Oh, for the record ignore any media more than 6 months old. Ubuntu has a new release every six months and other distros frequently try to release about that frequently, too. (I think GNOME has an official twice-a-year release.)
Linux isn't like Windows. Linux has new releases a lot faster. You can upgrade from Ubuntu 8.04 LTS to 11.04 but with the amount of data to copy it will be faster to download and burn a new ISO.
http://ftp.ussg.indiana.edu/linux is an Indiana University mirror for a lot of Linux projects. It includes "mepis" and "ubuntu-releases" for ISO images for SimplyMEPIS and Ubuntu/Kubuntu. (It includes others, but since those have been mentioned I thought I would point them out.)
Ubuntu actually has multiple flavors. Regular Ubuntu is GNOME. Kubuntu is KDE. Xubuntu is XFCE. Though that's only the initial interface -- they have a common package repository and one install can later also install the other interfaces. I actually prefer Kubuntu to Ubuntu.
When you're starting out it is good to keep at least one machine stable -- that way you can hit the web for answers. It sounds like that won't be a problem for you. ;)
Cheers and good luck,
Steven Black
On Nov 23, 2011 7:38 PM, "Paul W. Proctor" <proctor710@comcast.net> wrote:
Hi,
Got several spare machines with about 2ghz processors. All I really want to
do with them is internet access and email. All experimental machines, backup
not an issue. Got a bunch of spare time, on SSDI. I have a couple of 2 yr
old Ubuntu disks somewhere.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steven Black" <yam655@gmail.com>
To: "Bloomington LINUX Users Group" <blug@cs.indiana.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2011 12:12 PM
Subject: Re: [BLUG] Linux
> My middle school niece switched to Linux. It can be quite easy -- and
> I mean far easier than Windows. I installed it for her once, and let
> her do all the administration with it -- next thing I know she's
> installed it on replacement laptops and on friends' laptops. She had
> no prior experience with Linux and hadn't read anything about it
> before I installed it for her. I was tired of repairing problems with
> viruses. I said I would fix it one last time and she would never have
> a problem with viruses again: I installed Ubuntu.
>
> Hardware compatibility isn't a given. This is known to bite people
> when they initially convert.
>
> Also, make sure you back up anything on the computer that you want to
> keep. You should be keeping backups as a normal part of your computer
> life, but unfortunately this isn't a given.
>
> Any time you use any tool to repartition a hard drive expect the
> possibility that something could go wrong and you could lose all data
> on that drive. If you have multiple drives and are not absolutely sure
> which is which when you repartition you need to expect to lose all
> data on the drive you were not planning to use.
>
> What do you need to do with the computer and how fast do you need it
> to be usable? How much time do you have to play with Linux before you
> need to be productive with it?
>
> For a simple "is my hardware compatible with Linux" test there are
> "Live" CDs. Personally, I'm a fan of Ubuntu. Their desktop
> installation CDs are also "live" CDs. You can boot up Ubuntu and
> verify the hardware is supported before you install upon it. At this
> point, I think most Linux distributions have Live media when they're
> not the same as their desktop installation media. Some distributions
> may require DVDs but most have just one required installation CD and
> the rest of the packages can be downloaded from the Internet. (Debian
> is available on 52 CDs, 8 DVDs, or 2 BD. You can get a bootable system
> that can go online to download more packages with just the first CD.
> Many packages are alternatives to other packages.)
>
> The gentlest installation of Linux has got to be Wubi -- the Ubuntu
> Windows Installer.
> http://www.ubuntu.com/download/ubuntu/windows-installer -- It is
> actually easier to try out Linux with Wubi than it is to try it out
> with a Live CD. It installs Linux like a Windows application -- no
> repartitioning needed (though you need to reboot to boot in to Linux)
> -- and this means it can be uninstalled just as easily. There are some
> caveats with using Wubi -- disk access isn't as fast -- but
> performance is more realistic than a Live CD and it is super fast and
> easy. Since Wubi installs Linux in to space allocated within your
> Windows partition there's no risk of loss of data stored in your
> Windows partition.
>
> If you know the hardware will work with Linux, there is no reason to
> stick with the first distribution of Linux that you try. There are a
> lot of different flavors. Some distributions are easier to use than
> others, and most have slightly different hardware requirements. Linux
> will run on a wide variety of hardware. Most Linux distributions have
> similar hardware requirements to modern version of Windows. Some Linux
> distributions specifically focus on lighter hardware requirements for
> older hardware.
>
> Personally, I started using Linux when my system had few enough
> resources I only used a GUI if I wanted to see pictures on a webpage.
> Everything else was done through the console. This meant that system
> was still doing all kinds of stuff when it would have been unsuitable
> for anything in Windows. If you're comfortable with something very
> light-weight, I think the modern hardware requirements are a
> Pentium-class processor or better. The GUI (and Live) CDs won't work,
> but Ubuntu has an "alternate" CD that should work. Even when you need
> to install in text-mode you should be able to use one of the
> lighter-weight window managers. ([Off-topic] Though you need not throw
> away even older hardware. FreeDOS released a 1.0 release -- compatible
> with MS DOS 6.0 -- and ships with a lot of software.)
>
> Cheers,
> Steven Black
>
> On Wed, Nov 23, 2011 at 9:44 AM, Mark Warner <mhwarner@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Do you have a spare machine you can load it on? My suggestion is to just
>> load up a flavor of desktop Linux (my personal preference is
>> SimplyMEPIS) and have at it. Be prepared to have numerous WTF! moments
>> and to totally trash the system out and having to reinstall. Eventually
>> it will all come together, and you'll wonder why you waited so long.
>>
>> JMO. YMMV.
>>
>> Paul W. Proctor wrote:
>>> Hi,
>>> I am ready to take the plunge with Linux! Been a diehard Windows user
>>> for decades.
>>> I would like to know when the next Linux Fest is. I would like to attend
>>> one near IU.
>>> I would also be open to any advice for a newbie.
>>> I AM READY TO CONVERT.
>>> Thanks,
>>> Paul Proctor
>>> proctor710@comcast.net <mailto:proctor710@comcast.net>
>>
>> --
>> Mark Warner
>> _______________________________________________
>> BLUG mailing list
>> BLUG@linuxfan.com
>> http://mailman.cs.indiana.edu/mailman/listinfo/blug
>>
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