# I have several versions of Linux at my disposal.



## B1gg3stN00b (Aug 13, 2008)

Which would be the easiest migration for a Windows user, to dual boot for college and stuff?
Kubuntu, Hardy Heron, Damnsmalllinux, or should I just re-download Linspire? (My copy doesn't work  )


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## xfire (Aug 13, 2008)

Ubuntu.


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## mlee49 (Aug 13, 2008)

Kubuntu or Xubuntu(might be lighter on older systems)


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## Wile E (Aug 13, 2008)

Kubuntu or Fedora. KDE seems a little more friendly to Windows users compared to Gnome.


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## Frick (Aug 13, 2008)

I vote something Xfce. My first proper Linux experiance was Xubuntu, and I loved it. It was quite refreshing. 

Xubuntu, I say!


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## btarunr (Aug 13, 2008)

I'm not for noobuntu, try OpenSuSE 10.3 with Gnome and XGL enabled. Than a easy looking interface, it's found that users learn to cope with Linux faster with a 'though' interface. With pretty graphics and a truck-load of apps, OpenSuSE looks good.


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## xfire (Aug 13, 2008)

There you go, sevral different opinion's. That's the reason it's best you experience the miracle of pregnancy er... linux on your own


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## Frick (Aug 13, 2008)

btarunr said:


> I'm not for noobuntu, try OpenSuSE 10.3 with Gnome and XGL enabled. Than a easy looking interface, it's found that users learn to cope with Linux faster with a 'though' interface. With pretty graphics and a truck-load of apps, OpenSuSE looks good.



I tried openSUSE the other week, and it felt more lika a "Windowslookalike" than .. well, everything really. It wasn't bad, it's just that I don't really like Gnome. 

Hmm.. You can make the thing transparent though, right? I read in a paper a while ago that it didn't take much to do it (in the code).


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## SathyaBhat (Aug 13, 2008)

+1 to openSUSE from here. Rather than 10.3, go for openSUSE 11.


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## btarunr (Aug 13, 2008)

Frick said:


> I tried openSUSE the other week, and it felt more lika a "Windowslookalike" than .. well, everything really. It wasn't bad, it's just that I don't really like Gnome.
> 
> Hmm.. You can make the thing transparent though, right? I read in a paper a while ago that it didn't take much to do it (in the code).



The last I know, KDE doesn't give you those awesome XGL Beryl window animations/desktop management that works on Genome. The last OpenSuSE installation I had was 10.3

Again, make sure you have a OpenGL ICD in place, NVIDIA GLX rocks. I played UT2K4 on it, I personally found the visuals better than the same game run on Windows using D3D 8.1 (DX9, but the game is DX8)


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## SathyaBhat (Aug 13, 2008)

btarunr said:


> The last I know, KDE doesn't give you those awesome XGL Beryl window animations/desktop management that works on Genome. The last OpenSuSE installation I had was 10.3



Ummm I dunno how got that notion  Compiz Fusion(Beryl no longer exists, Compiz + beryl = Compiz Fusion) works fine on KDE on 10.3.
If you have a nvidia card(which seems likely) you don't need XGL(XGL is depreciated in favour of AIGLX) , and even AIGLX is not required, nVidia's blobs provide the required composition engine.

In KDE 4, you don't even need Compiz Fusion, KWin provides its own composition engine, but doesn't have that many effects as C-F

http://sathyasays.com/2007/12/15/compiz-fusion-on-opensuse-103-and-nvidia-cards/

(works for openSUSE 11 as well)


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## DIBL (Aug 13, 2008)

Since no one else mentioned it -- sidux is a nice Debian-based distro, with a Live CD that does an amazingly fast installation, if you choose to install, like 5 minutes.  Point it at a USB stick and it's one click to make a bootable USB Linux, with persistence, that will load and run from RAM.

http://sidux.com/Article303.html


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## btarunr (Aug 13, 2008)

But you do need a GLX driver by NVIDIA, won't you? I couldn't run a single GL/mesa process without it (I did get slideshows though )


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## SathyaBhat (Aug 13, 2008)

@tarun Yup, you do need the Nvidia drivers, as the opensource nv drivers do not have support for 3D acceleration, as compared to Intel IGP drivers built into the kernel

@DIBL Heard a lot of good reviews about Sidux, havent personally tried it though


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