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Thread: Ubuntu and other distros

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
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    Ubuntu and other distros

    I find myself at a crossroads in linux.

    I need to format my other computer (my laptop). Now if you asked me a week ago what distro I was gonna put on it it'd be ubuntu hands down - unless I decided to go xubuntu with the gnome desktop package.

    Now I'm kinda weary, ubuntu's good 'n all. Though my friend's using Gentoo - now obviously Gentoo is much too far out of my league, but he's trying to shove Sabayon down my throat. Then I got another friend telling me I should use SUSE.

    Now I used SUSE awhile ago and it was fine, my other friend has Sabayon installed and it doesn't look much diff from Ubuntu.

    So which distro should I go with?

    I do realize that this is an ubuntu forum therefore most people would be partial to Ubuntu. The guy that's saying to go Sabayon says Ubuntu tries to do too much **** for you then when you want to do something you have to fight it, plus he says it has a lot of issues that other distros just don't have - but it's good never-the-less.

    What's the difference in overall between Sabayon and Ubuntu? I realize one's Gentoo based and the other's Debian based - but what's that mean? I mean like - I realize what it means - but what does it mean in terms of Usage? And is SUSE anything good but a fileserver?
    I don't believe in bad operating systems, simply that certain operating systems are better at doing certain things.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
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    Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon

    Re: Ubuntu and other distros

    Build you're computer and install (hardy by that time) again.
    Questions can be asked and will be answered right here.
    As for the distro's you mentioned they are all good in there own way but most important is you use the dist you like and not the one somebody else wants you to use.

    Good luck !
    Once you're over the hill
    you're gonna pick up speed

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
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    Ubuntu Jaunty Jackalope (testing)

    Re: Ubuntu and other distros

    I've never really understood the argument that other distro's users make when they say "ubuntu tries to do everything for you." Yes, it does the simple things for you... setting up hardware, configuring networks, installing restricted software. Oftentimes these other distro's users will say that, but then go on to say they don't like Ubuntu because of a lack of gui configuration tools and it forces you to use the command line often... so this argument doesn't really make sense. There is nothing you can't do with Ubuntu that you can't do with any other Linux distro, and if anything Ubuntu encourages you to be comfortable with the command line much more so than some other distro's... particularly Suse.

    As far as Gentoo... eh, it's really a novelty distro. The speed difference it offers is minimal. Compiling every package from source can be annoying, and doing this doesn't really teach you anything. Anyone on any distro can compile something from source, and learning how to use make really isn't all that useful. Installing Gentoo is a project and it does -show- you some thing that happen behind the scenes in a normal Linux GUI installation, but you don't really "learn" anything from doing this since you'd just download and follow some instructions.

    All in all, when it comes down to it Linux is Linux, regardless of the distro. There is one very significant difference between Ubuntu and the rest of them, though, and that's the community. This is the most helpful community you will ever encounter in the Linux world. That's one of the main reasons I use Ubuntu, personally. I've used Linux for 10+ years, and it always bothered me that Linux users have had a history of being arrogant and elitist and incredibly unhelpful. Ubuntu has tried to strip Linux of that stereotype of it's users, and it's done an incredible job of doing so. I've tried the other distros that are out right now, and I always end up coming back to Ubuntu just to be part of this great community of people.

    But, Linux is all about choice. You can pick a distro today, and change your mind tomorrow, and change it again the next day. Try them all out, figure out which one you like personally, and there you go.

  4. #4
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    Kubuntu Development Release

    Re: Ubuntu and other distros

    Bah, install them all (multiboot), try 'em out. Check out the various forums.

    Then, choose the one you like. Stay with the one you like most and learn it inside and out.

    Other then personal preference is is hard to say any of the major distors is clearly superior to the others. No distro has a better community then Ubuntu though.
    There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth...not going all the way, and not starting.
    --Prince Gautama Siddharta

    #ubuntuforums web interface

  5. #5
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    Re: Ubuntu and other distros

    what everybody else said. Once you get past the desktop they are all pretty much the same. Yeah some of the use different installers and some of them have a little different structure to the file system, but past that they're all Linux. Just pick the one you like. One thing for certain, you'll get good at installing/uninstalling them. There are plenty of them.

  6. #6
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    Ubuntu

    Re: Ubuntu and other distros

    I understand what you all are saying.

    My bsaic thing is like, obviously I'm not good with linux knowledge, to me - debian based, gentoo based...*shrugs*

    What can gentoo do that debian can't? Or vice versa? The main thing I was wondering was Sabayon vs. Ubuntu Or which one is more stable? Or which one is better for X activity?
    I don't believe in bad operating systems, simply that certain operating systems are better at doing certain things.

  7. #7
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    Re: Ubuntu and other distros

    *Bump, any more opinions?
    I don't believe in bad operating systems, simply that certain operating systems are better at doing certain things.

  8. #8
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    Re: Ubuntu and other distros

    You're asking a lot of questions.. a little too much for one thread I guess.
    There are 350+ distro's out there.. see distrowatch.com for examples.

    You really need to try, just burn a bunch of liveCD's and see for yourself. They all are made to do the same thing.. so there isn't one better for X or whatever.. they're all the same OS in the end, just using there own tools and methods to get the job done.

  9. #9
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    Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin

    Re: Ubuntu and other distros

    Quote Originally Posted by Syndacate View Post
    My bsaic thing is like, obviously I'm not good with linux knowledge, to me - debian based, gentoo based...*shrugs*
    Honestly - if you already use Ubuntu, and "understand" it, it would save a lot of hassle to just use it again.

    Using a different distro might be interesting, but if you are not particularly into meddling with your computer, and would prefer to just use it to accomplish tasks, better the devil you know is a good approach.

    My brother is a Gentoo user. He likes the fact that his packages tend to be more up-to-date, that he has compiled his kernel with personalised settings and drivers. I like the fact that Ubuntu installed automatically with all the drivers for my various devices. His installation to get Gnome and Firefox on a Gentoo base took a good 5 hours+ of compilation time. Mine took 25 minutes. But his system is apparently faster. I can't tell the difference though.

    It's all about personal preference.

  10. #10
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    Re: Ubuntu and other distros

    Quote Originally Posted by kellemes View Post
    You're asking a lot of questions.. a little too much for one thread I guess.
    There are 350+ distro's out there.. see distrowatch.com for examples.

    You really need to try, just burn a bunch of liveCD's and see for yourself. They all are made to do the same thing.. so there isn't one better for X or whatever.. they're all the same OS in the end, just using there own tools and methods to get the job done.
    This pretty much what I did. Try the live cd's and see what you and your computer's hardware like. I prefer Debian/Ubuntu/Linux Mint myself.

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