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Ideal Linux System for Newbies?
spiffyman asks: "In the next year, I'll begin advanced work in mathematics, and I'll also be upgrading my desktop box. In light of the advantages of Linux and FOSS in the area of science and mathematics, I want to convert from a Windows system to a dual-boot one with Linux. Primary tasks aside from math/logic activities will include learning intermediate programming, web maintenance, some computational linguistics (in Python), and LOTS of LaTeX work for my publishing activities. What do Slashdot readers recommend in terms of hardware, OS, software, and perhaps reading for a quasi-power Windows user (with no previous Linux experience) to convert to an all-Linux system?"
You'll be able to do all your work AND get laid more.
Yeah, but only with other guys.
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
I love Gentoo, but I use Ubuntu because it's easier. For a hard-core administrator, editing 12 text files and typing 500 commands is still a pain in the ass; anything that smooths my ride is essentially a plus. My few gripes with Ubuntu include that you still have to install 2 packages and edit 4 text files to do LDAP authentication; but unless you have an Active Directory server holding your username/password you don't care.
If not Ubuntu, then I recommend you pick something else with GNOME and working HAL and udev. Some systems amusingly don't ship with working HAL or good udev setup scripts; in these systems, drivers don't always load their firmware (so hardware doesn't work without tinkering) and newly inserted devices don't instantly get loaded (i.e. USB flash drives). Systems like Ubuntu have all this, so hardware either works when you put it in or it's just not going to work (at least, not without experimental drivers that will probably crash your computer); there's no "well if you edit these 4 files and load this module and put this firmware file in this directory..." to speak of.
KDE is blah. The only real reasons I hear for KDE being recommended are "it looks like Windows" and "GNOME is crap." A lot of good software on Linux is GTK+, and fits in better with GNOME; KDE only looks good with KDE apps, otherwise you get windows that look like they're from different OSes and save/print/open dialogs that are completely different from application to application. When choosing between "GNOME and SOME_POPULAR_APPS" vs "KDE and K*" I typically steer towards GNOME because I can install just about anything and have it look and feel right. (plus GNOME uses way less memory and CPU, and it's going down every release now).
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Yesterday was Xmas. A whole lot of n00bs just got computers. How many have Linux? I would guess none. Someone used to Windows would be lost with any version of Linux, except maybe Linspire with Click and Run, as soon as they tried to install new software. They would then be berated as idiots if they went online looking for help.
Linux is of, by, and for unsociable dorks and dweebs who have no life beyond farting around with computers all day. They probably live in their mother's basements. Tired of Windows? Get a Mac. It just works.
How ya like dat?