Pseudo-Poll: Which Linux next?

[Raithlin]

I've spent time on Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Linux Mint, PCLinuxOS, Suse, and more recently ArchLinux. I'm looking for a KDE3-based distro that installs well, looks good, and can double as a dev machine and desktop. I'm looking at Sabayon Linux as my next serious conquest.

What distro do you Linux experts recommend? I'm down with Debian-based distros, but I'm all up for learning a new way (I tried the latest Gentoo but the merge package was corrupt or something on the install DVD).

 

[MyWorld]

the merge package was corrupt

HUH?

"merege" or "emerge" is a term used to install software in the Gentoo environment, it uses portage to do this from repositories called the portage tree (and more recently extra repositories called overlays). It is highly unlikely that there will be a bug with it since thousands of people install Gentoo weekly and it would have been fixed instantaneously and a new ISO released.

What is the error you are getting? If indeed it is system critical, you can always just download the offending package binary, untar it into its proper place and the problem should be solved.

EDIT:
Also have a look at Vector Linux, for some reason (in my Slackware days) I just love it.

I have said if countless times before and I'll say it again, since they started using the GUI installation process they started crippling Gentoo.
I bet that you have not read through the "Gentoo handbook"?
http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/

If you do not read that, then forget Gentoo, you will make a HUGE mess of your system (CFLAGS, USE flags, essential maintenance procedures, configuration, etc.)

Stick with Arch Linux for a while, it is binary based (no compiling, less time to install and maintain), it is becoming more popular and it is also the diving board to the more technical distros like Gentoo, Slackware, etc.

 

[Raithlin]

I got to the point in the install process where you are supposed to start using Portage. I forget the error, but I did go online and check the Gentoo forums, and the problem was not unusual to my situation. I couldn't use Portage, and there were at that point no answers in the forums. At that point I figured, well if these guys don't know, and I can't use the package management system, I'm better off waiting.

I did read the handbook, and had it open on my laptop while installing. I have installed many distros before, including FreeBSD, and even tried my hand at Linux-From-Scratch - so ignorance wasn't the problem. For the record, I'd already configured most of the base system, including CFLAGS, etc. with no problems. Quite a shame really. That's why I'm looking at Sabayon. I'm used to APT and want to see what else is out there.

EDIT: I'll look at home to see what version DVD I used. I remember it was round about the time when I was working with the Portage-tree. I had downloaded the stage3 stuff and everything - very disappointing.

 

[MyWorld]

If you could give me the error then we can work it out, it should be rather simple if it is only portage.

I was generalizing when I said that the handbook is not read any more, and I'm super impressed that you actually did, so I'm eating a bit of humble pie and offer my services to try and help you out.

 

[Raithlin]

If you could give me the error then we can work it out, it should be rather simple if it is only portage.

I was generalizing when I said that the handbook is not read any more, and I'm super impressed that you actually did, so I'm eating a bit of humble pie and offer my services to try and help you out.

LOL No worries. From what I see on the forums, there are 10 idiots for every serious installer.

I'll have to re-install just to get that error again, so don't worry about it now. When I get around to doing it again, I might just give you a call.

 

[koffiejunkie]

Debian Lenny (testing) ships with the latest from the KDE 3.x branch. In the ISO download directory there are three versions of CD1. The regular one installs Gnome, then there's one labelled KDE and one labelled XFCE. It's not made up to win eye-candy contests but it looks decent, isn't unnecessarily slow, is rock solid, and has a mind boggling variety of packages in their repository.

A few things you need to know. Debian is very anal about licensing and the free (libre) philosophy. So much that I think they make some stupid choices based on that. For example, they couldn't see eye-to-eye with the license that Mozilla Foundation's icons etc. are under, so they ship with their own and they renamed the packages.

You will also not found most of the multimedia codecs, but fortunately there is the excellent [ur="http://debian-multimedia.org/"]Debian Multimedia[/url] repository. Choose your mirror from this page and put it in your /etc/apt/sources.list. Then run:

wget http://debian-multimedia.org/gpgkey.pub -O - | apt-key add -
apt-get update
apt-get install debian-multimedia-keyring

The nice goodies will now be available.

 

[wezhira]

slackware is pretty good i like it boy do i hate gentoo

 

[flarkit]

No mention of FC? Surely one of the best-known distros around?

 

[Raithlin]

No mention of FC? Surely one of the best-known distros around?

Fedora Core? I've used it in the past, and I can't get it over my conscience to use rpms.

 

[chiskop]

Fedora Core? I've used it in the past, and I can't get it over my conscience to use rpms.

Good man.

Have you thought about Mepis? I've never tried it, but it is a debian-based, KDE distro and I remember reading a really positive review a year or so ago.

 

[Raithlin]

Debian Lenny (testing) ships with the latest from the KDE 3.x branch. In the ISO download directory there are three versions of CD1. The regular one installs Gnome, then there's one labelled KDE and one labelled XFCE. It's not made up to win eye-candy contests but it looks decent, isn't unnecessarily slow, is rock solid, and has a mind boggling variety of packages in their repository.

A few things you need to know. Debian is very anal about licensing and the free (libre) philosophy. So much that I think they make some stupid choices based on that. For example, they couldn't see eye-to-eye with the license that Mozilla Foundation's icons etc. are under, so they ship with their own and they renamed the packages.

You will also not found most of the multimedia codecs, but fortunately there is the excellent [ur="http://debian-multimedia.org/"]Debian Multimedia[/url] repository. Choose your mirror from this page and put it in your /etc/apt/sources.list. Then run:

wget http://debian-multimedia.org/gpgkey.pub -O - | apt-key add -
apt-get update
apt-get install debian-multimedia-keyring

The nice goodies will now be available.

Thanks for that. I re-installed Linux Mint 4 (KDE Community Edition) last night - I had installed an older (10.1) version of Suse Linux which lasted about 5 minutes - and I have a friend downloading Sabayon 3.5 DVD and OpenSuse 11.0 for me, so for now Mint will have to do. I don't have an unlimited data plan yet, so I'm a little limited in what I have or can get at short notice. All the good ones seem to be coming out on DVD these days.

Half of my problem is that I insist on KDE. Don't ask why, I may not have a satisfactory answer. Could be that I like Quanta?

 

[Raithlin]

Good man.

Have you thought about Mepis? I've never tried it, but it is a debian-based, KDE distro and I remember reading a really positive review a year or so ago.

Tried that too. Mepis is good - I last tried v6 - but in most cases the hassle is purely a lack of apps in the rep, or too far behind the curve. Because Linux is still growing up, I am often on the leading edge with software. I should settle down, I suppose, but while .Net remains my bread and butter I am free to chop and change at will until I find a home.

To date, the distros I have tried are:

• Ubuntu (5.10 to 6.10)
• Kubuntu (6.04 ->)
• Xubuntu (6.10)
• Linux Mint (3 to 4) - current system
• Fedora Core (4?) - runs RPM *shudder*
• PCLinuxOS (2007) - nice
• MepisLinux (6)
• ArchLinux (2007)
• Suse Linux (10.1)
• OpenSuse (10.2)
• Gentoo (latest) - couldn't get past install due to portage hassle mentioned earlier
• Mandriva (2007) - hassles with graphics, not deb-based

I think by now you might be seeing a trend - I like debian-based distros, because I know and like the apt system.

Perhaps I should try Ubuntu Ultimate?

 

[Lino]

Tried that too. Mepis is good - I last tried v6 - but in most cases the hassle is purely a lack of apps in the rep, or too far behind the curve. Because Linux is still growing up, I am often on the leading edge with software. I should settle down, I suppose, but while .Net remains my bread and butter I am free to chop and change at will until I find a home.

To date, the distros I have tried are:

• Ubuntu (5.10 to 6.10)
• Kubuntu (6.04 ->)
• Xubuntu (6.10)
• Linux Mint (3 to 4) - current system
• Fedora Core (4?) - runs RPM *shudder*
• PCLinuxOS (2007) - nice
• MepisLinux (6)
• ArchLinux (2007)
• Suse Linux (10.1)
• OpenSuse (10.2)
• Gentoo (latest) - couldn't get past install due to portage hassle mentioned earlier
• Mandriva (2007) - hassles with graphics, not deb-based

I think by now you might be seeing a trend - I like debian-based distros, because I know and like the apt system.

Perhaps I should try Ubuntu Ultimate?

I am almost exactly like you. As much as I can use and being trained on a Red Hat based distro (Fedora and CentOS)

I also love my Debian. Infact when Ubuntu 8.10 comes out I plan to remove my CentOS install and replace it with Ubuntu.

Personally I would suggest if you want Debian based with KDE 3.5x serious then with a bit of tinkering I would suggest pure Debian "lenny."

 

[koffiejunkie]

No mention of FC? Surely one of the best-known distros around?

FC is a development release. It's pretty but it's not particularly good under the skin. Their base packages more often than not ship with serious bugs. They don't back port security fixes, instead, they just give you the next release when it becomes available, which more often than not introduces new bugs. Running it on a mission critical server is stupid.

Half of my problem is that I insist on KDE. Don't ask why, I may not have a satisfactory answer. Could be that I like Quanta?

Why is that a problem? KDE is nice. It's functional. It's stable. It doesn't get in your way. OK, I don't know about 4.x yet, I haven't upgraded to it and don't plan to until I absolutely have to).