What is your favorite flavor of Linux, and why?

**Dwight Schrute** · 10-12-2011, 10:02 AM

Just curious. I've always been a fan of Ubuntu much to the chagrin of my Red Hat coworkers. But lately I've been digging Cent OS and Suse. I like the stability of Red Hat in Cent OS (and yum, of course) but the vibe from Suse is just kind of fun.

**Thrash** · 10-12-2011, 10:32 AM

I hate linux. Because I don't know what it is.

And it is ok to hate what you don't know.

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**Role Modlin** · 10-12-2011, 10:43 AM

Chocolate?

I plead ignorance.

MountainDew · 10-12-2011, 11:22 AM

I've always been an Ubuntu guy simply because it's worked right out of the box for everything I've put it on. I really like the look of Mint, but it hasn't been as stable for me.

**Thrash** · 10-12-2011, 11:24 AM

So, Linux is a specific type of OS, right?
What is the point in it? What are the positives, or what does it add?

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bobthecockroach · 10-12-2011, 11:30 AM

I use an ancient, unupdated Ubuntu install at home, but one of these days, I'd like to try ArchLinux, simply because they actually keep their packages up to date.

Linux is a family of operating systems. Think Windows or OS X, but instead of one vendor making new versions every few years, there are tons of vendors making new versions all the time and competing with one another. The versions maintain a lot of the same functionality though.

Pros:

- Package management. Automatic updating of everything on your computer basically.
- Web development. Most web servers run on Linux. Setting up a server on a Linux machine takes no time or effort.
- Command line. Everything that can be done on a Linux machine can be done on the command line. This also means you can write really cool scripts without much effort.
- Geek cred.

Cons:

- Just about everything else.

Ubuntu is the closest Linux comes to being practical for normal users, but it still doesn't offer anything Mac and Windows don't.

dtaylorl · 10-12-2011, 08:23 PM

Ubuntu is the only distro I've really used, but I really like it. It was my primary OS for four years. Right now I'm running Windows 7. Some things about it are better (better hardware and software compatibility, especially with printers and scanners), but I also miss some things about Ubuntu (scrolling windows without focus, ease of web development, command line access, ability to take songs off of my ipod). I'm set up to dual boot, so I can switch between the two as I choose.

normajean777 · 10-12-2011, 10:27 PM

iOS?

**Dwight Schrute** · 10-13-2011, 05:40 AM

I think by definition, iOS (iphone operating system) would count. as opposed to the Cisco IOS (Internetwork Operating System), I assume?

big pros for Linux: free. relatively virus free. wicked easy to install or even test drive (download a live CD, burn it, and boot off the CD, you can try Linux without making any changes to your computer at all).

biggest cons IMO: limited hardware support, pretty tricky to install stuff outside the package managers. gotta break out the Yum and Apt-get, which can get tricky dealing with repositories and what not.

boiled way down for our fine non-linux friends? its like a free version of Windows or OSX. it's what you interface with on your computer. it's the back end for your front end GUI (graphical user interface). and it's cool.

gtrdave · 10-13-2011, 05:50 AM

I'm attempting to find out.

Tried loading Ubuntu onto an older hp PC that I have here and the install got hung up.
Have to try it again, I guess...

bobthecockroach · 10-13-2011, 06:40 AM

Apple's OSes are UNIX-like, but are not built on Linux. They definitely do not count.

**Role Modlin** · 10-13-2011, 07:13 AM

I have an older CPU I'm getting ready to swipe the hard drive on.

Would it be worth my time to put Ubuntu on it?

**Dwight Schrute** · 10-13-2011, 10:37 AM

couldn't hurt to try dumping Ubuntu on there, Lee. just try doing a Live CD first to see if it even loads on there. if it does, you can install the OS onto the computer from the Live CD.

yeah bob, I guess since we are differentiating Linux versus Unix, we'll rule out anything Apple.

**surferdude9375** · 10-13-2011, 02:42 PM

I use Fedora as an install on my laptop. I have a portable Slackware install on a flash drive I use sometimes for rescue applications.

dtaylorl · 10-14-2011, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dwight Schrute

big pros for Linux: free. relatively virus free. wicked easy to install or even test drive (download a live CD, burn it, and boot off the CD, you can try Linux without making any changes to your computer at all).

Or you can just try it out in your browser. Okay, not really, but that is still a pretty cool way of getting a good look at Ubuntu before you even have a live CD.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobthecockroach

Apple's OSes are UNIX-like, but are not built on Linux. They definitely do not count.

I knew OS X is UNIX based, but I've never heard that iOS is... Actually, there are quite a few places in OS X where it is apparent that it is closely related to Linux. But I agree, it is not Linux. Oh, and iOS does not count, but Android does.