# Decent easy linux OS?



## MxPhenom 216 (Feb 16, 2013)

I have a VM on my server now that id like to use to play around in Linux to learn it a bit. Anyone know of some easy to use Linux distros I can play around in without too much hassel?


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## Mindweaver (Feb 16, 2013)

Ubuntu would be a good starting point.


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## Guitar (Feb 16, 2013)

It depends what you actually want to learn. Navigating the GUI isn't hard at all...it's the command (obviously) that is the hard part. I learned quick not having a GUI and having to setup servers for work. I used the free tier of the Amazon EC2 service and made a server and started screwing around on it. It taught me a lot more than trying to do stuff at home and have no actual goals or things to do.


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## camoxiong (Feb 16, 2013)

Mint, it look like Windows.


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## hellrazor (Feb 16, 2013)

Linux Mint, hands down. I'm running it, but you do have to go to the CLI every once in a while (or maybe I'm inflating that because I run GCC so often or something).

But I would strongly suggest you learn the command line anyways, it's the greatest parachute and once you master it no amount of (non-hardware) fudgery can force your computer down.


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## Jetster (Feb 16, 2013)

Mint is how I learned. It easy and the dirver database is better then Windows


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Feb 16, 2013)

Ubuntu gets my vote. But then again I have been running it for a few years now.


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## Aquinus (Feb 16, 2013)

Mindweaver said:


> Ubuntu would be a good starting point.





ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> Ubuntu gets my vote. But then again I have been running it for a few years now.



+1: Ubuntu is a pretty simple choice.

Why don't you try out both Mint and Ubuntu and see which one you like better?


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## Mindweaver (Feb 16, 2013)

+1 - Yea, I have to agree I'd trying both. I use both, they are both great distros.  I started out on Unix, and later Red hat.


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Feb 16, 2013)

Here you go. You can try ubuntu online without installing anything. Of course this is a small taste of it. Just scroll down and click the try online button. 


Linky to Ubuntu



Playing with the online thingy.


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## newtekie1 (Feb 16, 2013)

It is a VM setup, so it doesn't hurt to just download a couple different distros and try them out.


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## fisheater (Feb 16, 2013)

*Easy good-lookin' 'buntu*

*Razor-qt SalentOS 12.04.1* is the easiest ubuntu I have come across to set up, have high performance, non-Canonical and therefore non-Unity, not require tweaking near as much as its parent and just plain look good.  I recommend it after trying over 50 distros and having begun with Jaunty Jackalope!  
Always go with the LTS (Long Term Support) version in any 'buntu, as well, unless you want to deal with bugs!
Mint is good, too. Perhaps do both.


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## Wrigleyvillain (Feb 17, 2013)

Navigating around the user friendly GUI of Ubuntu isn't going to teach him squat. I would just go with CentOS as it's a pretty widely used "server distro" and is Red Had based so good, easy package management system (e.g. finding and installing software) plus tons of info/resources online.

Though as we are talking VMs sure yeah get a couple/few as long as you are at it incl. Ubuntu; why the hell not. If you *really* want to learn how Linux is built and works plus how everything "fits together" check out Linux From Scratch.


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## guitarfreaknation (Mar 1, 2013)

Ubuntu + Gnome Desktop Environment would have to be my vote.


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## Peter1986C (Mar 1, 2013)

GNOME 3 might not be a good idea in a virtual machine because it relies on hardware acceleration much more than other desktop environments, guitarfreaknation.
I think that following wrigleyvain's advice is the one to follow.


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## VulkanBros (Mar 1, 2013)

Fedora (Red Hat variant), Mint and Ubuntu must be my 2 cents.

With Mint as the easiest to get along with when starting from scratch.....


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