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Confused PC User
From: old git (BOOTNECK02)19 Apr 08:13
To: ALL1 of 6
:-$ I am here with Windows 7 ultimate 64 bit running a home built PC But looking for a new OS or I believe you call them Distro's. I am fed up with the offerings by Microsoft as on top of the cost of the OS usually £100 or more you have to buy tools to keep them clean and are a cash cow for the corporate giants, enough of the wining I have decided to try several Linux distro's the ones I have tried are Ubuntu and Linux Mint dual booted with Windows unfortunately I had trouble with the dual booting and as a operating system as I am a user and have no knowledge programing etc. I have now found Zorin which comes with everything in the way of software that I could possibly need. I am thinking of purchasing Zorin Ultimate 64bit LTS when it comes out later this year, what are your views of this distro for those who want a distro to work out of the box and for the novice? (fail) (nod)
From: dragonmouth19 Apr 09:03
To: old git (BOOTNECK02)2 of 6
Welcome to Desktop Linux Reviews.
Zorin is a great distro for Windows refugees. Personally, I would not pay for the Ultimate Edition. I would download the regular free edition, then install whatever extra programs I wanted from the Zorin repositories using the Software Center package manager. A Package Manager makes installing and uninstalling software very easy.
You need to free yourself of the Windows idea that only pay-for software is of any value. Most of Linux software is free and most of it is as good, if not better, than Windows software. Hence my comments on paying for Zorin Ultimate.
Zorin is a great distro for Windows refugees. Personally, I would not pay for the Ultimate Edition. I would download the regular free edition, then install whatever extra programs I wanted from the Zorin repositories using the Software Center package manager. A Package Manager makes installing and uninstalling software very easy.
You need to free yourself of the Windows idea that only pay-for software is of any value. Most of Linux software is free and most of it is as good, if not better, than Windows software. Hence my comments on paying for Zorin Ultimate.
From: fixrman19 Apr 10:16
To: old git (BOOTNECK02)3 of 6
Linux Mint is another that you might also consider. I haven't used it in a while, but is pretty good and also free. Zorin I am not familiar with, but DM tests a lot of different distros so his recommendation would be sound - and apparently matches your needs. Good luck and welcome to DLR!
From: dragonmouth19 Apr 19:00
To: fixrman20 Apr 10:034 of 6
Flattery will get you evrywhere, fix. Happy Eater!
From: fixrman20 Apr 10:03
To: dragonmouth20 Apr 10:145 of 6
Happy Easter to you as well! Not flattery, either. You've installed and tried many, many more iterations of Linux than I ever have or probably will. As far as I can recall, I have only used Knoppix (Live of course) and several versions of Mint. I tried FreeBSD first but couldn't get the .iso right, so never got to use it.
I have to say though were it not for Knoppix I probably wouldn't have tried Linux at all. I was absolutely amazed that it could be run from disk and how quickly it was ready to go and online.
I have to say though were it not for Knoppix I probably wouldn't have tried Linux at all. I was absolutely amazed that it could be run from disk and how quickly it was ready to go and online.
From: masinick20 Apr 22:39
To: old git (BOOTNECK02)6 of 6
Hi there, Old Git! I spent most of the weekend with friends and family, only checking in very briefly, so I did not have adequate time to give you a warm welcome sooner or any suggestions about what distributions to try out.
Dragonmouth did make one good recommendation with Zorin; I may have tried it before, but not recently, so I have to rely on DM's recollections; being a Ubuntu derivative, as long as it is a properly built and well-managed derivative, it ought to work well.
Fix's recommendation of Linux Mint in some variety meets with more familiarity, albeit the bulk of that familiarity does come from those who have used some form of Linux (possibly even Ubuntu) in the past.
Of the "so-called" 'easy-to-use' distributions, Mint is well conceived, well tested, has a strong community of support, and in those areas, I am not quite as certain how well Zorin would stack up; however, both Mint and Zorin have evolved from the Ubuntu distribution, which, in turn has evolved from arguably the steadiest distribution over the past decade, the well-respected Debian.
Why wouldn't you simply pick Debian then? Well, you COULD. I'd argue that it is more likely to be stable than Mint, Ubuntu, or Zorin, because all of these are "upstream" from Debian; while they benefit from Debian works, being repackaged, they sometimes, even as they are introducing simpler interfaces, they are also introducing limitations and potentially defects. That's not intended to raise a LARGE risk, because most of these distributions also vigorously test, find and fix both their OWN defects and those found in either the distributions upstream from them or simply from the application source code found in them.
Debian has fewer layers of veneer, but that many layers LESS of tools that are likely to be friendly to users comfortable with Windows 7, but not with Linux.
So here's the deal: if you want to just jump into Linux, not necessarily understanding it, simply wanting to USE it, then a distribution like Mint or Zorin make good sense.
If, on the other hand, you really want to spend some time developing new skills and learning enough about Linux to properly manage and maintain it, as well as simply USE it, then in that case, you may want to consider learning and reading a bit first, then starting with something somewhat more involved to understand initially (not terribly difficult, just something that may require a few hours of reading and study to do right).
For me, I cracked into Linux in 1995 with Slackware. Back then, Linux distributions were not too difficult to install, but to get something USABLE, well, that took either a book about it or a lot of on line reading. Slackware happened to have books written about it and its primary maintainer co-authored an early book about it describing all essential features needed to use it.
I was a UNIX software engineer, so cracking Linux wasn't too tough for me. It may not be too difficult for an experienced computer user either, but there will be a LOT to learn that is different; not necessarily super hard, just a lot that is different.
If time is of the essence and you just want to get something up and running, absolutely, go for Mint or Zorin; chances are either will work fine for you. Bill Julian recently cracked Slackware and he's finding it to be a very nice experience; Bill, however, has at least five or more years of experience reading, reviewing, and trying out Linux distributions.
Debian may take just a bit less time to crack than Slackware, and you'll need a few fewer details to be able to use and manage it; there are advanced software management tools. You can learn a bit more about the underlying system by doing Slackware, but you'll learn a lot with Debian too.
One or two rungs up the ease ladder, with more flexibility, but less ease than Mint or Zorin might be something like antiX or possibly MEPIS. The antiX distribution offers great flexibility, a slightly easier system to install than Debian, but the flexibility might be just a bit too much for a first time beginner, but not too much for a third or fourth time user (unless that beginner likes to do their research in advance; in that case, it's perfect). MEPIS is very close to Mint in ease of use, possibly more stable on somewhat aging hardware, but slightly less likely to work on the newest hardware. It's a little more flexible than Mint only because it's a little closer to the Debian roots. Mint has the advantage of a much larger support community.
Zorin's trump card, if it has one, is the look and feel of Windows 7. IF you truly like and prefer that, and also want simple, then pick Zorin.
If you want really simple, but are less concerned about looking and feeling like Windows 7, content with a well-crafted, easy to use system, then Mint might be your best choice.
Hope that gives you enough options; all of them are very good choices; if you have time, try several of them; most of them can be downloaded at no cost over the internet and burned to CD, DVD, or USB and then it's possible to try most of them out from the media (CD, DVD, or USB); they run slower from these external media sources, but it's handy to evaluate them. IF you like one of them, then follow their instructions to install them on your system's disk. If you've not done that before, I would advise reading up a bit in advance. If you need suggestions on what to read and where to find it, feel free to ask; a good place to start is on the home pages of the systems you want to try out; if anything is unclear, most distributions have their own forums and many are helpful; we can (and are often able and willing) to provide ideas and assistance as well.
Hope it works out and I hope that this is helpful; if it's too confusing, you may want to stay simple; in that case, stick with either Zorin or Mint as suggested initially.
Dragonmouth did make one good recommendation with Zorin; I may have tried it before, but not recently, so I have to rely on DM's recollections; being a Ubuntu derivative, as long as it is a properly built and well-managed derivative, it ought to work well.
Fix's recommendation of Linux Mint in some variety meets with more familiarity, albeit the bulk of that familiarity does come from those who have used some form of Linux (possibly even Ubuntu) in the past.
Of the "so-called" 'easy-to-use' distributions, Mint is well conceived, well tested, has a strong community of support, and in those areas, I am not quite as certain how well Zorin would stack up; however, both Mint and Zorin have evolved from the Ubuntu distribution, which, in turn has evolved from arguably the steadiest distribution over the past decade, the well-respected Debian.
Why wouldn't you simply pick Debian then? Well, you COULD. I'd argue that it is more likely to be stable than Mint, Ubuntu, or Zorin, because all of these are "upstream" from Debian; while they benefit from Debian works, being repackaged, they sometimes, even as they are introducing simpler interfaces, they are also introducing limitations and potentially defects. That's not intended to raise a LARGE risk, because most of these distributions also vigorously test, find and fix both their OWN defects and those found in either the distributions upstream from them or simply from the application source code found in them.
Debian has fewer layers of veneer, but that many layers LESS of tools that are likely to be friendly to users comfortable with Windows 7, but not with Linux.
So here's the deal: if you want to just jump into Linux, not necessarily understanding it, simply wanting to USE it, then a distribution like Mint or Zorin make good sense.
If, on the other hand, you really want to spend some time developing new skills and learning enough about Linux to properly manage and maintain it, as well as simply USE it, then in that case, you may want to consider learning and reading a bit first, then starting with something somewhat more involved to understand initially (not terribly difficult, just something that may require a few hours of reading and study to do right).
For me, I cracked into Linux in 1995 with Slackware. Back then, Linux distributions were not too difficult to install, but to get something USABLE, well, that took either a book about it or a lot of on line reading. Slackware happened to have books written about it and its primary maintainer co-authored an early book about it describing all essential features needed to use it.
I was a UNIX software engineer, so cracking Linux wasn't too tough for me. It may not be too difficult for an experienced computer user either, but there will be a LOT to learn that is different; not necessarily super hard, just a lot that is different.
If time is of the essence and you just want to get something up and running, absolutely, go for Mint or Zorin; chances are either will work fine for you. Bill Julian recently cracked Slackware and he's finding it to be a very nice experience; Bill, however, has at least five or more years of experience reading, reviewing, and trying out Linux distributions.
Debian may take just a bit less time to crack than Slackware, and you'll need a few fewer details to be able to use and manage it; there are advanced software management tools. You can learn a bit more about the underlying system by doing Slackware, but you'll learn a lot with Debian too.
One or two rungs up the ease ladder, with more flexibility, but less ease than Mint or Zorin might be something like antiX or possibly MEPIS. The antiX distribution offers great flexibility, a slightly easier system to install than Debian, but the flexibility might be just a bit too much for a first time beginner, but not too much for a third or fourth time user (unless that beginner likes to do their research in advance; in that case, it's perfect). MEPIS is very close to Mint in ease of use, possibly more stable on somewhat aging hardware, but slightly less likely to work on the newest hardware. It's a little more flexible than Mint only because it's a little closer to the Debian roots. Mint has the advantage of a much larger support community.
Zorin's trump card, if it has one, is the look and feel of Windows 7. IF you truly like and prefer that, and also want simple, then pick Zorin.
If you want really simple, but are less concerned about looking and feeling like Windows 7, content with a well-crafted, easy to use system, then Mint might be your best choice.
Hope that gives you enough options; all of them are very good choices; if you have time, try several of them; most of them can be downloaded at no cost over the internet and burned to CD, DVD, or USB and then it's possible to try most of them out from the media (CD, DVD, or USB); they run slower from these external media sources, but it's handy to evaluate them. IF you like one of them, then follow their instructions to install them on your system's disk. If you've not done that before, I would advise reading up a bit in advance. If you need suggestions on what to read and where to find it, feel free to ask; a good place to start is on the home pages of the systems you want to try out; if anything is unclear, most distributions have their own forums and many are helpful; we can (and are often able and willing) to provide ideas and assistance as well.
Hope it works out and I hope that this is helpful; if it's too confusing, you may want to stay simple; in that case, stick with either Zorin or Mint as suggested initially.