Which distro for non-clueless newbie?

I know the "Which distro" question has been asked a million times all over
the net, but so far I haven't found anyone asking this: What distributions
are for someone who knows a lot about computers in general and can learn
reasonably fast? For example, I wouldn't want to end up with some generic
driver that doesn't take full advantage of my device because it was too
intimidating to ask for the specs; but on the other hand I don't want my
first steps in the operating system of the future to be on a command line
trying to figure out how to install X and wishing I was back in Windows.
Any advice?

On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 15:03:26 -0400, Michael wrote:[color=blue]
> I know the "Which distro" question has been asked a million times all over
> the net,[/color]

Results 1 - 10 of 22,700 for best distro group:*linux*. (0.57 seconds)
found using
[url]http://groups.google.com/advanced_group_search[/url]

Do bookmark the above url.
[color=blue]
> but so far I haven't found anyone asking this: What distributions
> are for someone who knows a lot about computers in general and can learn
> reasonably fast?[/color]

Mandriva/drake
[url]http://doc.mandrivalinux.com/MandrakeLinux/101/en/Starter.html/drakx-intro.html[/url]

Lastest release is called 2005.

You can get it up and running on the GUI install.
You can then start tweaking anything you feel up to changing.

Create an empty ~6gig partition on your drive and you can dual boot
your system if you do not have a spare disk.

You can read about the install at
[url]http://doc.mandrivalinux.com/MandrakeLinux/101/en/Starter.html/[/url]

"Bit Twister" <BitTwister@mouse-potato.com> wrote in message
news:slrndd8d2d.6s0.BitTwister@wb.home.invalid...[color=blue]
> On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 15:03:26 -0400, Michael wrote:[color=green]
> > I know the "Which distro" question has been asked a million times all[/color][/color]
over[color=blue][color=green]
> > the net,[/color]
>
> Results 1 - 10 of 22,700 for best distro group:*linux*. (0.57 seconds)
> found using
> [url]http://groups.google.com/advanced_group_search[/url]
>
> Do bookmark the above url.
>[/color]
Thanks! I will read these results. I'll post again if I have any more
questions.

Michael wrote:
[color=blue]
>
> All in all, I'm sorry I asked the question in the first place, but I did, so
> it remains open for discussion, if anybody feels they have something
> original to say. After these two answers, I'm not expecting much more in
> this thread, but I'm still listening. :-)[/color]

Well, I hope you haven't taken this as an unfriendly response. It's not
meant to be at all. If you said "I'm going to be doing tech support in
the Linux arena", then obviously you need to be familiar with RH. But
for personal use, it's all personal preference. and, as I said, disks
are so big nowadays that you really can try out just about everything to
find what you like. And you should, because you'll learn a lot that way
just from seeing the differences. All too often I run across people who
have only ever seen one distro, and they think that's the way things
must be done.. play around, experiment, have fun.




--
Tony Lawrence
Unix/Linux/Mac OS X resources: [url]http://aplawrence.com[/url]

Michael wrote:
[color=blue]
> I know the "Which distro" question has been asked a million times all over
> the net, but so far I haven't found anyone asking this: What
> distributions are for someone who knows a lot about computers in general
> and can learn
> reasonably fast? For example, I wouldn't want to end up with some generic
> driver that doesn't take full advantage of my device because it was too
> intimidating to ask for the specs; but on the other hand I don't want my
> first steps in the operating system of the future to be on a command line
> trying to figure out how to install X and wishing I was back in Windows.
> Any advice?[/color]


You want to try some of the 250+ liveCD distros out there on this link
for the school vacation...
[url]http://www.frozentech.com/content/livecd.php[/url]
Knoppix is most recommended, followed by likes of Mepis, Kanotix,
Quantian, DSL, etc. Quantian has xmaxima that allows formulas
to be written and solved symbolically - very useful if you are high
school student trying to get your head around maths, physics,
electronics and so on.
LiveCDs run off the CD without having to install and autodetect
everything without having to go through manual set up routines
(many have options to install).

I looked at your post and the responses in a more analytical way. It just
struck me that you were asking an honest question in hopes of the community
sorting our your feeling of being lost in the sea of distro's. We have all
been there and know what you are feeling. Frustratingly, they point you to
the first step in your quest for knowledge. I believe they are giving you
the best advice. The learning curve is steep and littered with many an hour
of work/research to applied to no end.
You will have to do the research and find the best distro for you. Linux is
a wonderful undiscovered landscape that continues to grow. You can and will
find your distro and make your home on that landscape.
I do concur with the suggestion of Live CD trials. I have tried several and
find them the best way to go. It saves SO MUCH time installing and setting
up your machine. I like fedora, Suse, Mandrake or whatever its called these
days, and DSL. I have installed and messed around with numerous distro's
and found these to fit for me for individual reasons.
Try out fedora and get under the hood.
Just remember that these folks have traveled down the path you are embarking
on. You will see their frustration is not directed so much at you as they
are empathetic to the trials on the path you have chosen. Its a hard road
but well worth the trouble to be free of expensive, massive bloatware that
cant get it right. Good luck and welcome aboard.

--
William Hubner
"A man of genius is privileged only as far as he is genius. His dullness is
as insupportable as any other dullness." Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Michael" <vze57249@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:6uUAe.4159$IU1.1044@fe11.lga...[color=blue]
>I know the "Which distro" question has been asked a million times all over
> the net, but so far I haven't found anyone asking this: What
> distributions
> are for someone who knows a lot about computers in general and can learn
> reasonably fast? For example, I wouldn't want to end up with some generic
> driver that doesn't take full advantage of my device because it was too
> intimidating to ask for the specs; but on the other hand I don't want my
> first steps in the operating system of the future to be on a command line
> trying to figure out how to install X and wishing I was back in Windows.
> Any advice?
>
>[/color]

> In article <W4Thg.3189$lp.1966@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net>,[color=blue]
>[/color]

Linux advocates get people all fired up with all the "its easy everything
is compatible all the distro's work the same" garbage.

In reality Linux is a useless mess flopping around peoples desktops like
a fish out of water. Developers still work in the dark ages expecting
everyone to "re-compile" everything or install RPM's that dont work half
the time and to do things "their way" because they've been doing it that
way for 20 years so it must be the best way.

Its a total dark ages screw up as far as I can see with new complications
arising every time a magazine wants to sell more copies by promoting "The
latest and best" screw up distro thats of no practical use to anyone.

Here is my best advice -

Look for an enterprise distribution that offers professional support you
pay for.

Then if you dont actually want to pay obtain a derivative of that distro
that is properly updated and maintained.

You will still have an os that doesnt work half the time with
applications that make you very annoyed because they're so slow and
backward but you'll at least have the best linux can provide.

None of the other issues are relevant. Linux is too much of a backward
joke now.

I'd take a look at red-hat enterprise or the free clone Centos as an
example.

On Wed, 05 Jul 2006, in the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.linux.questions, in article
<MPG.1f15cfba7e614dee9898ee@news-text.blueyonder.co.uk>, [email]bored@now.com[/email] wrote:
[color=blue]
>In reality Linux is a useless mess flopping around peoples desktops like
>a fish out of water. Developers still work in the dark ages expecting
>everyone to "re-compile" everything or install RPM's that dont work half
>the time and to do things "their way" because they've been doing it that
>way for 20 years so it must be the best way.[/color]

That's funny, but _REALLY_ not up to standards for even an apprentice troll.

Troll O Meter

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
___________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | | | |
---------------------------------------------------
^
|

It's sad that the quality of trolls has gotten so bad over the years. I guess
you aren't aware that the current fad is using the Debian packaging scheme in
a distributions with code names like "Hairy Harlot", "Bloated Bulldog",
and "Demented Duck".

Old guy

In article <slrneao5vi.tim.ibuprofin@compton.phx.az.us>,
[email]ibuprofin@painkiller.example.tld[/email] says...[color=blue]
> On Wed, 05 Jul 2006, in the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.linux.questions, in article
> <MPG.1f15cfba7e614dee9898ee@news-text.blueyonder.co.uk>, [email]bored@now.com[/email] wrote:
>[color=green]
> >In reality Linux is a useless mess flopping around peoples desktops like
> >a fish out of water. Developers still work in the dark ages expecting
> >everyone to "re-compile" everything or install RPM's that dont work half
> >the time and to do things "their way" because they've been doing it that
> >way for 20 years so it must be the best way.[/color]
>
> That's funny, but _REALLY_ not up to standards for even an apprentice troll.
>
> Troll O Meter
>
> 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
> ___________________________________________________
> | | | | | | | | | | |
> ---------------------------------------------------
> ^
> |
>
> It's sad that the quality of trolls has gotten so bad over the years. I guess
> you aren't aware that the current fad is using the Debian packaging scheme in
> a distributions with code names like "Hairy Harlot", "Bloated Bulldog",
> and "Demented Duck".
>
> Old guy
>[/color]

The sad thing is you actually believe thats a troll.
Which probably tells everyone all they need to know.

On 2006-07-05, [email]bored@now.com[/email] wrote:[color=blue]
> In article <slrneao5vi.tim.ibuprofin@compton.phx.az.us>,
> [email]ibuprofin@painkiller.example.tld[/email] says...[color=green]
>> On Wed, 05 Jul 2006, in the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.linux.questions, in article
>> <MPG.1f15cfba7e614dee9898ee@news-text.blueyonder.co.uk>, [email]bored@now.com[/email] wrote:
>>[color=darkred]
>> >In reality Linux is a useless mess flopping around peoples desktops like
>> >a fish out of water. Developers still work in the dark ages expecting
>> >everyone to "re-compile" everything or install RPM's that dont work half
>> >the time and to do things "their way" because they've been doing it that
>> >way for 20 years so it must be the best way.[/color]
>>
>> That's funny, but _REALLY_ not up to standards for even an apprentice troll.
>>
>> Troll O Meter
>>
>> 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
>> ___________________________________________________
>> | | | | | | | | | | |
>> ---------------------------------------------------
>> ^
>> |
>>
>> It's sad that the quality of trolls has gotten so bad over the years. I guess
>> you aren't aware that the current fad is using the Debian packaging scheme in
>> a distributions with code names like "Hairy Harlot", "Bloated Bulldog",
>> and "Demented Duck".[/color]
>
> The sad thing is you actually believe thats a troll.
> Which probably tells everyone all they need to know.[/color]

It certainly does; but we knew that already.

While it is not 100% reliable, there is a strong correlation
between correct spelling and grammar and a creditable post. I make
allowances for typos, ESL, and even "finger memory", but when
apostrophes are misused twice in one sentence (omitted, and used
where one doesn't belong -- and ommitted again later, and in the
follow-up), that is a sign of illiteracy.

Coupled with an obvious ignorance of the subject, that makes the
OP a very sad case indeed.

--
Chris F.A. Johnson, author <http://cfaj.freeshell.org>
Shell Scripting Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach (2005, Apress)
===== My code in this post, if any, assumes the POSIX locale
===== and is released under the GNU General Public Licence

In article <pvstn3-4vg.ln1@xword.teksavvy.com>, [email]cfajohnson@gmail.com[/email]
says...[color=blue]
> While it is not 100% reliable, there is a strong correlation
> between correct spelling and grammar and a creditable post.
>[/color]

what an idiotic thing to say.

On Wed, 05 Jul 2006, in the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.linux.questions, in article
<MPG.1f162aa249865f999898ef@news-text.blueyonder.co.uk>, [email]bored@now.com[/email] wrote:[color=blue]
>In article <slrneao5vi.tim.ibuprofin@compton.phx.az.us>,
>ibuprofin@painkiller.example.tld says...[/color]
[color=blue][color=green]
>> That's funny, but _REALLY_ not up to standards for even an apprentice troll.[/color][/color]

I've really got to get a logarithmic scale for my troll meter.
[color=blue][color=green]
>> It's sad that the quality of trolls has gotten so bad over the years.[/color][/color]
[color=blue]
>The sad thing is you actually believe thats a troll.[/color]

I didn't think it made it up to the standards for a troll. If you think
that your post was supposed to be humorous as well as useful, you need
to spend some time in comp.os.linux.advocacy and see some of the experts
playing.

Old guy