Homestar Runner Wiki Forum

Yeah, I've been a Windows user forever, but only because I haven't really had a choice. I want a Linux distro that has a lot of multimedia capabilities, is simple to install and configure, and is easy to use. I don't want to have to learn a whole new language here.

I've been looking at Xandros and Debian. I've read that Xandros is the easiest switch from Windows to Linux, but Debian seems to be a bit more full-featured. Debian also looks intimidating though. I don't want to get lost.

In the past, I've run some live CDs. One was Slax (based on Slackware), Knoppix was another, one was based on Ubuntu, and I tried about five others too. The Slax live CD was my favorite just because it was the easiest to use.

There's also the issue of getting all of my audio, video, and other files I want to keep onto the new OS. How do you recommend I do that?

Thanks in advance.

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First thoughts:

• Avoid Xandros like the plague.
• Debian is OK.
• I'm a Slackware fanboy, so be careful
• A normal Slackware install isn't as easy as Slax. In fact, it's quite difficult.
• Knoppix is based on Debian, not Ubuntu. The latter is also based upon it. However, Knoppix is a lot closer to pure Debian.
• Transferring data is trivial, it's basically copying files.

I'd highly recommend going somewhere like the LinuxISO forums, you'd probably get a better response than around here. I hang out there under the name 'jz4208', just so you know.

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Thanks a bunch.

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I would look at some of the "live" versions before doing anything too drastic.

Try some of these out:

Slackware live
Ubuntu live
SuSE (but it is on a dvd)
Gentoo
knoppix

... you get the idea.

Basically, they allow you to install linux on a cd or dvd. Then you can simply boot into linux without changing your entire system. They don't give you much of the functionality, but you would at least get a look at how they look/feel.

Going from an all windows world to a strictly Linux one is quite a jump. Just remember that you are going to have trouble with most (if not all) of your games and other software packages that you have. There will be times when you have to compile new packages on your own. To top it all off, the answers to almost all of your future questions have already been posted on the internet (through newsgroups, email lists, forums, etc...) Just don't expect linux community to jump at the chance to help you through every detail

They're mostly nice guys, but they usually expect tat you put in considerable effort into finding answers on your own

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Jello B. pointed me in the direction of the Knoppix Live CD, and I've been using it ever since and its really neat.

I don't like SuSE. The boxes in the radar lab use it, and something about it just turns me off. I don't know what it is, maybe it's more the programs we use in the radar lab more than SuSE.

Whatever you do, don't go for CENTOS... It's teh suck, seriously. It doesn't like many of the programs I need/try to use on it. It gets kinda tempermental if you open more than 2 or 3 terminal windows. When I'm running the SHIPS programs (Hurricane intensity thing), I like to have a window open to run the prorgams, one to edit the programs, one in the data directory (to find file names, as I usually have to change the names I misspell when I'm editing a program), and one open in the output directory (so I can see if stuff is being put there). Plus, I usually have one open doing an FTP session, downloading the massive amounts of data I have to use for my research/work. The only good thing I can say about CENTOS is that it comes packaged with some REALLY cool screensavers.
I'm not sure how it is in terms of managing resources. IDL (the language I program in the most) is TERRIBLE in terms of memory leaks, so I don't know if some of the problems I have are CENTOS or IDL (even though the 3 terminal windows limit seems to apply regardless of whether I'm running IDL or not).

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If you can't fix it with a hammer, you have an electrical problem.