SuSE Linux 9 soon to be released (Oct 24)

[Deja Q]

http://www.suse.com/us/private/products/suse_linux/i386/

Very impressive, and owners of 9.x can upgrade instead of paying the full price! :9

Except it still has GNOME 2.2 even though an improved version, 2.4, is now out. :-( In fairness, 2.4 was released in mid September, probably too late to be integrated and optimized. (www.gnome.org for more and they also have a cool article on saying NO to software patents in Europe...) So this weekend's project is to download GNOME and install it. Ugh. Lots of files to download...

But at least KDE is updated with new features. That's nice because most people prefer KDE anyway. :-) (I obviously prefer GNOME, but nobody's perfect...)

Here's a link to more info, note the menu on the left begging you to look at all aspects of this clever little Linux distro! http://www.suse.com/us/private/products/suse_linux/i386/kde.html

[Don_G]

1. How Much, How Simple and How Much Support?

I'm fed up with Dell-Micro$haft/India. My fat hairy cat gives me more computer support than both (and I've had to delete a few posts here due to her help.)

Can you translate Gnome and KDE to us Windoze dummies?

[Interrobang]

2. Well, there are some excellent websites and books...

I'd suggest the one-and-only (new edition) of _Linux For Dummies_, which is definitely written from a "switcher's" perspective, and it usually comes with a distro already on CD; and once you're done with that one, I'd go to the library and haul out every relatively new book on Linux they've got, and read as far as you can until you're confused. That is, read _L4D_ (well, the opening chapters anyway) *before* you install, and then go from there.

If you want to just *try* before you buy, you can also get a distro called Knoppix (it's a Mandrake variant, IIRC), which comes self-contained on its own CD-ROM. Insert the CD, reboot your computer, and presto! Instant Linux machine, no messy installation required! Granted, it's mostly read-only because it's intended as a demo, but it does enough that you can learn the file system, see the interfaces and the software, and get an idea of what you're getting into before you start 'fsck'ing around with fdisk and repartitioning your hard drive, or anything permanent like that. Then, once you're done, shut down your computer, take out the CD-ROM, and reboot. Behold your Windoze box returned like magic!

Some other good websites are:

http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/answerstips/story/0,24330,2570014,00.html
Linux for Windows Users

http://www.linux.ie/newusers/beginners-linux-guide/
Beginners' Linux Guide

http://beginnerslinux.org/index3e.html
A series of PDFs downloadable on various topics you'll need to know to get started

http://dir.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Software/Operating_Systems/UNIX/Linux/For_Beginners/
Yahoo's beginner Linux links

I also have some more information I got from a friend some time ago that I could send you, if you PM me, if you're really interested. While I'm not using it right now, I was using it almost exclusively about 2 years ago, and learned all the programming I know on it.

Edited for clarity, to make what I had left for inference plain by explanation. Bad tech writer, no paycheque! (No fscking paycheque anyway, goddammit!)

[Don_G]

4. I Learned Programming On An Atari, C-64 And An IBM 360 Mainframe

On Basic, Cobal and either Unix or Xenix (security concerns with BellSouth when Regan privatized our nationwide communications system.)

I got out of it for a while and only got back into it when I purchased a Notebook loaded with a @%$#&* OS like WinME and I'm now getting errors with a new Dell Inspiron 8500 loaded with XP without doing anything but defragging my HD and uploading M$ and NAV updates.

I'm tired of this crap, the Dell/M$ off-shore "customer" support and can afford the time and effort it takes me to get a "user-friendly" G5 Powerbook and to convert an Inspiron 8500 to a Linux Based Win-Recogniziable machine.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

3. Mandrake 9.2...

Will also be available at the end of the month, and it has Gnome 2.4, as well as KDE 3.1.3.

It is very nice for n00bs and very easy to install. The "Discovery" version of Mandrake offers task-based menus I.E: Your menu selections are based upon what you want to do.

For any Linux n00b, I would suggest that you get in touch with a local Linux User Group or Linux Geek and get them to help you install it. Also, Interrobang's recommendation of Knoppix(or Morphix) is a very, very good introduction to Linux.

Note: Slackware and Gentoo just ain't recommended for n00bs. ;-)

[GAspnes]

5. boy, do I remember Slackware

2 hours compiling the kernel only to find I got the refresh rate wrong.

But that was 1991.

Now I'm running SuSE 8.2 and could not be happier. Anyone who doesn't seriously consider a Linux distro for their next upgrade ... well, you should.

[Deja Q]

6. Mandrake is tempting

I'll have to write down all the apps and screen savers I use (SuSE bundles everything under the sun from this and three other parallel dimensions, so you get a lot for the $$$) but I have heard great things about Mandrake.

Especially when I heard that KDE 3.1.4 came out on Sept 16th, which is included in SuSE 9...

But SuSE's on-the-fly support of installing new hardware is nice. Better than XP, IMHO...

And it's probably easier to go from KDE 3.1.3 to 3.1.4 - I hope. I've been downloading GNOME modules all day, reminding me why I prefer buying boxed distros... :D

Then there's FreeBSD 5.2 coming out at some point...

[alfredo]

7. Mandrake is a good way to start with Linux

If you have an old iMac around, YellowDog Linux is excellent.


Got Gnome on OSX