Recomending Linux to a new person

[cheetahman]

Hello my aunt is thinking about trying Linux she has Windows Xp right now and had 3 viruses which made her reformat and reinstall windows which version is Linux is well suited for people new at it also a don't have a Dvd burner myself.Should I just let her test out the live cds if so which one I am thinking Slax or Knoppix.

[Flatline]

I would think that Slax, Knoppix, or the Mepis liveCD would be good choices. You may also want to consider MandrakeMove or PCLinuxOS, since they have more of a "usability" focus. It's too bad about the lack of a DVD burner, since SuSE is usually in my personal experience one of the easiest distros for a new user.

[cheetahman]

So should I let her try a live cd and when she wants to install linux which one should I use also she would like to dual boot also

[Cabhan]

Dual-booting is never a problem. All distros will set it up for you automatically, if it has a good installer. The only exception I have encountered in the 5 distros I have used is Gentoo, but if you're installing Gentoo, you'll learn how to set up dualbooting.

As far as a good newbie distro, I would agree with Flatline and say that SuSE is the best. In my time using it, I had no problems, and everything was quite streamlined. Updating is also quite simple, as you simply run YaST and it will tell you what new packages are available.

Unfortunately, the downloadable SuSE ISO is for DVD's. So you either need to buy the commercial version (around $60) or get a DVD burner or get a friend to burn it for you.

[cheetahman]

Dual-booting is never a problem. All distros will set it up for you automatically, if it has a good installer. The only exception I have encountered in the 5 distros I have used is Gentoo, but if you're installing Gentoo, you'll learn how to set up dualbooting.

As far as a good newbie distro, I would agree with Flatline and say that SuSE is the best. In my time using it, I had no problems, and everything was quite streamlined. Updating is also quite simple, as you simply run YaST and it will tell you what new packages are available.

Unfortunately, the downloadable SuSE ISO is for DVD's. So you either need to buy the commercial version (around $60) or get a DVD burner or get a friend to burn it for you.

I have the comerical version of Suse linux 9.3 and it cds included this is true with suse 9.1 and 9.2 why doesn't novell release those along with the dvd like Mandriva does.

[borromini]

If you have broadband/cable internet, you can try the web-based install. Then you only have to download an installation CD (yes, you're reading it right ) from about 60 MB. The rest of the installation will be done over the net, but it will take longer (logically...). Maybe that's an option?

[bryansmith]

Suse is a great beginners distro. It is also incredibly easy to setup a dualboot (in case).

Bryan

[cheetahman]

Suse is a great beginners distro. It is also incredibly easy to setup a dualboot (in case).

Bryan

What are some others besides Suse

[Cabhan]

For beginners, I really do recommend SuSE.

But if for some reason you want something else, the alternative is Mandriva. It's also pretty easy to setup, but its package management is a bit more difficult (command line based). It's not as fluid as YaST either (you need to know package names already and such).

I used to have a few graphical errors with Mandrake 10.1 where my desktop would disappear. I dunno if it's been fixed.

Some people also recommend Fedora Core 3. My experiences with it were evil and I had a lot of freezing and crashing.

So I'd still recommend SuSE. If not, then Mandriva. I wouldn't suggest FC, but some people might. *shrug*


And for the record, I know that Slax is popular. I've never used it, but I hear good things.

[Flatline]

its package management is a bit more difficult (command line based).

Actually, if you use the Mandrake Control Center, you never have to touch the command line for package management.