, Gentoo, and LFS, what other distro would you *want* to run on a mac? And of course, if you feel like compiling and repackaging everything, you could run any distro on a mac.

[dd74]

Yes, I'm very fond of my old "Kanga" powerbook. It's a tank, and with only about 160 mb of RAM, still out duels a PC laptop in very large Word documents. It also has ethernet/modem connections, and can supposedly go wireless if need be. I've seen and used OS X Panther, and it's very nice, but heck, 9.1 is good too.

I definitely like Mac OS over anything Windows - but why mess with either when Linux can work on both machines.

Hey Blue or Todd: do you have a Mac-based Linux CD I might borrow?

[BlueSkyJaunte]

I'm no help for you there, sir. If you're looking for a Live CD like Knoppix you're basically SOL unless you want to go with Gentoo. And it's not quite clean yet, I think:

http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/11/03/0224231

If you're looking for a full install, you'll have to start downloading....I think most of the main distributions come in a PPC (Mac) flavor.