Which Linux ?

The Jackal · 19-10-2006, 13:16

I'm finally taking the plunge and going desktop linux after seeing successful stories of ubuntu with my laptop the Vaio TR1MP.

Got peed off with microsoft was looking at going to install windows 2000 then thought again : Currently the lappy is undergoing a low level format 6 hours left and I'm currently downloading ubuntu.

What distro do you guys recommend ?

What my requirements are :
(1) Lightweight ! Doesnt use much memory
(2) Access to online package management so that I download and try cool software.
(3) Access to online package upgrades (like redhats old update tool etc / mandrake had 1 2 dunno what it was called)

What I'll be using it for :
Eclipse / Openoffice / thunderbird / firefox /synce (to hopefully sync my pda with evolution)

Questions :
(1) Are there any virus's/spyware targeting ubuntu : do I need protection ?

(2) Has anyone successfully sync'd all PDA date to something like evolution ?

Any help would be graciously received.

Cobbydaler · 19-10-2006, 13:25

PCLinuxOS has great hardware detection, comes with Synaptic package management & has a good selection of software.

You have a choice of windows environments & there are specialist repos for multimedia & ecad...

Aragorn · 19-10-2006, 13:33

Ubuntu 6.06 should do you fine. It's one of the most 'user friendly' distros and will quite happily run most of the apps you've mentioned (never heard of synce). I have Ubuntu happily running on an Athlon XP 2000+ with 256Mb RAM!
Ubuntu has an Adept package manager which is very easy to use.
Afaik, there are no Linux based viruses although there are vulns. Typically these are patched by Adept. AVG and Avast both have free Linux AV tools, just in case.
Ubuntu has the Linux firewall, iptables, builtin and enabled (I think by default).
Never tried syncing my PDA though.
HTH

---------- Post added at 13:33 ---------- Previous post was at 13:31 ----------

Edit - Link to the ubuntu forum how to on synce.

The Jackal · 19-10-2006, 13:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cobbydaler

PCLinuxOS has great hardware detection, comes with Synaptic package management & has a good selection of software.

You have a choice of windows environments & there are specialist repos for multimedia & ecad...

OK going to start to download that as well : hopefully has a liveCD version ? ....

Don't get me wrong when it comes to linux I consder myself a god I have no problems with hardware and have even written kernel modules in the past (oh dear the big head comes out excuse me) BUT I'm an absolute NEWB with trying to run a desktop ! ROFL I really dont have much experience with desktops.

---------- Post added at 13:39 ---------- Previous post was at 13:37 ----------

Thanks Aragorn,

I got plenty of links as to how to use synce and errr theres another one cant remember its name.

Cheers mate

Cobbydaler · 19-10-2006, 14:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrC-3rr0r

OK going to start to download that as well : hopefully has a liveCD version ? ....

LiveCD here...

Big Daddy is the full wack with OOO etc, Junior is cut down...

The Jackal · 19-10-2006, 14:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cobbydaler

LiveCD here...

Big Daddy is the full wack with OOO etc, Junior is cut down...

Yeh got it it should have finished downloading by now. I'll give it a spin....

I'm currently using ubunti liveCD : yuk dont fancy gnome much might try kubunti instead. GRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr it's TOO windoze like !

I had to struggle to find a shell but heres what I got :

Its sucked all my memory into a unionfs/loopback device fair enuff its a live CD and throttled down my CPU speedstep seems to work so I cant really see how well it'll perform if installed on disk

root@ubuntu:~# uname -a
Linux ubuntu 2.6.15-26-386 #1 PREEMPT Thu Aug 3 02:52:00 UTC 2006 i686 GNU/Linuxroot@ubuntu:~# cat /proc/cpuinfo
processor : 0
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 6
model : 9
model name : Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor 900MHz
stepping : 5
cpu MHz : 595.480
cache size : 1024 KB
fdiv_bug : no
hlt_bug : no
f00f_bug : no
coma_bug : no
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 2
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr mce cx8 sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 tm pbe est tm2
bogomips : 1191.92

root@ubuntu:~# cat /proc/meminfo
MemTotal: 770852 kB
MemFree: 9116 kB
Buffers: 89136 kB
Cached: 438276 kB
SwapCached: 0 kB
Active: 273704 kB
Inactive: 382728 kB
HighTotal: 0 kB
HighFree: 0 kB
LowTotal: 770852 kB
LowFree: 9116 kB
SwapTotal: 0 kB
SwapFree: 0 kB
Dirty: 0 kB
Writeback: 0 kB
Mapped: 179864 kB
Slab: 33128 kB
CommitLimit: 385424 kB
Committed_AS: 345928 kB
PageTables: 1588 kB
VmallocTotal: 245752 kB
VmallocUsed: 5960 kB
VmallocChunk: 239456 kB
root@ubuntu:~#

ADd · 19-10-2006, 15:45

Don't forget to make your root password as strong as possible, that is not a simple name like 'John' but a string of characters and symbols that would be hard to guess (using %$*# and upper-case and lower-case). This is one of the vulnerabilities of Linux, as once someone has your root password (admin in Windows) they can do anything to your systems - even wiping all the files including the OS with a simple command.

I'm using Ubuntu 6.06, with Firestarter firewall, ClamAV, and rootkit hunter. BTW the only real reason for the AV is so I don't pass on infections to Windows users, through emails or files.

The Jackal · 19-10-2006, 16:00

Think unbuntu and gnome are winning at the moment slightly ahead of pclinuxOS.

desktoplinux.com seems like a good place to start

http://www.desktoplinux.com/articles/AT8654567451.html

The Jackal · 19-10-2006, 18:13

Think I've been living in the dark ages : Linux Desktops have come a long way...

Love apt (universe), Synaptic plus the 2.6 kernel is leaps and bounds ahead of 2.4 unbelievable that we have user-mode.

I'm 1 happy bunny.

Cobbydaler · 19-10-2006, 18:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrC-3rr0r

Think I've been living in the dark ages : Linux Desktops have come a long way...

Love apt (universe), Synaptic plus the 2.6 kernel is leaps and bounds ahead of 2.4 unbelievable that we have user-mode.

I'm 1 happy bunny.

If you want to be at the bleeding edge in PCLinuxOS, visit the forums search for repos and enable the unstable & thac repos in Synaptic (or edit /etc/apt/sources.list)...

If you can't find them let me know & I'll post a list...

XFCE & Fluxbox are good lightweight WMs/DEs...

The Jackal · 19-10-2006, 20:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cobbydaler

If you want to be at the bleeding edge in PCLinuxOS, visit the forums search for repos and enable the unstable & thac repos in Synaptic (or edit /etc/apt/sources.list)...

If you can't find them let me know & I'll post a list...

XFCE & Fluxbox are good lightweight WMs/DEs...

Indeed : When playing with with PCLinuxOS I was able to find 855resolution from repos and so an easy install but couldnt find it on ubuntu - there was me thinking hold on it was here a minute ago ! Then remembers OH that was PClinuxOS.

Anyway installing gcc + libs was a doddle and hence ended up building it from src.

Agreed have used fluxbox (with errrr some live disros that I cant mention right Stuart

very pretty.

Yup edited apt.sources hence me being very impressed from my previous post.

On a downer I am not happy at the speed at which ubuntu is loading (around a minute I believe) up I'm not sure where its dragging it's heals. I saw something called bootchart installed it and got these results.....

Cobbydaler · 19-10-2006, 20:17

Get - 'Invalid Attachment specified' for that....

The Jackal · 19-10-2006, 20:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cobbydaler

Get - 'Invalid Attachment specified' for that....

ROFL Caught it just in time it had my domain name on it and maybe still does shessshhhh