Major Geeks Linux Perspective

Started by Corrine, November 29, 2021, 07:03:22 PM

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Corrine

It would be interesting to get the opinion of our Linux guru's on the article published on Major Geeks today:  What Is Linux and How to Get Started?.

Another area of interest is MG's opinion on The 12 Best Linux Distributions for Windows Users.  The only distro I recognized from their list is Linux Mint.


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V.T. Eric Layton

Meh... I can sort of agree with Timothy Tibbetts article about Linux at Major Geeks. There are some things he says that I wouldn't 100% agree with, though. Unfortunately, I was up very early this morning and nap time has arrived. More later, possibly...

___

Regarding the "12 Best Linux Distributions....":


It looks like author Timothy Tibbetts is attempting to make a list of Linux distributions that would be, by their nature, the easiest for folks familiar with using Windows to be able to install and use. I'm only familiar with 4 or 5 of the 12 recommended. Personally, I'd just tell someone to try Ubuntu or Linux Mint. They're the easiest to download, install, and maintain.

Again, though, Tibbets is recommending to a certain group... Windows users looking for an easy-to-learn Windows replacement. For someone really interested in learning Linux and not just "using" it, then I would recommend Slackware (of course), Debian, or Arch. Steep learning curves with these distributions if you're a non-geek, non-techie type computer user, though.

There use to be an old adage on the chat rooms and such years ago that went like this... "If you just want to use Linux, install Ubuntu. If you really want to learn Linux, install Slackware" (or Debian, Arch, Gentoo, etc.). The distribution was different depending on who was repeating this adage. ;)

raymac46

I don't have a problem with the articles although like Eric I haven't heard of some of the 12 suggestions. I've installed Linux on older hardware for the grandkids and I always go for Linux Mint.
It's OK to select a Desktop Environment that is familiar to Windows users, but at the end of the day Linux is a different beast. You'll have to learn a few new tricks of the trade.
I always advise anyone who is new to Linux to try it out on a Live USB at first. Also, don't mess up a Windows installation on a newish machine. Just get an older laptop or desktop system on the cheap and try Linux there.

Cluttermagnet

This article was worth the time to read, including the comments.
I learned a few new things. I'm glad Linux Mint was included in
the list. Always fun to find a few new distros and try them. Agree
with Raymac, Mint is a go-to distro for newbies- and me.

Clutter

V.T. Eric Layton

Yes, Linux Mint...

However, there are still some good ones out there, folks... Mandriva, OpenSuSE, PCLinuxOS, etc. Shop around. I tried the majority of the mainline distributions back in my beginner days. The main differences between distributions is usually just the package management, the init methods (SysVInit, SystemD, etc.), the available software in the repositories, and of course the desktop management.

The good thing about desktop management in Linux, though, is that Xfce4 in Slackware looks JUST LIKE Xfce4 in Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, Mandrive, etc. Same for KDE and most other desktop managers.

plodr

I didn't see the article yet but I always tell people to try a live distro first so that a) they can figure out how to use linux and b) does the hardware like it. If they can't figure out how to get on the internet, then it is useless to them.

So any that don't have a live distro, I'd not consider recommending to a beginner. It is too frustrating to install something and not be able to figure out what to do.
Chugging coffee and computing!

V.T. Eric Layton

Yes, Live versions are the way to go for new Linux Adventurers. That's for sure. That first Ubuntu disk I stuck in the slot on my machine in '06 was a Live version. I had it up and running for about 5 minutes. I liked what I saw. I installed it immediately thereafter. ;)

securitybreach

Well what I try to explain to people distro hopping is.. Over the years of trying many distros and testing a lot of others, you come to realize that any distro can be made to look and feel like any other distro. Most of the differences are simply default theme and defaults applications. The package manager choice is really the most unique thing about any Linux distro. You can even change that on some distros (apt-get is available on arch via the AUR). I could literally take any distro and make it look and act like pretty much any other distro. I can build from source like slackware or have a full blow gui package manager like Synaptic or others.

That is one of the major appeals to me with Archlinux, I can set up the system the way I want out of the box instead of changing and removing things afterwards. To each their own though, any Linux distro is better than the alternative.  8)
"We try to avoid the word "newbie", it does no justice to the efforts we, also the beginners, put in to learn a new operating system. I think the wish to learn Linux shows a brave attitude and deserves a better qualification." --Bruno

Hedon James

Ironically, I was a long-time member of Major Geeks, which continued through my migration/transition to Linux.  As I learned more, I found I was able to answer other folks' questions and folks even started suggesting to "ask Hedon James....he answers a lot of linux questions."  I knew I wasn't an expert, but I knew enough to help most folks with most of their new-user questions.  But there was no area of MG for Linux users to post....it was just a general question/inquiry, so it made it somewhat difficult to spot the Linux questions on a page of "new posts" since last visit.  Any many folks would ask these questions in whatever thread they were looking at in the moment....prompting other users to complain the question was off-topic and inappropriate.  Which was actually a true statement.

I emailed the site admin and suggested it might be a good idea to create a Linux forum, or dedicated Linux thread, for MG users to ask their questions.  This would make it easier for folks like me (and Zlim and IChase, if I remember correctly?) to answer linux questions and, more importantly, reduce the inappropriate "clutter" in Windows related threads.  The admin responded that the MG forum was HIS site, and as such, has always been a Windows forum, and would soon include Android related discussions, and would remain as such.  The overall tone of his response was very obvious that he drank the Ballmer kool-aid.  His tone sucked, but he was correct, it was HIS forum to do as he pleased and he didn't really want linux discussions on it.  Which was the ONLY reason I was there....

So I started a thread with a title of "ATTN:  LINUX USERS" or something similar that would be easily spotted in a search of "linux" on the forum.  I posted a message to the effect that MG wasn't really conducive to Linux questions or discussion and that I had found a forum dedicated to Linux Users..."Bruno's All Things Linux" and provided a link to the site.  I asked all folks to ask their questions on BATL, rather than posting on MG, as I wouldn't see their questions on MG because I wouldn't be there anymore.  Nothing nasty....just seemed like a win-win-win for me, MG, and linux questioners.  And that was my last visit to MG....never did go back or check up on things.

Found a new group of users at BATL who actually WELCOMED the linux questions.  Added bonus....these folks knew WAY more than I did.  At MG, I was a guru; at BATL, I was a new-user soaking up as much knowledge as a sponge could saturate with.  Which is the way I prefer things...

So this thread is interesting to me.  It seems like MG has come full circle and actually acknowledges that many users are interested in linux.  Go figure?!   8)

V.T. Eric Layton


securitybreach

Quote from: Hedon James on December 02, 2021, 04:37:07 PM
Ironically, I was a long-time member of Major Geeks, which continued through my migration/transition to Linux.  As I learned more, I found I was able to answer other folks' questions and folks even started suggesting to "ask Hedon James....he answers a lot of linux questions."  I knew I wasn't an expert, but I knew enough to help most folks with most of their new-user questions.  But there was no area of MG for Linux users to post....it was just a general question/inquiry, so it made it somewhat difficult to spot the Linux questions on a page of "new posts" since last visit.  Any many folks would ask these questions in whatever thread they were looking at in the moment....prompting other users to complain the question was off-topic and inappropriate.  Which was actually a true statement.

I emailed the site admin and suggested it might be a good idea to create a Linux forum, or dedicated Linux thread, for MG users to ask their questions.  This would make it easier for folks like me (and Zlim and IChase, if I remember correctly?) to answer linux questions and, more importantly, reduce the inappropriate "clutter" in Windows related threads.  The admin responded that the MG forum was HIS site, and as such, has always been a Windows forum, and would soon include Android related discussions, and would remain as such.  The overall tone of his response was very obvious that he drank the Ballmer kool-aid.  His tone sucked, but he was correct, it was HIS forum to do as he pleased and he didn't really want linux discussions on it.  Which was the ONLY reason I was there....

So I started a thread with a title of "ATTN:  LINUX USERS" or something similar that would be easily spotted in a search of "linux" on the forum.  I posted a message to the effect that MG wasn't really conducive to Linux questions or discussion and that I had found a forum dedicated to Linux Users..."Bruno's All Things Linux" and provided a link to the site.  I asked all folks to ask their questions on BATL, rather than posting on MG, as I wouldn't see their questions on MG because I wouldn't be there anymore.  Nothing nasty....just seemed like a win-win-win for me, MG, and linux questioners.  And that was my last visit to MG....never did go back or check up on things.

Found a new group of users at BATL who actually WELCOMED the linux questions.  Added bonus....these folks knew WAY more than I did.  At MG, I was a guru; at BATL, I was a new-user soaking up as much knowledge as a sponge could saturate with.  Which is the way I prefer things...

So this thread is interesting to me.  It seems like MG has come full circle and actually acknowledges that many users are interested in linux.  Go figure?!   8)

Very cool and welcome Hedon!!
"We try to avoid the word "newbie", it does no justice to the efforts we, also the beginners, put in to learn a new operating system. I think the wish to learn Linux shows a brave attitude and deserves a better qualification." --Bruno

sunrat

I never would recommend anything based on GTK or Ubuntu (snaps are a disease on Linux and seem to be becoming ubiquitous). So my current recommendations for new explorers would be MX Linux or Manjaro. For DE I much prefer KDE Plasma 5 as I find Xfce to be clunky with annoying quirks especially in Thunar, and Gnome just makes me vomit (tried Debian Gnome in KVM/QEMU recently to see if it improved since last try and no, it's worse).

raymac46

The fact that we all have different views on what is the most suitable DE or WM to use convinces me that the proposal for a "universal" Linux distro with a standard look and feel is rather idealistic. But that's OK.

securitybreach

Quote from: raymac46 on December 10, 2021, 03:45:45 PM
The fact that we all have different views on what is the most suitable DE or WM to use convinces me that the proposal for a "universal" Linux distro with a standard look and feel is rather idealistic. But that's OK.

Well choice is what makes linux and opensource so great. I wouldn't use it but Gnome is kind of the standard on a large amount of distros.
"We try to avoid the word "newbie", it does no justice to the efforts we, also the beginners, put in to learn a new operating system. I think the wish to learn Linux shows a brave attitude and deserves a better qualification." --Bruno

plodr

For those reading this thread and not familiar with linux, DE = Desktop Environment. It is the thing you see when you boot up the operating system. Unlike Windows, in which there is one way, normally the start/all program button at the lower left, linux has several choices depending on how much or little you want to see and install.

Here's an article explaining what DE is.
https://itsfoss.com/what-is-desktop-environment/

Remember linux gurus, there are people reading this thread that do not know what the acronyms mean.
Chugging coffee and computing!