Please Advice!! I'm gonna switch from Windows!!

[satishn82]

I'm a newbie with linux who apparently got bored n fed up of Windows...thanks to Vista...and I'm startin to love the linux platform....
The only linux distro which I have used is the new Kubuntu 8.10....I loved the KDE interface....
I dont know much about Gnome and found the initial interface of the Ubuntu (Gnome) boring......
But as I have seen OpenSUSE and Fedora screenshots....I feel like trying them.....

Well, this may be a question which have been asked by many newbies on many forums on the World Wide Web....

"Which is the best distro....actually which is the best looking distro which looks beautiful at first boot itself without further customizations".....


"There are 1000's of distros out there....and its just a matter of preference.." .This the most common and usual answer we get and it still leaves a newbie confused...

So here goes,
Kubuntu 8.10( My first step into linux) has KDE4.1 and looked good right from initial boot. was rather simple to use without much use of command line....

I have not tried Fedora or OpenSUSE but would like to try it....
I beleive there are users in this forum who have had a taste of the three...and I need some advice...

I need an OS which will most closely qualify to replacing Windows..my primary OS..
I mean I need all the drivers, codecs, plugins etc, installed right out of the box...so that I can atleast view and play my media files smoothly...

I also need something which looks really good with equally goodlooking apps...(I liked the Amarok music player in KDE4.1) which can make my Windows using friends go 'Wow' for a moment!!

I heard that Fedora needs a lot of using the command line for various tasks...is that true? Coz...I dont know really much about linux command line and I'm just learning....and dont have the time to learn at one go...
In that case Fedora may be ruled out..

My three main choices are
1. Kubuntu
2.OpenSUSE
3. Fedora

Which one of the three is for me??? Please do help!!

And one more thing..is it possible to run Windows apps by any means?? Coz if so..I would like to switch to the linux platform as my primary OS...
Kubuntu left a bad taste with me...coz Grub failed and I tried each n every method to restore grub but in vain...it could never find a stage1 file even though the file was there in the directory....
So I'd prefer an OS which has a recovery or rescue mode through the CD....a feature which I require...coz I dont wanna waste my time with heavy command line usage incase anything goes wrong....
So I need reliability....

I just need any one from the three I mentioned above...I dont want to try the other distros out there..
I prefer an answer from a person who has had a personal experience with all the three...

[oz]

My three main choices are
1. Kubuntu
2.OpenSUSE
3. Fedora

Which one of the three is for me??? Please do help!!

And one more thing..is it possible to run Windows apps by any means?? Coz if so..I would like to switch to the linux platform as my primary OS...

Welcome to the forums!

I've tried all three of those and many others. In the end, it's still a matter of "personal" choice. Nobody here can tell you which one you will like the best and is the one for you, so you'll need to try each of them to make up your own mind. They are all freely downloaded, so no money lost there except for the blank disks used.

As for beauty in a distribution, what I find to be beautiful is not so for everyone, so again, you'll need to look for beauty where ever you find it.

Yes, some Windows applications can be used with Linux if you install and use WINE. It won't work with all Windows applications, though. Check the WINE applications database, or try running your app with WINE to see if it will work.

All of your questions have been asked and discussed here many times. Check the link in my signature for lots of good information on getting started with Linux. There are some quizzes there that might help you to pick a distribution that you will like.

The best thing you can do is to simply dig in and start gathering some experience with Linux rather than expecting others to tell you what you will like.

Hope it all goes well for you.

[josolanes]

Between those three, it's personal preference as all three are good disros.

The one *I'd* personally use as a primary OS of the three is OpenSUSE - I've always found it to be/feel more well polished. Kubuntu was also very nice, but openSUSE comes with some nice apps that may help a windows user feel at home (such as a Control Panel<- click to see a screenshot, called YaST).

openSUSE, in my experience atleast, was also excellent at detecting hardware and seemed to come with most necessary codecs (I had no configuring to do at all to get what I needed working well)

As far as Kubuntu and Fedora. I've used Kubuntu (which is very similar to Ubuntu) and did find the need to install the necessary graphics drivers and some codecs on my computer to make things work correctly. However, the installs were not difficult and were quick and easy, with no configuring needed

Fedora - it's been a few years since I'd used it, so I can't comment accurately on it


Once again, I feel openSUSE seemed to be most well polished and finished in my exeriences with the 3 distros. Kubuntu (imo) is a very close 2nd place, but since you're having install issues with Kubuntu, try openSUSE . Fedora, when I used it years back, was very nice and easy to use but I had issues with upgrades (granted, I was also a newer user at the time and had little experience with linux). I may install Fedora again just to get a feel for how it's matured though

I apologize for the length reply - but I hope I answered your questions and gave you some idea of what to expect of each.

Another option is to visit DistroWatch and view the *long* list of distros that are available and choose the ones that most fit what you're looking for. Or go to the DistroWatch Search to narrow down your options to what you want

No matter what you choose - have fun and come back and ask questions on any help you might need!

[satishn82]

Wow!! thanks guys...was fast...
Yea...I'm really intrested in tryin SUSE....as the screenshots and the reviews I read....made me realise that it looks beautiful!! One of the reviews even mentioned that the installer was so stunning that it could actually be compared to what apple does in terms of design....

I liked the screenshots too....

I've neva faced any installation problems with Kubuntu.....used it for a few days and I loved the KDE 4.1 interface.....
I tried installing GFXGrub so that I could get a pretty bootloader and my Grub got messed up!! It couldn't find the stage1 file which actually existed in the directory.....
I read many instructions on many forums and even though I followed them precisely, Grub didnt seem to work...
So finally I was forced to boot into Windows and restore the Windows bootloader and format the Linux partition.....
And here I stand again....like a kid who could only finish half of his ice cream...
So I thought of trying SUSE instead of Kubuntu....coz setting up Kubuntu initially is a bit of a pain as I gotta download lots of drivers and apps....I had set it right...but I wasn't able to recover it...no rescue disk or recovery console...(something which windows has)
I really wanna switch to Linux and I dont want to risk losing my data incase somethin terrible happens again....

So could u tell me if any of the three distros have a recovery console fo rescue the system in times of doom??

I didnt like the Ubuntu built in Gnome interface (Personal preference).N I kinda fell in love with KDE 4.1....

But then, when I saw SUSE's Gnome interface(screenshots)....I realised Gnome wasnt any far behind...wow..The menu n all looks really cool and like a real professionally built OS....or like u said 'Really polished" interface....

I too dont know much of Fedora....but have heard a lot about it....neva tried though....
Heard that we need to use a lot of command line to get various tasks done...and that would be a bit hard for me as its the begining...

Using Kubuntu for a week..somewhat made me familiar with a linux command line...

So SUSE it is.....isnt it???

[josolanes]

I recommend trying and seeing for yourself

There's only so much someone can say about a distro without becoming too opinionated about it (it's very easy to do, since they're often chosen on personal preference). Since they're free to use (other than the CD you'd burn, or your download usage), I'd recommend downloading each and installing them each to see which you like most.

How big is your harddrive? Maybe you can mutli-boot between Windows, openSUSE, Kubuntu, and Fedora so you can play with the different distros and get a feel for which you like and keep Windows installed so you have a "safe" place to go to when you're in an uncomfortable position or just need help

[elija]

The other thing to consider is that you can always customise the look - in most cases completely so don't be put off by the initial look. However; I think LinuxMint looks nice (though green) out of the box.

Multibooting might be a good solution though, it took me over a year to finally ditch Windows...

[rokytnji]

Just a alternative to what you are looking at so far.

Sabayon Screenshots | The Coding Studio - Linux, BSD, Solaris & Other OS Screenshots | The Leader in Linux, BSD, Solaris & Other OS Screenshots | Screen Shots of Linux Distributions, BSD, Solaris & Other OSes | Linux, BSD, Solaris & Other OS Screensh

[satishn82]

Ok....If I decide to dedicate 12GB for SUSE, should I create a 2GB swap partition(10+2 setup) for swap or can I create a swap file later? And which one is better?? A swap partition or a swap file??

[thorkelljarl]

A swap partition. Try making an installation dry run and see what the SUSE installer proposes for your system. If you open the items on the installation page you can see how different choices might make changes in partition allocations. It's a dry run until you say yes to install: pull the plug and it all disappears. I learned a lot about partitioning and partition tools by fooling around so I didn't have to fool around when it was important. A little patience might be required with shiny KDE 4.1. It's still new in the world. This is usefull if you don't have it. Multimedia - openSUSE-Community I like vlc; it plays about anything. Also, if you want Amarok with xine you have to remove xine-lib first. Held og lykke.

[Wakou]

Maybe the OP could try VMware (virtual machine), then he could open all of his choices from within a Windows environment, and try them out before re-partitioning etc etc