New to Linux

Necrum

Necrum

I AM THE REAL SONIC
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    I'm looking to do a clean wipe of my Laptop soon, and want to try doing a dual boot for Windows 7 and Linux. I know a little about Linux, but not enough to make a choice. I was wondering if someone might be able to provide me with a little direction in the way of which version of Linux would be best for someone like me who has never really used it much before? Much appreciated.
     
    Ubuntu, Hands down.
    it has all the features, tools, and user friendliness to ease people into the dark, overly involved world of Linux. make sure you get LTS version though.
     
    I've tried both Zorin and Ubuntu, but found Ubuntu to be more user-friendly, and it has a super clean user interface. It's literally for everyone, from those who are new to computers in general, to those who want to go dig deeper by using the command terminal. Ubuntu was my first Linux software, and most of the time I used the terminal because it was pretty fun. In terms of software compatibility, use at your own risk. For the majority of the programs, you can download them at the Ubuntu store, such as skype, IRC, Chrome, etc...but I think in the newer versions today you should have Chrome or FireFox as well as LibreOffice (which is a free and clean alternative to Microsoft Office) so that can save you a lot of time when it comes to installing things you need.

    Oh, and don't forget Wine, which is an emulator tool for Windows programs, should you want to install any Windows-only programs on your Linux distro. It will become your best friend.

    Ubuntu 14.04 LTS is the latest version, and to be honest I'm very tempted to download it. It looks reeeeeally good.
     
    Go with Ubuntu if you don't mind it behaving and looking a lot like a mac, or if you're confident try Arch Linux.

    I'm not really fond of Debian in general since Ubuntu sucks royal ass, but I'm putting Arch on the very next PC I get and seeing how that goes. From what I've seen and heard it's a lot more minded towards producer-level computing as opposed to consumer-level tasks. Since you're new I would try either Ubuntu or Mint, to be safe though. If you ever feel like Ubuntu is holding you back, like I said switch to Arch. :)
     
    I've used Linux distributions for nearly a decade. I would not recommend Ubuntu to anyone. Especially now. It has become a slow, bloated, beginner's OS. I'd even take Windows over it -- it's that terrible. I would strongly recommend Manjaro (Xfce edition). It's relatively lightweight and extremely modular. It's an Arch Linux derivative, but it's also great for beginners.

    I also encourage you to search YouTube for some of the groovy things you can do with Xfce.
     
    Last edited:
    Cadance said:
    Oh, and don't forget Wine, which is an emulator tool for Windows programs, should you want to install any Windows-only programs on your Linux distro. It will become your best friend.
    Click to expand...
    Wine is not an emulator.
    If you're a beginner instead of using wine you're better of using Windows instead of Linux (or at least install Linux on a VM) and if you're dual booting it gets even more of a hassle than it's worth it.

    You could use Xubuntu: it's Ubuntu, but without Unity (the ugly GUI thingy). Also Elementary OS seems to be pretty decent; as far as I know it's based of Ubuntu (or was it Linux Mint?), too, but without all the unneccessary packages preinstalled.
     
    Arch Linux was my first and only Linux distribution. I've been using it for years. :)

    But if you're a beginner, and not quite ready to immediately delve into the heart of Linux, pick Linux Mint. Just like the others said. Mint is probably the best choice for your out there. Both Generic Ubuntu and Mint are even easier to use than Windows.

    Or if you're one of the cool guys, go for ArchBang/CrunchBang or Manjaro.

    For reference, here's a great vector with the Linux distro timeline on it.

    Spoiler:
     
    Debian and Arch are both pretty easy to get working, have tons of information available online if you run into problems, and are usable without being so user-friendly that it takes some of the fun away.

    Definitely try a few out in a VM first to get a feel for them though.
     
    Elementary if you like Macs. Zorin if you like Windows. Mint if you want something that makes sense and is more "Linux-y."

    Don't use Ubuntu. There's absolutely no reason to, its usability has plummeted in recent years.
     
    Absolutely Ubuntu.
    We used Redhat back at school, though, and it was pretty nice.
     
    R.F. said:
    Wine is not an emulator.
    If you're a beginner instead of using wine you're better of using Windows instead of Linux (or at least install Linux on a VM) and if you're dual booting it gets even more of a hassle than it's worth it.

    You could use Xubuntu: it's Ubuntu, but without Unity (the ugly GUI thingy). Also Elementary OS seems to be pretty decent; as far as I know it's based of Ubuntu (or was it Linux Mint?), too, but without all the unneccessary packages preinstalled.
    Click to expand...
    I agree wine is not for beginers if you need to run a windows program tho try playonlinux it makes it a lot easy than wine as for gui Lubuntu is good for low spec laptops
     
    I'd personally recommend Elementary OS; its user-interface is very lightweight and sleek. It's pretty similar to Mac, though, as stated before, so if you're not a fan of it, that distro might not exactly suit you. Aside from that, Arch Linux is also pretty good, and gives you access to better customization. With this, you could make everything yours, so to speak!
     
    Oh jeez, I forgot I made this thread, Thanks for all the suggestions, guys! I'll be sure to read through them all when I make my decision. :3
     
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