[Joe Dogs]

I was doing some reading about the Linux OS.looks interesting.As a newbe,unfamiliar this system,I was looking to download Linux mint to get the feel of Linux.Would this be good version to start with?Whats your experience with Linux?

Thanks

[byronbb]

Try Puppy Linux. You can boot off usb and it's easy to get going.

[dink]

Linux Ubuntu

[juuso]

I haven't had Linux installed for a while, but I used to have Mint on one of my computers. Mint is very close to Ubuntu. You can install all the same programs and updates. Mint is just better as it has all the drivers and multimedia stuff like Flash pre-installed. Less hassle with the initial setup.

I used to prefer KDE version over Gnome, but haven't checked new versions in nearly two years.

There are literally hundreds of different distros. Lots to choose from. Mint should be among the most intuitive and easiest to get the hang of for a newbie, so I'd try that.

[Maverick22]

Ubuntu...

I think the community support and wealth of topics online about this specific operating system would be a good look.

[jgilmartin]

I would recommend this version of Mint:

http://www.linuxmint.com/download_lmde.php

It's a semi-rolling distribution. It's more stable than a fully rolling distribution but, unlike non-rolling distributions, you never have to do a reinstall of the OS in order to keep it from becoming outdated.

[chilidog]

i'll give another vote for ubuntu. incredibly easy to get up and running, and it easily detected my wifi and graphic cards, etc.

[dink]

Where can linux be downloaded for a windows 8 laptop that has no disc drive and gives the options of the two operating systems on start up?

[peacebyinches]

definitely give it a shot, once you get the hang of linux your productivity will skyrocket (if your using it for work related things) and will have more control over your system. You'll also get the benefit of tons and tons of free software that you never even knew was out there

I'd just go with Ubuntu to start, but I've found the Xubuntu/Xfce environment to be my current favorite, as it seems more navigable, but of course everyone has their own preferences.

[Maverick22]

Where can linux be downloaded for a windows 8 laptop that has no disc drive and gives the options of the two operating systems on start up?

You can start here http://www.ubuntu.com/download/deskt...ick-on-windows

[Gee]

Linux/unix is pointless for the average user, but it is very good for those who need it.

It was useful in the 90s and even early 00s when windows so damn unstable, which is around the last time I used it.

[chilidog]

How does having linux give you more productivity?

definitely give it a shot, once you get the hang of linux your productivity will skyrocket (if your using it for work related things) and will have more control over your system. You'll also get the benefit of tons and tons of free software that you never even knew was out there

I'd just go with Ubuntu to start, but I've found the Xubuntu/Xfce environment to be my current favorite, as it seems more navigable, but of course everyone has their own preferences.

[Maverick22]

I dont know more about more productive on linux. But I am definitely LESS productive on MAC

[peacebyinches]

How does having linux give you more productivity?

Well, I use linux mostly for my research (95% of which involves analyzing fMRI data) and using command line shell scripts works great for automating things that would take immensely longer if I had to point and click to do everything. Also being able to remotely log in to servers/computers with files I need and don't feel like or have time to get in person helps too. I guess you can do most (maybe all) of these things under the Mac OS (not sure about Windows). The one bad thing is that linux's free 'office' programs like Libre suuuuuckk, but having a virtual windows machine installed with those programs solves that issue pretty painlessly (besides the computing resources it takes up running in the background at times).

[Sacrelicious]

Linux is the bomb, pm me for more info, as I don't activley monitor this forum. Mint is the perfect distro to get started with, its Ubuntu based which means everything that runs on Ubuntu will run on Mint.

I personally run Ubuntu with the Cinnamon desktop (one of the default desktop choices for Mint, and one I would reccomend), but Mint provides a more newbie friendly and out of the box experience, Mint and Ubuntu are very similar.

Expect your computer speed to double, to never have to deal with another virus again, to get free software that runs better then proprietary third party software, and complete modular customization. Even if you need to run Windows programs, WINE provides a compatibility layer that will run a lot of it.

The only fallback is the lack of proprietary software for specialized purposes (music production, commercial video editing, serious gaming, etc), in this particular case, I reccomend a partition, but should you not be needing this, Linux is absolutely the way to go, especially Mint.

PM me, we can discuss this further and I will offer you my thoughts after going full on to Linux.

[dink]

You can start here http://www.ubuntu.com/download/deskt...ick-on-windows

What about without usb, just straight to desktop, no discs, no usb's etc.
can it be done?