does anybody use a Linux based OS like Fedora, Ubuntu etc.?

[King Crimson]

just curious, i'm thinking about giving one a shot....just for kicks.

i have basic to average computer skills, i'm not looking to write hacks and play around with the open source code....just for daily use.

what's the dillio?

and if you want to be a smartass, post some (!)titties(!) at least.

[Tom In VA]

I have in the past and plan to again in the near future. In the past I was interested in things like shell scripts, screwing around with hacking code and stuff but now I"m more interested in building a media center type PC.

All that being said, Ubuntu looks very appealing from what I've seen on my buddy's machine. His is a mobile well it's here...

http://www.microcenter.com/single_produ ... id=0287431" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Comes with a Ubuntu distro and looks really usable and inexpensive.

[PSUFAN]

KC, I often use Ubuntu on the server side. I have messed around with their desktop, but I haven't used it on an everyday basis.

http://www.ubuntu.com/products/WhatIsUb ... topedition" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; has some information.

You can actually try it out directly from a CD, thereby leaving your computer's configuration untouched. Here's how:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCD" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[King Crimson]

i actually have one of those Asus EEE PC's that i bought a couple months ago. It comes with linux based Xandros and Open Office and some other open source stuff. i haven't really had time to sit down and fool with it, but it's a nifty little machine for my purposes. easy to carry around, use it to teach and run presentations, show video, wireless etc....without lugging around a 6 lb laptop. there's some sizing issues with the screen i haven't quite figured out, but the resolution for video (like on a plane or something) is great.

but, from the little research i've done it's a pretty popular move in the EEE "community" to use Xubuntu, the smaller version.

[King Crimson]

KC, I often use Ubuntu on the server side. I have messed around with their desktop, but I haven't used it on an everyday basis.

http://www.ubuntu.com/products/WhatIsUb ... topedition" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; has some information.

You can actually try it out directly from a CD, thereby leaving your computer's configuration untouched. Here's how:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCD" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

yeah, i'm gonna check that out when i get some time to goof around (when the semester ends). thanks bro.

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

I've been running Linux (Kubuntu) as my only operating system for 4+ years now.
Also have a minimal Debian install as a local file server.
What's not to love? Never looked back.

[smackaholic]

I just need to know one thing. Will it play uwe pron videos?

[Tom In VA]

I just need to know one thing. Will it play uwe pron videos?

You kidding ? There would be no pron without Unix, Linux, and the like. In fact, more geeks have gotten laid per capita in the past fifteen years than in the entire history of mankind. Prior to Linus' the only geeks getting laid were the rich ones with Unix. When Linux came out, it was an all out Pourne Shell orgy.

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

sudo apt-get titties

[PSUFAN]

hahaha.

[ElTaco]

Sadly I have to admit that at this point and time I do not have any machines actively running linux and unix. I do have several boxes at home that have linux and Solaris installed but they are all off sitting in a corner.

If you are looking to play, I would start with some LiveCD stuff or maybe with VMWare's free server product where you can install multiple Operating systems that will run on top of XP. Most distributions have a LiveCD package available. Some of the install CDs even come as LiveCDs. Depending on what you do, there may even be a LiveCD aimed at your hobby/occupation/project if its computer related. Most distributions will include OpenOffice or a similar office suite and usually some other popular packages, depending on what the distribution aims to excel at.

Ultimately it will take some playing around to find a distribution that you will like. Currently, everyone is really hot about Ubuntu because it focuses heavily on being an easy to install/use/configure desktop distribution and they have fixed a lot of the issues that people have complained about for years (in terms of ease of use). Another nice thing is that not only is the ISO installation disk that you download useful for installing this on a machine, but also to act as a Live CD so you can test it out and then install it if you like it. On top of making it easy to use, Ubuntu also has some device drivers built in that are not open source to make it easier to use. Not all distributions are willing to do this.

Here is an article: http://www.computerworld.com/action/art ... rc=hm_list" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

RedHat (Fedora) has always been a great, solid distribution. Where Ubuntu is aimed at the desktop and falls a bit short on the server side, RedHat is very much moving its distribution toward the server market. In fact they are becoming a smaller player in the open source/desktop market as time goes by. The nice thing about Fedora is that it has a lot of the open source features that RedHat sells in its future enterprise products, without the support of course.

There are many other distributions to look at, all just slightly different, aiming to please a different segment of the population. Of course if you want some unix/linux capability but with full support, you can always purchase a Mac Mini. Apple rebuilt its operating system on top of a unix based system when they released OSX. This means that a lot of the open source packages can run on Macs, and a lot even have download-able packages so you don't have to recompile them from scratch.

Finally, if you are seriously thinking about launching a server, you should look at solaris. Sun gives away the operating system, focusing much more on the hardware market. Solaris is rock solid and one of the best operating systems out there and it runs on old Sun hardware and on Intel based systems. Of course there are less packages available for it because most of the free stuff is developed for Linux, but it is very stable with a long history behind it.

[XXXL]

OSX baby...

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

OSX baby...

Yeah, I guess nothing says problem-solving like whipping out your credit card and letting Steve Jobs decide what
the "right" application you need is.

[PSUFAN]

RACK!

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

RACK!

Just imagine if Rootbeer's Database had harnessed the power of UNIX...


~~~ shudder ~~~