# Linux/Unix ?



## @RaXxaa@ (Sep 30, 2009)

I Have no idea about them, never ever gave them a thought so what is it why is it why some people dont preffer it? Can anyone explain?


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## i789 (Sep 30, 2009)

why some people prefer one operating system over another??? I dont know  Bill Gates says that O/S should be so simple that a penguin can use it (ok, that sounds wrong, why the penguins) I guess thats why you are using windows right now, it looks nice and easy to operate. Linus Torvolds (the guy who 1st designed Linux, in case you dont know) says that people should have the freedom to do whatever they want with no restriction, therefore its interface can look as ugly as hell and people have to use command lines. Its hard to operate at first, because who wants to type command when you can just drag and click (well, that was the old days, thanks to red hat and ubuntu, its the same now) Linux is not just a thing, its more like an ideal. It gives its users the power to do whatever they want. But you see, the problems is that newbies dont have any knowledge to even operate the thing, let alone appreciate the beauty of an open source O/S. They get frustrated and sometimes become too lazy to search for relevant knowledge to help themselves. Yes, in windows, people just grab an application and go and in linux sometimes you have to build your applications from source. It is important to be self-sufficient and read manuals and solves problems independently and that takes time. OK, I should stop rambling nonsense now  and one last word, like linus once said "software is like sex, its best when its free"


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## @RaXxaa@ (Oct 1, 2009)

AHAHAH but i wanna know more of this phenomenon


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## erocker (Oct 1, 2009)

http://www.linuxlots.com/~jam/ 

There are a ton of online "beginners guides."  I haven't messed with it for a long time. I'm sure all of my information is irrelevant by now.


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## Deleted member 67555 (Oct 1, 2009)

i would suggest Kubuntu  (Ubuntu with the KDE desktop environment)if you are looking to try it out as it's the closest to windows as Linux gets...It does take time to learn but not really..just some apps like games take a bit more knowledge to get working good. it is a fantastic free OS and has some really nice features built in


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## Deleted member 3 (Oct 1, 2009)

i789 said:


> why the penguins



Tux.


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## Easy Rhino (Oct 1, 2009)

i prefer linux as a server OS. very stable, can heavy a huge load and better network performance.


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## xfire (Oct 1, 2009)

Netbooks. Very useful. Faster, looks good and stable.


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## @RaXxaa@ (Oct 1, 2009)

I wasnt looking forward to try it out cause i would be stuck with it if i dont have any expirence, i just wanna know more about this wndows? when,why,how was it created etc...


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## Easy Rhino (Oct 1, 2009)

maq_paki said:


> I wasnt looking forward to try it out cause i would be stuck with it if i dont have any expirence, i just wanna know more about this wndows? when,why,how was it created etc...



google?


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## W1zzard (Oct 1, 2009)

Easy Rhino said:


> i prefer linux as a server OS. very stable, can heavy a huge load and better network performance.



yep. and the command line is very very fast to work with. faster than clicking. and so is editing text based config files.

for desktop use linux is useless imo


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## xfire (Oct 2, 2009)

maq_paki said:


> I wasnt looking forward to try it out cause i would be stuck with it if i dont have any expirence, i just wanna know more about this wndows? when,why,how was it created etc...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows
and to try linux you don't need to install it. Just run it off the CD.


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## Fox34 (Oct 7, 2009)

ok the question really is why are you looking to use linux? Cause if its just to use as an everyday OS, I really dont say you do, as your gonna have to do a bunch of researching to make things work the way you want them to. Though, linux can help you learn a bunch about programming, using a command based OS and so on. EDIT: Wizz, your alive? lol I second what he says, the GUI is pretty in linux, but if you do not utilize the command line in linux you are really just using an annoying better looking windows....


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## Killer_Rubber_Ducky (Nov 5, 2009)

That is straight BS. Obviously you have never used ubuntu before nor Linspire or freespire all of which Pride themselves on being able to be extremely user friendly. I don't see how it would require alot of config to do stuff nor why you would need to use the terminal alot. It is not an annoying replacement for Windows. It is a versatile OS designed to do what ever you want.


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## Zedicus (Nov 5, 2009)

W1zzard said:


> yep. and the command line is very very fast to work with. faster than clicking. and so is editing text based config files.
> 
> for desktop use linux is useless imo



theres not a windows box in my house. my wife and kids all use linux.  pretty much a basic install and other then a very small learning curve on getting use to where buttons have been moved to, it is the same as windows. except stable, less virus, less spyware. no rootkits, etc.

i have a server, 2 media players, 2 laptops, and my router, they all run linux.


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## Zedicus (Nov 5, 2009)

Killer_Rubber_Ducky said:


> That is straight BS. Obviously you have never used ubuntu before nor Linspire or freespire all of which Pride themselves on being able to be extremely user friendly. I don't see how it would require alot of config to do stuff nor why you would need to use the terminal alot. It is not an annoying replacement for Windows. It is a versatile OS designed to do what ever you want.



Mepis is the best desktop distro.


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## Killer_Rubber_Ducky (Mar 16, 2010)

Zedicus said:


> Mepis is the best desktop distro.



That is debatable. Each to his Own. I have always found Ubuntu to be simple to use. I also like PcLinuxOS and LinuxMint. Im not too keen on Fedora even though it is rather stable, I dont like the RPM setup. OpenSuse is the same.


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## regexorcist (Mar 16, 2010)

Killer_Rubber_Ducky said:


> It is a versatile OS designed to do what ever you want.


Truer words were never spoken!! 

In fact, that's the best description I've ever seen.


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## Sanhime (Mar 17, 2010)

What is the most user/noob friendly linux out there?  I'm new to linux.  I want to play around with a easy linux to learn it.  I heard that installing liux after windows is preferable for dual boot?  I'm currently running Win7 64bit.  Is it really as simple as this describes?  https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot#Install Ubuntu after Windows

Won't ubuntu mess up Window's boot?


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## unibrow1990 (Mar 17, 2010)

It really is trivial to install linux in a dual boot setup if windows is already installed, the easiest way I have found is to use the windows disk management utility to shrink your windows partition and free up the amount of space you want for linux, then just instruct the linux installer to "use largest continuous free space" or something to that effect. The bootloader the linux installs(usually grub) will detect your windows partition and allow you to select it and boot widows every time you start your computer without any configuration.


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## angelkiller (Mar 17, 2010)

unibrow1990 said:


> It really is trivial to install linux in a dual boot setup if windows is already installed, the easiest way I have found is to use the windows disk management utility to shrink your windows partition and free up the amount of space you want for linux, then just instruct the linux installer to "use largest continuous free space" or something to that effect. The bootloader the linux installs(usually grub) will detect your windows partition and allow you to select it and boot widows every time you start your computer without any configuration.


Yes, it's that simple.

But if you just want to try it out, I would recommend trying Ubuntu and using its Wubi installation method. (awkward wording)

Wubi lets you install Ubuntu within Windows. So you'll see it in the Add/Remove programs (or the Win7 equivalent). You install Ubuntu in Windows and to boot it, you restart your computer and it'll ask you which OS you want to boot. It doesn't use Grub, so less risk of messing something up.

Check out the wubi site for more info. And of course, you have all of us here if you need help.


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## Sanhime (Mar 17, 2010)

angelkiller said:


> Yes, it's that simple.
> 
> But if you just want to try it out, I would recommend trying Ubuntu and using its Wubi installation method. (awkward wording)
> 
> ...



Thanks guys!  
That would make the install a virtual OS like Virtual PC, no?  WOuldnt that mean I wont be using my hardware to the fullest?

*edit* ignore that.  FAQs is your best friend


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## Killer_Rubber_Ducky (Mar 17, 2010)

unibrow1990 said:


> It really is trivial to install linux in a dual boot setup if windows is already installed, the easiest way I have found is to use the windows disk management utility to shrink your windows partition and free up the amount of space you want for linux, then just instruct the linux installer to "use largest continuous free space" or something to that effect. The bootloader the linux installs(usually grub) will detect your windows partition and allow you to select it and boot widows every time you start your computer without any configuration.



Actually the Ubuntu Installer will repartition everything for you. There is a slider bar during installation that you move left or right to determine how much space you want either partition to have. The rest is easy, sit back and relax.


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## Sanhime (Mar 18, 2010)

*sigh* Played with Ubuntu.  I like this distro, still not really user friendly.  Ubuntu is nice with all the internet and multimedia, and easy update support, but like all other linux distro, you can't get anything unless you know all the 1000 arcane console commands.  I can't even do a simple COPY/PASTE without reading 2 pages worth of console commands and explanations on how to change folder permissions!  Seriously,  is it so much to ask for a linux distro where you can get 99% things done just by a simple double click?  I downloaded linux nvidia drivers.  Why must I have to type sh /jibber jabba jibber jabba jibber jabba to install a stupid driver?  Console commands, tolerable.  Double click will make linux a total winner for the average joe computer user.  Well, most linux distros are free, so I can't really whine, can't I?


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## Zedicus (Mar 18, 2010)

if its in a virtual environment (like the wubi installer)  the video driver wont work.  that is ANY OS in a virtual environment.

if it was on reasl hardware there is a 3 step tutorial that is point and click easy to install the preloaded video driver.  somewhere you missed it.

also copy and paste is as easy as highlighting the text you want and middle clicking where you want it.

the learning curve is as hard or as easy as you want to make it.


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## angelkiller (Mar 18, 2010)

Zedicus said:


> if its in a virtual environment (like the wubi installer)  the video driver wont work.  that is ANY OS in a virtual environment.
> 
> if it was on reasl hardware there is a 3 step tutorial that is point and click easy to install the preloaded video driver.  somewhere you missed it.
> 
> ...


Forgive my ignorance, but,

I thought a Wubi installation was a legit (ie non virtual) installation. As I understand it, the Linux filesystem is stored in a file in the NTFS file system and that you run the system naively, but you have to go through the NFTS fs to get to the linux fs, so there's a disk performance hit. 

If it is a virtual installation, why won't installing a graphics driver work? (I just don't know)




Sanhime said:


> *sigh* Played with Ubuntu.  I like this distro, still not really user friendly.  Ubuntu is nice with all the internet and multimedia, and easy update support, but like all other linux distro, you can't get anything unless you know all the 1000 arcane console commands.  I can't even do a simple COPY/PASTE without reading 2 pages worth of console commands and explanations on how to change folder permissions!  Seriously,  is it so much to ask for a linux distro where you can get 99% things done just by a simple double click?  I downloaded linux nvidia drivers.  Why must I have to type sh /jibber jabba jibber jabba jibber jabba to install a stupid driver?  Console commands, tolerable.  Double click will make linux a total winner for the average joe computer user.  Well, most linux distros are free, so I can't really whine, can't I?



Copy paste? Same as in Windows. You must be trying to paste into the terminal. It's Ctrl + Shift + Z iirc. It took me a while to figure that out too.  The nvidia driver I used was in the Restricted Drivers thing. It just showed up, I said install, and boom, it worked.

Personally, I like the command line. It's cumbersome at first, but after I got familiar with it, I actually prefer it for simple tasks like installing or moving/deleting files. Another plus is that you don't have to know what you're doing. The person in the tutorial can give you a command that will do exactly what they want it to do without you knowing anything. It's better than trying to tell you what to click on and such.

I think that Ubuntu takes some time to get used to. I think it takes time to get used to even Windows, but you're familiar with that already, so it's easy to use. If you use Ubuntu for a bit, I'm sure you'll get familiar with it to the point where you can use it comfortably.

I say stick with it.


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## Sanhime (Mar 18, 2010)

Oh I was able to install the driver from the hardware detection and it activates the restricted drivers (thanks to ubuntu wiki site).  I just got annoy that I could not install the driver from the nvidia website.  Going back to the main point.  This is the year...2010?  And I still need to type in commands like back in the Commodore era?  Typing in commands is fine, but that should be an option, not a requirement just to get simple tasks done.   I'm still going to try to learn linux and command lines, but I'm doing this on my leisure time.  If I wanted to work hard on a leisure time, I rather work on suping up my honda accord.   

As far as wubi goes, the wubi website ssays the installation is not virtual environment, but a real install.
Anyway thanks again, for the inputs.


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## strick94u (Mar 18, 2010)

i789 said:


> why some people prefer one operating system over another??? I dont know  Bill Gates says that O/S should be so simple that a penguin can use it (ok, that sounds wrong, why the penguins) I guess thats why you are using windows right now, it looks nice and easy to operate. Linus Torvolds (the guy who 1st designed Linux, in case you dont know) says that people should have the freedom to do whatever they want with no restriction, therefore its interface can look as ugly as hell and people have to use command lines. Its hard to operate at first, because who wants to type command when you can just drag and click (well, that was the old days, thanks to red hat and ubuntu, its the same now) Linux is not just a thing, its more like an ideal. It gives its users the power to do whatever they want. But you see, the problems is that newbies dont have any knowledge to even operate the thing, let alone appreciate the beauty of an open source O/S. They get frustrated and sometimes become too lazy to search for relevant knowledge to help themselves. Yes, in windows, people just grab an application and go and in linux sometimes you have to build your applications from source. It is important to be self-sufficient and read manuals and solves problems independently and that takes time. OK, I should stop rambling nonsense now  and one last word, like linus once said "software is like sex, its best when its free"


 GNU.org   1983 if you want to know where it came from. still a better take off from unix and of coarse ATT unix is the real thing


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## Killer_Rubber_Ducky (Mar 18, 2010)

Sanhime said:


> *sigh* Played with Ubuntu.  I like this distro, still not really user friendly.  Ubuntu is nice with all the internet and multimedia, and easy update support, but like all other linux distro, you can't get anything unless you know all the 1000 arcane console commands.  I can't even do a simple COPY/PASTE without reading 2 pages worth of console commands and explanations on how to change folder permissions!  Seriously,  is it so much to ask for a linux distro where you can get 99% things done just by a simple double click?  I downloaded linux nvidia drivers.  Why must I have to type sh /jibber jabba jibber jabba jibber jabba to install a stupid driver?  Console commands, tolerable.  Double click will make linux a total winner for the average joe computer user.  Well, most linux distros are free, so I can't really whine, can't I?



Which version were you using? 6.10? 1000's of arcane code? WTF?!!! I only use "arcane code" when I want to. sh and ./ are very common on most unix based OSes. it is the same thing as .exe and .bat or .com for Windows. Double click works most of the time, especially when you install a .deb package from the desktop. Get with the times grandpa. My 5yr old nephew can install programs in Linux using Ubuntu or just about any other  Linux OS.


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