A nice transition from Windows To Linux

[arckane]

This is for all you Windoze lovers out there that wanna try out Linux, but are worried about using the command prompt/shell too much:

www.arklinux.org (no, just cuz me username is arckane don't mean that this is anything to do with me!).

It's a very graphical based version of Linux that will get you used to using the general apps before you want to delve deeper into the real configuration files and the alike.

It uses an installer called apt-get for installing programs with next to no help required.

Now, this Linux is still classed as Alpha, although it's pretty damn complete as ditributions go. I'd recommend and Windows newbie installing this so they could get a feel as to what Linux is all about. Once you have gotten that far, then you should try a slightly more standard distro, like Slackware or Fedora.

Once you have this conquered you'll be singing happy tunes and wanting to get your own Distrobution installed and configured 100% for your own hardware, and then you will prolly go and grab a copy of Gentoo (www.gentoo.org) and install that from scratch.

@Aman: If you've not tried Gentoo yet, get a copy and get installing dude, you won't be disappointed.

[Lafa]

That sounds cool...
im gonna take a look at it and maby recomend it a bit to my Windows "Loving" friends...
Thanks for the news

[Aman]

hmm

Looks like another Mandrake and Red Hat to me...

If you want to start with linux, you can't use something that is going to give you the same feel as winbloze.

This is my opinion, of course, but I think that people should start out with Knoppix or Damn Small Linux because A. You don't need to commit your hard drive (boots from CD) B. It doesn't come with a gay wm like KDE, C. It doesn't give you any newbie instructionds

This is important for a number of reasons, but the problem I have with newbie distros like that is that they are the lazy way out. They are not much more powerful than Windows because they are mucked up with useless proggies and don't give the user a good FEEL FOR LINUX. Linux uses the command line. People think that Linux is just like windows, where everything is based off of one folder where everything is loaded. They don't know that Linux is actually based off a number of programs (but of course, pure linux is nothing but the kernel and the shell - basic unix commands). The graphical interface is due to XFree86, X window system, and window managers such as GNOME and KDE (crap), Fluxbox, Blackbox, Openbox, Enlightenment, IceWM, etc...

[arckane]

This could turn into a very philosophical debate Aman.

I have a cluster of 3 PC's (2.4ghz Intels with 2 CPUs per unit) working on pure command line doing complex fluid 3D analysis at work. This isn't to show off, this is to say that yeah, it's command line driven.

If you give most common Windoze users a poorly designed GUI they'll freak out and not give it the time of day. Sometimes you have to look at the positive side of a mature GUI, and that's the fact that you can browse the web happily (ok, so you can use Lynx), mail people (so you can use sm in a shell) easy file configuration (by hand in .conf files or take ya pick at console orientated apps) but at the end of the day, for some people the GUI is faster.

As for saying that Linux isn't all about GUIs, yup, complete agreement. What you did say about Linux GUI's not making the system any better than windblows isn't a pile of horse dung though, Sir. It's the underlying components that make Linux what it is, so it will also be better at multi tasking, doing better process handling and load balancing.

If you wanted people to have a real feel for the power of *nix then we wouldn't be promoting Linux on an x86, we'd be promoting Sun Solaris which has no hand holding and uses an original Unix core, not a clone, and we'd be saying that x86 processers aren't the way to go, get yaself a 64bit risc processor.

Personally, I've managed to convert about 6 people over to Linux, and none them have done it pure, they've always had to go back to Windows for something. I've done it all the same way as well. I've introduced them to a nice look and feel environment, and shown then ways of installing apps via RPM. Once they've got that, I've then ontroduced them to the complex sides.

As I originally said though Aman, you should try out Gentoo, it'll suit you right down to the ground, having to build it form the Kernel up.

[Aman]

I use Gentoo, arckane - have been using it for a good 8 months now. Couldn't be happier.

I disagree with your statement, however. Enlightenment and Fluxbox are in NO WAY poorly-designed. They are different from windows, and taht is why people use it. It's a MUCH cleaner, prettier, and advanced interface that gives a different feel than windows - which is why Linux is so good for workstation use.

I haven't used windows for ANY reason whatsoever for a long time now, and I will probably never have to go back. Microsoft can suck on the other poor suckers who buy/steal their products.

People buy x86 PCs because all the hardware is for them. You won't find people putting soundblaster audigy's into a SUN box.

I would only run a Solaris machine if I needed to run a server - and even then I would STILL but gentoo on it :D

[arckane]

Aman, if you want a decent interface that is completely un-windoze like, you could always try CDE :)

Anyways, I suppose we should agree to disagree on some matters, as at the end of the day it's down to personal preference and views.

I just wanna help people in the open source comunity :)

[Tone]

I dont really mind windows now, never had one problem with my machine since i put the SP1 in XP pro :p

(touch wood)

[Ldn]

Aman Said:
This is my opinion, of course, but I think that people should start out with Knoppix or Damn Small Linux because A. You don't need to commit your hard drive (boots from CD) B. It doesn't come with a gay wm like KDE, C. It doesn't give you any newbie instructionds
Knoppix 3.x IS USING THE KDE INTERFACE!

[Bandit]

hmm

Looks like another Mandrake and Red Hat to me...

If you want to start with linux, you can't use something that is going to give you the same feel as winbloze.

This is my opinion, of course, but I think that people should start out with Knoppix or Damn Small Linux because A. You don't need to commit your hard drive (boots from CD) B. It doesn't come with a gay wm like KDE, C. It doesn't give you any newbie instructionds
Your probably right but knoppix, I have it and you have to keep rebooting evertime you want to get to it, and need to put your files into a disc so they don't get deleted, If there was anyway of keeping those files somewhere and when you boot it again with the cd it'd be still there I'd be very happy.

[Aman]

So make a partition and mount it when you start up Knoppix, Bandit :rolleyes:

Ldn: Don't go about trying to prove me wrong when you are not supporting your issue AT ALL. Knoppix may give you the OPTION to use KDE, but who would use it? Only an idiot would, my friend. It is clearly stated in the boot options that you can easily specify which WM you want to use before you start into runlevel 2. You can even just choose to HALT at runlevel 2 and stay there, working on the command line. I wouldn't recommend ANYTHING to ANYBODY if it used KDE as its one and only WM.

Arkcane: I don't use CDE because the eye-candy factor is... well, there is no eyecandy in CDE. It's very plain/dull. And once again, I'd like to throw my statement out there saying that while the underlying components of linux (all of the apps powering the core of Linux) are a very important feature when running Linux, if you EVER want to run an X server on Linux (who doesn't) then you need to know what to use. Somebody with a 500mhz PC isn't going to use KDE because it just simply isn't going to be fast enough to handle it. I have a 2.0ghz AMD system, a very high-end system in my view, and it STILL can't run KDE as well as I can with Enlightenment, and that's WITH all of the fancy transparency features and extra goodies turned on. As far as GUI goes, it really depends on what you use on that end for the best performance. Sure, you can always use KDE and KDE's patlets, and make your beautiful Linux box turn into a slightly-faster and highly brand-named Windows XP machine (afterall, KDE comes with just about everything you need, but the apps are all sub-par .. and ARTS is the worst sound architecture... EVER). Or, you can use REAL linux -- GTK or GTK-2.0, with a REAL window manager like Fluxbox, Enlightenment, XFCE4, etc. - and it will all run faster, look better, and you can still get all the eyecandy you want, and more.