[UFO Chicago] Re: Brian's Conversion from FreeBSD to Debian andQuestions on X

[Larry Garfield]

On Wednesday 10 May 2006 08:13, Christopher D. Heer wrote:
> From: Larry Garfield
>
> > I'm also rather late to this thread, so I'll address a couple of things
> > at once.
>
> I just wanted to thank the various contributions to this conversation.
>
> I am a long-time user of MS operating systems (out of necessity) but have
> dabbled in the past with SunOS, BSD, Linux (including my Tivos!), etc.
> However, continued frustration with Windows is pushing me towards Linux or
> something similar, especially as a server OS.
>
> So I'm looking to migrate my in-home server to Linux as a way to (A) get
> more out of the box and (B) get experience before I try it out on
> desktops/laptops/work machines.  I'm not a total noob, but I'm not all that
> far from it either.  However, I don't want something that will completely
> shield me from the guts, as it were; I want to learn the underlying stuff
> so I know what's really going on.
>
> So I have what are some rather fundamental questions about selecting the
> distro I ultimately use:
>
> 1) From a purely "what-will-it-run" standpoint, does it matter much which
> distro I choose?  Putting aside package management for the moment (I've
> been reading those comments here with great interest)...choosing a specific
> distro shouldn't limit me in terms of application/util/tool selection,
> should it?

Any binary-based distribution these days (Debian, Kubuntu, Red Hat, SuSE, 
Mandrake, and dozens more) should give you a "it installs, and does something 
afterward" experience.  They're all decent in that regard now.  How much 
comes pre-installed and how much you install through the distro's package 
manager of choice afterward varies widely.  If this is a server, you probably 
want to look at the more minimal base installs and then add stuff yourself.  
For that, my recommendations would be either Debian (older, but well-tested 
and stable) or Ubuntu-Server (much newer software, but bleeding edge bleeds 
for a reason).  They're very similar, actually, as Ubuntu is a Debian 
derivative.  My own home server runs Debian Stable.

> 2) Does it matter what window manager I run?  The two I see mentioned most
> often are gnome and KDE, but I can't figure out what the real advantages
> and disadvantages of either is, or whether it's just a matter of taste.

Everyone you ask will say "it's just a matter of taste, but he's the reasons 
you should use <mine> anyway." :-)  

KDE is the largest and most feature-rich desktop, in part because it's not 
just a desktop but a fully developed modular application and system 
framework.  KDE is, honestly, where the really cool stuff is happening these 
days desktop-wise.  It's very Windows-y out of the box currently, but is 
customizable to be pretty much anything.

GNOME is next down the list in terms of size/features.  Less plumbing and 
modularity.  However, many really good programs are written in gtk, rather 
than Qt/KDE.  (Fortunately you can run both side by side, regardless of your 
desktop. <g>)  GNOME's focus of late has been a leaner interface, very much a 
Mac philosophy of "make a choice for the user that's good and don't let them 
change it", in contrast to KDE's "give sane defaults for the 95% that won't 
change them, but allow that other 5% to easily do whatever the hell they 
want."

There are various others, going all the way down to just window managers 
without desktops.  I've less experience with most of those.  Generally 
recommended for older, slower hardware or if you won't be using a GUI much 
and don't want it taking up resources the rest of the time.

> 3) Are there any good resources for learning general *nix file system
> structures?  The last time I played with a Linux distro (Red Hat IIRC) one
> of the things that made me crazy was having no idea where anything was.  I
> googled around for Linux noob resources but most that I found were too
> superficial/noobified.

It varies a little from distro to distro, but most are reasonably good about 
following the FHS:

http://www.pathname.com/fhs/

> Not looking for handholding -- if I don't learn it myself I'll never
> understand it -- just some pointers or tips to get me aimed in the right
> direction.  And I understand that everyone has a different take, but given
> that most or nearly all of you have more experience with this stuff than
> I... :)
>
> Thanks in advance.

Linux Fest (Install Fest) coming up at DePaul University this Saturday!  
Perfect place to come by and learn.

http://linux.depaul.edu/

-- 
Larry Garfield			AIM: LOLG42
larry at garfieldtech.com		ICQ: 6817012

"If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of 
exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an idea, 
which an individual may exclusively possess as long as he keeps it to 
himself; but the moment it is divulged, it forces itself into the possession 
of every one, and the receiver cannot dispossess himself of it."  -- Thomas 
Jefferson