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Poll

Which Unix-like OS / Linux distro do you prefer?

Sun - Solaris / OpenSolaris
- 1 (2.9%)
BSD - FreeBSD
- 2 (5.7%)
BSD - OpenBSD
- 2 (5.7%)
BSD - NetBSD
- 0 (0%)
BSD - Other
- 0 (0%)
Linux - RedHat-based (ex Fedora, CentOS)
- 1 (2.9%)
Linux - SUSE / openSUSE
- 3 (8.6%)
Linux - Ubuntu-based (ex Mint, gOS)
- 13 (37.1%)
Linux - Debian-based (ex MEPIS, Knoppix)
- 4 (11.4%)
Linux - Mandriva-based (ex PCLinuxOS)
- 0 (0%)
Linux - Slackware-based (ex Vector, Zenwalk)
- 0 (0%)
Linux - Arch-based
- 0 (0%)
Linux - Gentoo-based (ex Sabayon)
- 4 (11.4%)
Linux - minimalist (Puppy, DSL, etc)
- 0 (0%)
Linux - roll your own
- 0 (0%)
Linux - Other
- 0 (0%)
Mac OS X
- 3 (8.6%)
HP-UX
- 0 (0%)
AIX
- 0 (0%)
OpenServer
- 0 (0%)
Minux
- 0 (0%)
Other
- 2 (5.7%)
What's a UNIX?
- 0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 25


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Author Topic: Best Unix OS / BSD / Linux distro  (Read 28137 times)

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Alex Libman 15

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Re: Best Unix OS / BSD / Linux distro
« Reply #30 on: September 01, 2009, 10:29:25 AM »

OpenSUSE is what I always use when I want to use Linux.  Ubuntu is also good, but I prefer KDE.
Kubuntu
It didn't seem to get as much support as Ubuntu/OpenSUSE.  It's like the ugly stepchild of Ubuntu-land.

Kubuntu is good because it is built on Ubuntu and its great package management system, but it's not the most solid / best KDE distro by far.

The best KDE performance I've had was with Gentoo.
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BobRobertson

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Re: Best Unix OS / BSD / Linux distro
« Reply #31 on: September 01, 2009, 05:08:54 PM »

Kubuntu is good because it is built on Ubuntu and its great package management system

Try a Debian install some time. Lenny (Stable) has KDE3.5, the next release, Squeeze, will use KDE4.x.

Ubuntu tries to schedule a 6-month release out of Debian Unstable, but there's a reason that Unstable is named Sid:

"Sid breaks all his toys."
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"I regret that I am now to die in the belief that the useless sacrifice of themselves by the generation of 1776 to acquire self-government and happiness to their country is to be thrown away by the unwise and unworthy passions of their sons, and that my only consolation is to be that I live not to weep over it."
-- Thomas Jefferson, April 26th 1820

freeAgent

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Re: Best Unix OS / BSD / Linux distro
« Reply #32 on: September 01, 2009, 08:49:52 PM »

OpenSUSE is what I always use when I want to use Linux.  Ubuntu is also good, but I prefer KDE.
Kubuntu
It didn't seem to get as much support as Ubuntu/OpenSUSE.  It's like the ugly stepchild of Ubuntu-land.

Kubuntu is good because it is built on Ubuntu and its great package management system, but it's not the most solid / best KDE distro by far.

The best KDE performance I've had was with Gentoo.


Which is why I use OpenSUSE...when I use Linux on my own machines.
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Kevin Freeheart

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Re: Best Unix OS / BSD / Linux distro
« Reply #33 on: September 04, 2009, 09:06:03 PM »

Quote
Kubuntu is good because it is built on Ubuntu and its great package management system, but it's not the most solid / best KDE distro by far.

Since 11.1, OpenSUSE has has a new dependency resolver, zypper. It's still immature and a little rough around the edges. The upcoming release, 11.2 is slated to fix a lot of the issues I saw on 11.2. I've been a Debian fanboy for years, but OpenSUSE might equal Debian's package management on pure technical merit.

OpenSUSE is also shifting to a more modular approach with their repos, so users can construct out of modules (KDE 4 is a module, Kernel is a module, Wine is a module, Virtualbox is a module) of various builds (super-stable, current, testing) to get each component in the exact stage of development/disrepair they need. Perhaps you want a rock steady kernel because everything "just works" but you want the latest and greatest KDE 4 release, you can do it.

Once zypper is polished and the modular repos hit, I would state with confidence that OpenSuse is the best Linux distro unless you're a Gentoo ricer zealot.
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Libman was setting you up. You see, he's a resident troll, which means that while I hate him passionately and wish him great harm, he's ONE OF OURS. You are a pathetic interloper who will fade away in a few weeks at most.

Alex Libman 15

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Re: Best Unix OS / BSD / Linux distro
« Reply #34 on: September 05, 2009, 04:34:34 AM »

I tried OpenSUSE briefly a number of times, most recently 11.1, and didn't like it.  Yast still feels like some unlinuxy leap into mediocrity, and package management / installation was way still slower than with Ubuntu (i.e. minutes to calculate dependencies), and fragmented between several methods - yast was too frustrating, zypper command line was OK but slow, for some things I had to use CNR, and for some reason I also had to use smart as well.  I didn't try it for long, and I might not be recalling some things accurately, but what I remember is a general frustration in setting up all the software I typically want on a Linux box - something which on Ubuntu only requires adding 3-4 repositories and running a batch of apt-get commands.
« Last Edit: September 05, 2009, 04:39:14 AM by Alex Libman »
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Kevin Freeheart

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Re: Best Unix OS / BSD / Linux distro
« Reply #35 on: September 05, 2009, 04:12:04 PM »

Yast isnt' required, you can use typical configuration options (text files, GUI editors). That said, many things in Yast I actually like. By any chance, were you using Gnome? I'm personally not all that excited about Suse's default Gnome desktop.

Quote
and package management / installation was way still slower than with Ubuntu (i.e. minutes to calculate dependencies)

Sounds more like Fedora than Suse in my experience. sudo zypper up is fast. Now, I will admit that DOWNLOADING of packages is slow. This is one of the "immaturities" I meant, it downloads, installs, downloads, installs. It takes forever and fails if your net dies. This IS being corrected in 11.2.

Quote
for some things I had to use CNR, and for some reason I also had to use smart as well.

I can't imagine a reason in hell you'd "need" to use those, unless they were the ONLY way to install something. That's a case you'd not find on Suse, and wouldn't be solved by other distros. Unless you're blindly following tutorials... but that's not a "must". zypper has replaced all other package management in Suse. zypper is even modularized and handles the Yast package installation.

Quote
I didn't try it for long, and I might not be recalling some things accurately, but what I remember is a general frustration in setting up all the software I typically want on a Linux box

All of the things you listed I've experience with the 10.x line, but not 11.1. With Suse's one-click installs, I can't think of a SIMPLER way. Literally, the OpenSUse website has buttons like "Click to install KDE 4". One click, root or sudo password and it's on it's way. Repos added, refreshed, downloaded and installed.

Don't take this as a bash against Ubuntu. I have been a dpkg fanboy for YEARS and it's still probably the best package manager for any distro that's currently had a stable release. It beats zypper on 11.1 but I think it might equal zypper on 11.2 and surpass it by 12.0.

Quote
something which on Ubuntu only requires adding 3-4 repositories and running a batch of apt-get commands.

I should also note that after Karmic, Ubuntu will be re-organizing their repos. Those "main universe multiverse restricted" might require you to be more specific, but the details are still being hammered out. And to REALLY make use of Ubuntu, the PPA repositories are there (Chromium Browser 64-bit, for instance).
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Quote from: John Shaw
Libman was setting you up. You see, he's a resident troll, which means that while I hate him passionately and wish him great harm, he's ONE OF OURS. You are a pathetic interloper who will fade away in a few weeks at most.

Alex Libman 15

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Re: Best Unix OS / BSD / Linux distro
« Reply #36 on: September 05, 2009, 04:42:38 PM »

Yeah, I mostly used zypper for command line.  I did use KDE when I tried 11.1.  I understand that fewer universities keep SUSE package mirrors than Ubuntu, thus the slower downloads, but I specifically remember dependency resolution logic feeling very slow.  (BTW, strangely enough, the fastest Linux package downloads I've had were with Sabayon, from their main server in Italy, always 1.0 - 1.9 megs a second on cable!)  Yeah, I was blindly following tutorials in some cases, but you'd never encounter this issue blindly following any Ubuntu HOWTO's.  I've also had some CNR experiences that errored out.
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NHArticleTen

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Re: Best Unix OS / BSD / Linux distro
« Reply #37 on: September 28, 2009, 04:08:27 PM »

been goofing around with PCLinuxOS-GNOME

http://linuxgator.org/index.html

they claim it's good enough to make "distro-hoppers" stop hopping...lol

enjoy!

.
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Kevin Freeheart

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Re: Best Unix OS / BSD / Linux distro
« Reply #38 on: October 04, 2009, 06:19:38 PM »

Karmic has reached beta, and it's been pretty good for me. :) It's replaced Windows 7 on my laptop and so far I'm happy.
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Quote from: John Shaw
Libman was setting you up. You see, he's a resident troll, which means that while I hate him passionately and wish him great harm, he's ONE OF OURS. You are a pathetic interloper who will fade away in a few weeks at most.

Alex Libman 15

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Re: Best Unix OS / BSD / Linux distro
« Reply #39 on: October 04, 2009, 07:15:35 PM »

There's no Kernel but Linux and Sabily is its distro.
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saitoh

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Re: Best Unix OS / BSD / Linux distro
« Reply #40 on: November 11, 2009, 07:26:15 PM »

Sidux if you know your way around linux.

The ultimate linux OS. Debian based, and always bleeding edge. Ubuntu releases in cycles (every 6 months) so you'll only be using the latest software for ~ a month. Sidux has rolling releases, so you can always have the latest and greatest anytime.

I've used all linux OS's, and liked debian based ones best, but ubuntu was too dated because of it's release cycle. Mint is AWESOME but again is based on ubuntu's release cycle.
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BobRobertson

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Re: Best Unix OS / BSD / Linux distro
« Reply #41 on: November 11, 2009, 07:46:24 PM »

Sidux if you know your way around linux.

I just used Debian Sid. Install a minimal Stable, change the pointers in /etc/apt/sources.list to point to "sid", and apt-get dist-upgrade.

But seriously, that was 12 years until Lenny, the present Debian Stable. Lenny has been wonderful.

That, and Lenny has the last of KDE 3.5.9, and I am not thrilled with going on to KDE4.
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"I regret that I am now to die in the belief that the useless sacrifice of themselves by the generation of 1776 to acquire self-government and happiness to their country is to be thrown away by the unwise and unworthy passions of their sons, and that my only consolation is to be that I live not to weep over it."
-- Thomas Jefferson, April 26th 1820

freeAgent

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Re: Best Unix OS / BSD / Linux distro
« Reply #42 on: November 11, 2009, 08:12:08 PM »

OpenSUSE 11.2 is out tomorrow :)
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AL the Inconspicuous

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Re: Best Unix OS / BSD / Linux distro
« Reply #43 on: November 11, 2009, 10:48:29 PM »

I'm not planning on trying any Linux distro / release until Chrome OS gets stable, but I've been thinking about a "100% permissive" server setup lately...

I gave up on OpenBSD a while ago, because they've really let performance slip in favor of grotesque security fanaticism, but I've lately been rethinking that position.  Everything else in computing is a commodity: you can always buy more CPU, memory, developer hours, etc... but security is priceless!  Imagine you're flying your spaceship out of this solar system and the government thugs send a probe after you - it attaches itself to your ship, cuts its way inside, connects to its wiring, and starts looking for a way to turn off your life support!  In that specific situation, you're not going to care about CPU cycles, you're gonna wish your life support microprocessors were running OpenBSD!  :lol:

They have the funniest geek culture of any OS I've ever seen!  (Gentoo comes second.)  Check out their release songs & comics page - amazing amount of spunk for a UNIX system / distro that ranks below FreeBSD, OpenSolaris, and 30 Linux distros on the DistroWatch popularity list for this month, in spite of putting out 4.6 Release just in time for my birthday (Oct 19th)...  Spunk - I like!  :roll:
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AL the Inconspicuous

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Re: Best Unix OS / BSD / Linux distro
« Reply #44 on: November 12, 2009, 11:17:07 PM »

Hmm, along the lines of what I've said above about security at times being priceless, a matter of life and death...

From Slashdot -- Keeping Pacemakers Safe From Hackers --

Quote
Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control have now developed a scheme for protecting implantable medical devices against wireless attacks.  The approach relies on using ultrasound waves to determine the exact distance between a medical device and the wireless reader attempting to communicate with it.

It's of course a stretch for now, but it's fully conceivable that future bodily implants will roughly resemble modern-day computers, which can be hacked or DoS'ed in a number of ways...
« Last Edit: November 12, 2009, 11:19:14 PM by Alex Libman »
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