Hi all

After downloading different dist., the 2 i like best are Mepis and Ubuntu.
I am just about ready to install one to my HD but i cannnot decide which one to use as my dist.

I like Mepis because of KDE but there seems to be alot of programs there i dont see my self using and the taskbar is way too loaded with icons and all.

Can i update the taskbar and set it how i like and uninstall programs and install at a later date?

As for Ubuntu, the CDLive version ran excellently but the whole GUI looks rather plain.

Any suggests on why you guys choose to run the above dists. and why?

I am a complete newbie to Linux and have no clue of any programming. I hope to start learning this soon though.

Thanks in advance

I have learnt and still learning more in KDE rather than GNOME. Also, I checked the Live CD of Ubuntu, even it is good. However, the familiarity with KDE leaves me to select Kubuntu for my fav.

I would recommend to go with distro that is comfartable to you and does have things that you require. May be it Word Processor, Spreadsheet, Music with XMMS or anything...

Same here. I started with Mepis, tried a whole bunch of distros, and ended up with Ubuntu. Actually, I tri-boot Ubuntu, Mepis, and Windows XP. That could solve your problem--that way, you could play around with both distros. If you want to set up a tri-boot, let me know, and I'll give you some instructions on how to do it.

This is how I partitioned my drive to do this:

hda1 Windows XP (NTFS--13 GB)
hda5 Shared Files between Windows and Linux (FAT32--126 GB)
hda6 Mepis (EXT3--10 GB)
hda7 Swap partition (Swap--1 GB)
hda8 Ubuntu (EXT3--10 GB)

I made the FAT32 the largest partition and put all my files there (MP3s, documents, pictures, etc.). You can make a separate /home partition to put your Linux settings and have Mepis and Ubuntu share these settings, but I found it gets confused sometimes, since KDE and Gnome settings sometimes interfere with each other (for example, Mepis' KDE likes to put the trash can on the desktop, but Ubuntu's Gnome puts the trash can in the panel--so if they share a /home partition, a trash can with no icon will appear on the Gnome desktop all of a sudden).

You can always use Kubuntu if it's only KDE you want. Kubuntu is just Ubuntu with a KDE desktop. However, you can also just edit the KMenu and get rid of the icons. You can also uninstall programs through Synaptic Package Manager.

Yes--Linux, whether KDE or Gnome, is fully customizable.

http://www.gnome-look.org

Mepis does everything for you, but it's ugly and slow. Ubuntu has a great community, and the Ubuntu Guide has every command you could possibly need to get it set up.

they are very similiar i tried kubuntu and mepis

the only thing i didn't like much about mepis was that it uses Xfree86 not xorg. i dont really know what the difference is though just more familiar with xorg

i tried upgrading from xfree to xorg but i think i screwed something up

other than that mepis is very nice

Mepis. You can use a different windo manager, that's not so bloated, with a little work. same with Ubuntu.

Thanks for all the help guys.

aysiu

How would i do a tri-boot and this will be my setup as tomorrow as im buying another HD-

HD1 40g WinXP (will primarly used for Games)

HD2 120g For Linux dist., mp3's and other apps i want to run there.

Now, questions are, whats the best way to install my Linux dist so my media players on Linux as well as WinXP can read my HD files?

Would it be something like-

HD1 40g WinXP

HD2a 10g Linux
HD2b 110g Mp3 (that drive partition with the FAT32 file system so WinXP/Linux can read all the files?

Hope im sounding like im learning something, lol.

Also, how would i partition the HD? during Linux install or using the good old Windows Startup Disk with FDISK?

Thanks!

you will probably want 20 gigs of linux partioned like:
hdb1 10G Mepis
hdb2 10G Ubuntu
hdb3 ???M Swap (mem*2, no more than 256)
hdb4 100G Stuff

I would do it during the Linux install. Mepis' installation process has a graphical partitioner called QTParted that can do all your formatting and resizing (of course, before doing anything you should always back up your files).

This is what I would do/have done:

Back up all important files.
Pop in the Mepis CD.
Log in as root (password is also root).
Click the "Install Me" icon on the desktop.
When you get to the part about partitioning, run QTParted.
In hdb, create the partitions you want (as described above--making sure to leave some free space for Ubuntu).
Then, follow the install process. When asked where you want to install Grub, put it on the MBR.

At this point, you should be able to dual-boot Mepis and Windows. Test it out. Make sure you can do both.
Once you're confident you can do that, boot the Ubuntu installer CD. Install Ubuntu on the empty partition as Ext3 but put Grub on the root partition instead of the MBR.

Reboot into Mepis. Log in as root. Mount the Ubuntu partition and go to the /boot/grub/menu.lst file. Then, go to the regular Mepis /boot/grub/menu.lst file. Back it up, then copy the Ubuntu entry from the first menu.lst file to the second menu.lst file. Save.

Then, reboot, and choose Ubuntu--make sure it works.
Then, reboot, and choose Mepis--make sure it works.
Then, reboot, and choose Windows--make sure it works.

Once you're confident that you can boot into all three safely, then you can start tweaking things in Mepis and tweaking things in Ubuntu.

Note: I cite very specific instances where you should log in as root. For normal computer use, you should never log in as root.

Ubuntu... But that's just because I like the "feel" better than Mepis Mepis is very nice, though. There are other themes you can add to Ubuntu once you add additional repositories to brighten it up a bit. I'm using the Nuvola theme, which is very nice, but also is a bit understated, especially compared to some of the KDE themes. Plus, you can change the desktop wallpaper easily to get rid of the brown. The thing I really like about Ubuntu is how just about everything is controlled via the sudo command rather than by logging into root. Getting Ubuntu multimedia-ready has also lessened my fear of the command line. I'm also very fond of the organization of the Gnome environment.

Still, I also like KDE. I like the idea of the triple boot (I'm using two Lin distros + a separate XP box) just so that you can experience both Gnome and KDE). Mepis is a very nice distro, and if you find you have too many programs, you can always remove them via the Synaptic package manager (Ubuntu uses this also). Keep in mind, though, that a bunch of the programs you think you might not need are necessary if you want to install programs (all of the C++ developer tools that come standard in Mepis, for example) from source.

I used Ubuntu briefly, but I ran into problems with the ubuntu-specific packages it installed causing dependancy issues if i tried to upgrade to a newer non-ubuntu version. I'm not sure if Mepis is the same way with their packages, but I just went back to plain 'ol Debian. I upgraded to the sid version with xorg and I've been very pleased with it. If you want to learn how to use Linux, grab an install guide or book on Debian and use that. If you just want to use linux for basic tasks and you'd rather not read anything, Linspire is a safe bet.