Which Linux distribution to choose, a very short Mini Howto (I am using ubuntu 7.04 and kde)  :-)      Back to Main Page

This is a very short version, and if you want to know more, go to the Internet etc.

This howto is without any guarantee, and you may use it on your own responsibility only.

There may be errors, but I do not want to use too much time to  write this howto.

To check specific words you may click: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page  (search - left, middle og page).    


I started with Red Hat Linux version 5.1, since I have used  Debian, Suse, again Debian, LFS (Linux From Scratch), Puppy and now I am using Ubuntu.

I am using Knoppix live cd, gparted live cd, and SystemRescueCd live cd as my help tools (making backups of my partitions with the partimage program) etc.

I have been using the KDE desktop manager mostly all the time in all my distributions, as I find it important to work with something I am very used to (I have tried

Gnome and it looks as good to me), but by chance i went to using KDE, and it works VERY fine for me.

I am using several Gnome programs as well, and they works very well within the KDE desktop manager.

The linux distributions are all the same, but each have som pecularities, especial the install procedure of both the very linux system -and the packages

(programs) are different, and also the selection of programs which are installed by default with a new installation are some different in the various distributions.

What i find important by using Ubuntu Linux is the huge amount of documentation and forums, and the very active mailing list (ubuntu-users), where you may

even put up very simple questions, and almost always get some replies from other linux users (but always try google first, to find an answer).

Click here to be a member of "ubuntu-users" mailing list

Click here, to come to the ubuntu forum page

Also Debian has a huge amount of various documentation, and a very active mailing list (debian-user).

Click here to be a member of "debian-user" mailing list

Click here, to search in the huge "debian-user" mailing list archive

Really, Ubuntu, Knoppix and many other linux distributions are "children" of Debian and use the same package system (apt - deb).

All linux distributions can use the same programs, so they are all part of the same system (unix-like) - they all use the same Kernels (the kernel is the "Main

program" which drives all the other programs) - the newest kernel is something like (in 2007) version 2.6.22 and is still imporving with newer versions.

All debian/ubuntu programs are normally installed as packages ("package_name.deb"), and are installed with a few clicks - I use the "Synaptic Package Manager"

as my main package install program.

All linux programs (there are some twenty thousands out there) can also be installed by compilation (configure - make - make install), but this i a little more

complicated.

A linux package is indeed an automatic compiling program (sort of - spoken in a picture language), where everything is done automatic without you hardly

noticing what is going on.

Conclusion: If you are a newbie, stick to ubuntu and choose either KDE -or Gnome as your Desktop Manager, and then stay with it until you are not a newbie any

longer (the other linux distributions are just variants of ubuntu or vice versa) - they are all THE SAME, and it is all a matter of taste -> check on the internet.


9/2007