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Author Topic: I need help with Linux technical terms  (Read 10833 times)

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floccinaucini

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I need help with Linux technical terms
« on: October 13, 2015, 11:27:06 AM »
Could someone please tell me what is meant by the following terms: Distro, Debian, Ubuntu and Kubuntu. I want to get a Linux Operating System, but I need to know what these mean before I can do that. I am reading about these but I have difficulty in understanding them properly. A simple explanation would be appreciated.

Also if there are tutorials here about Linux, please direct me to those.

Thank you.
Loraine

Calum

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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #1 on: October 13, 2015, 12:41:53 PM »
I'm not a Linux expert by any means, have only fooled around with it, but I can help a little :)
Distro = a version, or distribution, of Linux.  Ubuntu, Debian, Slax are three examples of distros.  Some are very similar and some are wildly different to each other, they may vary in the included software, driver/hardware support, default desktop environment and theme, or many other items.
Debian, Ubuntu and Kubuntu are all distributions of Linux, some of the better known ones in fact.  Kubuntu and Ubuntu are quite closely related.

I'll leave it for others who are more experienced to give you a better explanation but hopefully that's of some help?

Geek-9pm


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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #2 on: October 13, 2015, 01:39:11 PM »
Here is a document that can help anyone to understand Linux.
http://www.tldp.org/LDP/Linux-Dictionary/Linux-Dictionary.pdf
Quote
This document is designed to be a resource for those Linux users wishing to seek clarification on Linux/UNIX/POSIX related terms and jargon. At approximately 24000 definitions and two thousand pages it is one of the largest Linux related dictionaries currently available. Due to the rapid rate at which new terms are being created it has been decided that this will be an active project. We welcome input into the content of this document. At this moment in time half yearly updates are being envisaged
:)

floccinaucini

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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #3 on: October 13, 2015, 02:10:34 PM »
I'm not a Linux expert by any means, have only fooled around with it, but I can help a little :)
Distro = a version, or distribution, of Linux.  Ubuntu, Debian, Slax are three examples of distros.  Some are very similar and some are wildly different to each other, they may vary in the included software, driver/hardware support, default desktop environment and theme, or many other items.
Debian, Ubuntu and Kubuntu are all distributions of Linux, some of the better known ones in fact.  Kubuntu and Ubuntu are quite closely related.

I'll leave it for others who are more experienced to give you a better explanation but hopefully that's of some help?
Thank you Calum, this is very helpful. I have trouble in deciding on a Distro because of the mind boggling number of choices available. In this regard, any further advice from you will be most appreciated. Also, is there a web page that you know of, where I can evaluate the pros and cons of different Distros, to decide which suits me best?

Regards,
Loraine

floccinaucini

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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #4 on: October 13, 2015, 02:12:49 PM »
Here is a document that can help anyone to understand Linux.
http://www.tldp.org/LDP/Linux-Dictionary/Linux-Dictionary.pdf :)
Thank you for this one.

Regards,
Loraine

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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #5 on: October 13, 2015, 02:35:15 PM »
What distro is best really depends on what you are using it for.  As a regular desktop for a beginner you'd be best to use something like Ubuntu as it does the job and has good support/documentation.

Calum

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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #6 on: October 13, 2015, 02:41:01 PM »
You could also check distrowatch.com - it's maybe not as beginner-friendly as it could be, but you can see distributions by popularity, search by name or keyword, and see the latest releases.  I find it's a good place to go for information although it can be a bit overwhelming.
I do agree with camerongray though, something popular and well-supported is best for a beginner (including myself firmly within that category) - so Ubuntu would be a good choice, or I've also heard good things about Mint.

floccinaucini

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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #7 on: October 13, 2015, 04:56:21 PM »
Thanks to both of you. I have seen some customized desktops for Mint etc. which are very beautiful and has a display of Memory, CPU, Network information all on the desktop itself. Does Ubuntu have similarly customized desktops?
Loraine

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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #8 on: October 13, 2015, 05:08:58 PM »
Well, it's all Linux so there is nothing stopping you from using any desktop environment that you want.

Since distros are free, why not download several that interest you and try each of them and see what you prefer?

Geek-9pm


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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #9 on: October 13, 2015, 05:44:17 PM »
Very short list:
  Ubuntu
  Linux Mint
  Debian
  Fedora

Have Fun!  :D



floccinaucini

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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #10 on: October 14, 2015, 09:32:32 AM »
Since distros are free, why not download several that interest you and try each of them and see what you prefer?
Can this be done (trying out a few Distros), without installing in the computer, until I decide on what I like?

Thank you,
Loraine

strollin



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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #11 on: October 14, 2015, 09:53:26 AM »
Absolutely!  Almost all linux distros (there are exceptions) come as what's referred to as a "Live CD".  Once you download the ISO file and burn it to a disk, you can then boot and run from that disk without installing it.  This gives you a chance to try that distro and see if you like it.  If you don't like it you can just shutdown and eject the disk and no changes will have been done to your computer.  If you decide you like it and want to install it, there's usually an icon on the desktop to click on to perform the install.

floccinaucini

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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #12 on: October 15, 2015, 01:32:34 PM »
Thank you for your post. If I want to try out a number of Distros, it looks like that I must have a number of CDs, one each for every Distro that I want to try out. Am I correct, or can I do this with just one CD or DVD by overwriting each Distro, after I have looked at it?

Could I also use a USB stick instead of CD or DVD? The USB stick has enough space but there are some saved items in it that I like to keep.

Regards,
Loraine

Calum

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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #13 on: October 15, 2015, 01:40:38 PM »
If you have a rewritable CD or DVD to hand, you could do it that way, sure.  If you only have CD-Rs or DVD-Rs, then each burn is permanent so you'd need a separate disk per distro in that case.
You could also look into creating a bootable USB stick, and then just format the stick after you've tested each distro, which might be quicker.  I use a tool called Rufus to create bootable USB drives from ISO files, it requires no installation and is reliable, and nice and simple to use.  I find this easier than using optical media because I have a ton of USB sticks lying around.

Edit: just saw your addition about the USB stick, Rufus and indeed most other tools (well, all that I'm aware of) will format the USB drive during the creation, so you'd need to copy the files on the drive to a safe location before turning it into a bootable drive.

Geek-9pm


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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #14 on: October 15, 2015, 11:06:53 PM »
The DVD-R  100 pack, brand name, sell for about $25.
Buy a pack and have fun.
USB sticks are much more expensive.
With DVDs you will have a library you can use again or share with other.s
 :D

EDIT: Forgot to mention. A bootable  DVD can be made from a CD ISO and it will work. Just will hafe some emply space. Bu for 25 cents a pop, don't let it worry you.

floccinaucini

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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #15 on: October 16, 2015, 07:22:36 AM »
Thank you Calum and Geek-9pm. It is embarrassing but I have to ask! I have forgotten how to recognize a RE-writable DVD form a NON RE-writable one. Can you please tell me?

Regards,
Loraine

Geek-9pm


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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #16 on: October 16, 2015, 10:17:20 AM »
Personally, I recommend you NOT use the RW type media.
CD-RW
DVD-RW
The failure rate is very high for bookable media. Just one bad bit can stop it from working right. But with music and video it does not  matter as much. And the RW media is more expensive.

floccinaucini

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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #17 on: October 16, 2015, 10:27:54 AM »
Personally, I recommend you NOT use the RW type media.
CD-RW
DVD-RW
The failure rate is very high for bookable media. Just one bad bit can stop it from working right. But with music and video it does not  matter as much. And the RW media is more expensive.
Thank you,

This is mainly for only trying out a number of Distros and desktop themes, before I decide on what I like. I can use just one Disk to do this by overwriting the previous Distro or desktop theme, until I am happy with one of them.

Regards,
Loraine

Calum

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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #18 on: October 17, 2015, 07:13:18 AM »
Thank you Calum and Geek-9pm. It is embarrassing but I have to ask! I have forgotten how to recognize a RE-writable DVD form a NON RE-writable one. Can you please tell me?

Regards,

Usually the disk will have DVD-R/DVD+R (writable) or DVD-RW/DVD+RW (rewritable) printed on it.  So, basically just look for RW instead of R as this will indicate a rewritable disk.

Geek's comment is valid if you were going to use the disk for anything important, for your intended usage I don't see a problem with using RW media.  By their nature, they're reusable, so although they're more expensive it's not like you can't use them again in the future.

floccinaucini

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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #19 on: October 17, 2015, 09:56:37 AM »
Usually the disk will have DVD-R/DVD+R (writable) or DVD-RW/DVD+RW (rewritable) printed on it.  So, basically just look for RW instead of R as this will indicate a rewritable disk.

Geek's comment is valid if you were going to use the disk for anything important, for your intended usage I don't see a problem with using RW media.  By their nature, they're reusable, so although they're more expensive it's not like you can't use them again in the future.
Thank you. If I create a boot-able USB stick using rufus:
(1) Can I delete a Distro from the USB stick after checking the Distro, and download another distro to the stick, or do I first delete, and then format the stick before downloading the next Distro?
(2) Can a boot-able stick hold more than one distro at a time?
(3) At the end of this venture, can I use this same stick as a normal USB stick for saving media etc?

Kind regards,   
Loraine

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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #20 on: October 17, 2015, 11:03:12 AM »
USB sticks are very  useful.  :)

Still, I think my earlier recommendation is pragmatic.
 The DVD-R only costs 25 cents and is fast an stable.
If you decide you don't want then ... -
 - they can be used as coasters for coffee cups.   ;D



Calum

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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #21 on: October 17, 2015, 11:55:23 AM »
Thank you. If I create a boot-able USB stick using rufus:
(1) Can I delete a Distro from the USB stick after checking the Distro, and download another distro to the stick, or do I first delete, and then format the stick before downloading the next Distro?
(2) Can a boot-able stick hold more than one distro at a time?
(3) At the end of this venture, can I use this same stick as a normal USB stick for saving media etc?

Kind regards,   

1. The easiest way would be to use Rufus to "load" the next distro onto the stick, Rufus will format the drive automatically each time by default.  So no special steps need to be taken, just open Rufus, select the next distro's ISO file and ensure the target is set to your USB drive, it'll ask you if you're sure to format the drive, hit yes and it'll go ahead.
2. You could create a multi-distro USB stick, but that's not as simple a process and it's not one I've done before.  I'd recommend just sticking to one at a time, it makes everything simpler.
3. You can indeed, just format the drive once you're done and it'll be back to normal :) formatting it afterwards isn't absolutely necessary but again it just makes things easier as you're guaranteed to have removed everything on there before you start using it again.

strollin



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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #22 on: October 17, 2015, 05:40:17 PM »
Holy cow!  In the days you have been going back and forth asking questions about what disks to use and such, you could have easily tried a half dozen different distros already.

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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #23 on: October 17, 2015, 05:56:29 PM »
1. The easiest way would be to use Rufus to "load" the next distro onto the stick, Rufus will format the drive automatically each time by default.  So no special steps need to be taken, just open Rufus, select the next distro's ISO file and ensure the target is set to your USB drive, it'll ask you if you're sure to format the drive, hit yes and it'll go ahead.
2. You could create a multi-distro USB stick, but that's not as simple a process and it's not one I've done before.  I'd recommend just sticking to one at a time, it makes everything simpler.
3. You can indeed, just format the drive once you're done and it'll be back to normal :) formatting it afterwards isn't absolutely necessary but again it just makes things easier as you're guaranteed to have removed everything on there before you start using it again.
Thank you for all the support. I am confident of doing this now.

Kind regards,
Loraine

Calum

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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #24 on: October 18, 2015, 01:31:59 AM »
Holy cow!  In the days you have been going back and forth asking questions about what disks to use and such, you could have easily tried a half dozen different distros already.

Possibly, but understand that this can be daunting to someone who's never done this before.  I know I was just the same a few years back and asked a similar set of questions myself.

Thank you for all the support. I am confident of doing this now.

Kind regards,

Not a problem, hope it goes well for you :)

strollin



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Re: I need help with Linux technical terms
« Reply #25 on: October 18, 2015, 07:21:41 AM »
Possibly, but understand that this can be daunting to someone who's never done this before.  I know I was just the same a few years back and asked a similar set of questions myself. ...
Yeah, I guess.  I'm more fearless in that regard.  Instead of asking questions over several days, I would have just gone ahead and figured out (by trial and error if need be) what worked and what didn't.  What's to lose, a few cheap disks?

Anyway, here's a link to a listing of 10 distros that the OP might consider trying: http://www.techradar.com/us/news/software/operating-systems/best-linux-distro-five-we-recommend-1090058