30 days....of Linux!

[nerdman978]

I am going to go 30 days using only a random linux distribution, and report in on my findings about it. After quite a bit of experience using Ubuntu, I hope to try different Linux distributions in order to learn more about Linux and computer software in general. For more info and updates on my journey, visit my blog at
http://linuxedge.blogspot.com
and the original post about my "pilgrimage"
http://linuxedge.blogspot.com/2008/05/30-days-of-distro.html

[frup]

Good luck with slackware. I'm going to rant on here, mainly because these things have been done so many times and a never that novel. These are my ideas and how I would approach something like this.

If you do it and blog about it do it properly and maybe think for 30 days about it first. Keep a non-published diary and only blog about the final summery. Make the blog entry contain and impression of the first second third and final weeks.

First I think you should set out some common goals for each distro you will try and some things you will measure (not perceive). I think the influence of the community and the speed at which help is given, documentation is available etc should be assessed.

Anything that is hard in Ubuntu will most likely be harder in other distributions. I would have started on something more popular first so you could use the bigger communities for help first and then moved to the smaller distros near the end. Probably would have started with debian so I had a familiar base and then compared the different debian based systems

Then I would have moved to Mandriva, PclinuxOS, Fedora and possibly openSuSe (I am reluctant to use any distro that has signed the patent clauses with MS) From here I would be able to compare the different RPM distros and RPM with DEB

From there I would move to Slackware (which which is tar.gz and source based for most installation right?) Gentoo with it's emerge and developer community and Distros like Sabyon, based on Gentoo.

Finally I would go to Nextenta, Raw openSolaris and some BSD's and looks at the differences between Linux and the Unixes.

I wouldn't go to Mac OSX for 30 days though just for a unix comparison. It is horrible.

[iSplicer]

Nice.. Ill read up on those, thanks

[LaRoza]

Then I would have moved to Mandriva, PclinuxOS, Fedora and possibly openSuSe (I am reluctant to use any distro that has signed the patent clauses with MS) From here I would be able to compare the different RPM distros and RPM with DEB

From there I would move to Slackware (which which is tar.gz and source based for most installation right?) Gentoo with it's emerge and developer community and Distros like Sabyon, based on Gentoo.

Finally I would go to Nextenta, Raw openSolaris and some BSD's and looks at the differences between Linux and the Unixes.

I wouldn't go to Mac OSX for 30 days though just for a unix comparison. It is horrible.

OpenSUSE is a great distro, but it frusterates Linux user with Yast. The patent thingies do not really mean anything to end users. Remember, Novell is a business and have to cover themselves.

Slackware just use a .tgz (tar.gz, but specifically used for their packaging) and is very Unix like.

[AmishFury]

30 Days of Linux...

isn't that the movie with the vampire penguins?

[LeoSolaris]

Not a bad idea, poking at the other distros to get a feel for each. I did my distro shopping at the beginning right after first discovering Ubuntu and using it for a week. After a few months of poking, I settled on Ubuntu for a hard drive install and Puppy on a USB drive for emergencies and to use on foreign computers if I need to do sensitive things like checking my bank account.

I think I may co-opt part of this idea when I start messing with Linux From Scratch, which will be either later this summer or summer next year. (College) Blogging about it will give me a place to vent about the difficulties I am sure to find. Always entertaining! :popcorn:

Leo

[madjr]

why not 15 or 21 days :O

[nerdman978]

I updated my blog in response to feedback I got in this forum and LinuxQuestions' slackware forum.

[MattBD]

Going distro shopping is always a good idea - it keeps you up to date with what other distros offer. I often try new distros in VirtualBox, always the easiest way if your system has enough power. It's also good for trying other OS's like OpenSolaris, but I can never seem to get either Gentoo or FreeBSD to work at all in VirtualBox.

[egwest]

30 Days of Linux...

isn't that the movie with the vampire penguins?


Isn't that the one where Tux sucked the whole population of a city dry? :popcorn:

[NonPermissive]

Haha, when I saw the title of this post, I thought it was an announcement that Morgan Spurlok's show, 30 Days, would be doing an episode where someone uses Linux for 30 days for the next season.

[nerdman978]

Haha, when I saw the title of this post, I thought it was an announcement that Morgan Spurlok's show, 30 Days, would be doing an episode where someone uses Linux for 30 days for the next season.

Hahahahaha. That guy and his show/movie (supersize me) are awesome nonetheless. But I got the name for my quest from his show.

[cardinals_fan]

Slackware should be fun. Try a few BSD's while you're at it.

[nerdman978]

I probably will end up trying a few BSDs. but for now I'm just starting out with different linux distros

[nerdman978]

still waiting on that antenna order, once I get it I'll hook it up to my wireless PCI card and then get the drivers and then SLACKWARE YES!

[scouser73]

Why go to all the bother of installing/uninstalling tweaking & modifying distro for a 30 day period then decide you want to try something else. Wouldn't it be better to read reviews of new O/Ss' first?

[forrestcupp]

May has 31 days. Add another day to your quest.

Also, sometimes it takes up to 30 days to get a Linux system tweaked and set up how you like it. Then you don't have any time left to actually use it and see how it runs in day to day work/play.

[phr0ze]

I'll read it after the 30 days. Post back and remind us.

[regomodo]

I noticed something in your sig, you o'c. If you get to distro that requires you to compile, stop o'cing.

[SupaSonic]

I'd also suggest you try Arch before/instead of Slackware. Specifically, try using KDEMod

[nerdman978]

I'm not particularly worried about my overclocking....also, as aforementioned I want to have my Slackware install mostly tweaked before I start my 30 day "quest."

[zmjjmz]

You might want to try some of the distros for older hardware (just to see how insanely fast they are) too.
I'd recommend (In descending order of ease of use)
Damn Small Linux http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/ (2.4 kernel)
DeLi http://www.delilinux.de/ (2.4 kernel)
BasicLinux http://www.basiclinux.com.ru/ (2.2 kernel, you'll need a floppy drive but there's a Qemu image too.)

[nerdman978]

the wireless antenna should arrive in the next week tops. so my journey can begin (soon)!

[SirThom]

OpenSUSE is a great distro, but it frusterates Linux user with Yast. The patent thingies do not really mean anything to end users. Remember, Novell is a business and have to cover themselves.

Slackware just use a .tgz (tar.gz, but specifically used for their packaging) and is very Unix like.

I thought Yast was supposed to be one of it's best features? I played with openSuSE briefly as my first distro, but don't remember enough about how Yast compares to Add/Remove or Synaptic. It was all very new to me.

[nerdman978]

My journey begins tonight once I get the drivers all set up and happy. =D

[swoll1980]

If your were looking for something noob friendly from what I've heard Slackware isn't the way to go

[Kinst]

YaST:
Best configuration tool.
Slowest package manager EVER.

For openSUSE 11 they're speeding up YaST, but it'll never be as fast as apt.




Also, you're MAD, no one comes back from slackware with their sanity intact. By April you'll speak only in bash commands and C++.

[cardinals_fan]

Also, you're MAD, no one comes back from slackware with their sanity intact. By April you'll speak only in bash commands and C++.
echo "True"