Which is the most stable version?

YeahRight

Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2019
Messages
94
Reaction score
40
Credits
0
Hello... Newbie never used Linux before or have a clue what it's all about, so with that being said If an alien were to land on this earth and he wanted to use Linux which OS would you suggest he try, or better yet which is the most stable version without many issues? I don't care for games or anything with Office stuff and video editing ... Just basic computer user... thanks

64 Bit PC
 


well its fair to say that Patrick Volkerding doesn't rush things with Slackware; one might also say hes cautious. Normally i go for stable releases but 14.2 slackware might be considered in need of an update. Anyway 64 bit 14.2 didn't recognize my new HP laptop network card so i went for current. http://bear.alienbase.nl/mirrors/slackware/slackware64-current-iso Basically i have found Slackware very stable over a few years. Normally people suggest using a live version first say from a USB ; i found live 64 bit painfully slow compared to knoppix and doesn't give Slackware justice as to what it would be like on a alp top or desktop. The install iso makes it much easier to install than used to be. You just dd it (# dd if=path/to/source/iso of=/dev/usbstck ) to a usb stick and boot from stick as you do for knoppix.

eg this is from my bash history for knoppix

dd if=KNOPPIX_V8.6-2019-08-08-EN.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=1M


I did some asking and have been told that that "current" on alien bob repo is stable; certainly i have managed to install libreoffice, geany, cinelerra video editor and everything else i want.
 
Last edited:
ha, ha, LoL ! do a web search get mastadon or hurricane - baltimore is ok an vga " old vacume tube vga { salvage clunker with center burn } an 1,000meg Hd 4 meg ram and a 486 micro channel.
learn to do the xf86 config. Seriously there must be an intelligent question , or perhaps a tutorial on wiki-wiki . first if you can follow direction --- or do you ask questions ?

Debian ------ do the default " do not make any other choice DEFAULT ! "
may the force Bite you.
 
Okay, so far one for Slackware ... Sorry, Pat... I haven't got a clue as to what you're saying if you could pls keep in simple, thanks
 
I agree with arochester's recommendation.


Another good choice is Linux Lite.




 
Thank you for your input I'm curious if I may ask but could you explain why there is 3 different ones for Mint? >> Cinnamon, MATE, and Xfce
This should explain.

Some good how to information.

Have a read and read over as many times as needed.
Although written for Linux Mint it will work for most Linux Distros.
 
Linux Mint.

I have used it for approx 5 years now

Rock Solid

Stability that windows will never match

Which DE (desktop environment) you use is simply a matter of personal preference

Cinnamon has most all the bells and whistles.....I use it. I do not game and I do not video edit etc etc

Mate is very much like win 7.....a bit 'lighter' than cinnamon

xfce is regarded as quick....the 'lightest' of the three
 
Thanks all, much appreciated. So far I gave Mint Mate & Efce a try and now I'm trying Linux Lite, I like the lite. For me I don't need a lot of stuff ( programs ) I mainly use the PC for surfing the internet watching sports/movies, listen to music and for emails. I don't do facebook or twitter or have a need for Office/libre. I just need an OS that pretty much light and reliable ... Again, thanks for all the links, there is a lot of good reading and help there :)
 
Last edited:
one reason whatever you choose to install on your HD to consider having Knoppix on a USB stick due to its practical use . I've used its fsck to fix file issues on my desktop before; you can use clamav from it to scan a none running Windows machine. Its got gparted so you might use find it convenient to use on a windows only PC to prepare partitions minimize etc before dual boot etc
 
one reason whatever you choose to install on your HD to consider having Knoppix on a USB stick due to its practical use . I've used its fsck to fix file issues on my desktop before; you can use clamav from it to scan a none running Windows machine. Its got gparted so you might use find it convenient to use on a windows only PC to prepare partitions minimize etc before dual boot etc
Thanks, though I wouldn't be dual booting. I'm using an older PC just for linux and now I'm Mint Cinnamon.
 
I'm confused about something. I have tried a few different distros, so far I see they're based on Ubuntu, why are they based on such and not on its own? Also, how many linux based is there if there is the correct term? Thanks
 
well let me put it succinctly Linux if i remember it correctly refers to the kernel which is the core of Linix distro's and the baby of Linus Torvalds. I never got that deep into that abstraction layers etc although i did meet a guy who stated " i used to understand it" . You have approaches on things like desktop environment - Gnome etc ; throw into the mix developments then its easy to see why different distros emerged. Ubuntu was based on Debian and then itself forked off into flavors . I remember jaunty .
 
I'm confused about something. I have tried a few different distros, so far I see they're based on Ubuntu, why are they based on such and not on its own? Also, how many linux based is there if there is the correct term? Thanks
You might want to explore the DistroWatch website. Their count has remained fairly steady (+ or -) at about 300 active distributions. But it does vary as new distros are introduced and other distros are discontinued.

We also had a brief thread the other day that talked about the Linux Family Tree that might interest you. Especially follow @arochester's link that shows the timeline of Linux distro development. You have to click on the chart and enlarge it to make any sense at all of the enormous amount of detail that it provides.

Something that should become clear fairly quickly... it is easier to "fork" an existing distro and turn it into something new, something you can call your own, if you want. But if you want to build something totally new and not based on someone else's foundation, you might take a look at Linux From Scratch. This isn't Linux-newbie stuff, but it's amazing to see the possibilities that you have, if you want them. That's the beauty of open source software.

Cheers
 
Maybe one day I will understand why there have to be so many different distros but for now, I will try just to get the hang of things. I'm on Mint Cinnamon. I think I will stick with this until I get more familiar but so far I don't mind Cinnamon. Though, I wish I could make the clock bigger. I did the panel increase only the icons beside the clock got bigger and the panel where close/ expand are I wish I could increase that as well. I imagine it has something to do with fonts but I don't want to screw around with that setting unless its the actual setting for it. Thanks, everyone for your info/help

https://i.postimg.cc/cCRqxqkr/20191007-174939.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/vZ3sxsYn/20191007-174820.jpg
 
Maybe one day I will understand why there have to be so many different distros but for now, I will try just to get the hang of things. I'm on Mint Cinnamon. I think I will stick with this until I get more familiar but so far I don't mind Cinnamon.
I'm not a big Linux Mint fan however Linux Mint is an excellent place to get the grasp on what Linux has to offer as Linux Mint is easy to use and comes with most software most users will need to have OOTB.

Once you become more familiar with how Linux works then you can check out different Linux Distros if you want.

The reason for the many different choices of Linux is all about freedom of choice as there is something to offer to each and every user.

For the the most Linux is Linux and the important thing is to enjoy your Linux and you will learn Linux while using Linux a little bit at a time.
 
So many different distros....I must admit I used to wonder why too !....and eventually it dawned on me that every man and his dog has a different idea of how things are supposed to work and what should be included and what should not....and the list goes on....and on !!!!! Some of the differences are so miniscule as to be boring.......at least thats my take on them.....so I chose to simply stick to something that works.....and works well. Really good support and updates that simply do that...update what needs to be updated without breaking the whole show. therefore Linux Mint.

Your best approach might be this.
First....click on menu....then type in info......top line should tell you exactly which distro you are running....Linux mint 19.1...?.....whatever.....tell us what it is.....then we can make our suggestions more accurate.
Get to know about Timeshift
If you are running LM 19 Timeshift will already be installed


By having an external hard drive, you can make "snapshots" of your OS to that external drive.

Then if you happen to mess things up in trying to alter font size or for any reason at all.....you can simply access Timeshift and set the OS back in time to what it was before you screwed up. Easy.

TIMESHIFT have a read.....getting to know this will help you immensely

You may find the tutorial a bit verbose......but it is well intentioned.....just getting a grip on how to set it up is important.
Any questions.....type back to us
 

Members online


Latest posts

Top