Hiya people. Just wanted to share something.
I have long been using Windows. It is easy to use and fairly robust if you install a good anti virus software.
I also used Mac OS. Unlike Windows it is fun to use. However the expensive hardware sometimes can bite you in the buttocks.
And Linux. I have been using Linux for the last 2 years lately I have been using the OpenSUSE distribution. Don't know how many of you are in to computers and stuff but I really am.
The wiki says
Quote:
Linux (commonly pronounced /ˈlɪnəks/[3]) is a generic term referring to Unix-like computer operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Their development is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software collaboration; typically all the underlying source code can be used, freely modified, and redistributed by anyone under the terms of the GNU GPL[4] and other free licenses.
Linux is predominantly known for its use in servers, although it is installed on a wide variety of computer hardware, ranging from embedded devices and mobile phones to supercomputers.[5] Linux distributions, installed on both desktop and laptop computers, have become increasingly commonplace in recent years, owing largely to the popular Ubuntu distribution and to the emergence of netbooks.[6][7]
The name "Linux" (Linus-linux.ogg listen (help·info)) comes from the Linux kernel, originally written in 1991 by Linus Torvalds. The rest of the system usually comprises components such as the Apache HTTP Server, the X Window System, the K Desktop Environment, and utilities and libraries from the GNU operating system (announced in 1983 by Richard Stallman). Commonly-used applications with desktop Linux systems include the Mozilla Firefox web-browser and the OpenOffice.org office application suite. The GNU contribution is the basis for the Free Software Foundation's preferred name GNU/Linux.[8][9]
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However let me just simplify the whole thing in bullets ;
- It is free!
- It is NOT easy for a newbie computer user
- It is not for new hardware since drivers sometimes don't exist
- You can always rely on the robustness of the system
- There is always a free version of whatever software that Mac or Windows offer that can work in Linux
I started using it because of the first item : It's free.
I have for long been a fan of Fedora due to its openness and available packets for almost everything and moreover flexibility of RedHat helped me through the deadly marshes of Linux world. However Fedora lacked something. That something was user friendliness. True it does have community friendliness but it lacks the friendliness which new users who have no experience with linux need. I new user to Linux must not be chocked to death with driver problems or repository clashes and dual-boot bugs.
OpenSUSE has many pros but many out-of-the-box bugs too. Let's start from the installation.
Installation : So far this was the easiest installation ever. I just emptied a partition on my windows drive and simply installed openSUSE within it. The dual-boot settings was all done automatically. For this openSUSE gets 50 points!!
First Boot : (Driver Problems) It seems that openSUSE has the same driver problems as Fedora. The moment I installed openSUSE the video card was not able to work properly (NVidia 6600 GT or TD don't remember ) I got this weird screen with lots of bright colors. The problem was resolved by taking the following steps ;
Step1: Reboot machine and write 3 at the end of the boot line in the boot menu.
Step2: In command line (init 3) write " zypper ref && zypper up " and update your system.
Step3: After update write " zypper ar
http://download.nvidia.com/opensuse/11.1/ "
Step4: Write " zypper install x11-video-nvidiaG02 nvidia-gfxG02-kmp-KERNEL " where KERNEL is your supposed kernel name which you can learn from entering the following command " uname -a "
Step5: Reboot your system and cross your fingers.
By taking these five simple steps you will now be able to boot openSUSE.
Playing Around: As you can understand instead of YUM in Fedora openSUSE uses ZYPPER which is kind of funny name for package handler. The user interface is ... well... different really... it's almost like XP. ( I am using gnome... just couldn't get used to KDE ) And that's about it... If I were to give a windows user a Linux and had to choose between openSUSE and Fedora I would probably give them an openSUSE. However openSUSE lacks the Fedora repo's and such...
And so far I am very happy with it.
If you have been using Linux please tell me about your distribution. And I hope I haven't posted something too long :sweat: I really start to ramble after a while.