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Many Linux snobs push the Arch operating system as the greatest thing


mhbell

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Nobody posting in this thread is what I would describe as a "new user" - that's for sure. I use Debian and Arch for all the reasons outlined above. But when I was new to Linux I preferred to go with the defaults just to get a working system. And as far as I am concerned MX-16 is as fast and easy to set up as anything out there right now. I would recommend it to any new user who wants to try an install on their own.

If I'm setting it up for the same new user I would go with a Linux Mint distro because they have a pretty standard look and feel similar to Windows 7 (assuming you choose Xfce or Cinnamon.)

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Well in that case you are in luck - just about anything you want is going to work for you. But you are in the minority.

 

Yeah, I know. My son says I'm living in the dark ages. But going without wifi sure makes Linux installations a lot more hassle-free! That's one of the main reasons I do it. Plus, I don't really need wifi. Or maybe I've convinced myself that I don't. To each his own, though.

 

And as far as I am concerned MX-16 is as fast and easy to set up as anything out there right now. I would recommend it to any new user who wants to try an install on their own.

If I'm setting it up for the same new user I would go with a Linux Mint distro because they have a pretty standard look and feel similar to Windows 7 (assuming you choose Xfce or Cinnamon.)

 

Those are two excellent choices for a new user, no doubt. I think that Ubuntu would also be a great option, assuming that the user can work with GNOME Shell (I took to that desktop rather quickly, and never cared much for the old GNOME, but others didn't/don't see it that way).

 

 

Getting back to the original post, I guess what I want to say is that I kinda felt that the comments about Arch in the opening paragraph of the article were mostly unnecessary (especially since the article was supposed to be touting Manjaro), and perhaps a bit unfair. But we see this sort of thing all the time in Linux. Knock that distro and its users to build up this distro and its users. What "I" use is always the best. That sort of thing.

 

We've got tons of great distros out there, lots of excellent choices, something for everyone. But we Linux users, seems like we always fall into this thing where we're dividing each other up with this tribalist stuff. Maybe it's human nature, but it's also quite tiring and pointless. [end rant]

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Hedon James

Have to agree with Saturnian in that post above ^ (#62). At some point, we were ALL drawn into Linux to acquire a freedom that addressed something that our "former OS" did poorly, or did not provide at all, because it turns out that "one size does NOT fit all!" Even in Linux, this is true, but at least Linux tells us "distro X is pretty darn close to what you're looking for...feel free to modify it to your liking to get it exactly how you prefer." And this is a major reason why we stay with Linux. Even distro hoppers typically remain faithful to their distro of choice, only straying to strange new distros in order to discover something new to add to their nearly perfect distro. Makes perfect sense to me.

 

What doesn't make any sense to me, whatsoever, is why a sizable segment of Linux users want to pare back the variety of choice to a more limited "chosen one" scenario. We fled that OS model because we didn't like what was being forced on us, why would we force it on others? I used to HATE....absolutely CHAFE....when I heard "distro Y sucks" or "distro Z is the best" comments, with no regard to anyone else's perspective. Now I realize that not everyone is a good typer, and mostly likely just left off the phrase "...for me" in their haste to post. So now I mentally add those two words to the end of their phrase and their statement makes a lot more sense. :pirate: JMO...

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I think we have to remember that there are varieties of new users when it comes to Linux. In my case I had close to 40 years of IT experience and was a Windows power user so it wasn't a big stretch to learn something new. I struggled a bit with wifi back in 2007 but hey...who didn't? It still took me time to have the confidence to try an "enthusiasts" distro though.

Some folks I introduced to Linux were barely literate with Windows or hadn't used a computer at all. That was a challenge for me to get the right setup for them - they coped quite well and didn't get hacked after I set them up. I didn't choose what was best for me necessarily. It's a matter of "know your client" after all.

Edited by raymac46
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We've got tons of great distros out there, lots of excellent choices, something for everyone. But we Linux users, seems like we always fall into this thing where we're dividing each other up with this tribalist stuff. Maybe it's human nature, but it's also quite tiring and pointless. [end rant]

 

Definitely pointless and tiring. I always think that folk who make a habit of kicking distros other than their own are the sort of sad twats who enjoy pulling wings of flies.

A bit of gentle rib poking is ok in my book. :breakfast:

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V.T. Eric Layton
As far as Arch goes, I could Don't care less who uses it or why.

You realise that means exactly the opposite of what you meant it to mean? "could care less" means you care a significant amount. Don't worry, I've seen it written a lot lately.

There is that better. LoL!

:pirate:

 

The proper form is "I couldn't care less"; meaning that you care pretty darn little already. :)

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V.T. Eric Layton

Well, back when I was a new user to Linux, I installed Ubuntu 6.06. The only thing easier at the time was MS Windows XP. ;)

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