Switching Linux Distros

[El Koeno]

I´m currently using xubuntu on my laptop, and considering using Linux on my desktop as well. However, I´m not entirely sure which distro I would like. So ideally, I would just install one that seems nice (I´m considering OpenSUSE, but this thingie suggested Mandriva), and if I don´t like it, just install a new one, preferably without losing settings etc. Supposedly, Ubuntu stores all user settings in the home directory, so as long as that directory is preserved, all user settings are preserved as well. And installing stuff is dead easy in Ubuntu, so it appears this is quite nice.

Would this work when installing other distros as well? So if I just install OpenSUSE and keep all data and the home directory on a separate partition, would I be able to remove OpenSUSE and replace it with Mandriva, and expect the new installs of the software (openoffice, bibus, openttd...) to retain their settings?

Also, any tips regarding distros are appreciated. Though the ones I mentioned (Mandriva, Ubuntu and OpenSUSE) seem good for someone like me who isn´t too worried about having to tweak stuff, but expects a computer to work at least decently after install.

 

[J-man]

I tried OpenSUSE and I didn't like it that much. I like Ubuntu better because there is far more information for hobbyist and noobs on the internet for it.

 

[Padma]

Linux (and Unix, including the BSDs) stores all user settings in the user's /home directory. So your original statement is true: all your settings will be preserved if you switch distros. However, not all distros use the same user numbering scheme. Some start numbering regular users at 500, others start at 1000. And the OS looks at the user number to determine who you are for permissions and such. So you might set yourself up as user "elkoeno", and have "/home/elkoeno" as your home directory, but on switching distros find you have no permission to touch 'your own' stuff!

The obvious fix is to check what your current user number is, and when installing a new distro, make sure that your user is set to the same number. (Usually pretty easy to do, even with GUI tools.)

The other possible 'gotcha' is that if openSuse, for instance, uses a different version of an app than say, Mandriva does, some of the settings may have changed meaning, or be non-existent, or whatever. But usually things will work out fine.

(And, IMHO, installing stuff is dead easy in any of the major distros, and most of the rest, as well.)

 

[El Koeno]

Thanks. However, I have no idea what a user number is, and where to find it. A quick google is not very helpful. All it turns up is statistics of numbers of users, and sites where I can register. (I did not install Linux because I liked online registrations so much.)

 

[J-man]

Padma, which distro's do you prefer? I know Ubuntu is not your favorite. What do you think of openSUSE?

What do you think is the most important thing? I like a distro that has a large community. It makes it easy to google or ask on a forum for something you need to know. Hence Ubuntu is my favorite.

On-topic & @El koeno: If you don't know which to choose you can download virtualbox and try them out.

 

[El Koeno]

What would virtualbox do to performance and hardware compatibility? I´m also interested in how a distro feels when really using, so I´m going to be trying a distro for at least a week, preferably two or three. I´ve never used virtualbox, but it seems an unnecessary step if I´ve decided I´m going to have a Linux partition anyway: I mean, I´d have to install Linux in virtualbox right?

One more distro that has come to my attention is Linux mint. It seems both pretty and usable.

 

[Padma]

My preferences are PCLinuxOS, Linux Mint, and Mandriva, in that order. The last time I tried openSUSE it was sluggish on my system, just as SUSE always has been for me.

My preference is for a system that "just works". It doesn't have to be bleeding edge, or even leading edge. I spend my work day working on the command line of Linux servers. When I get home, I want to be able to relax and enjoy my system, not spend my time digging into why it's not working.

@El Koeno: to find your user number, open a terminal and type

grep <your user name> /etc/passwd

It should return a single line like

<name>:x:[color=red]999[/color]:888:<your full name>:/home/<name>:/bin/bash

The first numeric field ('999' in my example) will be your user number. The second number ('888') will be your group ID.

(There's a GUI admin tool that can get/show the same info, but each distro varies. Command line is a safe bet. )

 

[J-man]

Although I like Ubuntu most because of it's large community and user friendliness. I still can't install it on my internal hard disk. I have a SATA RAID setup (intel's ICH9R chipset) and ubuntu fails to recognize it, I have installed on a external HD

What would virtualbox do to performance and hardware compatibility? I´m also interested in how a distro feels when really using, so I´m going to be trying a distro for at least a week, preferably two or three. I´ve never used virtualbox, but it seems an unnecessary step if I´ve decided I´m going to have a Linux partition anyway: I mean, I´d have to install Linux in virtualbox right?

One more distro that has come to my attention is Linux mint. It seems both pretty and usable.

If you have a good computer then you can get reasonable performance with linux on virtualbox. Don't expect any decent run of 3d software. The plus side of virtualbox is that it will save you partitioning and reformating hard disks (with all of its dangers) if you want to try a lot of distro's.

 

[El Koeno]

Although I like Ubuntu most because of it's large community and user friendliness. I still can't install it on my internal hard disk. I have a SATA RAID setup (intel's ICH9R chipset) and ubuntu fails to recognize it, I have installed on a external HD



If you have a good computer then you can get reasonable performance with linux on virtualbox. Don't expect any decent run of 3d software. The plus side of virtualbox is that it will save you partitioning and reformating hard disks (with all of its dangers) if you want to try a lot of distro's.

Well.. My computer is a couple of years old now, but perhaps I´ll try VirtualBox.

And padma: thanks, found my usernumber. How to change it in a new install? I´ve also found the numbers in /etc/passwd, is this the place to edit them?

I think I should give PCLinuxOS a try as well. It seems nice. It has a good selection of desktop environments, in which I´d like to shop around. Never used KDE, who knows, I might like it.

 

[Padma]

Sometime during the installation, or maybe even as late as the first boot, you should be given an option to "Add a User". This is when you create the first, non-root user. On many distros I've seen, there is an "Advanced" button that you can click to get into the nitty-gritty of assigning user numbers, group-IDs, etc. If not, you can always log in as root, and edit the /etc/passwd file to use the 'correct' numbers.

One of the things I love about PCLinuxOS is that it is, by default, a KDE distro. The current iso (2009.2) comes with KDE3.5, a fully mature, easy-to-use desktop. However, 3.5 is no longer supported by the KDE devs; they are fully committed to KDE4. (KDE4, with its "Plasma" desktop, is one of the inspirations for the Vista/Win7 desktop. ) Tex and the Gang do have KDE4.3 now available in the repos, though, and it is probably the best KDE4 implementation I have seen yet.

There are also Gnome, XFCE, and LXDE versions of PCLinuxOS available as separate isos, as well as in the repos. One of my machines is getting long in the tooth, and KDE4 runs a little sluggishly on it. I installed the LXDE desktop, and now it flies!

@J-Man: One of the things I love about PCLOS is that the community, while relatively small, is as user-friendly as the distro!

 

[El Koeno]

Okay, I´m doubting whether to install PCLinux or Linux Mint. It seems Linux Mint can be installed right from windows, like installing Ubuntu through wubi. If that means no risky partitioning or perfomance reducing virtualboxes that´s a big plus!

But I´d like to try KDE, and if Padma says PCLinuxOS is the best KDE implementation, I´d like to try it for a spin. Well, I might just use a Live CD for a while.

 

[Padma]

That's the beauty of a Live-CD: you can try it, and if it's not right for you, you just don't install it, and nothing on your computer is changed.

Just note, the PCLOS 2009.2 Live-CD runs KDE3.5.10, which is a more "XP-like" version of KDE. You can't check out their KDE4 implementation without installing the OS, adding the KDE4 repo data, and replacing KDE3 with KDE4. The 2010 release may default to KDE4, and should be out within the next few months. OTOH, PCLOS is a "rolling release" distro. Once it's installed, you just keep it updated, and you'll always be running the most current software. I am, in effect, running PCLOS 2010 right now.

 

[El Koeno]

But with live-cds I wouldn´t be able to install software right? So it wouldn´t be like ¨really¨ using the system.

 

[Padma]

More-or-less true. With a live-cd, you can install software. But since it all runs in RAM, you would have to reinstall every time you rebooted. Plus, you wouldn't want to install a very large app, since it would all have to stay in RAM. (FWIW, I usually install a few personal favorite apps into RAM with the Live-CD before I install the system. That way, they get installed along with the rest of the OS. At least, PCLOS works that way. )

OTOH, the PCLOS Live-CD is a very complete system, and it is unlikely that you will *need* anything beyond what is on the CD. It is starting to get a bit dated, though.

I often use a Live-CD when I am using my work laptop at home for "personal" use: web browsing, etc. (I can't install on it for various reasons.) That way I get an OS I can really use, without having to touch my employer's 'stuff'. (I've almost memorized my 26-hex-byte wireless key....)

 

[El Koeno]

Alright. Tomorrow I´ll buy a bunch of blank cds and try out some stuff.

I might even switch my laptop from xubuntu to linux mint xfce.