Duh. Have been a watcher but not contributor to this list for ages; so
don't know what the accepted format it. Top post or bottom post?
Going for safety: bottom post coming up.
On 07/05/10 02:03, sgttutt2001 wrote:
> I have installed Ubuntu 10.04 which I like, but would it be worth to try another distro? I have a external HD that I would install it on. I know that everyone has their favorite one. Any recommendations would be welcomed.
>
> i am still a newbie to Linux.
>
> KT
>
>
Hello there,
In case you find it helpful: I am the original non-techie! I started
using Linux because I was so sick of the security issues that come
bundled with Windoze. As a complete ignoramus, technophobe and general
command line eejit, I have been running Mandrake / Mandriva Linux as an
*almost* pure GUI OS since 2001. That's right; as a pointy-clicky non
technical Windoze refugee, with a blind spot for learning technical
stuff, I have still been able to run a viable system, use the internet
(both dial-up and broadband), do eBay, watch videos on YouTube, use mail
and newsgroups, do pretty much everything I want to do out there, with
the help of Mandriva forums, a smidgen of intelligent googling, and a
little (but not too much) recourse to linuxquestions.
mailing list.
I'd highly recommend this underrated, French RH derivative; they've
moved far beyond their origins by this time and represent a solid,
stable OS which is totally newbie-friendly ... as long as you know *the
secret* of course, which is easy-urpmi.zarb.
sources. Once you've got all your free and non-free repositories -
include PLF please! - configured (and these days, zarb will do it
automatically, you don't even have to copy-and-paste into a root
console) it really is possible to run this system through the GUI 99.9%
of the time. I love it. I'm free of Windoze, and my blind spot is not an
issue.
As time has gone on, I've gotten a little bolder, and have even managed
to build a working Debian system on my other box - though I hasten to
add that this doesn't mean I suddenly turned into a geek, it means the
Debian developers have provided a much more eejit-friendly installer for
Lenny! But I'm still going to be using Mandriva for most of my day to
day computing.
I've tried most of the distros people have mentioned - Mint is pretty;
but the only one so far that has configured the wireless nic on my
laptop without issues was SimplyMepis - nobody mentioned that yet, it's
another Debian derivative, and for me it works well in that one respect.
And I have a netbook that uses Asus's own little distro, though they now
seem to have stopped supporting this, which is rather a shame (it's
Debian by any other name though).
Dunno if any of that is helpful - but yes, if you're not fond of the
CLI, it IS possible to use Linux as a GUI OS. I've been doing it for 10
years with Mandrake / Mandriva, and I don't regret a moment.
cheers
JD
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