Advice Needed Linux distro for a total beginner?

[jeallen01]

I guess this question must have been asked before, but I'm finally going to have to install some form of Linux distro on one of my PC's - and then learn how to use it!

The main reasons for trying to do this will be, at least initially, so that I can get to grips with dealing with a Linux-based Rx (which I aim to buy in the near future) and setting up a media centre on that (or another) PC.

First problem is obviously which distro because I've seen suggestions for quite a few of them but don't really know which one to choose so that I don't get so bogged down, pee'd off and disheartened that I give up in short order.

I know that many forum members run some form of Linux, and so I'm asking for your advice as to your suggestions on which to consider and which to avoid?

Thanks in advance.

John

 

[Lazarus]

I've moved your Post to the Compooter Discussion area - you'll find a fair few Linux Topics herein.

My perpetual choice is Linux Mint.

Having fanni*ed around with many others, it's the easiest to become familiar with.

Using it is instinctive and it comes with a decent range of packages straight out of the box.

 

[Analoguesat]

Reasonable spec machine - Mint 17.3

Old clunker - Lubuntu.

Have a read of this thread I produced too - constructive criticism welcomed if Ive missed anything out

How to play with linux distros easily & safely

 

[jeallen01]

Lazarus

Thanks for doing that, and I will take a good look around this part of the forum - but would still appreciate any other suggestions. OTOH, Mint is the distro I was tending toward as I have read other suggestions that this would be a good one to try (but I was trying to ask a "neutral" question.).

John

 

[jeallen01]

And the next problem is to choose which machine to install on - could be an old Dell laptop that's currently running W7 Pro (32 bit) very well,[b] or [/b]a new Acer Veriton N2620G nettop Icore 3 that comes with W7 Pro (64 bit I assume but don't know - see below) - that's the most preferred option?

BTW - the Acer has 4GB of RAM - would 8GB be any advantage?

OTOH, it arrived today, but DOA because it seems to have had a "bad experience" on the way here with damage to the packaging - and so won't boot beyond the Acer spashscreen. I expect it will be going back next week to be fixed (I suspect just a displaced SATA connection to the disk, but we will see).

The Acer was bought to be the lounge media PC as I (hope I ?) can then use it to control a Linux-based satellite receiver that will connect to an array of sat dishes at the end of the garden

.

BTW, I would like to try to get it to dual boot Win 7 Pro and Linux (Mint?) with the latter as the default to minimise intervention at boot-up

 

[Analoguesat]

Play with it in "live disc" mode and it doesnt matter which one you try it on. DONT click the install icon on the desktop though!

 

[jeallen01]

Thanks again, a good idea - but looks like it will be a week or two before I can actually try that out.

 

[Lazarus]

I'm sure you're aware that although many programmes that Windows users are familiar with have Linux variants, some don't.

Do you have any red-line constraints, or are you happy using inexact equivalents in most cases?

You won't have any issues with Browsers, E Mail Clients, Office etc, but more specialised stuff can present problems. Chiefly surmountable, though, one way or another.

 

[jeallen01]

Lazarus

No real constraints - anything that needs a Windows application (most MS applications in particular, and Adobe for that matter) will be run on one of the W7 (W10 - maybe ) machines.

The lounge media centre will most be just for that and overseeing the Sat Rx(s).

 

[jeallen01]

Lzarus

Just lost all I wrote!

The lounge media centre will be just for that purpose - anything needing a Windows-specific programme will be run on one of the other W7 (W10) machines on the LAN.

The media centre is to oversee the Linux-based Sat Rx's (objective!) - but needs to connect to the 1Gb/s LAN (to which are also connected 2x Synology Diskstations - one with a USB 4x bay storage unit attached -, a WD unit, a Sony BD/internet-TV connected unit, Tosh TV with Sat tuner, Onkyo AV amp, etc). At the moment there is no "integration", and so getting all that lot to work together will be (at least for me) a huge mental task regardless of whether or not the media centre is Linux-based )

 

[jeallen01]

I think I'm now coming down to a choice between Mint, and Ubunto Mate which was recommended on PentaxUser which is the other forum on which I posted the question - so does anyone here have any experience of the latter distro (which was said to be very good for Linux newbies because it was designed to be easy for former XP users (done that, been there) to get to grips with)?

 

[Lazarus]

Ubuntu is a marmite distro, whereas Mint is almost universally acclaimed.

That said, they share many common elements.

Mint is far closer to Windows (Especially Win 7) in terms of the immediate user interface.

Mate is just a subset of both those Distros and refers to the appearance and layout of the Desktop etc.

Personally, I prefer the Cinnamon flavour.

However, as all the major Distros can be run from a Live CD/DVD/USB Stick, you can try as many variants as you want before picking one to install.

Furthermore, if you really can't decide, you can multiple Boot them - and alongside Windows, if you wish!

 

[jeallen01]

OH dear - so the discussion goes on - poor me (and probably some others with the same dilemma)

 

[Lazarus]

Well, not really.

Just try the ones on your shortlist and find out which you prefer.

That's the beauty of it - free and flexible.

Unlike Windows, where you're stuck with what you're given. I say "given", but you'll have paid for it.

 

[jeallen01]

That's what I will probably have to do - but it is different for complete newbies in any field to appreciate the differences between ostensibly "similar things".

 

[Lazarus]

Indeed. But you're entirely free to examine the similarities and differences to your hearts content.

It's no different to buying a car, in that you have some preconceptions and biases that might, or might not, be confirmed after viewings and test drives.

Then your wife picks the Red one.

 

[Lazarus]

Oh, and like anything else new and unfamiliar, once you get started, all the perceived difficulties and obstacles simply melt away ........

 

[jeallen01]

My wife does not pick my car! When I bought my Skoda (Octavia II estate) she was very much "against" it - but after we had had it for a few months and we were both happy with it, I asked her the question "Would you have been happy with the car if it had had a VW badge on the front?" and she replied "Yes"

BTW: there ain't much difference between my Octavia and the equivalent generation VW Passat - or the equivalent Audi A4 for that matter! - EXCEPT the much lower price of the Octy .

BTW 2 : She has a RED Golf (which I found for her!!) .

 

[battenfan]

Here is an interesting overview:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Linux_Distribution_Timeline.svg

You have, a little simplified written, a choice between two package managers; APT (Debian/Ubuntu) or RPM (Red Hat/Fedora).
It decides what repositories you can connect to and install optional and 3rd party software. Both are good at removing unwanted software. (I believe?).
If you don't like the distribution's default video player, file manager or even desktop manager (Gnome or KDE), pick another.
Not so easy to test that aspect from a live cd.
I don't think it matters much if you pick Mint or Mate. Mint seems more mature and may prove to be more future proof. Mate is young, who knows how long it will last.

Personally, I think the easiest install is Slackware. All text-based and manual, but if something goes wrong you redo that step and move on. It's not too hard to add software although it tests your patience as you might need to install every dependency by hand, if you want to remove anything you usually end up with a lot of unused dependencies and it can be a mess.

My current install is Fedora 18 and it has been unsupported since several generations (at least it has stopped nagging me about needed updates). Upgrading instructions comes with a lot of warnings so I might as well do a clean install. LTS, long term support is on my wish list and I will probably try an Ubuntu flavour this time.

 

[jeallen01]

I've moved on a little since this time last week and finally got the tiny "lounge compatible" ACER mini-PC working ( it's Veriton N4620G, not a N2620G and that means it's got an I-Core 3, a 500GB hard disk, 6 USB ports, 1GB Ethernet etc. ). Taken quite a few days to get it running because, as mentioned above, it would not boot to the Desktop (Win 7 Pro 64 bit) - been back to the suppliers and then returned "no fault found"! - but I finally sorted it this morning because it had a weird problem with the mouse and keyboard drivers.

Currently the disk is a single partition but I generally partition disks to into 3 drives: C: OS (W7 Pro 64 bit for the moment), D= Applications, E: Data - which is what I am looking to do (no problem in splitting, I have Acronis Disk Director 11 which works well).

However, this time, as I want the machine to run some Linux, I was thinking of splitting the disk into 4 or 5 partitions, with Linux Distros on two of them, if that is possible, so that I can dual/triple boot into the one I want at the time (as opposed to putting the distros on USB sticks).

Therefore please could I ask the following questions:
- can I put different distros on the 4th & 5th partitions - possibly Mint and Ubunto Mate as mentioned above, so that I can "get to know them" a little and make my own comparisons?
- roughly how much disk space would you allocate to each "mature" (i.e. after they have been installed and possibly "grown" over time) distro partition?


Thanks in advance.