I need help my distro hoping is out of control

[andamaru]

I just need some tips from people who have over come this.

I'm installing Kubuntu 8.10 right now, cause it's the one I tend to stay on the longest. This is getting annoying, some days I would install 3 different distro in the course of 5 hours.

[dragos240]

I just need some tips from people who have over come this.

I'm installing Kubuntu 8.10 right now, cause it's the one I tend to stay on the longest. This is getting annoying, some days I would install 3 different distro in the course of 5 hours.


Elaboration would be great! Do you have to reinstall it often?

[hyperdude111]

I stopped distro hopping when I actually used the OS and didn't just look at it.

I stuck with .buntu because of the large repos the .deb package and the community.

I think dual boots also helped, if I had 4 Os's at one time I only really used the one I prefered then eventually i removed the partitions and settled down.

[andamaru]

Elaboration would be great! Do you have to reinstall it often?

I keep installing different OS. For example, today I install Arch Linux, then installed OpenSUSE, now I'm burning a copy of Ubuntu. This all happened today.


I stopped distro hopping when I actually used the OS and didn't just look at it.

I stuck with .buntu because of the large repos the .deb package and the community.

I think dual boots also helped, if I had 4 Os's at one time I only really used the one I prefered then eventually i removed the partitions and settled down.

I was doing, which lead me to Ubuntu being my favorite

[dragos240]

My seggestion. Do ubuntu, once you can navigate the terminal with your eyes closed (metaphorically of course.) then switch to arch, you will NEVER look back.

[Greg]

I stopped distro-hopping when I tried Arch. It just got to the point of 'this is what I'm looking for'- I was able to make whatever I wanted of it. It also helped once I got a computer powerful enough to virtualize a few OS's at once.

I think that things like Arch, Gentoo, Debian Netinst, and the like, where you get to build your system, are distro stoppers because what you have in front of you is YOURS. Built the way you think a desktop should be built, not starting from the image of someone else.

[sefs]

Install windows 3.1, OS2 Warp, or Desqview. That should keep you busy for a couple of weeks.

[swoll1980]

Once I realized they were all pretty much exactly the same, it was easy to stop.

[andamaru]

My seggestion. Do ubuntu, once you can navigate the terminal with your eyes closed (metaphorically of course.) then switch to arch, you will NEVER look back.

I spent the start of my Linux life with Slackware, I can already navigate the terminal.

[andamaru]

Install windows 3.1, OS2 Warp, or Desqview. That should keep you busy for a couple of weeks.

I already used Windows 3.1 and OS2 Warp. OS2 Warp version 3, I couldn't find a copy of 4. I really don't have a life

[Hogosha]

i just customized one to the point that i shuttered at the idea of having to do it again so i have been using ubuntu ever since.

[exploder]

I stopped distro hopping when I started using LinuxMint. If I want to check out other distros, I try them in VirtualBox. LinuxMint and Ubuntu are good choices for your main OS because you do not have to spend all of your time fixing them. You will come to the point where you will not want to fix things all of the time and just want things to work.

[dragos240]

I spent the start of my Linux life with Slackware, I can already navigate the terminal.

Install arch.

[andamaru]

Install arch.

I would, but I don't like the random breaks that happens. I need my laptop for school (Computer Programming) so my laptop breaking because of an update isn't an option.

I think I'll just stick it out with Kubuntu, thanks for all the help people

[Greg]

I think I will, that should keep me busy

Wait- don't just install Arch, configure it. And don't just run to the comfort of Gnome/KDE/XFCE- play with some other WMs too. That should keep you busy.

[dragos240]

I would, but I don't like the random breaks that happens. I need my laptop for school (Computer Programming) so my laptop breaking because of an update isn't an option.

I think I'll just stick it out with Kubuntu, thanks for all the help people


What?

[andamaru]

Wait- don't just install Arch, configure it. And don't just run to the comfort of Gnome/KDE/XFCE- play with some other WMs too. That should keep you busy.

I changed my post before you posted that, I only have one computer and I use that for school. I'm in my final year of my programming degree, and I need a machine to run my system. I'm just going to make two partitions on my laptop.

[andamaru]

What?

I would use out of date repo and I would have to wait a few hours for everything to sync up. It was really minor

[chucky chuckaluck]

change your wallpaper every ten minutes, instead. you can still be productive during the times when you're not being unproductive.

[Regenweald]

When you have the time, rather than distro hop, architecture hop. Linux is Linux. if you are a slackware user you can take any linux distro and turn it into anything you want.
Only other systems i'll try out once i get the time are Foresight: because of the conary package manager, BSD: because of its systematic design and documentation and OpenSolaris: UNIX based and it is very well designed.

[Stan_1936]

Once I realized they were all pretty much exactly the same, it was easy to stop.

Haha! Well said, good sir!:)

[andamaru]

I'm in the process of downloading Arch Linux, thanks for the help everyone

[kk0sse54]

I had the same problem. I started using linux with Ubuntu and within a few weeks I began distro hopping like a mad man. For almost a year this savage cycle took hold of my life until I found semi stability in Gentoo. Eventually I started jumping around again until I found FreeBSD which I've been using almost exclusively since April without any desire for change.

Eventually you'll either get tired of constantly distro hopping or find the OS of your dreams. Either way it happens to almost everyone, so good luck :)

[nmccrina]

I was the same way. Exactly the same. The secret is realizing that all OS's suck. Just find one that seems to like you and roll with it. You can do anything you want with any Linux distribution. :popcorn:

[cmay]

I used to distro hop a lot but then i started wondering if i really wanted to use linux or if i was going to give up and then start using windows again. i reinstalled xp for a short two hours but it did teach me that all distro hopping suggests is that one is not satisified wiht one got.

i learned also to check out all other options and thus i tried BSD and solaris and i finnaly just made a decision to stick wiht ubuntu for various reasons. i am a debian user and has been for some time. so i have a debian install on one of my computers. i also like open solaris so i also have one install standing.

i dont do distro hopping no more . i just switch between the systems i found and i like and try to make room for as many old PC as i can so that i can use the operative systems i find worth my time to play wiht. if i should narrow it down to one system only i guess for the sake of simplicity i would have to use ubuntu but all in all i would prefer to have debian.

its just that i am very dependant on ease of use and installation wiht out internet connection in case somethings goes wrong and i need to do resinstall while on the hospital. and i found ubuntu to be the exact OS for that need to be forfilled.

[Twitch6000]

When I tried the newest OpenSuse I stopped distro hopping.

Ofcourse i still have a test partition for those sudden urges >.>.

[nmccrina]

When I tried the newest OpenSuse I stopped distro hopping.

Ofcourse i still have a test partition for those sudden urges >.>.

Whoa, that is strange! I ended my distro-hopping with OpenSuse as well. The funny thing is, I'm not even sure why. I can't point to anything about it that I like "better" than Ubuntu or Fedora. It was kind of random.

[lisati]

I'm an occasional hopper too.

My old desktop has had Win98SE, Puppy Linux, a couple of different versions of Red Hat (courtesy of disks included with Library books) and Freedos, all in the space of the last 6 months or so.

My other desktop came with XP, has had Ubuntu 7.04 dual-booted with XP, has had Ubuntu Studio 9.04 on its own, and currently has Ubuntu Studio 9.04 dual-booting with a copy XP that needs de-junking. It even had Open Solaris on it for a short while......

When will we ever settle down and decide what we really want on our systems?

[MikeTheC]

@ OP: *psssst* Hey man... you got a couple kilos o' Linux on ya I could score real quick?

[nmccrina]

@ OP: *psssst* Hey man... you got a couple kilos o' Linux on ya I could score real quick?

:lolflag::lolflag::lolflag::lolflag::lolflag:

[andamaru]

I had the same problem. I started using linux with Ubuntu and within a few weeks I began distro hopping like a mad man. For almost a year this savage cycle took hold of my life until I found semi stability in Gentoo. Eventually I started jumping around again until I found FreeBSD which I've been using almost exclusively since April without any desire for change.

Eventually you'll either get tired of constantly distro hopping or find the OS of your dreams. Either way it happens to almost everyone, so good luck :)

I just hope my time will come, I've been like this for 1.5 years

[Frak]

Once I realized they were all pretty much exactly the same, it was easy to stop.
Same

[stinger30au]

i think most of us have distro hopped for a while

i have done it a few months ago and tried a number of different linux os
the one i really liked other then ubuntu, was mandriva

mandriva is damn good, the thing i really like the most and the bit i wish most for to happen to ubnut live cds is the ability to use compiz off the live cd to make sure it all works *BEFORE* install

http://www2.mandriva.com/

if i wasnt using ubuntu, i would be using mandriva

[chucky chuckaluck]

The secret is realizing that all OS's suck.

exactly! go outside and rule the world.

[Frak]

The secret is realizing that all OS's suck.

Every OS sucks (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d85p7JZXNy8) (SFW)

[days_of_ruin]

My seggestion. Do ubuntu, once you can navigate the terminal with your eyes closed (metaphorically of course.) then switch to arch, you will NEVER look back.

The first page and you already Archwin'd the thread.:lolflag:

[Regenweald]

You know what ? i have actually never hopped, I've tried a bunch of Live cd's! but never hopped. In my case i did a bunch of research, saw that the 'faster' distros were faster in tasks that don't hold much weight with me anyways and in the tasks that they did, it wasn't considerable enough to warrant the entire installation and configuration. That and the fact that all the packages are the same. so you get KDE an ENTIRE 2 days before the rest of us, huge whoop. Faster packaging does not impress me, and that is about the biggest difference among the distros. Everything else is subjective :)

Like i said. i'll architecture hop. linux is linux is linux.

[andamaru]

exactly! go outside and rule the world.

What is this outside thing you speak of?

[K.L.]

I was hopping through every major Linux distro with every new release, but kept coming back to Ubuntu. I did this for 8-9 months :D Then I've decided to try out Arch, because I was experienced enough (finally) with terminal and stuff. Well, I'm running Arch for about 2 weeks and everything is perfect, finally my desktop is just what I like it to be.

Everyone's needs are different, it takes some time until you find YOUR distro, but you need to know what you are looking for :p

[hanzomon4]

Gentoo

[markbuntu]

Distro hopping is why I have 4 hard drives and 6 chainloader +1 lines in my MBR grub. That makes it really easy. I can just leave the MBR grub alone and install in one of the existing partitions that a chainloader is aimed at.

Plus I use USB sticks and unetbootin which is faster and easier than burning cds and less wasteful.

Hmmm.... currently i have hardy386 and hardy ubuntustudio amd64 which are permanent and then Debian5 and SUSE11.1 and Jaunty and Mandriva and was going to try fedora but the installer was a pain so I skipped that.

On my old machine I have Intrepid which I am going to replace with a server sometime...since I am using its monitor on the other machine.

Try gettiing 2 gpus with three monitors to work on 5 different distros if you want a challenge.

On my netbook I had mandriva and suse but got rid of them when I found kuki which is a jaunty remix for the aspire one. I really like kuki so will probably not change that for a long while. They are getting ready to release kuki 3.0 which will have the 2.6.31 kernel which I am already using.

PS I liked OS2 Warp.

[PilotJLR]

Just use whatever is stable and familiar for you; it sounds like that would be Kubuntu.

Then install Sun Virtualbox and run every distro you want as a VM.

[bodhi.zazen]

Some people distro hop in the beginning weeks / months / years . sometimes it is looking for a distro to support hardware.

Sometimes distro hopping is detrimental though. Some people distro hop without learning anything about the OS and what is under the GUI they just installed.

If that is the case, select one distro and stay with it for 3-6 months. Then move on.

After a while you will see that 85-90 % is the same across distros.

If distro hoping is not limiting your learning, then IMO it is not really a problem.