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Looking for a linux distro

post #1 of 32
11/6/12 at 12:00pm
Thread Starter 
I am getting out of gaming on my PC and no longer need windows. My computer will mainly be used for watching movies, torrents, editing video and photos, and surfing the web. I have installed ubuntu on my computer a couple of times in the past but just went back to windows after a short period of time (day or 2).

Which distro do you recommend? I would like it to be compatible with my components in my computer.
I like it
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I like it
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post #2 of 32
11/6/12 at 12:28pm
Fedora or Mint is what I would recommend to you.
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Luna (The Lunar Frigate)
(17 items)
 
Ford Mustang GT (Lenovo W700)
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The shooter that cannot be touched
BATTLEFIELD 1942 WWII ANTHOLOGY
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i7-2700k AsRock Z77 M-ATX ASUS GTX 570 GSkill16GB (2 x 8GB) 
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Linux Mint 13 Maya Corsair 600 watt Builder series ENERMAX Staray Logitech MX310 
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post #3 of 32
11/6/12 at 12:37pm
Which distribution you use doesn't really matter as they can all be made to behave in exactly the same way. It's just a matter of how much stuff is packed onto the installation disc and which package management technique is used(although even that can be changed if you know what you're doing). If you need help choosing a distribution, check DistroWatch, or try one of the "distribution choosers"( http://www.linux-chooser.com/ http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/ http://distrogue.awardspace.com/ ). In my opinion, the first of the "distro choosers" that I linked to gives the best results.
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post #4 of 32
11/6/12 at 12:39pm
another vote for mint
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post #5 of 32
11/6/12 at 12:44pm
  • Ironman517
  • I don't understand the point of brand favoritism.
You have to give it more than 2 days for a NEW OS, You have to be willing to learn the OS. Otherwise you will just be looking for a Windows clone, which will not happen...

I would go with linux mint or even ubuntu again and stick with it. I use XBMC for watching movies and ktorrent for torrents.
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post #6 of 32
11/6/12 at 2:27pm
  • Shrak
  • (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paratrooper1n0 View Post

Fedora or Mint is what I would recommend to you.

I honestly wouldn't recommend Fedora as for the predominately FOSS nature can make installing drivers a pain for new users who don't want to learn. At least if you're running hardware that requires 3rd party / closed drivers such as broadcom wireless chips which are wildly popular with OEM's these days.

Linux Mint Debian Edition or Ubuntu would be my recommendations as they'll make drivers a cinch ( more so with Mint as it includes them, while Ubuntu allows you to install them but doesn't provide them from the get go ).

And I agree with Ironman, you'll have to allow yourself more time than just a day or two to get used to the new operating system. You don't just download Photoshop and automatically become a pro at it, same goes for an OS, you have to give yourself time to adjust to the way things are done, where they are located, and what programs you'll need for suitable Windows counterpart replacement.
Edited by Shrak - 11/6/12 at 2:30pm
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post #7 of 32
11/6/12 at 2:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shrak View Post

Quote:
Originally Posted by Paratrooper1n0 View Post

Fedora or Mint is what I would recommend to you.

I honestly wouldn't recommend Fedora as for the predominately FOSS nature can make installing drivers a pain for new users who don't want to learn. At least if you're running hardware that requires 3rd party / closed drivers such as broadcom wireless chips which are wildly popular with OEM's these days.

Linux Mint Debian Edition or Ubuntu would be my recommendations as they'll make drivers a cinch ( more so with Mint as it includes them, while Ubuntu allows you to install them but doesn't provide them from the get go ).

And I agree with Ironman, you'll have to allow yourself more time than just a day or two to get used to the new operating system. You don't just download Photoshop and automatically become a pro at it, same goes for an OS, you have to give yourself time to adjust to the way things are done, where they are located, and what programs you'll need for suitable Windows counterpart replacement.

Thank you for bring that to my attention.
Luna (The Lunar Frigate)
(17 items)
 
Ford Mustang GT (Lenovo W700)
(13 items)
 
The shooter that cannot be touched
BATTLEFIELD 1942 WWII ANTHOLOGY
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
i7-2700k AsRock Z77 M-ATX ASUS GTX 570 GSkill16GB (2 x 8GB) 
Hard DriveOptical DriveCoolingOS
Seagate 500GB 7200RPM HDD ASUS DVD Burner Phanteks PH-TC12DX in Blue Windows 7 64bit 
OSPowerCaseMouse
Linux Mint 13 Maya Corsair 600 watt Builder series ENERMAX Staray Logitech MX310 
Mouse PadAudioOther
Cloth mousepad Integrated AFT XM5U Media Card Reader 
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107 Rubber Dome keyboard + MS keyboard Lenovo 170 watt brick Laptop Nub + Trackpad, USB logitec mouse 
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N/A 
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Luna (The Lunar Frigate)
(17 items)
 
Ford Mustang GT (Lenovo W700)
(13 items)
 
The shooter that cannot be touched
BATTLEFIELD 1942 WWII ANTHOLOGY
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
i7-2700k AsRock Z77 M-ATX ASUS GTX 570 GSkill16GB (2 x 8GB) 
Hard DriveOptical DriveCoolingOS
Seagate 500GB 7200RPM HDD ASUS DVD Burner Phanteks PH-TC12DX in Blue Windows 7 64bit 
OSPowerCaseMouse
Linux Mint 13 Maya Corsair 600 watt Builder series ENERMAX Staray Logitech MX310 
Mouse PadAudioOther
Cloth mousepad Integrated AFT XM5U Media Card Reader 
View all
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
Core 2 Duo 2.8GHz dual core Lenovo 27584SU PM45 Quadro FX2700M 6GB DDR3 
Hard DriveOptical DriveOSMonitor
2x 160GB DVD Burner Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit 17" Anti-Glare 16:10 1920x1200 + 17' HP 1440x900 
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107 Rubber Dome keyboard + MS keyboard Lenovo 170 watt brick Laptop Nub + Trackpad, USB logitec mouse 
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post #8 of 32
11/6/12 at 5:48pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shrak View Post

Quote:
Originally Posted by Paratrooper1n0 View Post

Fedora or Mint is what I would recommend to you.

I honestly wouldn't recommend Fedora as for the predominately FOSS nature can make installing drivers a pain for new users who don't want to learn. At least if you're running hardware that requires 3rd party / closed drivers such as broadcom wireless chips which are wildly popular with OEM's these days.

Linux Mint Debian Edition or Ubuntu would be my recommendations as they'll make drivers a cinch ( more so with Mint as it includes them, while Ubuntu allows you to install them but doesn't provide them from the get go ).

And I agree with Ironman, you'll have to allow yourself more time than just a day or two to get used to the new operating system. You don't just download Photoshop and automatically become a pro at it, same goes for an OS, you have to give yourself time to adjust to the way things are done, where they are located, and what programs you'll need for suitable Windows counterpart replacement.

fedora actually makes exceptions on most drivers (my wifi works out of the box on fedora, not debian) but for things like video codacs and the likes, debian includes alot more

another vote for LMDE
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post #9 of 32
11/7/12 at 1:50am
For use as a desktop OS to replace windows I've been very happy with LMDE so far. I started back into Linux/UNIX with FreeBSD and switched to LMDE 10 days ago and I'm really enjoying it. I might try Arch at some point but for now for a Windows Alt for a daily use comp I'm pretty happy with LMDE. For me everything worked fine right out of the gate which has made the change over easier. Prior to changing over from BSD to Mint I spent more time in windows. I've stopped gaming since the jump to Mint to spend more time in Linux. At 10 days in with a very user friendly distro I'm not planning on keeping windows for anything outside of my gaming habit. Just my 2cents.gif for what it's worth.
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post #10 of 32
11/7/12 at 5:23am
If you don't want to dig too deep.

Ubuntu or Fedora.
Subjugate the Weak
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