First Time Linux Instal

**Icey1174** · June 11th, 2008, 10:20 AM

I have always been interested in Linux but have never gotten around to installing it on an old computer. My intentions are to buy a new hard drive and instal Linux on an old computer. From what I have read it appears to be "simple" if you follow directions. My basic use for the computer would be Internet browsing and word processing.

Which would be the best verison, brand name, whatever they call it of Linux that would be the best for these applications and most user friendly for someone that has never used Linux or Unix and has always used (and hates) Windows?

What browser would I use?

What word processing and spread sheet programs are there that are somewhat equivlant to MS Word and MS Excel?

Is there a program or version of Linux that resembles a Windows type of set-up for the user?

My goal here is to convert a handful of old, slow Windows machines to Linux for friends and family with the same uses as mine for a good stable OS without having all the problems that come with Windows.

Thank you in advance for any help and guidance!

**TrendyMartini** · June 11th, 2008, 11:17 AM

Hi Icey, welcome to TIMO. If you search this forum, you'll see that there are many opinions regarding the best version of Linux to use; many have asked this same question. Most say that Ubuntu is perfect for Linux beginners and I agree. It has everything you need and the above links will answer all your questions.

**Icey1174** · June 11th, 2008, 11:23 AM

Thanks for a quick reply! I read through some of the info quick and that looks exactly like what I am looking for! How long does it take for your computer to "boot" when you turn it on? My current computer takes about 5 minutes to boot in Windows.

**TrendyMartini** · June 11th, 2008, 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by Icey1174

Thanks for a quick reply! I read through some of the info quick and that looks exactly like what I am looking for! How long does it take for your computer to "boot" when you turn it on? My current computer takes about 5 minutes to boot in Windows.

The time varies on all my machines, some a minute, some less. 5 minutes is a really long time, but would be understandable if it were an older machine trying to load Windows XP for example. Ubuntu will boot faster.

**Icey1174** · June 11th, 2008, 11:29 AM

I also find that as the machine gets older it runs much slower and takes much longer to boot with Windows. Is this typical with Linux also?

**ShuckyD** · June 11th, 2008, 11:34 AM

well the reason they get slower is usually because of all the stuff installed that has to load on boot...

**Icey1174** · June 11th, 2008, 01:03 PM

I have always installed MS Office and that was about it. I never installed anything after that and they always get slower.

**TrendyMartini** · June 11th, 2008, 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by Icey1174

I have always installed MS Office and that was about it. I never installed anything after that and they always get slower.

It's probably from having a poor maintenance schedule. We get busy and forget to do things like defragmenting our drives, running virus and spyware scans, along with doing general clean up. Also, as you're installing Windows Updates, etc.. things are being installed that require more system resources and so the older the machine gets the slower.

**Icey1174** · June 11th, 2008, 01:28 PM

How does Linux compare with these updates and maintenance to Windows?

**TrendyMartini** · June 11th, 2008, 02:28 PM

Linux is much more stable and will run better on an older machine. There are updates occasional with Ubunutu, but they will not bog your system down.

**#43 fan** · June 11th, 2008, 03:12 PM

Originally Posted by TrendyMartini

Linux is much more stable and will run better on an older machine. There are updates occasional with Ubunutu, but they will not bog your system down.

I would Xubuntu for an older machine. It uses XFCE as its graphical user interface, instead of GNOME or KDE. XFCE uses far fewer resources.

**KarmaKiller** · June 11th, 2008, 05:55 PM

Yep, I agree. with #43.
If it's a older machine, Xubuntu is the way to go.
A fairly new machine, Ubuntu/Kubuntu is the way to go..

And unless you install an un-godly amount of crap on your PC, linux will always run smooth and fast.

**surreal** · June 11th, 2008, 06:32 PM

You might want to check out this forum

www.usalug.org

**Rootstonian** · June 11th, 2008, 09:19 PM

Never been a Linux fanboy. Seems to me, I can't go to my local store, get a copy of Cyrsis, or Guitar Lessons or Home Landscaping and slap it on Linux.

Does it have it's place? Hell yes. But not on my home/recreational PC

Just my $0.02

Don't get me wrong, I'm really not a Windows fanboy either. For what I've been doing recently at home, I probably would love a Mac. But I got a Quad Core 2.4Ghz, 4 Gig RAM, 750 Gig HD for $850 (Gateway). What's the equivalent cost for an Apple?

LOL

**#43 fan** · June 11th, 2008, 10:02 PM

For what he has been using the PC for, Linux is perfect.
Roost, if you were to get a Mac, just put Linux on. Mac is a variant of Unix, as is Linux (sort of). You could also put Linux along with Windows, which I do. Perfect for gaming, then web surf with Linux.

**CMonster** · June 22nd, 2008, 04:00 PM

Originally Posted by Icey1174

Which would be the best verison, brand name, whatever they call it of Linux that would be the best for these applications and most user friendly for someone that has never used Linux or Unix and has always used (and hates) Windows?

What browser would I use?

What word processing and spread sheet programs are there that are somewhat equivlant to MS Word and MS Excel?

Is there a program or version of Linux that resembles a Windows type of set-up for the user?

My goal here is to convert a handful of old, slow Windows machines to Linux for friends and family with the same uses as mine for a good stable OS without having all the problems that come with Windows.

Thank you in advance for any help and guidance!

You've probably figured out that there is no "best" distribution of Linux, but there are plenty of distributions designed with specific goals/needs in mind. I suggest you try a few and see which best suits your purpose. My preference is OpenSuse Software.openSUSE.org because it comes with a large amount of hardware support working "right out-of-the-box," so to speak, and it is loaded with extras. I'm using 10.3 currently on all my computers and find it runs KDE (IMO the most mature desktop environment for Linux) acceptably well even on 1Ghz machines with 256MB of memory. I see OpenSuse version 11 is now being offered --I'll have to give that a try.

Most Linux distributions have a pretty easy setup and installation routine if you take the time to read things over carefully.

Firefox works fine on Linux, there are a few other browsers as well.

OpenOffice www: OpenOffice.org - The Free and Open Productivity Suite comes with most Linux distributions and is not only a good rough equivalent of MS Office, but it can handle most MS file formats with some degree of accuracy.

If you need someone to mail you a SuSE DVD and you live in the 48 states send me a PM with an address where you would like it shipped - currently I have OpenSuse 10.3 available. It is also a good idea to provide your users with a copy of the DVD/CDs in case they need additional software or drivers from them.

George

**********************

Rootstonian said:

Never been a Linux fanboy. Seems to me, I can't go to my local store, get a copy of Cyrsis, or Guitar Lessons or Home Landscaping and slap it on Linux.

Does it have it's place? Hell yes. But not on my home/recreational PC Just my $0.02

Well that was your $0.02 all right, but I'm not quite sure how that reply helped the poster.

**#43 fan** · June 26th, 2008, 09:49 AM

I've used Suse, the thing I like about it is that it comes with a lot of preinstalled software.
But, I prefer Ubuntu.

**CMonster** · June 26th, 2008, 12:34 PM

Originally Posted by #43 fan

I've used Suse, the thing I like about it is that it comes with a lot of preinstalled software.
But, I prefer Ubuntu.

Yeah 43, there is certainly a place for it. My son just put Ubuntu on his new laptop along side Wishta -- and he loves Ubuntu.

comparing to cars, I guess Suse is more like a fully loaded RV and Ubuntu is more like a sports car

by OpenSuse version 10.3 they finally ironed out some very annoying bugs/features -but of course once they get it right they keep going till they mess it up again (the saga of Suse) and it usually takes the point.1 and point.2 iterations to straighten it out again, then the cycle repeats. Now they have released version 11 with KDE 4 -- I bet there is a whole other set of annoyances.

Suse rule of thumb: never use the point.0 releases (e.g. 8.0, 9.0, 10.0, 11.0) these are usually not far from beta.

**#43 fan** · June 26th, 2008, 03:29 PM

I've found Ubuntu to be far more stable.
But, I tend to load it up with games that I rarely use, and thus it slows down (a little).
OpenSuse 10.3 was my favorite Suse, put KDE 4 on it, and I like it.