Linux Revisited

Linux Revisited
My endeavor here is bit of education and lot of choice.
Below is a a comment posted by a Linux user.
I accidentally stumbled upon while looking for now defunct Distromania.
“I used to think that the notion that there were too many Linux distros was overblown. Surely people could just pick one and use it. And, then there were all the horror stories of how difficult it was to install Linux. Not so, said I, installing Linux these days is just as easy – perhaps easier – than installing Windows. However, recently, I looked for a distro that would be suitable for a friend’s old XP-based machine. That was when my pre-existing notions about Linux began to change…
Perhaps I have been spoiled over the past few years by sticking to Ubuntu-type distros (Ubuntu with the Gnome Classic interface and, most recently, Mint with the Mate desktop). Typically, these install flawlessly, and work fairly well (although the raison d’être for this blog is essentially to document the fixes to problems that I encounter!).
However, the same cannot be said for all the distros out there.
My first foray into distro-world was Puppy Linux since this distro has a reputation for being a lightweight in terms of resource requirements, yet has a full slate of applications, and runs well on older hardware. What I couldn’t initially figure out was how to establish a grub menu to dual-boot XP and Puppy. It turns out that there is a separate installation process for grub; however, while the main installation routine is under Setup in the main menu, grub’s installer is under System!
Some even more challenging issues arose while trying a number of other distros. Macpup wouldn’t run because the hardware didn’t support PAE (Physical Address Extension) and Macpup no longer has a version with non-PAE kernel. Tiny Core Linux failed to install to the hard disk with the – unknown to Google – error message “Error mounting USB device”. A strange error since I was installing from a CD-ROM. Damn Small Linux installed to the hard drive, said that it had installed grub, but failed to boot into a grub menu and loaded Windows. VectorLinux had an incomprehensible (to me) requirement to specify “run levels” and “services”, and a very confusing set of selection buttons that seemed to be on when I thought they were off and vice-versa!
I could go on but, no doubt, you get the picture. For the non-Linux person – and even for some of us who know a little bit about Linux – finding, installing, and using an appropriate distro is not necessarily without its challenges.”
Let me expand on this guy who pressed the “panic button”, since I have used and tested more than 500 distributions.
 
His choices were pretty bad.
 
1. DML (Damn Small Linux)  with only 50 MiB is only for the experts who work on terminals.

2. Vector Linux is a light weight dedicated Linux distribution for one who has some understanding about Linux programming.
It should be used alone in a single computer (like me who had 10 computers in a home network, running various Linux distributions. I have dismantled all but one to cut down on my electricity bill) and for a Linux fanatic (like me) not for an ordinary user.
 
I must say I did not like it very much.
 
It is in the same fold as Absolute Linux (which has Gambase programming Language) but less versatile.
Puppy Linux my favorite since it is in my front pocket as a Mini CD or around my neck as a Flash Drive or in my smart phone as a mini SD (pull out, shove it into the SD card bay or  into a USB bay and use in an emergency) especially when I go abroad (but unable to boot from the smart phone).
I use the smart phone as a bay or storage space.
I use Puppy Linux to test a new computer, I may think of buying on a schedule abroad (give it as a present or use it myself) and is only for an expert and not a casual user.

Puppy used to be just 100 MiB.
It has many derivatives now.

I am currently downloading Simplicity which is 1.4 GiB.
It is becoming fat now but do not bother since Flash Drives are going up to 32 MiB now.
When I first used Puppy in a Flash Drive it was only 250 MiB Flash drive.
 
I currently recommend Knoppix 7.5 (first proper live CD in Linux World) which is the best for a Newbie.
The Linux Magazine is the only source one need if one wants to dig deeper.
The bonus you get is a Double sided DVD with the Magazine with at least two distributions to play with.

That is why I published a book called “Teeny Weeny Linux”.
 
So this guy is a spoiled guy trying to spoil another or scare another zombie.

My intention here is to make Linux “Fun and Game” and not a dreary exercise. 

Mind you this site is called Linux-100 but I have briefly made comment on over 200 of the distributions, which you can peruse here.

The Last one I downloaded is a fabulous Linux distribution for kids.

Please use a torrent for downloading and become a seeder for at least 48 hours. 

That is what I do to cut down on my electricity bill.


PicarOs Diego!
 
That is why there are so many Live CD/DVDs to play with. Installing is a different ball game, especially dual booting which I have adequately dealt with my tiny book “Introduction to Linux". 

I have now come to the conclusion that web is not the place to learn Linux and the web has become an easy portal to vent some steam and anger. 

We used to call it the “Flame Wars” and it not the tradition of a smart Linux user or a developer. 

It has become more academic and informative and the init and systemd are classic examples, I have made a little reference above.

The wrong way using the right thing.

Get it right the first time is the classic statement in “Quality Management”.