Why Linux, for the average user?

**CornedBee** · 07-03-2006

Originally Posted by Hunter2

That's true enough, I suppose; it's the second sentence in that line that gets me though. About 40-50% of anything I download needs tweaking before it'll build/work.

I'm talking about pre-built Windows executables. You know, those that need WINE to run - or not run

If you love messing with your system, I would recommend Gentoo over all other distros.

**Hunter2** · 07-03-2006

Ah. Those ones

Anyway, yes, though Slackware's cool in its own way (and has a cool name which I totally approve of), I've been thinking that if I could do it all over again, I'd use Gentoo... although if I'd started with that I doubt I'd know what I was doing. Slack just doesn't have sufficient package support, and its devel packages seem quirky at best.

**valis** · 07-03-2006

The thing I liked about slackware was that I could setup everything just the way I wanted and build everything from source so I always had apps installed with just the things I wanted. The problem I always had with it was I would get sick of fixing makefiles and manually fixing dependency issues (installing or not). Other distros I've tried (debian, fedora, ubuntu, mandriva, suse) just had too much pre-setup stuff and made it difficult to setup things the way I wanted. Fedora I had to rebuild my kernel (not from original kernel source, which is why I'm bitter) using one in development to get my nvidia driver to work. I think prebuilt apps are the worst idea ever (I concieved this notion after using other distros, not prior), so I couldn't really handle any distro that wasn't slackware or gentoo.

I really like gentoo because you even customize your kernel (just like slack) when installing it and they don't force a bunch of apps you don't want upon you; the portage system is excellent because you build apps with the functionality you want plus dependencies are handled, and the overlay system makes it easy to add unofficial packages. I should also note I'm biased because I really like bsd and the idea of portage is from the creator's experience with bsd ports.

**Hunter2** · 07-03-2006

I really like gentoo because you even customize your kernel (just like slack) when installing it and they don't force a bunch of apps you don't want upon you; the portage system is excellent because you build apps with the functionality you want plus dependencies are handled, and the overlay system makes it easy to add unofficial packages. I should also note I'm biased because I really like bsd and the idea of portage is from the creator's experience with bsd ports.

Yes, as far as I can see, Gentoo's portage system is the only non-BSD packaging system that allows you to custom-build the apps you want. Also, from what I've seen, its package repository is MUCH larger and more up-to-date than Slackware's. That's why I think I'd favour Gentoo over Slack - even though it's supposed to have a god-awful setup time.

**joeprogrammer** · 07-04-2006

What Linux distrib are you using? It can make quite a difference on which distribution you're using for drivers to work. For example, I have a brand new MacBook (yeah!). I now try to install Slackware Linux on it, because I installed it on my old PC and it worked great, but when I try to install it on my MacBook, there are all sorts of issues.

One, it can't recognize my laptop keyboard. So I have to attach a USB keyboard.
Two, it can't recognize my SATA hard drive. After some googling, I find out that these problems are the result of an old kernel, and that I need some kernel patches as well.

Now I try Gentoo Linux, which I have never tried before, pop it in, and it recognizes EVERYTHING! Trackpad, keyboard, hard drive, everything runs perfectly.

So if all else fails, try recompiling the Linux kernel. You might be suprised.

**Hunter2** · 07-04-2006

>So if all else fails, try recompiling the Linux kernel. You might be suprised.
Been there, done that when trying to fix ACPI/CPUFreq/ALSA/HWMon/I2C. Around 15 times now

Anyway, I've given up on most of that other stuff, I've beaten them to death enough for me to be satisfied that there's no workable solution. For now the bulk of my issues lie with X.org and its fellow modules that seem to *just [not] work* in seemingly random fashion, both pre- and post-build. And ATI sucks, until they fix my drivers so I can play FPS games again!

**Salgat** · 07-05-2006

Anyone who says linux is hard to install, even harder than windows has no experience with some of the linux distros. You know what I had to do to install Ubuntu? Put in the CD, restart the computer, and click the "install" icon on the LiveCD desktop that automatically loaded up. That was it, I have done 0 driver installations and have yet to have any problems. I mean comon, I was playing games and chatting on GAIM on LiveCD while it was reformating and installing Ubuntu, its 10x easier than windows, which has given me multiple problems with drivers.

**laserlight** · 07-05-2006

Anyone who says linux is hard to install, even harder than windows has no experience with some of the linux distros.

To be fair most people do not have experience with some of the Linux distros. Only a few people would treat them like pokemon (gotta try them all!).

You know what I had to do to install Ubuntu? Put in the CD, restart the computer, and click the "install" icon on the LiveCD desktop that automatically loaded up.

The desktop installer for Ubuntu gave me problems which disappeared when I reverted to the alternate installer. Even then, your mileage may vary with drivers and hardware.

**joeprogrammer** · 07-06-2006

The desktop installer for Ubuntu gave me problems which disappeared when I reverted to the alternate installer. Even then, your mileage may vary with drivers and hardware.

Yes. That is the biggest problem with Linux. If you have ideal hardware, you can install Linux without any hitches, and think that it's greatest in the world. If you have unideal hardware, you may be stuck for days trying to get something simple like your wireless internet working. Often, different distributions have different patches on the kernel, so you can't say you've tried Linux until you've tried one that recognizes your hardware.

**Hunter2** · 07-07-2006

Been reading about Macbook Pro's yesterday, and now I want a mac... *sigh*, if only they didn't flicker, whine, make mooing sounds, burn holes in your pants, and then *completely* ignore the issue except to sic their law team on an internet forum. Actually, according to Engadget, they're doing something, but I really don't want to get one until I know exactly which problems have been fixed.

**Perspective** · 07-07-2006

Ive had my MacBook Pro for a few months now, no problems here... and OSX is fantastic.

edit: oh , they do get hotter than the average laptop... but even my dell got to hot to sit on my lap sooooo, invest in a pillow or something too.

**Hunter2** · 07-07-2006

>>edit: oh , they do get hotter than the average laptop... but even my dell got to hot to sit on my lap sooooo, invest in a pillow or something too.

A few months already? I guess Apple probably has most of the problems fixed by now then, although it's really hard to judge about this one. I hope they don't do that anymore. In any case, there's rumours floating around that they'll upgrade to 64bit probably within a few months, so I guess I'll stick around a bit.

**Ken Fitlike** · 07-07-2006

Perhaps it would be advisable to avoid putting a laptop on your lap altogether:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...395183,00.html

**Hunter2** · 07-07-2006

Heh, I love the line: "But when the laptop was in use, average temperatures rose by 2.6C on the left of the scrotum and 2.8C on the right." Jeez, fried prairie oysters are fried prairie oysters... But really, what about people who live in hot climates, where temperatures are.. say, 10C higher than 'ideal scrotal temperature'? Do they just have really sweaty balls and cut holes in their pants to aerate them?