Easy to Change Between Linux Distros & How is Diamond II BKDE???

[gudziel]

Hi all. I'm new to Linux and just starting out. I downloaded and installed Ubuntu onto my external HD on my current rig that was using for Windows 7 Ultimate, for dual boot purposes. I can already say that I like Linux a lot just from initial playing and tinkering that I have been doing.

But I'm not all that impressed with Ubuntu after looking over other Distros (I have my eyes set on Diamond II BKDE). I've read that most Distros are built in such a way that it makes it easy to switch between them without having to worry about loss of information. Is this true? I'm used to creating more than one partition when installing Windows as I know how unstable and vulnerable it can be. So I normally have my Windows OS installed on a separate partition from all of the system programs for easy wipe and installs. Will I need to wipe the Linux partition as I have not purposefully placed software downloads into a separate partition?

Also, even though I'm new to Linux I'm starting to get into a bit of programming for work for products that are Linux based. Which Distro would I be more interested in? I like to play around and tinker with things and wish to have a lot of versatility/flexibility in the OS. Diamond II BKDE appears to be something that may fit me, but I'm unsure. Any suggestions?

Thank you all and I'm already loving Linux. I can honestly say I will try to avoid Windows like the plague. Luckily, I'm also going to install it onto my work computer.

 

[arochester]

I've read that most Distros are built in such a way that it makes it easy to switch between them without having to worry about loss of information. Is this true?

Yes and no. I presume you are talking about a separate Home partition. You can create a separate Home partition and if you don't format it you can install another distro around it. See e.g. [url]http://psychocats.net/ubuntu/separatehome [/URL]...BUT you should always BACKUP, BACKUP,BACKUP just in case it does not work and you can restore your Home files.

Which Distro would I be more interested in?

We don't know what you might be more interested in. You know that. (You have posted no specs about your computer). If you fancy on distro than go with that and try it. You can always change later if you want. There is an idea that main distros are more permanent than minor distros

Any suggestions?

You might look at e.g. http://m.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/best-linux-distro-five-we-recommend-1090058

 

[gudziel]

First off, thanks for your reply, arochester.

We don't know what you might be more interested in. You know that. (You have posted no specs about your computer). If you fancy on distro than go with that and try it. You can always change later if you want. There is an idea that main distros are more permanent than minor distros

I don't have my specs on hand at the moment. I know its 8GB DDR3 RAM with an intel dual core (don't really require a quad core and unsure of the Ghz) processor. I know that I am not offering much info as I built the computer about four years ago. As I'm learning programming and performing more and more tasks at work relating to programming, I'm becoming heavily interested in it. I'd really like get a distro or two that programmers like. I'm not an experienced or advanced programmer by any means, but I am learning and would like to have a distro that helps in my teachings. Also my work has arranged for me to take some Linux classes and a Linux+ certification course next month. So I'd like to use a distro that not only helps me in learning my way around Linux, but is great for a programmers needs.

I know, I'm confusing....

Does that help to narrow it down? Anything that would be good to use from your experiences?

You might look at e.g. http://m.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/best-linux-distro-five-we-recommend-1090058

Thank you for this link. I'll give that a gander as my day continues!

 

[DevynCJohnson]

Which Distro would I be more interested in? I like to play around and tinker with things and wish to have a lot of versatility/flexibility in the OS. Diamond II BKDE appears to be something that may fit me, but I'm unsure. Any suggestions

Either this week or next week, another article of mine will be released on this site. It is about choosing the "right" distro. It mainly discusses distro recommendations based on hardware specs and Linux skill level. I plan to write another one later about choosing distros by profession/need and other more detailed criteria. So, watch the main page for a picture of Tux looking like he has no clue. The article is titled "Which Distro is Right for me?". I hope it helps.

In general, people prefer Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, or Linux Mint.

 

[Jesse Goble]

If you want a distro to help you with coding your best bet is to compile a distro from ArchLinux this way you have a distro made to tailor your needs.

 

[Darren Hale]

Slackware is great for teaching people about linux especially the abiltiy to edit config files and so has Arch - Manjaro seems to be quite stable.