Consolidated Linux Distro and Software Guide

Consolidated Linux Distro and Software Guide

Introduction

WIP... let the girl do her magic

Index
Choosing a distribution
Desktop Environments
Desktop Distributions
Server Distributions
Installing Software
Linux/FreeBSD Software

This thread has been marked for improvement by amdfangirl. Suggestions and comments are appreciated. Contributors will be noted.

If you wish to contribute something to the Linux/Free BSD stickies please contribute here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] ion-thread

Contributors: adamovera, area51reopened, Linux_0, randomizer, geeky, amdfangirl

This thread is a synthesis of the following stickies:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] ting-guide
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] inux-v2009
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] -resources
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] a64-x86_64
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] -resources
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] tware-list

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Choosing your distribution:
A distribution or distro is a specially configured copy Linux. Each distribution has a different mix of programmes, unique characteristics and styles.

You can think of distributions like ice-cream. Each distribution is a flavour and each flavour appeals differently to each person. Collectively, all of these different distributions are called Linux because they all share the same characteristic of the Linux kernel. FreeBSD is like sorbet, while related being free open source software, Linux distributions such as Ubuntu share a distinctly different kernel to FreeBSD, similar to the difference between sorbet and ice-cream, while both being cold desserts, sorbet is fruit based and ice-cream is milk based.

Ubuntu, Linux Mint and Fedora, like vanilla, strawberry and chocolate are the most common distributions of Linux. Each distribution is unique and user friendly, it's hard to go wrong with any of these major distributions, but it is not to say that it is the only flavour of Linux. Many other major distributions include Debian, Arch, OpenSUSE, PCLinuxOS, CentOS, Puppy and Mandriva,

There are literally hundreds of different distributions for Linux.

Before you decide on what flavour ice-cream or sorbet you want to buy, a safe way to see what you like is through testing. Virtualisation software such as Virtualbox can allow you to run virtual machines on top of your base operating system. This allows you to install, tweak, and even break various installations without doing any harm to your computer. If you break it, you can just start fresh!

Distrowatch is the best resource for updated news on distributions. For more information please click this link:

http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major

Stickies
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] ux-distros

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] inux-v2009

Installation instructions are included on each distribution's website.

When picking a CD image, there are tags you should be aware of.

We recommend i686 Desktop iso images because they are the most compatible with Linux software and require the least tweaking.

Live - indicates that the image is capable to boot into Linux without installation
Desktop - the recommended version to install onto a desktop/laptop
Alternate - a text based installer - use if the normal one fails.
i386, i586, i686, x86 or 32bit - the 32bit installer, recommended for most desktops, most compatible.
AMD 64, IA64, x64 or 64bit - the 64bit install, can address more RAM (4GB+) but is harder to operate, may not operate on all computers
PPC - designed for Apple G-series computers eg. Powerbook G4.
IA 64 - only for Intel Itanium CPUs isn't compatible with any consumer level hardware from Intel or AMD or on any Intel Xeons or AMD Opterons. IA64 is not compatible with any consumer level hardware from Intel or AMD or on any Intel Xeons or AMD Opterons.

If you're running on older hardware, consider something with a lightweight desktop environment such as XFCE, LXDE, or Fluxbox.

Desktop Distributions

* Ubuntu
http://www.ubuntu.com
Default GUI: Unity
Package: DEB
Release: 6 months
+User friendly interface similar to Mac OS X
+Drivers are easy to install
+Widely available support

* Lubuntu
http://www.lubuntu.org
Default GUI: LXDE
Package: DEB
Release: 6 months
+Lightweight distribution
+Drivers are easy to install
+Widely available support

* Fedora
http://fedoraproject.org
Default GUI: GNOME
Package: RPM
Release: 6 months
+Mature GNOME 3.2 desktop
+Free Open Source software only
-Does not have Flash and codecs out of the box
-Distributions only supported for 13 months

* OpenSUSE
http://www.opensuse.org
Default GUI: KDE
Package: RPM
Release: 8 months

* Puppy
http://puppylinux.org
Default GUI: Openbox
Package: PET
Release: 6 months
+Runs from RAM
+Extremely lightweight and fast
+LTS "Wary"

* Linux Mint
http://www.linuxmint.com
Default GUI: GNOME
Package: DEB
Release: 6 months
+Easy to use
+Largest distribution
+Drivers are easy to install
+Widely available support

* Debian
http://www.debian.org
Default GUI: GNOME
Package: DEB
Release: 2 years
+Stable release
-Not cutting edge

* Arch Linux
http://www.archlinux.orgArch Linux
Default GUI: User Choice
Package: tarballs
Release: Rolling
+Cutting Edge

* Sabayon Linux
http://www.sabayon.org/
Default GUI: User Choice
Package: tarballs
Release: Rolling
+Bleeding Edge
-Unstable

*Free BSD
http://www.freebsd.org

*Other Desktop OS projects that aren't quite ready, but worth keeping an eye on include: Chakra, OpenSolaris, and PCBSD.

Installing Software

Windows users should dual boot initially and keep an open mind.

The other important distinction is the use of package managers for software installation. To install software from your distribution all you have to do is run the software package manager either using various GUIs or a CLI interface and you essentially tell the package manager to go fetch whatever it is you want to install.

The package manager then goes out finds a software mirror, downloads the software, verifies the download and then installs the software for you.

e.g.

apt-get is used mostly on Debian based distributions.

yum is used on redhat based distributions.

On a yum based distro yum update will update all software on your system to the latest available version, there is no need to download 200 patches from microsoft and you don't have to reboot 20 times in the process either

On most Linux distributions, except Ubuntu, you can install, uninstall, re-install and update the software packages from your distribution's software repositories without having to reboot a single time, with the exception of kernel upgrades.

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WINE

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