10-24-2008, 12:05 PM
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#1
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Lifetime Suspension
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: CP House of Ill Repute
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Linux Distribution recommendation
I'm looking to install Linux (or even BSD if that's a better alternative) on a Dell 700m laptop. It's going to be used for some LAMP development and maybe some regular usage just to get away from Windows. I've used unix in the past but I'm far from an expert.
My main priorities would be ease of use, stability and performance in that order. What would work best for me?
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10-24-2008, 12:16 PM
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#2
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: in your blind spot.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GreenTeaFrapp
I'm looking to install Linux (or even BSD if that's a better alternative) on a Dell 700m laptop. It's going to be used for some LAMP development and maybe some regular usage just to get away from Windows. I've used unix in the past but I'm far from an expert.
My main priorities would be ease of use, stability and performance in that order. What would work best for me?
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I haven't played with it in a while, but I do know Ubuntu is really getting a lot of press about how user friendly it is.
__________________
"The problem with any ideology is that it gives the answer before you look at the evidence."
—Bill Clinton
"The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance--it is the illusion of knowledge."
—Daniel J. Boorstin, historian, former Librarian of Congress
"But the Senator, while insisting he was not intoxicated, could not explain his nudity"
—WKRP in Cincinatti
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10-24-2008, 12:24 PM
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#3
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Redundant Minister of Redundancy
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Montreal
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobblehead
I haven't played with it in a while, but I do know Ubuntu is really getting a lot of press about how user friendly it is.
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I've used quite a few distros and Ubuntu is my favourite for user friendliness. My totally computer illiterate girlfriend was able to figure out how to use it without any prompting from me.
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10-24-2008, 12:34 PM
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#4
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First Line Centre
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: /dev/null
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Ubuntu.
Find out if your wireless card is supported though. Ubuntu should detect and use just about everything just fine (aside from the laptops custom buttons), but wireless on Linux is a really flaky thing.
Just be warned... I once courted the Linux side of life. I ended up with a Mac. It's a gateway operating system 
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10-24-2008, 12:50 PM
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#5
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Redundant Minister of Redundancy
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Montreal
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Quote:
Originally Posted by llama64
Ubuntu.
Find out if your wireless card is supported though. Ubuntu should detect and use just about everything just fine (aside from the laptops custom buttons), but wireless on Linux is a really flaky thing.
Just be warned... I once courted the Linux side of life. I ended up with a Mac. It's a gateway operating system |
Wireless support on Ubuntu hasn't really been an issue in a long time. This used to be a problem but saying that now is like the analysts on TSN that keep insisting the Flames are a hard-nosed defensive team.
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10-24-2008, 01:17 PM
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#6
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First Line Centre
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: /dev/null
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackEleven
Wireless support on Ubuntu hasn't really been an issue in a long time. This used to be a problem but saying that now is like the analysts on TSN that keep insisting the Flames are a hard-nosed defensive team.
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If that's true, then awesome. The last two laptops I put Ubuntu on (about a year ago, so Whorey Hedgehog) required about 5-6 hours of tinkering around before I could even get WEP encryption going. WPA2 was out of the question.
This is on an HP and a Toshiba laptop.
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10-24-2008, 01:28 PM
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#7
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The new goggles also do nothing.
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Calgary
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We use Ubuntu on CP's server. 
__________________
Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position.
But certainty is an absurd one.
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10-24-2008, 01:39 PM
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#8
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Crash and Bang Winger
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Ubuntu may be the most friendly but Gentoo is definitely the most fun.
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10-24-2008, 02:13 PM
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#9
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GOAT!
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OpenSUSE is my baby.
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10-24-2008, 03:11 PM
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#10
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Lifetime Suspension
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: CP House of Ill Repute
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Well, I'm downloading the release candidate version of Ubuntu 8.10 and will go from there. Since this isn't my primary laptop, I'm not too worried if I can't get wireless to work.
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10-24-2008, 03:44 PM
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#11
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: CGY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GreenTeaFrapp
Well, I'm downloading the release candidate version of Ubuntu 8.10 and will go from there. Since this isn't my primary laptop, I'm not too worried if I can't get wireless to work.
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Ubuntu rocks. I have an old P3 with 384mb of PC-100 RAM with Wireless G that I run Ubuntu on no problem. Browsing speed without streaming is very impressive. YouTube is a little groggy, but nothing major.
On your modern laptop I'm sure it would be outstanding.
__________________
So far, this is the oldest I've been.
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10-24-2008, 03:46 PM
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#12
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#1 Goaltender
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Slackware will teach you more about how the OS is put together and works than just about any of the distros mentioned here (except maybe Gentoo, although that is debatable)
It also makes Ubuntu look positively mensa by comparison...
__________________
-Scott
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10-24-2008, 03:54 PM
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#13
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First Line Centre
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Quote:
Originally Posted by comrade
Ubuntu may be the most friendly but Gentoo is definitely the most fun.
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define 'fun'.
i just want my computer to load quickly and easily, interact with the hardware i have and allow me to complete my work.
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10-24-2008, 03:56 PM
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#14
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The new goggles also do nothing.
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Calgary
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Gentoo's definition of fun is recompiling the kernel with every possible switch combination and benchmarking it to find the fastest ones for your hardware.
__________________
Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position.
But certainty is an absurd one.
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10-25-2008, 11:17 AM
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#15
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Lifetime Suspension
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: CP House of Ill Repute
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I had a really easy time installing a dual boot version of Ubuntu.
There were some issues getting LAMP installed but googling error messages eventually located a solution. Having gimp is pretty cool. A HUGE step up from MS Paint!
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10-25-2008, 11:22 AM
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#16
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Scoring Winger
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Syracuse, NY
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Grab a handful of blank CD's and try a bunch of them and see what you like.
__________________
...Rob
The American Dream isn't an SUV and a house in the suburbs;
it's Don't Tread On Me.
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10-25-2008, 03:24 PM
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#17
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Powerplay Quarterback
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Reasons to use Ubuntu: - Vast repositories of software. It is very easy to download and install any software you need using the package manager.
- Large, helpful community at http://ubuntuforums.org
- Frequently updated, high level of compatibility.
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