Follow: "Knoppix or DEBIAN for HD install"

**OP4Latino** · 06-30-2005, 09:24 AM

I read the "Hd Install HowTo" and came out that Knoppix isn't mean to be installed, I tried just for curiosity do a Windows Partition PMI and ineed Knoppix failed to recognized my USB devices and crash in the middle of my experiment. So I'll leave Knoppix to be just a Live Linux CD.

I read "URGENT - Knoppix or DEBIAN ofr HD install ???????" thread http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtop...er=asc&start=0 and I'm following "Debian CDs" http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19835 . I have some understanding problems about them.

Originally Posted by UnderScore

If they want to install Knoppix to the HD (which is really a modified Debian) then skip Knoppix & install Debian 3.1 (released Mon June 6). If they want a pre-configured user-oriented desktop PC, not server, distro based on Debian then use Ubuntu (GNOME desktop) or Kubuntu (KDE desktop) or see RedHat backed Fedora Core 4 (released June 13). If they want a real noob friendly desktop Debian based distro & are willing to pay a small yearly price for support & software updates then they can use Linspire.

I don't get the differences in the distros, James. Can you (or anyone) kindly rephrase that?

"Pre-configured user-oriented desktop PC, not server"?

I already have the ubuntu 5.04 Cds. I have only tried the Live CD and works fine in my computer.

Is any way to know what distro is right for me? I only have one computer right now and I plan to buy a new desktop in the future and maybe a laptop, too. Who knows. So concerting networking, it will stay as home networking, and not as office or big network.

Thanks.

**tdjokic** · 06-30-2005, 12:09 PM

Is any way to know what distro is right for me?

www.distrowatch.com is nice site for you!

**bigkahuna** · 07-02-2005, 12:43 AM

If you like Knoppix and want to do a HD install, try Kanotix. I've just installed Kanotix 2005-1 on my second computer (a new one I built) and had the entire system installed and configured in 20 minutes... no problems!

**UnderScore** · 07-02-2005, 02:51 AM

I don't get the differences in the distros, James. Can you (or anyone) kindly rephrase that?

"Pre-configured user-oriented desktop PC, not server"?

I mention that phrase because there are people who will recommend a particular distro that they like (and I'm sure they have a good reason for liking it) but that distro is not best for either new users or as desktop OS. Distros like Gentoo, Slackware, and is some ways Debian do not attempt to produce a very well rounded, easy to use, user friendly desktop OS. Linux has the flexibility of being just about any type of computing platform and some examples are: Linux runs the Google search engine, Linux is the OS on a Tivo video recorder, you can get Linux on a wristwatch, Linux on cell phones, Linux on PDAs, Linux on the an Airbus jetplane (on the in-the-back-of-the-seat TV screens). Theose distros I listed in my original post tend to focus more on a desktop GUI OS (think Windows XP or Mac OS X) as opposed to a server OS (think Windows 2003 Server or Novell Netware or big time UNIX ). Ubuntu, Fedora Core and Linspire can operate as a server (and probably do it very well) but the developers again are mostly focusing on desktop & end user issues as opposed to server and big enterprise issues. Something also to note is that they also have a large community of users, forums, tutorials and guides to support it as a desktop OS.

So I've also mentioned that Debian is also a great choice. Knoppix, Ubuntu, and Linspire are all based on Debian. Debian is one of those general purpose distros that can be everything (client, server, desktop, router etc). Installing Debian as a desktop OS is not that hard. But compared to Ubuntu, Fedora Core and Linspire it does require more user involvement in order to make it a very well rounded, easy to use, user friendly desktop OS. It is not ugly, broken, or unecessarily difficult. It tends towards users with more experience. On the other hand, Linspire costs about $50 while Debian/Fedora Core/Ubuntu is $0. Ubuntu & Fedora Core have a new release every 6 months which in my opinion is too frequent & requires the developers and users to worry about upgrading from release to release. Debian's release cycle is rather long & the next release is estimated at a minium of 1.5 years. I feel this is good because of my background in being a sysadmin. if you have known working computer, why would you want to upgrade it & possiblly make it less stable?

Finding a personal desktop OS distro is for me like finding a comfortable pair of dress shoes. I've bought $25 shoes that I discovered I hated. I've bought $80 shoes that again I hated. I think it has taken me a cycle of 5 pairs of shoes before I found a brand that is good looking, sturdy and more importantly comfortable. You must discover the comfortable desktop OS for yourself by reading, experiementing & learning. A great place to visit regularly is distrowatch.com and linuxquestions.com. They have plenty of links, guides & forums for you to visit.

I wish you success in finding shoes, I mean a Linux desktop OS thats right for you.
James

**OP4Latino** · 07-02-2005, 08:17 AM

Thanks James. I understand the analogy with the shoes. I'll stick for a little while more with Knoppix and I read more from Distrowatch and I play with Ubunto Live CD (since I already gotta it).

Have a nice July 4th everyone.

**HLS** · 07-03-2005, 11:13 PM

I tried Knoppix install with Debian default, but Internet was dead. Since I did not want to take the time to configure it, I re-installed with Knoppix look and went on line immediately.

**eco2geek** · 07-04-2005, 02:28 AM

Originally Posted by HLS

I tried Knoppix install with Debian default, but Internet was dead.

It's typical to have to run the network configuration script off the Knoppix menu once after doing a Debian-style install to bring up your connection. Same with Kanotix.

**HLS** · 07-04-2005, 03:42 AM

After using kxconfig to adjust my Sony LCD monitor to native 1280 X 1024, the display is striking. It really is the kind of decision I like to have to make, trying to decide among three or four choices which one is the best. Xandros 3.0 had become my standard, but Linspire 5.0 caught my attention, then Fedora Core 4.0. The latest Knoppix 4.0 though has taken a big step forward. The only problem I have had so far is the initial installation when the installer just did not want to activate from the Root Shell command. I had to hit Enter about four times after a thirty second wait before the program would initiate. There was no DVD or hard drive activity after about the first five seconds until the last attempt. Everything else went fine. I did have to use Partition Magic to prepare the hard drive. Knoppix did not like the dirty drive and would not format it. I had to format first in FAT32 and then format in ext3 before converting to logical partition. PM kept wanting to add two 101meg partitions at the beginning of the drive, and the path I took was the only way to avoid it. The rest was easy, since Knoppix does not require a swap space or virtual memory with over 512 RAM.

**UnderScore** · 07-04-2005, 05:31 AM

Originally Posted by HLS

After using kxconfig to adjust my Sony LCD monitor to native 1280 X 1024, the display is striking. It really is the kind of decision I like to have to make, trying to decide among three or four choices which one is the best. Xandros 3.0 had become my standard, but Linspire 5.0 caught my attention, then Fedora Core 4.0. The latest Knoppix 4.0 though has taken a big step forward. The only problem I have had so far is the initial installation when the installer just did not want to activate from the Root Shell command. I had to hit Enter about four times after a thirty second wait before the program would initiate. There was no DVD or hard drive activity after about the first five seconds until the last attempt. Everything else went fine. I did have to use Partition Magic to prepare the hard drive. Knoppix did not like the dirty drive and would not format it. I had to format first in FAT32 and then format in ext3 before converting to logical partition. PM kept wanting to add two 101meg partitions at the beginning of the drive, and the path I took was the only way to avoid it. The rest was easy, since Knoppix does not require a swap space or virtual memory with over 512 RAM.

I see you had some issues with the Knoppix HD install. Your opinion does matter and your experience is interesting but this thread is for OP4Latio.
Please create a separate thread for your support requests. http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtop...?p=74439#74439

**HLS** · 07-04-2005, 04:48 PM

My apology. This is a new forum for me and I had problem finding the right "seat." The fact that Knoppix is Debian based makes for a strong support base, since Debian is well documented. I do favor Knoppix because of the major strides in reading NTFS file sytems. Knoppix is a big plus in NTFS repair. But, Knoppix has gone beyond that to become an OS that is perfectly viable on its own. The Live DVD allows you to make very good evaluation of what is available if you want to consider installing it later. I have found a few dead links but nothing major. I cannot argue against Ubuntu. Desktop appearance is superb and I know of at least one techie that uses Ubuntu as a repair tool for XP (I don't know if that is a slam at XP or Ubuntu, but I find it a bit amusing that Linux is employed to fix Windows).