# the most user friendly distro



## ssk_the_gr8 (Jun 1, 2007)

ok guyz..i installed mandrake 8 on one of my old pcs & hated it..

so which linux distro is most user friendly....like windows 

it should be easy to configure peripherals like modems..etc & easy installation of softwares( without the use of command lines)

im new to linux...so plz help me out..i've used ubuntu live cd..it was good..& ive heard abt linuxmint being very noob friendly...

ps-i think windows has spoilt me

their is one more requirement it should automount the hard discs....or it should be easy to mount my sata hard discs


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## mayanks_098 (Jun 1, 2007)

try ubuntu 7.04 (fiesty fawn).
u can dpwnload/order free of cost from der site.


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## aryayush (Jun 1, 2007)

Mandriva.

Ubuntu.


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## mehulved (Jun 1, 2007)

You downloaded a very old version of Mandriva. Back then things were ofcourse lagging a lot behind. Linux has developed rapidly since then. Try out any recent distro with a larger community support, as most of them are geared towards making things easier for new users.
There are lots of distros falling in this category- Ubuntu, Mandriva, FC, PCLinuxOS, etc.


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## infra_red_dude (Jun 1, 2007)

noob friendly? try pclinuxos or mint 3.0.


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## zyberboy (Jun 1, 2007)

Which among these sabayon,PCLinuxOs,DreamLinux or LinuxMint are better for compu having 256/512mb ram??


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## infra_red_dude (Jun 1, 2007)

dreamlinux.... and believe me even if it uses xfce, it is as beautiful as ever and the lightest! it plays ur almost all the common audio formats/vcd/dvd etc. out of the box and its based on debian. try it... its really a beautiful distro!


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## saurabh.sauron (Jun 1, 2007)

Sabayon, Ubuntu are the most user-friendly distro's i have used. if u are usig for relatively lighter ones, ubuntu is better, coz Sabayon has high graphics.


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## aditya.shevade (Jun 1, 2007)

hm... Out of the ones that I have tried, Ubuntu is the most user friendly... But I will go with OpenSuSE 10.2....


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## NucleusKore (Jun 1, 2007)

Open SuSE for me


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## zyberboy (Jun 1, 2007)

@infra_red_dude
ok thx i will try dream Linux since i hav only 256mb ,and  some of my friends are asking for a linux distro they hav comu having 512ram ,will sabayon and pclinux  run fine .or shud i stick with dream linux...which one is easiest.


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## ~Phenom~ (Jun 1, 2007)

Ubuntu Rules....


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## Third Eye (Jun 1, 2007)

Ubuntu is the best


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## zyberboy (Jun 1, 2007)

But ubuntu is not for newbie


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## infra_red_dude (Jun 2, 2007)

well i'd say try out dreamlinux in a virtual machine first. its very light and my vote goes for it. 

also wid 512mb ram, ubuntu, sabayon will run fine, no probs. installing apps is slightly a different procudure in sabayon as its based on gentoo. u'll hafta install using the emerge command which compiles the package from sources. neither rpm nor deb packages will work. but i must say, it is so refined that its very easy!

secondly, i'd suggest mint, ubuntustudio or ubuntu ultimate for a noob who's bent on using ubuntu as it has almost all the codecs out of the box needed to play most common media formats. this way the noobies dun get a chance to complain that linux doesn't do this or that!


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## ~Phenom~ (Jun 2, 2007)

cyberboy_kerala said:
			
		

> But ubuntu is not for newbie


Why not ??? Ubuntu (especially 7.04) is one of the easiest Distro out there.


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## amitava82 (Jun 2, 2007)

Well if you want to use modem then Ubuntu will be a bit difficult because most dialup modems are not supported by Ubuntu.


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## ssk_the_gr8 (Jun 2, 2007)

mehulved said:
			
		

> You downloaded a very old version of Mandriva. Back then things were ofcourse lagging a lot behind. Linux has developed rapidly since then. Try out any recent distro with a larger community support, as most of them are geared towards making things easier for new users.
> There are lots of distros falling in this category- Ubuntu, Mandriva, FC, PCLinuxOS, etc.



i installed mandrake 8 cuz i found its old cd..which i recieved free with digit anniversary edition 2002


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## praka123 (Jun 2, 2007)

^ 5 yrs gone after that.

newbie distros for Windows Movers to Linux- Xandros,freespire,dreamlinux -all uses kde
and Ubuntu called Linux Mint(GNOME and kde versions there)
but U must understand that these distros carrying non-free items are actually may be in risk of some patent suits,legal problems like mp3 have  etc.
So try Ubuntu(GNOME),PClinux OS(kde) etc as for a newbie who are in sync with the principles of FOSS.


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## ssk_the_gr8 (Jun 2, 2007)

ssk_the_gr8 said:
			
		

> ok guyz..i installed mandrake 8 on one of my old pcs & hated it..
> 
> so which linux distro is most user friendly....like windows
> 
> ...


guys here r my requirements plz suggest 1 or maybe 2 distros...dont suggest 4-5...& i would luv it if the distro had a beautiful GUI like vista  but its not necessary....& the distro should be a single cd installation cuz i dont have a dvd writer


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## praka123 (Jun 2, 2007)

^ One answer go for Open SUSE KDE v10.2  eyecandy that is!


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## mehulved (Jun 2, 2007)

ssk_the_gr8 said:
			
		

> guys here r my requirements plz suggest 1 or maybe 2 distros...dont suggest 4-5...& i would luv it if the distro had a beautiful GUI like vista  but its not necessary....& the distro should be a single cd installation cuz i dont have a dvd writer


 sabayon. It has some really nice artwork and has been the official distro for beryl.



			
				praka123 said:
			
		

> but U must understand that these distros carrying non-free items are actually may be in risk of some patent suits,legal problems like mp3 have  etc.


 Not in India.


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## zyberboy (Jun 2, 2007)

@~Phenom~
Ubuntu has no root premission by default,u need to type 'Sudo mv' command even to install a  downloaded theme,
is the same for ubuntu studio and ultimate edn ??


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## praka123 (Jun 2, 2007)

same with all ubuntu's.though u can set root login and root passwd also easily.
in other distros(Debian,Suse etc) without default "sudo" u need to give either root passwd or from terminal login as "su" root passwd.which one is easy


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## ~Phenom~ (Jun 2, 2007)

@cyberboy , prakash said it on my behalf.


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## zyberboy (Jun 2, 2007)

What abt sabayon and pclinux os??Is there a linux distro with default admin rights


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## mehulved (Jun 2, 2007)

Why would anyone want to do such a stupid thing. There's only one distro which follows such stupid ways and that is linspire.


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## dissel (Jun 2, 2007)

I have a question,

Can PC Linux Receive update  time to time like Ubuntu,Suse ?


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## vish786 (Jun 2, 2007)

ssk_the_gr8 said:
			
		

> ok guyz..i installed mandrake 8 on one of my old pcs & hated it..
> 
> so which linux distro is most user friendly....like windows
> 
> ...


tat is the mistake u made mandrake 8 is great grand father now ... y didnt u install the latest mandriva... things have been made still easier in the latest versions... or u can go for Ubuntu also Gnome based


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## praka123 (Jun 2, 2007)

afaik it uses yum,right?
and i feel pclinux is giving a good competition for Ubuntu regarding popularity.just check *distrowatch.com results  `coz i love ubuntu and GNOME


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## vish786 (Jun 2, 2007)

praka123 said:
			
		

> afaik it uses yum,right?
> and i feel pclinux is giving a good competition for Ubuntu regarding popularity.just check *distrowatch.com results  `coz i love ubuntu and GNOME



those rating keep changing always... and dont much bother about the ratings few sites give... they are always wrong .  and pclinux is not yet that popular also... Fedora, Mandriva, OpenSuse, Ubuntu are most famous among the common users .


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## mehulved (Jun 2, 2007)

rather, distrowatch is considered as a good benchma


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## zyberboy (Jun 2, 2007)

mehulved said:
			
		

> Why would anyone want to do such a stupid thing. There's only one distro which follows such stupid ways and that is linspire.


Because i dont want to become a "su" in my own computer.


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## QwertyManiac (Jun 2, 2007)

Get Ubuntu. Uber friendliness and enough power. About Vista GUI, you wont believe how deep Linux goes with GUI goodies. Install and let us know so that we can help you set your eye candy up.


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## ssk_the_gr8 (Jun 2, 2007)

someone just plz answer my question by naming one distro...plz dont go offtopic



			
				QwertyManiac said:
			
		

> Get Ubuntu. Uber friendliness and enough power. About Vista GUI, you wont believe how deep Linux goes with GUI goodies. Install and let us know so that we can help you set your eye candy up.



have got ubunto 6.06 live cd ...used it & liked it...most probably i am goin to install ubuntu 7.04.(how much has it improved compared to 6.06) ..i'm just waitin for some more suggestons before i decide.


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## QwertyManiac (Jun 2, 2007)

Ubuntu 7.04 is way more easier than 6.06. It has automatic codecs installation, a restricted drivers manager thats as easy as ticking a checkbox and other things that makes the need of a terminal almost obsolete for silly tasks like multimedia and graphics.

What graphic card do you own?


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## ssk_the_gr8 (Jun 2, 2007)

QwertyManiac said:
			
		

> Ubuntu 7.04 is way more easier than 6.06. It has automatic codecs installation, a restricted drivers manager thats as easy as ticking a checkbox and other things that makes the need of a terminal almost obsolete for silly tasks like multimedia and graphics.
> 
> What graphic card do you own?



ati x200 & ati x700 (on my 2nd pc) ubuntu 6.06 detected x200.. what abt new software installations do i needto use the console or their is an installation process like all windows software


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## gxsaurav (Jun 2, 2007)

@ssk

The best method in Ubuntu is to connect to net & use the synaptic packet Manager


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## cynosure (Jun 3, 2007)

Try puppy linux. Its menu is a lot like that of windows. Similar to windows: thats what you wanted


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## QwertyManiac (Jun 3, 2007)

ssk_the_gr8 said:
			
		

> ati x200 & ati x700 (on my 2nd pc) ubuntu 6.06 detected x200.. what abt new software installations do i needto use the console or their is an installation process like all windows software



You can use Applications > Add/Remove Programs to access tons of software neatly categorized and documented. All you'd need is a running internet access. And then its much more easier than Windows since you dont have to press Next Next crap ..


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## praka123 (Jun 3, 2007)

^^ that is a nice feature.btwn U can try in menu System>administration>Synaptic pkg manager to judge available packages and install the wanted one.

what i think is any linux user at sometime needs to use command line.Linux CLI is much refined and easeto use than MS_DOS CLI which most windows users are afraid afaik I am referring bash shell.just some intro commands and apt+dpkg basics are needed for newbies.

Also is a lecture that "*.exe" is not for Linux is for DOS and windows.Many newbies are happy to think that Linux is another Windows.atleast that is my experiance.so  a good read is :
LINUX is NOT WINDOWS:
*linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm

*en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Windows_and_Linux

One stat I like looking at is wikipedia's Linux-adoption: 
*en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_adoption


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## ssk_the_gr8 (Jun 3, 2007)

praka123 said:
			
		

> Also is a lecture that "*.exe" is not for Linux is for DOS and windows.Many newbies are happy to think that Linux is another Windows.atleast that is my experiance.so  a good read is :
> *en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_adoption



hey i know that but i wanted to have ease of installation ...for softwares..


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## gxsaurav (Jun 3, 2007)

Hey, what about Slax. It was the most easiest Distro I ever used. Too bad it was a Live CD only distro.


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## Quiz_Master (Jun 3, 2007)

The most easiest Distro I used is Dyne;bolic.
You can install it on a fat32 partition too.


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## ssk_the_gr8 (Jun 6, 2007)

its most probably goin to be ubuntu......only if someone gives a good reason to change ...i will


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## aneesh kalra (Jun 6, 2007)

Yes  for me the the most user friendly distros are slax and dynebolic.Mount all your partitions and ready to go as soon as you run the live cd.


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## bhushan2k (Jun 6, 2007)

Ubuntu is the most user friendly. Fedora 7 is not user friendly than Ubuntu but it has excellent look like that login window etc. Anybody have tried suse? Which difference you observed between Open SuSE 10.2 and Novell SuSE 10? bcoz i had tried Novell suse.


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## Quiz_Master (Jun 6, 2007)

Fedora 7 is easy too.
Yesterday I checked that.
Yet to try Ubuntu.


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## praka123 (Jun 6, 2007)

slax and dynebolic-mounting windows partns dont make it the best distros.
For a newbie to computer,
Most user friendly distros may be his own choice,but for widnows movers to Linux,I'll say Ubuntu,the best in many ways.mainly for the apt-get package management.


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## mehulved (Jun 6, 2007)

bhushan05d251 said:
			
		

> Anybody have tried suse?


 lots of people.


			
				bhushan05d251 said:
			
		

> Which difference you observed between Open SuSE 10.2 and Novell SuSE 10? bcoz i had tried Novell suse.


SLED has support from Novell, if you pay for it.
SLED has less cutting edge software
Novell maintains a separate repository for SLED
Novell sends out emails to all SLED users about upgrades and updates that are available.
There will be more which I am not aware of.


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## aditya.shevade (Jun 7, 2007)

^^ You can get the mails regarding patches and updates even if you don't pay Novell. You just don't get primium updates (wonder what they might be).... 

:Off Topic: Bad times for me.. HP made me switch back to Windows, single boot on whole HDD, if they are to give H/W support...... And I need that support considering countless H/W replacements, I have had in a year...... Had it not been for that fact, SuSE was the best O.S. I have tried (exept for Mac OS).....


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## zyberboy (Jun 7, 2007)

ssk_the_gr8 said:
			
		

> its most probably goin to be ubuntu......only if someone gives a good reason to change ...i will



 Try PcLinuxOs best linux distro for windows users,
 creatianely  faster loading time than ubuntu,since it is based on kde more configurable than gnom deskstop (ubuntu).


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## ssk_the_gr8 (Jun 7, 2007)

i 'll try ubuntu & pclinuxos..thanx for the help guys


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## subratabera (Jun 7, 2007)

Well you can also try Linux Mint 3.0 (codename "Cassandra") which is a very user friendly and beautiful distro...

*linuxmint.com/pictures/screenshots/cassandra/6_small.png*linuxmint.com/pictures/screenshots/cassandra/7_small.png*linuxmint.com/pictures/screenshots/cassandra/8_small.png
*linuxmint.com/pictures/screenshots/cassandra/2_small.png*linuxmint.com/pictures/screenshots/cassandra/4_small.png*linuxmint.com/pictures/screenshots/cassandra/5_small.png

Its based on Ubuntu 7.04 and has everything installed by default...


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## Satissh S (Jun 9, 2007)

I came to post this  , depends on your defenition of user friendly.
For me user freindly means anything that doesn't choose for you, that doesn't interfere in your way and that doesn't go out of the way to perform even trivial tasks. 

I'am sure most of you will agree, Slackware is the _most_ userfriendly distribution out there.


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