linuxgeek: Re: [LINUX_Newbies] new to linux, have not down loaded yet need help

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Re: [LINUX_Newbies] new to linux, have not down loaded yet need help

On Sun, Oct 25, 2009 at 08:44:51PM -0400, Roy wrote:
> Ubuntu is a good choice, but it isn't the easiest one to use. Mint is based
> on Ubuntu and is easier for new users to use. However, you will find lots of
> support for Ubuntu. It is the largest distribution by far. You will find
> more online help as well as the books you mentioned.

Roy, is there a reason you say this? Maybe because I was already quite
familiar with Debian, but I really didn't find one easier than the
other. (Or vice versa). Actually, for *me*, I found Ubuntu easier
because it's menu is more like the usual Gnome one.

I know a lot of folks like Mint simply because it includes various
proprietary things out of the box, but they're quite easy to install in
Ubuntu. Is that the reason you say it's easier, or are there other
factors as well?

>
> Other easy to use distributions to consider are MEPIS and PCLinuxOS. MEPIS
> is based on Debian, the same thing Ubuntu uses and it is easy to install and
> use. A similar small distribution is PCLinuxOS which is like MEPIS, but it
> is based on Mandriva, a Red Hat derivative.

For what it's worth---a fellow on Fedora Forums was trying to decide
what distribution to give a Windows using friend. Working with the
friend, they decided that PCLinuxOS would be easiest to use for
transition. (I have played with all the ones mentioned here, but it's
difficult to think like a beginner anymore.)

Also, again for what it's worth...(aside from liking the Buffalo
Springfield song, I mean that everyone is different, and all that I
mention is simply my experience---YMMV. Your mileage may vary) I put
EEEBuntu on the netbook I gave my wife, and she's had no trouble with
it. She said it was quite similar (Gnome Desktop) to Mac and Windows.
Her needs are relatively limited, web browser, skype, documents, email,
(mostly gmail) and a pdf reader. The one non-standad requirement she has
is Japanese.

On the other hand, she's married to someone with Linux in his job title,
and whose page, (with an incorrect link) is mentioned in the scim-anthy
(a Japanese input program) README.

So... if there were minor difficulties, I probably fixed them without
thinking about it. For instance, configuring Japanese might have been a
nuisance for her. It's hard to guess the best for a beginner, which is
why I thought it was a really smart thing that fellow on Fedora Forums
did, working with a Windows user to get that user's perspective.

--
Scott Robbins
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