New Linux User Requiring Help

kid303 · 10-29-2006, 04:30 PM

How's it going, everyone?

So i'm gettin' pretty bummed out with Windows and it's starting to annoy the hell out of me. I've got a Mac, but it's just a laptop SO i wanted a different OS. Heard about Linux, went on the website and it's all pretty confusing!

Basically, i use my PC for work (text creation etc.) listening to music via iTunes and browsing the internet with the ocasional torrent download through Azureus (IMHO the best torrent client going, but that's just me)...

Another really important thing for me is writing music on my PC. Will I be able to use Reason (Windows program) in Linux and (this is probably a stupid question) but will i still be able to plug my USB keyboard into my PC and have it work?

Went to the Linux download page and saw a list of different linux OS's and don't know which one to use... I'd like to have something pretty advanced as i want to get right into the bowels of my PC...

Thanks for all your advice and apologies for sounding like such a freakin' noob!

Hope to hear some awesome replies pretty soon!

P.S - again, thanks for all the help!!

musicman_ace · 10-29-2006, 05:58 PM

All distrobutions can do anything the other distros can. I'd suggest starting with Fedora(though I don't like it) or Debian.

pixellany · 11-01-2006, 04:01 AM

Any one of the more popular free distributions will be fine. My current favorite is Mepis (based on Ubuntu). Also good is Ubuntu and Kubuntu, and PCLinuxOS.

Take a look at distrowatch.com

Linux will run a lot of Windows SW using the WINE program.

"Come on in--the water's fine."

jacook · 11-01-2006, 05:23 AM

Any distro will do what you want,

try these Linux distro Choosers:
http://eedok.voidofmind.com/linux/chooser.html
http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/

Here are a few personal recomendations:

Kubuntu
http://www.kubuntu.org/

PCLinuxOS .92
http://ftp.nluug.nl/pub/metalab/dist...glish/preview/
ftp://ftp.nluug.nl/pub/metalab/distr...glish/preview/

This is the distro I use and recommend, Why because it works right out of the box. No need to configure Everything, everything just works. It also comes as a 1 CD install that is a live CD that you can install later if you wish.

BeatrIX
http://www.watsky.net/download.html

This Distro is small fast and effective, the ultimite Workers CD

Blag
http://www.blagblagblag.org/download/

OPENSUSE
http://www.opensuse.org/Download

Mephis
http://www.mepis.org/

hope this Helps,

Jake