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Re: [Wlug] WLUG meeting idea - Distro comparison

by James Gray

You could try the 'Linux Distribution Chooser' at http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/ I imagine it is a bit out-of-date now, but I doubt that much has changed. I use Ubuntu on my desktop at home. Ubuntu is generally pretty up-to-date. It is a good beginner's Linux. However, it gives you full access to Debian's huge collection of software so it can keep advanced users happy too. Because Ubuntu is so popular most problems and obstacles already have solutions online. Which is good, because Ubuntu tends to be toward bleeding edge - with emphasis on the bleeding. However, if you wait a few months after a release to install the most troubling issues will be fixed. On Fri, Mar 25, 2011 at 1:59 PM, E Johnson <iris.gates(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Debian Squeeze is very nice. Everything Works. > The spacefun wallpaper & splash screen is pretty goofy, but they're easily > replacable, & easily forgotten. > I custom-install Firefox on all my Debian installations. > Also note: I did not install KDE on my latest Squeeze, since I didn't want > KDE4. Have xfce & KDE-trinity as choices of graphical environments. > > HTH > Liz J > > > On 25 March 2011 13:24, joel d <joelgroup(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > I am setting up a new laptop and trying to decide on which distro to go >> with... >> Probably the same list of finalists as everyone else in no particular >> order (Red Hat / CentOS / Fedora / Ubuntu / Gentoo / others). >> >> Has WLUG done a disto comparison night meeting? >> I think it might be interesting. >> Each person bring in a laptop with their favorite mainstream distro >> (possibly 3 or 4). >> Spend 20 to 30 minutes on each, showing the major differences >> (installs / apps handling / etc) and why they like it. >> >> Probably not a new idea. >> If it's been done of late then please disregard as I cannot make as >> many meetings as I once could. >> (This is due to my personal schedule not due to lack of interest.) >> >> Joel >> _______________________________________________ >> Wlug mailing list >> Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org >> http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug >> > > > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > >

March 25, 2011

Re: [Wlug] WLUG meeting idea - Distro comparison

by E Johnson

Debian Squeeze is very nice. Everything Works. The spacefun wallpaper & splash screen is pretty goofy, but they're easily replacable, & easily forgotten. I custom-install Firefox on all my Debian installations. Also note: I did not install KDE on my latest Squeeze, since I didn't want KDE4. Have xfce & KDE-trinity as choices of graphical environments. HTH Liz J On 25 March 2011 13:24, joel d <joelgroup(a)gmail.com> wrote: I am setting up a new laptop and trying to decide on which distro to go > with... > Probably the same list of finalists as everyone else in no particular > order (Red Hat / CentOS / Fedora / Ubuntu / Gentoo / others). > > Has WLUG done a disto comparison night meeting? > I think it might be interesting. > Each person bring in a laptop with their favorite mainstream distro > (possibly 3 or 4). > Spend 20 to 30 minutes on each, showing the major differences > (installs / apps handling / etc) and why they like it. > > Probably not a new idea. > If it's been done of late then please disregard as I cannot make as > many meetings as I once could. > (This is due to my personal schedule not due to lack of interest.) > > Joel > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug >

March 25, 2011

Re: [Wlug] WLUG meeting idea - Distro comparison

by Justin St. Marie

Depends on your hardware and what packages you want. If your hardware is supported (or at least works with it) You can't beat RHEL in terms of stability. However, even with external repos, you might not have all the packages you want, or the versions of them you want. CentOS still doesn't have 6 out (based on F12/13), so the hardware support is still about on par. 5.x could be problematic. However if you want to give it a shot, try Scientific Linux. It's at version 6, and claims to be 100% binary compatible to RHEL. Fedora is going to have more updated packages and drivers, at the cost of stability. However, you will probably have better luck getting it on a laptop. Can't speak for Ubuntu or Gentoo. On Fri, Mar 25, 2011 at 1:24 PM, joel d <joelgroup(a)gmail.com> wrote: > I am setting up a new laptop and trying to decide on which distro to go > with... > Probably the same list of finalists as everyone else in no particular > order (Red Hat / CentOS / Fedora / Ubuntu / Gentoo / others). > > Has WLUG done a disto comparison night meeting? > I think it might be interesting. > Each person bring in a laptop with their favorite mainstream distro > (possibly 3 or 4). > Spend 20 to 30 minutes on each, showing the major differences > (installs / apps handling / etc) and why they like it. > > Probably not a new idea. > If it's been done of late then please disregard as I cannot make as > many meetings as I once could. > (This is due to my personal schedule not due to lack of interest.) > > Joel > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug

March 25, 2011

WLUG meeting idea - Distro comparison

by joel d

I am setting up a new laptop and trying to decide on which distro to go with... Probably the same list of finalists as everyone else in no particular order (Red Hat / CentOS / Fedora / Ubuntu / Gentoo / others). Has WLUG done a disto comparison night meeting? I think it might be interesting. Each person bring in a laptop with their favorite mainstream distro (possibly 3 or 4). Spend 20 to 30 minutes on each, showing the major differences (installs / apps handling / etc) and why they like it. Probably not a new idea. If it's been done of late then please disregard as I cannot make as many meetings as I once could. (This is due to my personal schedule not due to lack of interest.) Joel

March 25, 2011

Re: [Wlug] Gentoo

by joel d

Got it. "Ward, aren't you being a little hard on the beaver?" I don't believe I shared my personal Gentoo opinion. Instead I mused about a hilarious website and Gentoo's popularity growing and fading like a wave... Approx. 4 years ago I tried Gentoo once for a few days and discovered it wasn't for me. "Hi... My name is Joel and I'm a "Distro-XYZ" user." Sounds like a support group intro to me. No axe to grind, it is just my personal preference. I prefer not to drink instant coffee also, so I merely go elsewhere for my warm, slightly burnt, caffeinated goods. As always your mileage can and will vary... Actually I was mostly amused with the odd autos makes me want to do the following to 15+ year old Honda Civic showing lots of rust: put a rear wing with a half sheet of plywood held on with drywall screws Spray the home-made wing neon yellow spray can to not match the car (don't mask the car first) remove the exhaust with a sawzall at the headers (loud with real flames) leave a pair of custom exhaust pipe tips out the rear (leaving the labling of Folgers coffee). hood scoop made with a sawzall duct tape and a Cheerios box replace all the wheels with 4 "donut" spares. drive it up and down the street with a really bad car stereo blasting "Tom's Diner". Anyone have a spent, near end-of-life donor car in their driveway? (on second thought, nevermind) Joel From: Gary Hanley <gary(a)hanley.net> Subject: Re: [Wlug] Gentoo To: wlug(a)mail.wlug.org Message-ID: <4D8C0929.9090808(a)hanley.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Where is Barbara Billingsley when you need her? :-) On 03/24/2011 04:27 PM, joel d wrote: > Wow. > I have never been to Gentoo is Rice before. > That guy has some issues but I missed why he was so upset ;-) > Was very entertained by the highly visually modified but still stock > underpowered autos. > Pics are a "People of Walmart" for the auto world. > > That Gentoo's install numbers are fading: > everyone that wants it is upgrading as Jamie mentioned > dying due to Ubuntu adoption/popularity from the article > developers numbers dwindling from the article > no longer the cool distro for techies or average users (we want to > be cool too) > some other reasons... > or is it the end of it's technology "wave" > > IMHO, most technology comes and goes in 1 to 8 year waves. > > A technology wave example is the Slackware disto. > Who else remembers running Slackware (back when it was rather cool)? > Not sure I even know if they still release Slack anymore (I did just > go there and yup they do). > > Three related waves which took longer admidedly were > centralized processing and dumb terminals of the simpler good old days > modern servers and intelligent desktops with processing power > back to virtual machines (and thin clients which are really akin to > fancy terminals) > > Joel

March 25, 2011

Re: [Wlug] Gentoo

by John Stoffel

Just for hysterical counterpoint, I tried running gentoo about... dunno, six or so years ago. Having to compile everything was compelling when just a simple compiler flag change to optimze for a particular i686 type processor. But now days, the speed improvements are down in the noise. I've been a happy Debian user for years nad years now. I run Ubuntu Alphas on my desktop, but since I mount all my data from NFS, I run that server on Debian Squeeze. 175 days of uptime at my house, even with lots of patches. Probably should reboot to get the updated kernel into things. But anyway, I find that Debian gives me most of the control I want, and none of the hassle of having to compile stuff from scratch, though I do realize that Gentoo does off pre-compiled stuff now too. Dunno... just a data point, no strong feelings one way or another. John --

March 25, 2011

Re: [Wlug] Gentoo

by Gary Hanley

Where is Barbara Billingsley when you need her? :-) On 03/24/2011 04:27 PM, joel d wrote: > Wow. > I have never been to Gentoo is Rice before. > That guy has some issues but I missed why he was so upset ;-) > Was very entertained by the highly visually modified but still stock > underpowered autos. > Pics are a "People of Walmart" for the auto world. > > That Gentoo's install numbers are fading: > everyone that wants it is upgrading as Jamie mentioned > dying due to Ubuntu adoption/popularity from the article > developers numbers dwindling from the article > no longer the cool distro for techies or average users (we want to > be cool too) > some other reasons... > or is it the end of it's technology "wave" > > IMHO, most technology comes and goes in 1 to 8 year waves. > > A technology wave example is the Slackware disto. > Who else remembers running Slackware (back when it was rather cool)? > Not sure I even know if they still release Slack anymore (I did just > go there and yup they do). > > Three related waves which took longer admidedly were > centralized processing and dumb terminals of the simpler good old days > modern servers and intelligent desktops with processing power > back to virtual machines (and thin clients which are really akin to > fancy terminals) > > Joel > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > >

March 25, 2011

Re: [Wlug] Gentoo

by John Platt

I run slackware-current since I stopped being able to cope with Gentoo's XPDF dependency -- I forget which package it is which requires it. About the only problem I have with it is it keeps updating me to Seamonkey 2.0 beta 2 when I don't want it (I've given up fighting that). I actually would recommend it -- and of course this is the unstable version which should become Slackware 14. On Thu, Mar 24, 2011 at 4:27 PM, joel d <joelgroup(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Wow. > I have never been to Gentoo is Rice before. > That guy has some issues but I missed why he was so upset ;-) > Was very entertained by the highly visually modified but still stock > underpowered autos. > Pics are a "People of Walmart" for the auto world. > > That Gentoo's install numbers are fading: > everyone that wants it is upgrading as Jamie mentioned > dying due to Ubuntu adoption/popularity from the article > developers numbers dwindling from the article > no longer the cool distro for techies or average users (we want to > be cool too) > some other reasons... > or is it the end of it's technology "wave" > > IMHO, most technology comes and goes in 1 to 8 year waves. > > A technology wave example is the Slackware disto. > Who else remembers running Slackware (back when it was rather cool)? > Not sure I even know if they still release Slack anymore (I did just > go there and yup they do). > > Three related waves which took longer admidedly were > centralized processing and dumb terminals of the simpler good old days > modern servers and intelligent desktops with processing power > back to virtual machines (and thin clients which are really akin to > fancy terminals) > > Joel > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug >

March 24, 2011

Re: [Wlug] Gentoo

by joel d

Wow. I have never been to Gentoo is Rice before. That guy has some issues but I missed why he was so upset ;-) Was very entertained by the highly visually modified but still stock underpowered autos. Pics are a "People of Walmart" for the auto world. That Gentoo's install numbers are fading: everyone that wants it is upgrading as Jamie mentioned dying due to Ubuntu adoption/popularity from the article developers numbers dwindling from the article no longer the cool distro for techies or average users (we want to be cool too) some other reasons... or is it the end of it's technology "wave" IMHO, most technology comes and goes in 1 to 8 year waves. A technology wave example is the Slackware disto. Who else remembers running Slackware (back when it was rather cool)? Not sure I even know if they still release Slack anymore (I did just go there and yup they do). Three related waves which took longer admidedly were centralized processing and dumb terminals of the simpler good old days modern servers and intelligent desktops with processing power back to virtual machines (and thin clients which are really akin to fancy terminals) Joel

March 24, 2011

Re: [Wlug] Gentoo

by Mike Frysinger

On Thu, Mar 24, 2011 at 1:18 PM, Jamie Guinan wrote: > On Wed, 23 Mar 2011, Joshua Demallistre wrote: >> I was thinking about giving Gentoo a try. It would be nice for some one in >> the group could give me a hand. > > Another distro to consider is Arch. I haven't used it, but it appears > to be similar in spirit to Gentoo. meh, Arch is the poor man's Gentoo ;) > it contains a lot of relatively low-level configuration stuff that one > would not need to know for a plug-and-play distro. *hopefully* not need to know, but we all know how often that comes up ... -mike

March 24, 2011