Beginners

A Linux Survey For Beginners

John Duchek — Fri, 27 Nov 2020 17:00:00 +0000

So you have decided to give the Linux operating system a try. You have heard it is a good stable operating system with lots of free software and you are ready to give it a shot. It is downloadable for free, so you get on the net and search for a copy, and you are in for a shock. Because there isn’t one “Linux”, there are many. Now you feel like a deer in the headlights. You want to make a wise choice, but have no idea where to start. Unfortunately, this is where a lot new Linux users give up. It is just too confusing.

The many versions of Linux are often referred to as “flavors” or distributions. Imagine yourself in an ice cream shop displaying 30+ flavors. They all look delicious, but it’s hard to pick one and try it. You may find yourself confused by the many choices but you can be sure you will leave with something delicious. Picking a Linux flavor should be viewed in the same way.

As with ice cream lovers, Linux users have their favorites, so you will hear people profess which is the “best”. Of course, the best is the one that you conclude, will fit your needs. That might not be the first one you try. According to linuxquestions.org there are currently 481 distributions, but you don’t need to consider every one. The same source lists these distributions as “popular”: Ubuntu, Fedora, Linux Mint, OpenSUSE, PCLinuxOS, Debian, Mageia, Slackware, CentOS, Puppy, Arch. Personally I have only tried about five of these and I have been a Linux user for more than 20 years. Today, I mostly use Fedora.

Many of these also have derivatives that are made for special purpose uses. For example, Fedora lists special releases for Astronomy, Comp Neuro, Design Suite, Games, Jam, Python Classroom, Security Lab, Robotics Suite. All of these are still Fedora, but the installation includes a large quantity of programs for the specific purpose. Often a particular set of uses can spawn a whole new distribution with a new name. If you have a special interest, you can still install the general one (Workstation) and update later.

Very likely one of these systems will suit you. Even within these there are subtypes and “windows treatments” to customize your operating system. Gnome, Xfce, LXDE, and so on are different windows treatments available in all of the Linux flavors. Some try to look like MS windows, some try to look like a Mac. Some try to be original, light weight, graphically awesome. But that is best left for another article. You are running Linux no matter which of those you choose. If you don’t like the one you choose, you can try another without losing anything. You also need to know that some of these distributions are related, so that can help simplify your choice.

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Ubuntu Kylin, a Linux Distribution with a Microsoft Windows Experience

Jack Yu — Tue, 27 Jun 2017 14:48:37 +0000

by Jack Yu

Ubuntu Kylin is an open-source Linux distribution based on Ubuntu since 2013, mainly developed by a Chinese team alongside dozens of Linux developers all over the world. It contains the basic features you would expect from Ubuntu, plus features a desktop environment and applications. As far as we know, Ubuntu Kylin is one of the most suitable Linux distributions for users who are farmiliar with Microsoft Windows, including its desktop environment, office suite and various applications.

Desktop Environment

The first release, Ubuntu Kylin 13.04, was distributed April 25, 2013, the same day as Ubuntu 13.04. The 9th release of Ubuntu Kylin, our latest version 17.04, was released on April 13, 2017. A highlight feature in Ubuntu Kylin 17.04, which is shown in Figure 1, is a desktop environment similar to Microsoft Windows called UKUI (Ubuntu Kylin User Interface). It provides a simpler and more enjoyable experience for browsing, searching and managing your computer.

Figure 1. Ubuntu Kylin's UKUI Desktop Environment

UKUI is a powerful graphical interface with all the features you'd expect from a modern operating system desktop. At first glance, you might think it's Windows 7. Icons located in the upper-left corner represent the commonly used system functions. When you click the right mouse button on the desktop, a menu pops up. You even can double-click and select an item to execute it. The taskbar is located on the bottom of the desktop just like classic Microsoft Windows. The three icons on the left side of the taskbar are the Start Menu, File Manager and Firefox browser. The icons on the right are network, speakers, battery power, input method and so on. After you execute several programs, their icons emerge in the middle of the taskbar. If you want to see a certain program displayed on the top of the desktop, just click the corresponding icon in the task bar.

A Chinese landscape painting is used as the default wallpaper, but you easily can set up your favorite desktop theme and wallpaper through the Control Center.

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Linux Lite

James Gray — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 18:28:28 +0000

by James Gray

Linux Lite is a beginner-friendly Linux distribution that is based on the well known Ubuntu LTS and targeted at Windows users. Its mission is to provide a complete set of applications to support users' everyday computing needs, including a complete office suite, media players and other essential applications.

The new version, Linux Lite 3.4, simplifies scheduling of software updates, installing third-party drivers and creating a restore point for the OS. Meanwhile, the new Lite Updates Notify application informs the user of all available updates. Users can set update reminders anywhere from once every hour to every three weeks.

The updated Lite Welcome has a fresh new look and reminds users to install updates and drivers and sets a restore point after a fresh install of Linux Lite. Other new features in Lite Tweaks include Hibernate & Suspend, Login & Logout options, Manage Saved Sessions and zRam. zRam is a compressed RAM block device for faster I/O and is perfect for older computers.

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SCALE: The Best Little-Big Open Source Conference

Miguel Hernandez — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 14:00:00 +0000

by Miguel Hernandez

The Southern California Linux Expo (SCALE) is happening this weekend Feb. 25-27 and is, simply, awesome! I heard about it during its infancy but never even looked into it thinking it would be just as expensive as OSCON. Boy was I wrong! The first year I attended, it cost $60. This year the cost is $70. That's $70 for THREE days, which is a steal! Factor in the discounts provided to local open source user groups & it is downright highway robbery. You really cannot beat it.

Luminaries from across the open source universe abound. There are simply too many to list here. There will also be many open source-based companies on-hand hiring: Facebook, Google, eHarmony and Ticketmaster, to name but a few. There will be exhibitors ranging from local open source user groups to non-profits leveraging open source to make the world a better place to well-known linux distributions and everything in-between.

The events kick-off on Friday with some great tracks including DevOps, Build an Open Source Cloud Day, PostgreSQL Day, Fedora Activity Day, UbuCon, FOSS Mentoring and SCALE U.. Saturday and Sunday is the main conference with tracks for Open Source in Education (OSSIE), Beginners, Developers and System Administrators.

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