[MAIN] Best Distro for Newbies

[Sepero]

Well, it's been almost a year since the last thread and I wanted to set off another one just in time for the new year. All of the distro creators have been working very hard on improving their goods this past year. Unfortunately, some of the old contenders didn't make it this round and I can only list so many. Again I went to distrowatch.com and picked the top 9 distros that appear to be directly aimed at home desktop users. I then put them in alphabetical order.

Vote for your favorite n00b distribution. Tell us why it's so great for Newbie's. What makes it special when compared to others? If you don't see your favorite listed, Tell us about it! If you help spread the word, it might just be on next years poll...

As always, if you have something negative to say about a distro, give a good reason why.

Have fun!

[nephish]

ubuntu 5.10
it found everything, even the tricky stuff. configured everything right. And what could beat apt ?

[Parcival]

Maybe YaST? ;)

[LNXchd]

What...no Debian? IMO, Debian is super easy to set up. Everything from the partitioning to recognizing simple things,such as; usb support for media card readers. Funny thing, slackware suggests reading the installation README pages on the install disk...how do you read that without an o/s, providing you're starting from a blank disk. Had to read the README to figure out which kernel image to use (sata.i), and some hardware still didn't work once it was installed, oh well. Debian has been an excellent learning experience, for myself. Got to know more about linux than I do at this point to use slackware anyways. Ubuntu would not work for me, either. My vote...even though it's not listed...Debian(other)! :D

[matt2kjones]

Personally, i have been using linux now for many years, both on server systems and as a desktop operating system.

Ubuntu & Kubuntu are very easy to install and use, so is mepis, so i think those are good choices for new users to linux.

However, i think a new user is better off going with something that is a little bit more difficult to setup. A distro which doesn't configure everything for you so that you can dive in and try to fix things yourself..... that way you learn how things work... which will benifit you in the long run.

[LNXchd]

However, i think a new user is better off going with something that is a little bit more difficult to setup. A distro which doesn't configure everything for you so that you can dive in and try to fix things yourself..... that way you learn how things work... which will benifit you in the long run.
I like the easy installation of Debian...I also agree that some difficulties during installation and throughout operation will be better for the new user in the long run. As long as the difficulties aren't so severe that the newbie gets frustrated and says to hell with it. I don't have nearly enough, nothing is broken so I can only learn by asking questions and reading whatever man pages I can get my hands on. I guess if nothing is broken, I will learn different applications and how to tweak the system. Somedays I wish something would break so I could play around with it. Until then.... :D

Chad

[Sepero]

I don't have nearly enough, nothing is broken so I can only learn by asking questions and reading whatever man pages I can get my hands on.Type "apt<tab><tab>" or "deb<tab><tab>" into a shell. It will bring a world of commands you probably never knew. There's more than enough manpages to last you a while.

When you're done with that, here is a Debian Desktop guide for you to browse and learn from:
http://www.togaware.com/linux/survivor/

And last, if you're feeling real eager for something to break, try this command as root:
rm -rf /var
(I used to have a recovery bookmarked for that disaster, but I guess I don't anymore :))

[Malkosha]

I played with most all of the distros and they all bring their own ideas and “feel” to the table.

Fedora Core is bleeding edge … way too much for a noob but very fun to play with.

Slack isn’t bad and Susie is pretty good. Just not for a noob. Same with Mandriva. That just leaves a choice between two distros geared for noobs: Mepis and Ubuntu.

The BEST distro for the noob, IMO, is Mepis. Yes, I know its blasphemy to not proclaim Ubuntu as the greatest thing ever, but for a noob it’s not really that great.

In Mepis, its just boot to a CD, and install to HD and everything is there. Ubuntu can also do this in a way, but the difference is that you can see and actually use Mepis before you install it because Mepis will also run from the CD. That’s means if you screw things up you can still get to your stuff by just booting the CD. Very nice! When it comes to installing Linux, it doesn’t get any easier than Mepis.

BTW, I've just rebuilt/upgraded my machine to a AMD 64 3500+ on a MSI MB and there was no problem with HW at all. Mepis found everything and everything works ... esp my new Nvidia 6600GT.

In Mepis, Java is already installed and ready to go. Ubuntu doesn’t come with it and you have to install it yourself. Easy heh? If you have experience maybe it is, but for a noob? Forget it. Easier to boot into Windows.

In Mepis, Flash is already there. Ubuntu need you to install it.

In Mepis, Kaffine is installed and plays WMV files out of the box as well as MP3’s. Ubuntu is missing this too.

In Mepis, the 3D drivers for your Nvidia or ATI card can be installed during setup. Painless and easy. Ubuntu once again forces this on a hapless noob.

ClamAV? Mepis has it and the GUI for it as well already there.

I know, I know. Ubuntu doesn’t want to “corrupt” their software with things not labeled as pure GPL, but you know what? Ideals are fine, but people want things to really work and without Java, Flash, 3D acceleration and a way to play WMV files …. Or any other files for that matter … all that nonsense is just hot air. Yes, we can all install this stuff but for a noob this is a major undertaking and best left to the future when they are comfortable with Linux in general.

The other argument is that noobs should start off with having to configure their stuff to see what Linux is all about. Nonsense again I say! A noob can do that stuff later. Right now they need to see if things are going to work and they really need to see that they can run Linux as well as Windows without having to pull their hair doing it. This is what Mepis brings to the table.

Oh … while you can buy Mepis to help support their efforts, its also available for a free (as in beer) download. Don’t let some sheep tell you that you have to buy it because it’s just not true.

If you are new to Linux and want full functionality right from the start and want everything to work FOR REAL, which means no additional software and tricky installs then just get the latest Mepis. As of this post, SimplyMepis 3.4-1 RC1 is out with the latest final release coming soon. Once you work with Mepis for a while then you can try other distros that require software installs and configurations like Ubuntu and Fedora Core (don’t you just love that name?).

[nephish]

great post !
i have never tried mephis, but i have been using linux for about 3 years now. So i am at a point that installing the other 'stuff' is rather painless. But these are great points. since it comes in a live cd, i may giver a whirl ( so to speak )

[Sepero]

Well said, Malkosha. I agree completely.
Newbies DO NOT need something "more difficult" to learn Linux. They are going to load up Slackware or Gentoo and think "What the F*CK?!". With no idea of how to even look up manpages or any documentation(they don't have a 100 useful Linux bookmarks like YOU!), they say "Only an idiot would think this is better than Microsoft. Windows ME is better than this worthless S***!".

Then they make a post on a forum about how much Linux sucks. And you reply, "But wait there's an easier distro!". Sorry buddy, most people haven't got time for games and "configin'. They need to get REAL work done.

By the time you reply with a more appropriate distro, the guy has already reinstalled MSWindows. I kid you not. Often, by now he has already had a lot of practice and can reinstall it in minutes.

[michaeln]

Personally, i have been using linux now for many years, both on server systems and as a desktop operating system.

Ubuntu & Kubuntu are very easy to install and use, so is mepis, so i think those are good choices for new users to linux.

However, i think a new user is better off going with something that is a little bit more difficult to setup. A distro which doesn't configure everything for you so that you can dive in and try to fix things yourself..... that way you learn how things work... which will benifit you in the long run.

I agree. I learned a lot with my Gentoo experience. In the end I love Gentoo. The only reason I am not running it now is I bought a new computer and don't feel like the long lengthy install.

Michael

[Headfuzz]

I'm probably plump for Mepis (from what I've heard - not used it personally) or Xandros OCE. The whole point of being a n00b is you have little or no idea what to do.

Do 13 year old kids calculate quantum physics and string theory? No. So you start them off with Newton's 3 basic laws of physics and work upward.

Expecting a complete n00b to make && make install everything when they're used to hitting setup.exe and having a binary do the donkey work for them is plain stupid. Having a few freely redistributable yet proprietary pieces of software (Flash, Java, multimedia codecs etc) pre compiled into a base install makes sense.

If a new user doesn't have their work cut out for them trying to go about their daily business it's far more likely they'll stick with their newfound OS and be more receptive to learning how to get the most out of it...

[Sepero]

I am especially suprised that no one has voted for PCLinuxOS.
I've heard that it is very comparable to Mepis. Also, it is Helios www.lobby4linux.com 's flagship distribution. (Perhaps they should switch to Mepis?)

[Malkosha]

I am especially suprised that no one has voted for PCLinuxOS.
I've heard that it is very comparable to Mepis. Also, it is Helios www.lobby4linux.com 's flagship distribution. (Perhaps they should switch to Mepis?)

I've heard about that one and I might give it a go. It also is supposed to have all the "minor" but important stuff loaded. Unlike Mepis which is Debian based, I believe that PCLinuxOS is supposed to be Mandrake based.

I'm looking at Helios for some info.

While I'm not a n00b by no means, I'm also not a guru. True, I can install and configure about any Linux distro but these days I'm lazy and would rather have the "minor" stuff already done. I can always go from there and build the distro to where I want it. This BTW, is the strength of Linux. No matter what you start with and where you begin, you can always bump it up to the next level.

[GmarAppledude]

I agree with everything said about Mepis. I stick the disk in a PC install it, relax. An instantly usable PC. It has shown me what Linux is capable of without doing much at all. How ever I didn't vote for it. I voted for Suse. Why did I do that.

Remembering back to April when I became a born again Linux user, I used Suse and have fond memories of how easily it installed and how well everything worked straight away. Of course having used other distros in the mean time have made me realise what it can't do without some tweaking. I I had not experimented I would not have known and would have been content. For what most people do with computers it is pretty complete and self contained, the default apps would no longer be my perfect choice but as a noob I wouldn't know that.

If I could merge Suse and Mepis (Using MY OWN blend) I'd be in distro heaven but that's a different story. They are so different yet...

[WhiteKnight]

Well.. I would still recommend Knoppix.. Yeah, not really a distro, but a newbie most likely would not like to "put his precious windows to harm" before knowing that he can work nicely without it. I know Ubuntu does have a live cd, but knoppix's booting up is more windowish, no interaction and straight to gui, with all mountable file systems mounted. As for Fedora (and Red Hat) and mandriva(and mandrake), i never had gd experience with them.

Once he get his feet wet, he could install knoppix to his hard disk with the setup tool provided. Not too bad also.

My 2 cents :)

[tody4me]

I voted for SuSE also, because I have used a few distros now and being a n00b myself I found it to be one of the easier to install and use distros. Just if you want to configure something you can't just edit a text document and expect it to be happy about it. I installed SuSE a week ago on my mother-in-law's computer and she has been happy with it ever since, except that she can't browse on the internet with it because she doesn't have the driver for the modem installed (which I'll probably do tonight). She had a lot of problems with windows not doing certain things, like her printer wasn't working for example, but with SuSE she had it configured in about 5 minutes, and it works fine.

[Sepero]

For those who haven't voted yet: You can vote for more than one distro.

[ladoga]

Debian, Ubuntu or Gentoo.

Depends much on who i would recommend it.

It's never good to underestimate people. For someone who likes to dive deep into linux and learn quickly i would recommend Gentoo. My friend started with it and has been happy linux user ever since. He just wanted to have control and gentoo gave it to him. Gentoo has very good step by step tutorials for almost everything and nice community support. If you can read, you can use it.

For someone who doesn't have such interest in learning linux (but who wants, for reason or another to get rid of windows) i would recommend Ubuntu. Almost everything can be done through GUI and still under the hood the is good ol' debian. Installer is easy. Apt-get (synaptic) is easy and powerful.

For everyone else i would prolly recommend debian. I did so to my other friend who had never used linux before. He saw me once running stripped down ubuntu+fluxbox, which he thought looked like fun. He liked how fluxbox worked and asked me if that ubuntu thing was a good choice for him. I explained that he could as well install debian as ubuntu is mainly about different, heavier and more windowslike WM called gnome. So he did. Installation was easy, identical to ubuntu installer. He made a debian/win 2k dual boot system. Windows got somehow broken after dual boot was set and was exremely slow to start up. He got used to linux and noticed that he can do everything he needs in it. Soon he ditched the windows completely. I think that currently he uses Kubuntu. He's sort of GUI freak. :) Meanwhile i've switched to debian. Apt-get rocks!

[ladoga]

Well said, Malkosha. I agree completely.
Newbies DO NOT need something "more difficult" to learn Linux. They are going to load up Slackware or Gentoo and think "What the F*CK?!". With no idea of how to even look up manpages or any documentation(they don't have a 100 useful Linux bookmarks like YOU!), they say "Only an idiot would think this is better than Microsoft. Windows ME is better than this worthless S***!".

I've seen a complete linux newbie choose gentoo and think "WTF, This is great!" :)

There are different linux noobs. Their motivations to get into linux are different. Some maybe search for windows replacement. Some want stuff to work like in windows. Some hate how things work in windows and are after something entirely different.

There is no one distro that fits all.

[Sepero]

There is no one distro that fits all.I agree.

Though personally, when I started, I wish Mepis was around (and that someone would have handed a copy of it to me).