Any Linux users out there

[vicvic]

Hi all

Ok i was meant to be setting up a friends computer today. That they brought at an auction the other day. It doesn't have an operating system

I am at present trying to contact a friend who has an msdn subscription to see if i can get a cope of windows 7 off him. As he doesn't know the other friend he might likely say no, which i completely understand.

I have never used Linux before but considering it as an option. Which is the easiest one to install without much configuring. Easy to use for a for a non computer user.

thanks in advance

 

[Darician]

From experience, I can tell you that Windows 7 is generally easier to use for the non computer user. Most Linux fanboys will tell you that Linux is far easier to use and that you just need to get acquainted with the terminal but let's face facts, most average users don't want that.

He'd have an easier time dealing with Windows than Linux; additionally, there's greater support out there for Windows with many communities such as this that are quite helpful. Don't get me wrong, there are Linux support communities out there but not nearly as many as compared to Windows support communities.

If you do in the end decide to go with Linux, I would suggest Ubuntu Linux just because it seems to be the most mainstream distro out there for consumers.

 

[pparks1]

Yes, Linux user here. If you or they don't have Linux experience...this is likely going to end as an exercise in futility. If you want to give it a try, Ubuntu or Linux Mint (an offshoot of Ubuntu with multimedia built-in) are both solid contenders.

 

[vicvic]

I really don't want to put linux on but i might have to. It is a wait and see.

I also don't really want to learn about linux either. I will look into Ubuntu.

 

[vicvic]

pparks1

how easy is it to get drivers for a hp desktop. The system number is dx2710

 

[ShandyBass]

Ubuntu is your best bet. A lot of support. Also as it is widely used a lot of help can be found. However if you are installing Linux for the first time you may want some help maybe a friend who has experience with some Linux distros.

 

[pparks1]

pparks1

how easy is it to get drivers for a hp desktop. The system number is dx2710

Depends.....the only driver that you "sometimes' need to find is the wireless driver. And depending upon what wireless card chipset you have, determines how hard of a process this becomes.

With the last few releases of Ubuntu through, I haven't had to get any specific drivers for my Dell Latitude E6400 laptop.

 

[Darician]

With Linux, it can vary. For some models, you'll have no trouble as things will work out of the box but with others, not so much. In the latest releases of Ubuntu, support has been decent though again, it varies. If anything, download a live CD and try it out if you're realy interested. You don't have to install it and can just play with it using the CD to see if hardware is detected or not.

 

[vicvic]

Ok that cool. As it is a desktop I don't think i will have to worry about wireless drivers for the time being.

Will i have to do much configuring in set up (god i hope not)

 

[vicvic]

Thanks daricaian I will try the live cd. I will start downloading it now.

 

[Darician]

Standard setup is relatively easy and doesn't require much knowledge of Linux. The only thing to remember with Linux is most everything is case sensitive so keep that in mind when choosing a user name and password (among other things). It depends on if your hardware is natively detected or not. For the most part though, Ubuntu will either have the drivers or go out to the internet to fetch them for you.

Additionally with 10.04, as the buttons are on the left, you may want to follow this tutorial: Move Window Buttons Back to the Right in Ubuntu 10.04 - How-To Geek to change them to the right. Additionally, when putting in the value, for familiarity, I would suggest you type it in as (without quotes) "menu:minimize,maximize,close".

 

[vicvic]

Thanks

 

[Dinesh]

From experience, I can tell you that Windows 7 is generally easier to use for the non computer user. Most Linux fanboys will tell you that Linux is far easier to use and that you just need to get acquainted with the terminal but let's face facts, most average users don't want that.

He'd have an easier time dealing with Windows than Linux; additionally, there's greater support out there for Windows with many communities such as this that are quite helpful. Don't get me wrong, there are Linux support communities out there but not nearly as many as compared to Windows support communities.

If you do in the end decide to go with Linux, I would suggest Ubuntu Linux just because it seems to be the most mainstream distro out there for consumers.

Could not have said it better. Very well said.

 

[vicvic]

I am considering setting linux up and never go back to there machine

I don't want to give tech support daily or weekly. ( A friend of my said they brought it send them to a computer store.)