Linux - complete newbie

idi banashapan · 05-07-2006, 11:45

I want to learn about Linux. Simple as. Problem is, I currently know NOTHING! So I'm hoping someone can help me out here...

1 - Type

KDE / Gnome / other
Which is the best? What are the differences?

2 - Flavour

I've downloaded Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Suse 10 desktop. Which is best? Should I chose another?

3 - Anything else I should know or look into here

Thanks in advance...

btw, I'm currently on nights, so will be in bed pretty shortly. Please feel free to add stuff here -I will read it and comment, but it may not be until later.

I'm looking for something in Linux that is intuitive, looks great, is easy to use and compatible with Linux versions of things like MSN, Skype, open office and anything else that is general everyday use stuff like CD / DVD burning, listening to music (mp3 AND M4A - M4A is very important)

weirdworldstate · 05-07-2006, 12:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bender

I want to learn about Linux. Simple as. Problem is, I currently know NOTHING! So I'm hoping someone can help me out here...

Here's a starter for 10.

http://www.michaelhorowitz.com/Linux.vs.Windows.html

Strzelecki · 05-07-2006, 12:43

1. KDE/Gnome/Windowmaker etc are all desktop GUIs, there are arguements for and against each one. KDE is generally more fancified, can look prittier (linus prefers it apparently). Gnome is the default desktop used by Ubunutu (Kubuntu is Ubuntu with KDE), they are the two main ones.

2. I would give Ubuntu a whirl, you can always use KDE on it as well to give both Gnome and KDE a try. Quite a few threads on here for Ubuntu help. Ubuntu will work with aMSN and Skype and comes with OpenOffice. You will have to download the codecs etc for playing back some media files as these are not included in distributions due to legal restrictions.

Gareth · 05-07-2006, 13:14

You might like to try reading the Tux Magazine, which is good for those starting out with Linux.

www.tuxmagazine.com

idi banashapan · 05-07-2006, 16:12

Thanks to those who have posted. I did think Kbuntu looked nicer that Ubuntu when I tried it. Watching some SuSE videos on the Novell site, SuSE looks pretty good.

Looks like I have some reading to do, which is great. If anyone has anything more to add, even if they are personal opinions, I would love to hear about them. Personal reviews from users tend to be better than corporate ones!!!

Aragorn · 05-07-2006, 16:52

The main reasons I don't use Linux more are -
Lack of native support for most games (I know some newer games run under Linux and Lindows might allow you run others)
Lack of wireless drivers (Linux works fine with a wired desktop, but lots of wireless cards don't have native drivers, meaning you have to mess with ndiswrapper)

Kubuntu is definitely easy to use but just not as easy as Windoze

Gareth · 05-07-2006, 16:52

I can't believe I forgot this (especially as it's in my sig), but the Linux Cookbook is a great read... see here

grandmaster · 05-07-2006, 16:54

Ubuntu is a cracking distro!

Gareth · 05-07-2006, 17:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aragorn

The main reasons I don't use Linux more are -
Lack of native support for most games (I know some newer games run under Linux and Lindows might allow you run others)
Lack of wireless drivers (Linux works fine with a wired desktop, but lots of wireless cards don't have native drivers, meaning you have to mess with ndiswrapper)

Kubuntu is definitely easy to use but just not as easy as Windoze

Games are still an issue for *nix. A lot are available using Cedega, but it's not as easy to use as it should be. This is one area where Windows still does and will continue to dominate Linux unfortunately. Although some developers are releasing Linux ports, most don't. It's a catch-22 situation as they say that there's not a sufficient market, yet the market won't increase until they start releasing more games.

However, as for wireless, this is one area where there is good news, as Linux has come along in leaps and bounds recently in terms of support for wireless cards. NDISWrapper is great, and distros such as Kanotix are now including this by default.

If the wireless issue was the only one holding you back, I'd say now is a good time to try again, but if you're into gaming, maybe you should still use Linux and then buy a PS2 for playing games

idi banashapan · 05-07-2006, 17:48

before i start playing games, I need to install drivers for the graphics card! Now, i've installed SuSE 10 desktop on an old machine I have lying about. I actually won't be playing games on it as it only has an old FX5900XT in it.

I downloaded the drivers from nVidia. opened the gnome terminal, changed to root and tried to install, but i get this...

ERROR: you appear to be running an X window.

There's more, but nothing substantial to the message. anyway, i checked in the process list, and I can't see anything beginning with X. I know this is probably REALLY basic, but what am I doing wrong????

Cobbydaler · 05-07-2006, 18:33

I think you need to shut down the X server with control alt backspace & then login to a text only session.

I'm a noob at linux as well & I'd recommend PCLinuxOS. Get it here

Very friendly & helpful community, good hardware support, you might not even need to download nVidia drivers as there is an iso specifically for those cards.

[Edit - Ooops, missed out the ALT....]

Chris W · 05-07-2006, 19:05

if you do get stuck i would normally recommend google, but in this case, i recommend www.google.com/linux

Gareth · 05-07-2006, 20:35

Not tried this on Suse, but they recommend this on their site...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suse

3. SUSE LINUX 10.0-IA32

It is recommended to use YOU (YaST Online Update) for (re)installation
of the nvidia driver. There are several reasons for this. First, it's
simple. Second, and this is the most important one, you won't need to
recompile the nvidia kernel module after a kernel update.

Inside YOU enable "Installable and Installed Patches" for "Show Patch
Category" and select "Download NVIDIA(r) Graphics Driver" from the
patches list (usually at the bottom of the list). Note, that you need
to mark it as "Update" (right mouse click) if you already installed it
before and the driver was uninstalled - for any reason. Proceed as
usual now. After YOU has finished restart your Xserver (i.e. logout
from your Xsession) and you're fine.

People who aren't afraid of recompiling the nvidia kernel module or
even reinstalling the nvidia driver each time the kernel has been
updated and want or need to use the latest and greatest nvidia driver
can use the following steps 1-3. The others should use the
instructions above using YOU and skip the steps below.

1) Kernel sources must be installed and configured. Usually this means
installing the 'kernel-source', 'make' and 'gcc' packages with YaST2.
Update it - if not already done - via YaST2 Online Update (YOU).

2) Use the nvidia installer for 1.0-8762.

sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-8762-pkg1.run -q

3) Configure X.Org with

sax2 -m 0=nvidia (0 is a digit, not a letter!)

NOTE: There is no need to try to enable 3D support. It's already
enabled, when the nvidia driver is running.

Link: http://www.suse.de/~sndirsch/nvidia-...ler-HOWTO.html

---------- Post added at 20:35 ---------- Previous post was at 20:25 ----------

Also, it's worth mentioning for anyone thinking of trying Linux, you can use VMWare or Microsoft's Virtual PC to install Linux really easily. It's even better than using a Live CD because a) you don't waste a CD/DVD each time, b) it runs faster and 3) you can make changes and they'll still be there the next time you boot it up.

VMWare even have pre-installed images you can download and use without having to do the installation yourself

Tristan · 05-07-2006, 20:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bender

I want to learn about Linux. Simple as. Problem is, I currently know NOTHING! So I'm hoping someone can help me out here...

1 - Type

KDE / Gnome / other
Which is the best? What are the differences?

2 - Flavour

I've downloaded Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Suse 10 desktop. Which is best? Should I chose another?

3 - Anything else I should know or look into here

Thanks in advance...

btw, I'm currently on nights, so will be in bed pretty shortly. Please feel free to add stuff here -I will read it and comment, but it may not be until later.

I'm looking for something in Linux that is intuitive, looks great, is easy to use and compatible with Linux versions of things like MSN, Skype, open office and anything else that is general everyday use stuff like CD / DVD burning, listening to music (mp3 AND M4A - M4A is very important)

1) KDE and Gnome are both good desktops, but they have different focuses. Gnome tries to be as stripped-down and easy-to-use as possible. Whether you like this approach is a personal preference. On the other hand, KDE is a lot more "Windows-like"; it also allows you to tweak just about every single pixel on the screen if you choose to.

When I first started off with Linux, I had a very strong preference for KDE, both on account of it being more "Windows-like", and the fact that Gnome had just released 2.0, and frankly it wasn't very good. Seven releases later however, Gnome is excellent, and I find KDE practically unusable now by comparison. But it's really personal preference: download both the Ubuntu and Kubuntu Live CDs and see which you like best. Once you've installed one, you can also download the other desktop and choose which one to use at login, if you like.

2) I'd recommend Ubuntu to a new user, but that's because I prefer Gnome. I should think Kubuntu would be equally good. The latest beta of Suse Enterprise Linux (not the same as OpenSuse or regular Suse Linux!) has had very good reviews, but that won't be free when it comes out.

3) Gnome and KDE come with Gaim and Kopete respectively for instant messaging. These are a little like Trillian for Windows, in that they allow you to connect to AIM, Yahoo, Google/Jabber, MSN, and probably a couple of other networks I've forgotten, all at the same time.

Skype is available for Linux, but without webcam facilities at present. Also, it only works on the i386 version of (K)Ubuntu, but you might be able to jump through hoops to get it to work on the AMD64 version.

OpenOffice comes preinstalled with virtually every Linux distro ever. Also available is KOffice for KDE, and Abiword, an excellent lightweight word processor (also available for Windows and Mac).

Both KDE and Gnome have some CD- and DVD-burning facilities built in, but for a complete programme, look no further than K3B. It does everything Nero for Windows does, and probably better.

As far as music goes, KDE has AmaroK, which is probably the most comprehensive music player available on any platform. Gnome comes with Rhythmbox, but frankly it's not very good -- you can install AmaroK, of course, or there's an excellent media player for Gnome called Banshee which I highly recommend. Both MP3 and AAC (and every other non-free media format) require you to download plugins to play them, but work perfectly once installed. This is dead easy with (K)Ubuntu -- come back when you've installed it and we'll tell you how

.

As far as games go, it's true that only a very small percentage of Windows games get an official Linux version. However, few notable ones which do are:

All id software games ever, including Doom 3 and Quake 4.
Enemy Territory
All versions of Unreal Tournament ever (installer included on the CD!)
America's Army
Probably others I've forgotten.

Also, there's a programme available called Cedega which apparently does a very good job of allowing you to play Windows games on Linux, but it does cost money. Also, to play any sort of 3D games, you really need an Nvidia graphics card: ATI's drivers really aren't up to it.

Right, well I hope that's not too much info in one go! If you've got any more questions, just ask. And welcome to the family!

idi banashapan · 06-07-2006, 00:27

all of you, thanks for your replies. There's some REALLY helpful stuff here. Much appreciated. I'll have to have a play with the OS now!