Thank you for the insight sir! I really appreciate it! DJ On Sun, Feb 2, 2020 at 9:36 PM Doug Reed <n0nas at amsat.org> wrote: > Hi Danny. > > Your question "What is the best Linux" can't be answered since it is > often personal preference. It is the same as asking what is the best > car, best TV show, or who is the best musician. Everyone will have a > different opinion. And it really does come down to opinion. > > Several people have asked what are you going to use the computer for? > I'll simply suggest that if you are looking for an alternative to > Windows 7 or Windows 10 and simply want the computer for web browsing, > email, maybe a few letters, and playing music or videos, then ANY of > the top six Linux versions on the Distrowatch.com web site will > probably install and run just fine and do everything you want. The > next 20 will probably work also.... > > I am still a NOOB with Linux. The above list of items is primarily > what I use the computer for. I chose Linux Mint starting with version > 17.1, then 18.0, and now 19.1, But I've played with multiple other > distributions and had good luck. I started using Linux on a daily > basis about the time Windows XP was killed off. I didn't want to > support Microsoft and keep buying new computers when my old one would > do everything I needed as long as I could get security updates. > > Instead of asking us for the "best" Linux, you can search for the same > phrase on Google and read a bunch of web pages, add in 2019 or 2020 if > you want the latest reviews. What you really want is reviews that will > rate the various distributions based on ease of use, features, and > target audience. Unless you are in the "guru" class, you probably > should avoid Gentoo Linux and Linux From Scratch. If all you want is a > simple replacement for Windows WITHOUT running your old Windows > software, then any of the first 5 or 10 Linux Distros on > Distrowatch.com will probably fill the bill. Personally, I like Linux > Mint, which is based on Ubuntu, which is based on Debian. But that is > just my opinion based on the way I use the computer and my opinion is > worth every cent you paid for it..., > > There are a few things you will want to be aware of. Again, they are > my just opinion. > > If your computer is too new, you may have problems simply because the > people writing drivers haven't caught up with the your hardware. You > can also have trouble with some laptops, or any computer, if the > manufacturer got too "frisky" using uncommon chips or using them in an > uncommon way. Usually that isn't a serious problem and a bit of > Googling will point you to a fix. But if you can't find an answer > after an hour or two of search, then download a different distro and > try that one.... I've had to do that multiple times when trying to > find a distro which works well on an old laptop or with a weird > BIOS.... > > You may want to choose several different distributions so you have an > option if the first one gives you problems. I think one of my more > common problems has been wanting to try a new distro but the bootable > DVD will not boot in my computer because of BIOS vs UEFI differences. > Most modern distros can also write to a USB stick and boot from there, > but that isn't anywhere near 100% either. > > Years ago, my most common problems were video, sound cards, WIFI, and > printers. The sound card and WIFI problems are pretty well solved. > Some people have trouble with their video card but I don't because my > video cards are simple and use very standard chips. But I can't say > the same for printers. That is still my usual problem with different > distros. If you have an HP laser printer, there will probably be no > trouble. A few years ago I had a Canon laser printer and it took > several months before I found the trick to make it print properly > without rebooting the computer after every print job. I'm now using a > Brother HL-L2300D laser printer because it was CHEAP. But I'm still > having trouble getting it to print long docs with graphics. Text > prints OK. Just be aware you may have trouble. > > I would suggest you start by reading a bunch of the "best Linux to > replace Windows" web sites. Then choose half a dozen distros and read > the reviews about them on Distrowatch. Then choose three of them and > download the ISO files and burn a bootable "live" DVD for each of > them. Then you can boot each one and play with them before you install > any of them. Test the major functions, networking, WIFI, sound, play a > video, and try the printer. Make notes about what you like and don't > like, then try the next one. Running from a DVD is SLOW, so ignore > that problem while testing the distros. > > It was said that defectors from the old Communist USSR used to have > breakdowns because they had so many choices to make every day of their > new life. Just the number of choices in the big-box stores or grocery > stores gave them trouble. Linux is similar. > > All Linux distros use the same basic software at the core of the > operating system. Beyond that it is choices and how you optimize the > extra pieces you pile on top. We choose to use some pre-configured > distribution that someone with more knowledge has put together for us. > We accept "his" choices so we don't have to figure out how to do it > ourselves. If you decide later that he left something out or you like > a different program than what he provided, you can add it to your > system from the "repository" of Linux programs that all distros > maintain. One benefit of trying many distros is that you get to see > some of the different software and might decide to add it to your > system later. > > One major "choice" I haven't mentioned yet is the choice of "window > manager". The window manager controls the screen and is what lets you > "point and click" to run a program or interact with your browser. > Microsoft Windows has a different window manager in every version of > the OS, but you don't get to choose, MS tells you what you get. Just > remember how the screen changed as you went from Windows 2000, to Win > XP, to Vista, then Win 7, 8, and now Win 10. I used Win 2000 for a > long time and it was better than Win NT4, I liked the Win XP screen a > lot, I can live with Win 7 and I hate Win 10, but I can't choose a > different window manager with MS. > > Linux goes the other route. There are maybe 4 or 5 major window > managers and at least a dozen minor versions. At minimum they all do > the same thing. The difference is in the extra features and the eye > candy they provide. The big two are KDE (Cinnamon) and Gnome (Mate). > They are considered "heavy" because they have a lot of extra features > and eye candy and take a bigger chunk of the CPU cycles to run. I > currently use Linux Mint with the Mate window manager on my dual core > 2.5GHz laptop. On a slower computer or one with 1GB of RAM or less, > I'd probably choose the XFCE window manager or one of the other "light > weight" window managers for older computers. Or if I wanted a bit more > "snap" in my window manager, I could still use any of the light weight > versions on the fastest computer made. > > My last comment will be regarding running your old Windows programs on > Linux. So far I haven't bothered because for most of what I want to > run I can find a free Linux program to do the same thing. The only > money I spend on software is when I make a donation to support a > program I like and use. But I'm not using Linux for heavy graphics or > video rendering or building a database for a Fortune 500 company. My > computer is just a hobby and daily requirement for life, but not how I > make a living.... > > If you do have some old Windows programs that you can't live without > and can't find a free alternative, then you can do your own research > and figure out how to make it work under Linux. But I'm not the one to > answer any questions on that subject.... But chances are pretty good > you can make it work... > > This should be enough to keep you going for a while. Once you choose a > few distros to try and if you still have problems installing the > distro of your choice, that will be the time to come back here with a > specific question and the guys (and gals) will try to help. > > Your last option is to try attending one of the local Linux group's > meetings. You can find some info at Penguins Unbound > <https://www.meetup.com/PenguinsUnbound/> and perhaps find something > in your area, or ask here on the TCLUG list. It used to be that > Penguins Unbound would schedule an "Installfest" at one of the spring > meetings where you could take your computer and get help and advice on > installing Linux, but I don't know if one is scheduled for this > spring. > > Good luck with your journey to Linux. > > Doug. > > -- > I vote the Second Amendment FIRST! > > The things they do not tell you are usually the clue to solving the > problem. > _______________________________________________ > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > tclug-list at mn-linux.org > http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list > -- Danny Johnson -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://mailman.mn-linux.org/pipermail/tclug-list/attachments/20200202/43592e89/attachment-0001.htm>