Ubuntu is for beginers?

[fallstoofast]

My friend is claiming that Ubuntu is for beginners? I can't find any logical reasons to his claim but his claim is that Ubuntu is popular becuase "it is easier for [linux] noobs to handle."

So, how much truth is in that claim? XD

[Walc]

well
id advice u 2 do some reading first,so that u know the basics at least and the whole concept
livecd is a handy too

[Benbow]

Ubuntu is for beginners, intermediate users or advanced. If you start with Ubuntu you will get to know the system, possibly with the help of this forum, and progress accordingly.

[click4851]

for beginners? since all beginners to linux come with much different experience levels, I would say easier for beginners, not the easiest.

[haggus]

Well it is definitely easier than some distros . I can't say for sure it is for beginners because I basically became happy with debian flavored distros, so I never tried Suse or Mandriva etc. Although as a linux noob I found Ubuntu to be very accommodating for setup and the forum support is outstanding. If your willing to learn linux I would recommend Ubuntu.

[PeterJS]

Ubuntu does tend to focus on point and click ease of use above and beyond other distros. Add/Remove programs makes package management a breeze, has good descriptions of the packages and lots of icons, screenshots and other graphical bits. The restricted drivers manager makes using the ATI and nvidia drivers an absolute cake walk.

[joshrobinson]

ubuntu is for users of all levels, beginner to advanced hardcore users
the reasoning behind this is the amount of pre-packaged software, and its customization tools
it helps new users find out what drivers their devices need, and helps install them

the hardware support is great, although there are things not working out there

ive been using linux for over 6 years now, ive used all kinds of distro's
but why did i chose ubuntu?
the 6 month release cycle that corresponds to the 6 month gnome release cycle

ive ran other distro's that dont keep up on gnome packaging, making me compile new versions all the time

also ubuntu runs quick, other distro's seem bloated and slow (unless you start from scratch fine tuning everything from the start, but i dont have the time for that anymore)

[NightwishFan]

The restricted drivers manager is really nice for beginners.

[bodhi.zazen]

Well there are a number of things that make Ubuntu easier, from the installer to the forums.

If you disagree, well that is just fine with most of us. Try it for yourself, look at the Fedora or Gentoo or Arch Linux forums. Boot a few distros.

Other new user friendly distros include :

PCLinux OS, Mandriva, Debian, Mint, OpenSUSE, Wolvix, Sabayon, Fedora, Knoppix, Mepis, Zenwalk, Puppy, and Dream Linux.

My advice is you try them out and decide on which you prefer.

[Cifra]

Let me explain this with an advanced distro:

With Arch Linux, you have to be an advanced user to use it
With Ubuntu ,you don't have to be an advanced user to use it, but you still CAN be WHILE using it, because Arch and Ubuntu arebasically the same thing with different packages.

[LaRoza]

My friend is claiming that Ubuntu is for beginners? I can't find any logical reasons to his claim but his claim is that Ubuntu is popular becuase "it is easier for [linux] noobs to handle."

So, how much truth is in that claim? XD

It is 90% true (just an SWAG)

Ubuntu is easy to install, good with most hardware, and is completely free. However, it doesn't come with Flash, Java, or many codecs. They are easy to install, but can confuse new users.

If I would have to give a ranking of "easiest" distros, I would have to put OpenSUSE first. That is the only distro I can a new user from the Windows world installing and using as it is with the least problems.

[will1911a1]

It's a beginner friendly distro that's for sure, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's ONLY for beginners.

I think there's a lot to like with Ubuntu regardless of your familiarity with Linux.

[heartburnkid]

I'll never understand why some people think user-friendliness is a bad thing.

[jazzman65]

I was absolutely a beginner when I first tried Ubuntu about a year ago, but as others have pointed out, it really is an OS for all experience levels. I know I've learned a lot over the past year with 3 different Ubuntu versions. These forums are a tremendous asset for figuring things out. For me, that's been a big part of the fun and experience!

[dashnak]

I would say that yes, it is geared towards beginners, although by no means unusable by advanced users.

[LaRoza]

I'll never understand why some people think user-friendliness is a bad thing.

Often times there are sacrifices made to make things easy. Making something too "user friendly" means "not flexible". There has to be a balance of simple options and enough options. Ubuntu does this very well, with the live installer, and the alt disk.

I always use text installers if I can. OpenSUSE (at least, the disk I had) had no such option and I wasn't happy with its install as I felt it was too restrictive.

[cardinals_fan]

I always use text installers if I can.
+1

Ncurses is the best!

[Saint Angeles]

windows and mac are for beginners...

linux comes in all flavors for all kinds of people. i started with kubuntu, tried gentoo, mepis, debian, then stuck with ubuntu.

i like an OS that works well.

[dgoodma]

In my view, Mint is better for new users, but the Ubuntu forums are better for getting help.

[wolfen69]

Other new user friendly distros include :

PCLinux OS, Mandriva, Debian, Mint, OpenSUSE, Wolvix, Sabayon, Fedora, Knoppix, Mepis, Zenwalk, Puppy, and Dream Linux.



im not sure i would include debian in that lot. sure, the install is quite easy, but after that i would like to see a newb mount drives by hand, and install codecs. just to name a couple of things. there are no "hold your hand" type things in debian, like ubuntu has.