Re: Where the F**K do I begin?

On Fri, 31 Aug 2007 02:54:34 -0500, GregForester wrote:

I have never even had any interest in Linux, but since I just got a
new computer I have my old Pentium III 700mhz. I also have a spare 15
gig harddrive to install it on, and by swapping hard drives, I can put
back my regular drive. Anyhow, I went to linux.com to download it.
That's where I about *** my pants. First of all, there are 20 or 30
different versions. So which one do I use? I thought Linux was
Linux. Then I see that to download I need bit-torrent or emule.
Well, that's not going to happen because no computer of mine will ever
connect to either of those virus ridden things. I finally find one
that has a link that directs me to a FTP site. I decide to just
download it and see what happens. That's until I discover there are
many files. Some are smallish .ZIP files, and I highly doubt they are
the OS. There are numerous text files, and finally a 700 meg file
with an .iso extension. I assume from the size that the .ISO is the
actual OS, but what the f**k is a .ISO file? Just for grins I clicked
on that ISO file, and was told that the download would take about 4
and a half days on my dialup connection.

Actually, according to distrowatch.com, there are about 350 active Linux
distributions (not versions - each distro will have versions added as time
passes). Which one to choose is entirely up to you. I would suggest you
frequent distrowatch.com and learn of some of the differences. The biggest
differences, apart from the exact versions of all the included packages,
are the default desktop and the package management system. If you choose a
distro near the top of distrowatch's 'hit page rankings', you will be
getting a 'mainline' distro which is solid, has good support, is easy to
install and maintain.

You do not need bit-torrent or emule to download most distros. You may
find it convenient to pick up one of several Linux magazines at the local
newsstand which has an included install DVD for a major distro. Linux Pro
has a different version each month.

An ISO file is a CD (or DVD) disk image. You would burn it to CD (or DVD)
by using the 'burn image' or 'burn ISO image' or some similar choice in
your cd burning software.


Well, all I really wanted to do was see what Linux looked like on my
screen. I really had no intention to actually use it. I dont love
Microsoft or even like them, but at least my Win XP on one computer
and Win98 on the other both work and make sense to install. (I still
prefer Win98 over XP, not that this matters to Linux). I heard Linux
was complicated and was really only for the ultimate class of computer
geeks, which I am not. However, I do have 18 years of computer use
under my belt, so I thought I could at least install the friggin thing
and take a look at it. But hey, if it takes a geek diploma just to
download the damn thing, I think I'll pass.

You'll also find at distrowatch and other sites, locations where you can
purchase for a few dollars, a Linux Live CD. The Live CD will boot and run
on your computer from the CD - no install, it does not touch your hard
disk, but you can try it out to see if you like it. They will generally
set up network access on boot, but dial up access is a little more 'iffy'
due to all the 'winmodems' which are made to work with ms and the
manufacturer will not even release information about how to make a Linux
driver. Some of these work quickly and easily, some are virtually
impossible.

It is really not difficult to install most major Linux distributions. The
only part that could be construed as 'difficult' would be the partitioning
to set up for install. After that, it is, IMHO, easier to install Linux
than MS. For one thing, you generally don't have to go hunting for all the
driver disks - most required drivers will be included automatically for
you. There are other Linux distros like Gentoo and Linux From Scratch
which can be quite demanding and time consuming - they are not for the
neophyte.


Maybe someone can post a few .jpg pictures of their linux screens,
because I think that is the closest I will ever get to it, and at
least I can see what it looks like without hours of torture. I'm not
posting this to bash Linux, just stating the truth. I don't know much
about it, but from what I saw on their site, if Linux ever wants to
gain popularity they will need to get ONE version, not 20 or 30, and
upgrade that one version the same way that MS does every few years
with patches in between. They also need to make their website so that
anyone can make sense of the site itself.

Again, it is distribution, not version. That won't happen for several
reasons. There are at least four different package management facilities
which different distros use and they each have very strong adherants. It
is not possible to say that any is significantly better than the others,
though most Linux users have their preferences. The entire philosophy
behind open source in general and Linux in particular is CHOICE. Maybe
there are too many choices, but the fact is that it is not difficult to
make a new Linux distro - that is one reason there are so many. Basically,
there are probably about half a dozen distros which have a significant
majority of the market share, but there are valid reasons why another
couple dozen should persist. For example: I run Gentoo on my mini-itx
machine. Because I can fully optimize it and have all the software built
specifically for that architecture. I get much better performance than if
I had to use a generic 'one size fits all' distro.



OK, I know someone is going to tell me to buy it on CD. Well, if the
price was the cost of a blank CD, plus actual shipping I might
consider it. but I would not pay more just to "look at it", and likely
never use it again, "IF' and "ONLY IF" I could even install the damn
thing. Like what the hell does one do with a .ISO file anyhow?

Go ahead, post photos..... That's all I need.....

Greg

There are indeed several places where you can buy Linux CDs for under $5.
A little more than the cost of a blank CD plus shipping, but not much. If
you know someone with broadband access, it is not a difficult thing to
download an ISO and burn it. BTW - last year the majority of households in
US had broadband access. You might also consult your local library. Many
have broadband access and you could easily make arrangements to use their
connection to download and burn your CD.

.

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