most confusing linux distro

[mmsmc]

this post is not meant to bash other distros, but i hear people say that Linux is for noobs, i was wondering, in your guys views, what is the most difficult distro you have ever used?

[jerenept]

this post is not meant to bash other distros, but i hear people say that Linux is for noobs, i was wondering, in your guys views, what is the most difficult distro you have ever used? L1nux is 4 n00bz? S1nc3 wh3n? :P

Gentoo, is the most confusing i've used, although I hear LFS is not for the faint of heart.

[mmsmc]

ive gotta try the lfs, looks fun, ive heard backtrack can be annoying to get started with

[wojox]

ive gotta try the lfs, looks fun, ive heard backtrack can be annoying to get started with

BT is actually quite simple, since it's Ubuntu 8.10 with KDE.

Gentoo for me as well. You do it the old fashion way and compile everything yourself. It's like whatching wet paint dry. Then in the end your like, is that it?

[jerenept]

BT is actually quite simple, since it's Ubuntu 8.10 with KDE.

Gentoo for me as well. You do it the old fashion way and compile everything yourself. It's like whatching wet paint dry. Then in the end your like, is that it?

VANILLA GNOME? PITA TO INSTALL NVIDIA DRIVERS? I COMPILED FOR 2 DAYS!!!!11111!!1 ](*,) ](*,) ](*,) :p it was illuminating, though.

[wormyblackburny]

Wait..... there are versions of Linux that AREN'T confusing in some way?

[wojox]

VANILLA GNOME? PITA TO INSTALL NVIDIA DRIVERS? I COMPILED FOR 2 DAYS!!!!11111!!1 ](*,) ](*,) ](*,) :p it was illuminating, though.

I feel your pain my friend. :P

[mmsmc]

this is great, now i will have something to take up my time in the summer :) keep em coming

[uRock]

BackTrack was the biggest pain for me, as well.

[Lucradia]

Wait..... there are versions of Linux that AREN'T confusing in some way?

I lol'd, since we're on the ubuntu forums.

[Lightstar]

VANILLA GNOME? PITA TO INSTALL NVIDIA DRIVERS? I COMPILED FOR 2 DAYS!!!!11111!!1 ](*,) ](*,) ](*,) :p it was illuminating, though.

BAHAHAAHA!
It took me like a week to have a full system running.
Yeah compiling and doing everything from terminal was brutal, even using the terminal web browser to read instructions. That was the hardest moment in my linux life.

Next time I decide to do that, I'm doing it when I have another computer so I can easily multitask while I wait.

Keep in mind the week-long was not just compiling and I have full time job and other things.

One can learn alot by going gentoo.

Had it working for a week, then switched back to ubuntu. It was like going on vacation on a beach, so easy and pleasant.

[mmsmc]

any non-ubuntu confusing linux os's, or are we the windows of linux(dominating the market of course)

[Lucradia]

any non-ubuntu confusing linux os's, or are we the windows of linux(dominating the market of course)

Anybody who hasn't tried arch, should try it. Vanilla arch. No spins, no pre-compiled junk.

[3Miro]

Anybody who hasn't tried arch, should try it. Vanilla arch. No spins, no pre-compiled junk.

What are you talking about? Arch is all pre-compiled.

I have tried two source distributions, Gentoo and Lunar. Of the two, Gentoo was definitely more convoluted (although it also comes with more options).

LFS is not really a distribution, you make your own distribution. It is the hardest thing, it is great to learn, but if you want something practical, you will need a team. Getting LFS to something practical is not a one person project.

For most confusing distro, I would vote Gentoo.

[marl30]

DSL (Damn Small Linux). I couldn't even figure out how to install it.

[jeffathehutt]

My vote goes to Gentoo as well, though I personally think Gentoo is more frustrating than confusing. I don't like to wait days for a huge program to compile, only to find out I left out some option I really needed and then have to recompile the entire program again.

Many people find arch confusing, but I don't find it to be confusing at all, really. Once you use it for a day everything becomes so easy, and it is mostly transparent so you always know how to fix it when a problem comes up. :)

[SE7EN-LOCSTA]

it depends on your skill level. when i loaded ubuntu for the first time, i was like wow. it sat there for over a month, for me to 'have the time to learn it'. after getting into it, i dont think its super difficult, until i try to do something new on it or have a problem. then its back to being complicated.

as far as backtrack. i loaded that one up, and had to boot back into windows. all i had was a command prompt. no clue what to do. after googling and finding 'startx' me and backtrack get along swell--- as long as i have my 'cheat sheet' open :)

[Spike-X]

Ubuntu Chinese Edition.

[Spice Weasel]

Probably Gentoo. Or Xebian, took me hours to get it to boot but once it figured out how to make use of drivers it was fine.


DSL (Damn Small Linux). I couldn't even figure out how to install it.

I'd say Damn Small Linux is about as hard to install as Debian... You just need to know what partitions are.

[HermanAB]

Slackware version 1 was the worst I would think.

[ssri]

What are you talking about? Arch is all pre-compiled.

Not if one uses ABS or AUR.

[3Miro]

Not if one uses ABS or AUR.

That is just for the additional software. Arch has a pretty good base of pre-compiled packages, this means Gnome, KDE, XFCE, LXDE and a bunch of stand-alone window managers. You only need ABS and AUR for some additional drivers and a few additional programs. This is the same for other distributions (like Slackware).

In Gentoo, everything is like ABS and AUR.

[agnes]

dyne:bolic (http://www.dynebolic.org/).
A gigantic mess (if used as a harddisk install).

[MisfitI38]

I am confused by distributions which are based on other distributions.
For instance, why use a distribution based on Arch, when you can simply use Arch, and customize it to your own needs while installing? Overall, I must conclude that the initial perceived advantages of distributions which are based on others diminish over time as one becomes familiar with the fundamental elements of the system.

I am further mystified by the pervasive use of the term 'based off', as in 'Zenwalk is based off Slackware'.
How can you base something 'off' of something else?
On my planet, things are invariably 'based on' other things.

[Sean Moran]

Confusing? I guess it's not the same as complicated. Complicated just means less time to relax on a weekend, but I still know what I am trying to achieve. Ubuntu is not complicated.

Confusing means minimise, maximise and close buttons on the left IMO.
:)

[Copper Bezel]

I am confused by distributions which are based on other distributions.
For instance, why use a distribution based on Arch, when you can simply use Arch, and customize it to your own needs while installing?

Well, Ubuntu was built on Debian, but it's not like they're interchangeable now. Different goals, different repos, etc.


I am further mystified by the pervasive use of the term 'based off', as in 'Zenwalk is based off Slackware'.
How can you base something 'off' of something else?
On my planet, things are invariably 'based on' other things.

I think it's because much of the language for forks (like, say, the word fork) uses a metaphor of divergence rather than of building up.

[Kirboosy]

Backtrack is cake once you get used to it. I use it all the time...

Gentoo is probably the most confusing for me. Portage never seems to work right. Those darn USE flags are a pain in the butt as well. I build systems in Gentoo and it takes way to long. I really don't see the benefit.

I can pop an Ubuntu CD in and be done with install in 15 minutes. Rip out the junk I don't want/need and be done with it all in about an hour. Ubuntu used to be slow compared to Gentoo but not anymore. Not enough to make me want to use Gentoo anyways...


Sabayon is a OOTB working Gentoo version (well mostly working. lol)

[realzippy]

Used to spend a week at gobolinux (http://www.gobolinux.org/) some time ago.Interesting, pretty confusing.