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Try fedora frog.
Similar to easyubuntu, or automatix for ubuntu, it installs additional packages for you (codecs, graphics drivers, flash, java, new repositories, etc.).
You can see the full list and installation instructions at http://easylinux.info/wiki/Fedora_frog.

Actually much of the length of http://stanton-finley.net/fedora_core_5_installati on_notes.html is dedicated to the installation of a web server, ftp server, etc. which the normal user will probably not want to install. In addition these steps can be easily automated with the use of a shell script. See http://easylinux.info/wiki/Fedora_frog for a sophisticated working example of such a script.

As far as "the best Linux distribution" for a first-time switcher, Ubuntu is as good as any other Linux distro.... as far as there is an experienced Linux user helping thorugh the first hour or two. In my case, I recommend Mandriva because is what I use.

You use Ubuntu, so Ubuntu is the best for you and your "first-time switcher friends", that's cool with me.

But for me, Mandriva is the best for me and for my "first-time switcher friends", as it is what I use.

Mandriva is very good for newbies and gurus alike: in Mandriva you have "wizards", terminals, multimedia apps, compilers, KDE themes, server stuff...

Maybe you didn't grasp the concepts of Linux, as I thought the article was pretty darn good.

As for paying Mandriva to play DVDs, it is one o the options. As the "free as in beer" Mandriva only contains "free as in Freedom" software (and only 'libre' software that follows the law in USA and in Europe), DVD utilities such as the "deCSS" software cannot be included.

Thus, Mandriva offers you a legal way to view DVDs: purchasing a boxed edition, with all that non-libre software available for you.

And there is still another way: the "deCSS" software is available on "PLF", a non official Mandriva repository that contains all the deCSS, divx codecs and all that software which happens to be not legal everywhere, and also some non-libre software, like nVidia and ATI drivers.

What else, ... yes, the wiki : Try this wiki

Peace!

Hi,

Considering the hoops that I had to go through to make Mandrake do multimedia AND DVDs, your friend might as well be as skilled as 'Mr. decss' Johansen to get video or music playback.

I am not as skilled as Mr decss Johansen. Nevertheless, I got multimedia AND DVD reporduction very easily.

One option, is to buy the boxed version, which comes with support for all the proprietary stuff. I don't know if you know, but "Mandriva Free" only includes free (as in Freedom) software by design. This option (boxed version) works great for people not that expert in Linux.

Another option is to do what I did:

I went to Easy URPMI website, selected the PLF repositories, configured follogwing the instructions on that page (copy&paste), launched the GUI install program, searched for "codecs" and all the other files that had "mp3", "ogg", "dvd" , etc in the name , installed them all, and presto!:

* multimedia works like a charm: mp3, ogg, avi, mpeg... (using amaroK and gmplayer), even web-embeded content.
* I view my legal (read, protected) DVDs easily, with gmplayer or kaffeine or...

It is very easy, really. Even I can do it :)

I used the info found in this link. I found this link at "Mandriva Linux" entry on Wikipedia. All is explained very well.

Peace!

Here's the new link. :)

Another excellent website for Fedora Core configuration is http://easylinux.info/wiki/Fedora

First things first. Automatix is aggressively marketed and I'd be careful of the hype. But, in fairness, the person who does it is also very accessible and is quick to work out bugs, so he deserves credit on those fronts. Ubuntu Guide at EasyLinux I prefer the new Ubuntu Guide at http://easylinux.info/wiki/Ubuntu. It is a simple command-line driven guide that *anyone* can contribute to and which gives you all the same options, if you want to do the apt-get work yourself. Instructions are easy to follow and by the end of it, you know what you've installed, how you did it and, if you'e a newbie, will feel they've learned a lot without much effort. EASYUBUNTU If you prefer the "Just Works" approach and don't care about learning a little about Linux, Apt and the command line (nothing wrong with that, so ignore the Linux snobs that say criticize you) I'd suggest trying EasyUbuntu instead of Automatix at http://easyubuntu.freecontrib.org/. UBUNTU IS NOT THE MOST USER-FRIENDLY SYSTEM OR THE MOST REFINED LOOKING I use Ubuntu. I love Ubuntu. But, Ubuntu is no easier to install than Fedora or SuSE. In fact, I'd argue they are easier to install and more complete in their installation options. As well, they are slicker and more professional at the intallation level and on the desktop... by a longshot. They are far more refined. Anyone who disputes this is probably caught up in the Ubuntu hype a bit too much. It's the trendy distro of the moment. Don't underestimate how that clouds people's perception of it. But, I prefer Debian-based systems, so have gravitated to Ubuntu and left Fedora and SuSE, although both were better a recognizing and setting up my monitor and printer. And I say the above as someone who loves Ubuntu.