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Either we're too lazy or linux is too much of a mess (or, possibly, both).

Almost every time I downloaded something to install, it had a different extension: .rpm (personal favourite ), .tar.gz, .run, .bin, .sh... Then the user (me) Googles for "how to install tar.gz" and gets something like "Each tarball comes with installation and build instructions. Open INSTALL or README file for more information". The problem is that, apparently, INSTALL and README files occasionally get omitted.

There's also the obsession with editing config files. GUIs are for sissies, right? (Just like modern programming IDEs are, real programmers use 1s and 0s and punch cards!) So the user opens the file in gedit, makes the changes tries to save and *buzz*! Have you forgotten: GUIs are for sissies! Go to the console, type su, and use a text based editor instead of a GUI based one, silly. See, isn't that amazing? Why, it's almost like MS-DOS! (And no, logging in as root user is not an option, it's disabled.)

Then there's also the thing that a user might wish to do something more than just tinker with the OS, so he installs MySQL only for SELinux to say that it won't be allowed to run. Of course, if the user is willing to read an article and learn a bit of syntax, he'll be able to create a policy module, or he can simply temporarily disable SELinux from the console whenever he needs a naughty service or application. (Or there's possibly a quick fix with audit2allow command, I'll check into it.)

So while the look of linux today may be pretty and it's innards potent, between the very surface and the core is a pile of annoyances coated with a layer of what seems like deliberate user unfriendliness. Add to that that one can often hear a more experienced linux user say something like: "Yeah, I installed distribution_of_choice on my laptop, it took a bit of geekery to get some things running, but now everything works almost without a hitch.". the keyword, at least for the Windows user, being "almost", and one will eventually asks oneself: "Why bother?! It's a pain to learn and use and quite possibly it's never going to work right. Learn Linux for the sake of being able to say: "I run linux."? No thanks! I'll get back to it when I have some free time to burn and in the meantime, I need to use my PC, so I need an OS that will work." All this said, I'm not giving up on it yet.

 

I am considering selling my netbook or my 2002 laptop. The one that I will keep, I guess I could just as well install Linux on it. Something light.

 

For myself, I think the main reason that I want to use (even rarely) some other OS than Windows is that for my child/teenager years I didn't have a PC, but an Atari ST and an Amiga. I was never (and I guess I am still not) a 100% PC loyal follower. I remember when the TOS was long dead that the first OS-system to be excited about was for me BeOS. In other words, I have more or less given up and just follow the rest of the herd.
(plus I get the feeling some times that Apple and Linux users (or more like fanboys since normal users don't do that much) compete with each other who is (not have) the biggest dick to users of non Apple OS/Linux, which REALLY pisses me off).

I guess the parenthesis are useless but meh.

 

you can run multiple linux OS'es within windows 7's virtual pc..... (from what i can gather anyways)...

but the 2 attempts i tried to install linux on 2 different machines... i never made it past the initiall installation... and i wasn't at all sure why because i couldn't get google to pull up any relevant information on what was happening.

 

You know, I saw a pie chart of that somewhere, but I'll never find it again. Sorry.

 

I actually find it refreshing that the guys in charge of this site are openminded enough and confident enough in their abilities to state in the forums that they aren't limited to just windows. After all surely part of reviewing and writing about technology is experiencing everything.

I would love to say I use Linux heavily but I tried a few distros in the past and I almost put my computer through the window in frustration. I can appreciate OSX however, thats very usable and you don't have to spend a week getting wifi running (but you can tweak the OS heavily if you want).

Let me put something out there to the linux experts. if I was to try a first Linux distro, something that has a higher chance of working for instance in the majority of situations, which is the best one to try>?

 

My best guess - both for most used and most likely to work right off - would be Ubuntu.

I hit 100% for OpenSuse (for the old machine), then 95% for Mandrake, Kubuntu, Linux Mint, and Ubuntu. Fedora was suggested too at 90% (looks very interesting though) - whoops, may require Linux knowledge . Guess I'll have to go get some, which reminds me...

Ivan, your post was a hoot - I went through just that sort of thing to edit a stinkin' Ubuntu boot loader script! Read two full pages just to change the boot order. Ugh! Admittedly, it did feel good when it worked - and perfectly, but bye bye Ubuntu, hello Win7 - ahhhhh...

 

I second that, it's awesome

 

I remember having read, quite recently, that Xandros claims to have the largest paid install base, but I'm not sure what distribution is the most popular overall. DistroWatch has a counter, but apparently it fluctuates a lot depending on the length of the period. Over the last six months, Ubuntu has been the first by far, but more recently (last month or especially week), Fedora has taken over the lead (probably related to the new release). Canonical has done a great job with the media and I'm guessing that most new users are picking Ubuntu, but I wouldn't be surprised if an older distribution still had more users.

 

First off Ivan that is one of the best posts I have seen on DH this year dude

Exactly !!

On distribution I found this on google not sure how accurate it is.
Which Linux distribution do you use most frequently? | Linux Journal

 

I've always been a linux wannabe. I've installed Suse and Ubuntu/Kubuntu before, but it never likes my 64 bit amd stuff, or my motherboard, or my videocards... so frusterating. But im not giving up.

Just downloded 5 new distros, maybe ill find the magic one.

 

i got 100% in all these OS's, crazy

 

You're supposed to install each of them on a different partition and call back in the morning.




If your mind can handle it without imploding that is.........

 

I'm kind of bummed i like configuring my stuff CMD style its only when I'm lazy or don't have the time when i go GUI( which is most of the time)

 

The test suggested Gentoo, hmm.. Not quite right, I haven't even cared to test Gentoo. Attached the test.

Distro: Debian stable release.

 

this sub forum just keeps dying!

 

Gentoo was a very popular distro before the Ubuntu days came... i think...