I can't decide what to put on my old laptop. I want to learn how to use linux. I can start everywhere. easy or hard. Can you guys give me an advice it would totally help me and will appreciate it a lot.


Intel Celeron @1.86ghz
894mb RAM
128mb Video Card

Define "OS for Beginner".
NeoTerra, don't push the new one inside the matrix yet!

Go get some books, focus on either a specific Linux system or a specific BSD system. Once you master one system each system won't be necessarily easy but it will actually make sense, it will be fun to learn, and you will actually learn. For starters? Doesn't really matter, you choose your progress in this world. Everyone that is experienced has started with something "newb" I suppose, but we all had the drive to find things out for ourselves and learn as much as we can. No OS will teach you linux.

thanks for your advice. will probably checkout BSD system or Slackware.
ubuntu is not in my choices as I have read reviews, it just won't help me learn

>ubuntu is not in my choices as i have read it just won't help me learn.
How can someone read Ubuntu?
Oh! sorry, I just got your idea.
Your ponctuation is really bad.

yeah sorry about that.

I was preoccupied at somethings else while writing that reply. but you got my point right? so that should do it. :)

If you want to start off with something on a more intermediate level, I suggest Debian. In my years stuck in Ubuntu and derivatives I hardly learned anything, until I switched to Debian.

Well, if you do a custom net install you can learn quite a bit.

At it's core, Debian IS Ubuntu with less hand-holding. (Ubuntu is based on Debian)

That helps out with all of the Ubuntu documentation out there. But remember that it's only mostly compatible.

I posted a thread for noobs.
http://nixers.net/showthread.php?tid=419
We need to remove the threads like ^^ "that".

Can you please stop bashing my thread. It really feels like you're just bashing, you didn't even give any right or appropriate answer to my thread.
The purpose of this thread is to get advice from the professionals.

and I prefer the term Newbie than Noob.


For the record you were once a Noob at something so stop bashing, You're kinda annoying and offending at the same time.

I would suggest Debian, it is easy to use and you can learn a lot from it!
If you would go a little bit deeper i would say Slackare, but try debian first :)

Just jump in to the IRC or PM someone if you need help!

Also, welcome to UH!
I have not been that active lately..

Then I would say Fedora with kde or OpenSUSE or Mint or Mageia.
I'm not bashing, it's just that this question is asked too much that if you google it you'll have hundreds of billions of results.

They used to teach Linux at my univ on Knopix.

(27-02-2013, 01:08 PM)NeoTerra Wrote:

(27-02-2013, 11:09 AM)venam Wrote: I'm not bashing, it's just that this question is asked too much that if you google it you'll have hundreds of billions of results.

We can have a few threads like this. Once we have 2 or 3 f the same one, hen we will start telling people to google stuff.

As long as the forum does not explode with "What Distro should I install?" threads. If it gets our of hand we can make a 'Newbie Corner' section and move the threads there. :)

To be honest, I recommend that you work in your grammar and possibly concentration (seeing that you are using abbreviations and not capitalizing things like "I"). It just seems that you may be a bit young (or not natively from an English speaking country; if this is the case, you should be fine).

(25-02-2013, 07:22 PM)NeoTerra Wrote:

(25-02-2013, 05:08 PM)venam Wrote: Define "OS for Beginner".
NeoTerra, don't push the new one inside the matrix yet!

I'd rather he learn something real instead of going straight to ubuntu.

Then why not go with something that does not whipe your ass for you but does not push you away with to much to do for a first time install ..

Debian or CrunchBang maybe ?

I'm going to go ahead and cast in another vote for Debian. It's much more advanced compared to Ubuntu (In my opinion.) Assuming you go about it in a minimalistic non-graphical install approach.

I think Debian is hard enough of a first linux distro to be learning everyday, yet forgiving enough to not make you hate it not to mention popular enough to find the answer to any question you should have from the installation, to configuration, to maintaining it.

Please feel free to send me a message (or jump on IRC) if you need any help at all, there is no such thing as stupid questions.