Bill Shaw wrote:
[snip snip]
> Mepis - I'm so impressed with it! If I were to put a system in front
> of my parents to use this would be the distro that would be on it. To
> have java configured, real player etc etc is incredible. If the paid
> version of Mandrake or anything else were like this I would pay for
> it. Only complaint I have with it is the display seems to be locked
> at 1024x768 and I don't know enough to make the config changes in X. I
> also like Grub better than what Mandrake uses for dual boots(Lilo?)
> It's also my first experience with apt-get.
>
>
> Not sure what next on my plate though. Need to get my other 'simple'
> problems worked out before I move on to more difficult items.
After familiarizing yourself with apt-get and other Debian
idiosyncrasies (such as "apt-cache search") that survive the translation
to a LiveCD distro like MEPIS, you might try taking a shot at Debian
itself. The new installer is pretty easy to work with. I'd recommend
trying the minimalist approach, telling it (when it asks) that you don't
want to install anything with the OS itself, and will just use apt to
install additional software packages once you have the OS running. If
you don't manage to get it working reasonably well on your first try,
just start over once or twice. You should be able to get through it
after a couple of tries, even if you misunderstand what it's asking
during installation at some point, at which point you'll almost
certainly have learned enough about the install process to realize it's
actually one of the easiest OS installs in the world. It's just
different from what you're used to.
Then, from the command line, you can use apt to install all the software
you need to have the system running the way you want it to run. The
major benefit here is that you get what you want, and nothing you don't
want.
Of course, some people don't like that approach -- they like the
embarrassment of riches that is the kitchen sink approach to Linux
installs. I find that having great big piles of unwanted software just
drives me up the wall. In fact, I don't much like KDE or Gnome, and
have chosen a completely different window manager on which to
standardize my own computing experience -- in part to avoid the bloat in
both of the two most popular GUI environments for Linux, just as I avoid
the bloat of kitchen-sink distros like Fedora, SuSE, and Mandrake.
In any case, you might find it worth your while to try the minimalist,
"lean and mean" approach to installing Linux. Debian is pretty much
ideal for that, if you want to get running in a hurry, because of the
highly extensive apt resources at your disposal and the native
functionality of apt in Debian. It makes for a very quick process of
installing the software you will want, starting from the bare-bones
install, where some other distros would take more time and effort to get
up to speed.
I'm only a little bit biased.
-- Chad ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This list is provided as an unmoderated internet service by Networked Knowledge Systems (NKS). Views and opinions expressed in messages posted are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of NKS or any of its employees.
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