Christopher D Maher wrote:
What is the best distro for an introduction to Linux? All I want to
do is be able to play and have something that doesn't use much
hardware ie no big graphical requirements (though I do want a GUI) and
something very very light on ram.
CM.
This is a list of questions that may affect your choice of Linux
distribution.
It is not a dichotomic search that leads inevitably to the correct answer
I hope that it will prompt both requester and suggester about what is
important.
It is not complete.
It reflects my bias about what is important.
It derives from my practical experience (installation and use for a
period of time
to achieve a specific non-computer related goal) with
* 4 different linux distributions
o slackware console (1995 era)
o redhat/kde
o debian/kde
o ubuntu/gnome (5.04 to 6.10)
* many variant of windows from 3.1 to 2K, excluding XP and vista
* many other operating systems including
o DOS, Geoworks, VMS, various HP offerings, etc
as well as theoretical consideration (reading the blurb and following some
issues on the forums) of many other Linux distributions and operating
systems
Comments welcome, but I do not maintain this list. It reflects a few
hours thought over a period of some weeks.
Stephen Irons
How to choose a Linux distribution
----------------------------------
Have you used a computer before
* I have seen computers on TV; they seem easy to use
* I use the online catalog at the library
* I use the public access computers at the library
* I use dedicated business applications at work (Baan, MRP, etc)
* I use email, a word processor and calendar at work
* I hack the kernel with one hand tied behind my back
* I design my own motherboard PCBs and etch them in the shed
What type of computer have you used before
* None
* Windows
* Mac
* Linux desktop
* Unix/linux console
* mainframe
* punchcards and teletypes
What type of system are you talking about now
* single PC, single user
* single PC, multiple users all sharing one account
* single PC, multiple users with separate accounts
* multiple PCs, multiple users, no dedicated servers
* multiple PCs with dedicated servers
* lots of single purpose PCs (kiosks, internet cafes, etc)
* other
What do you want to do (choose all that apply)
* email
* web browsing and blogging
* write letters
* write documents with photos, diagrams, graphs, equations
* manage a collection of music (rip, play, tag, purchase, share)
* manage a collection of photos (get from camera or scanner, touch
up, edit, montage, panoramas, print, share)
* maintain a simple website
* maintain a corporate website
* write software for my computer
* embedded applications and software cross-development
* hack the kernel
* astronomy
* write music scores and play them
* play computer/video games
* create my own computer/video games
* other
What PC hardware do you have
* latest, greatest gaming machine with all the toys
* modern machine (high speed, plenty of RAM, big HDD, modern
graphics, Wifi, bluetooth, etc)
* older machine (good speed, enough RAM, smaller HDD, cheaper
integrated options)
* dunger (slow, little RAM and HDD, crummy graphics)
* specific hardware (ps2, xbox, wrt54, ipaq)
You should know or be able to find out the following about your machine
* processor: type, speed, single or dual core
* RAM: size, speed
* HDD: size, connection
* optical drive: type, connection
* graphics system: chipset, number and type of outputs
* monitor: number, type, type of inputs, resolution
* sound: chipset, outputs, inputs, joysticks, mixers, synths
* ethernet: chipset, types of connection
* wifi: chipset
* modem: chipset
* other accessories: keyboard, mouse, touchpad, flash card reader,
finger print gadget
* other connections: usb, firewire, serial, parallel, scsi, etc
* other built-in hardware
What external hardware do you have
* printers, scanners, fax machine
* network switches, wireless access points, routers
* adsl, cable, dialup modems
* print servers, file servers
* digitial cameras, flash drives
* video camera, web cam
* MIDI keyboard, control surfaces, music synthesizer, etc
* remote-control telescope with focuser and low-light video camera
* other special-purpose accessories
* any other external hardware
Who will do the following
* initial installation, setup and configuration
* adding and removing users
* helping users with installed applications
* helping users with web applications (internet banking, trademe,
heavens-above, etc)
* backups
* installing security updates
* installing bug-fix updates
* installing feature upgrades
* adding hardware and installing and configuring software for them
* helping you when you are out of your depth with any of the above
* Your answer to each the above is probably 'I will'
How do you want to install the software
* single CD only
* single CD with network access
* multiple CD (no network access needed)
* DVD (single or multiple)
* network only
* USB flash drive
* floppies
How and when do you want to install security updates
* que?
* daily over a high-speed network
* weekely over a high-speed network
* monthly, by downloading over a high-speed network then bringing
the updates home on a USB drive
* someone must send me a set of CDs with the updates
How and when do you want to install bug-fix and feature upgrades
* surely I won' t need to change anything after initial installation?
* yearly or half-yearly
* monthly
* weekly
* daily
* hourly
What about backups
* what about them?
* frequency: hourly, daily, weekly, monthly
* where to: another PC, USB or network attached HDD, LAN server,
remote site
* medium: tape, CD or DVD, server
Who do you call if things go wrong
* I hack the kernel; I can teach Linus a thing or two
* google knows, then I write it up on a forum
* I'll ask the LUG
* my grandson is just a phone-call away
* colleagues at work do this for a living
* I know someone who's mate fixes TVs. He should be able to help
* I don't know, but I want to learn
* Isn't a computer meant to make my life easier?
Do you care what the GUI looks like and how it behaves
* yes, it must be like Win3.1/95/NT/2k/etc
* yes, it must be like OS 8/9/X
* yes, it must be like BeOS, GEOS, Amigaos, RiscOS, etc
* yes, it must be like emacs
* yes, it must be like the command-line
* yes, though I will learn something new without bias
Do you care what the applications look like and how they behave
* yes, they must all be like Office
* yes, them must all be like Firefox/Thunderbird/etc
* yes, they must all be like my Mac applications
* yes, they must all be like emacs
* yes, but I haven't yet worked out what it is that I don't like
about existing applications
* yes, though I will learn something new without bias
Do other users care about look and feel
* yes
Do you care about freedom
* I own my computer; no-one must tell me what I can and cannot run,
install, do
o I stick to this principle and and I demand that everyone does
the same
o I stick to this principle but let others do as they please
o I will make compromises where I must
* Is this important?
* I have thought about this and decided that I just don't care
* I will sell my soul to make things easier for me in the short term
Do you care about money
* Must have zero cost
* I'll spend a little if it seems worthwhile
* I'll pay anything to make my life easier
Do other users care about freedom and cost
* have they even thought about them
Stephen Irons
=======================================================================
This email, including any attachments, is only for the intended
addressee. It is subject to copyright, is confidential and may be
the subject of legal or other privilege, none of which is waived or
lost by reason of this transmission.
If the receiver is not the intended addressee, please accept our
apologies, notify us by return, delete all copies and perform no
other act on the email.
Unfortunately, we cannot warrant that the email has not been
altered or corrupted during transmission.
=======================================================================
