Fedora 11 or Ubuntu 9.04?

Question

I'm new to any linux based OS and i will install one of them just so i know what I'm missing. Which one would you recommend for a first time user? Which one has more "eye-candy" option?

Answer 1

Both Fedora 11 and Ubuntu 9.04 are fine distros. but may I suggest a third option



RECOMMENDED



I thoroughly recommend Linux Mint 7 Main Edition which is built upon Ubuntu 9.04 Its easy to install and easy to use plus it comes with much of the software you are likely to need preinstalled



Linux Mint 7 Download

http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=38



Linux Mint 7 User Guide

http://www.scribd.com/doc/15884753/Linux-Mint-7-Gloria-User-Guide



The Perfect Desktop - Linux Mint 7 (Gloria)

http://www.howtoforge.com/the-perfect-desktop-linux-mint-7-gloria



You download the ISO. image of Linux Mint 7 then you need to create a Bootable LiveCD for installation



Linux Mint 7 can also be run direct from the LiveCD from Booting up without touching your Hard Drive



UBUNTU/LINUX MINT GRAPHICS DRIVERS



In order to enable the Compiz 3D Desktop which you are after you need install the Graphics Driver for your card



NVIDIA



How to install Nvidia drivers in Ubuntu. This tutorial applies to Ubuntu 8.04 LTS on later releases the installer is slightly different in appearance (select recommended Driver)

http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/nvidia



ATI



Radeon

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RadeonDriver



RadeonXpress

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RadeonXpress





COMPIZ



Linux Mint 7 comes with Compiz preinstalled which will give you 3D effects such as this

http://chateaubriant.homelinux.org/gulll/IMG/png/compiz-fusion05.png



Compiz Config Settings Manager (CCSM)

http://wiki.compiz-fusion.org/CCSM



Compiz Plugins Main

http://wiki.compiz-fusion.org/PluginsMain



Compiz Plugins Extra

http://wiki.compiz-fusion.org/PluginsExtra



Compiz Home

http://wiki.compiz-fusion.org/





CURRENT SESSION



Linux Mint 6 custom LiveDVD with Compiz 0.7.2

http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=31

http://wiki.compiz-fusion.org/





LUg.

Answer 2

If your computer has the graphics power to run compiz fusion then that's the eye candy taken care of. (check it on You Tube)



Fedora is not really the best for new users. The documentation simply isn't there for when problems crop up.

I would suggest Mandriva or Debian before Fedora but Ubuntu (9.10 is out next month but you can upgrade then) and Linux Mint are better for new users with Ubuntu just outdoing Mint on account of its popularity. All allow you to install compiz fusion. Gnome is better than KDE. KDE does look slightly better 'out-of-the-box' but that is easily remedied and KDE costs you more processing power.

It has to be said that a few (very few) KDE applications are better than the gnome counterpart but most can be run in gnome anyway and gnome has everything you need. The one thing KDE does better is the browser/file manager that also allows you to view/preview various content such as pdfs etc.

None of the things you can do with Konqueror is the best way to do any of them but it can do all of them! I like the split window in the file manager for dragging and dropping files but I just open 2 file managers and there are other split window file managers available but they are not the default nor would I make them so (but you could)



If you have any problems email me. google ubuntu-restricted-extras which will tell you how to install flash player, java jre and lots of codecs in one go. Don't use adobe's website when directed to it as it is a mess about.

In ubuntu:-

Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal

type:-

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras (unless you get kubuntu or xubuntu when you replace those words for the word 'ubuntu' ie add a k or x)

You can install any software this way if you know its correct name.

miro

inkscape

abiword

scribus

gnome-do

are good packages you can google or read about in synaptic (system - admin - synaptic) which is where you can find all listed software and read descriptions. Don't install anything unless you understand what it is.

Answer 3

Eye candy basically comes down to the window manager you use. KDE and Gnome are the two major ones, and either can be used in pretty much any Linux distro. Gnome is the default window manager for Ubuntu, but Kubuntuuses KDE instead. You can also install KDE in plain Ubuntu and choose it if you want. It's been a while since I used Red Hat, but I believe KDE is still the default for it.



Take a look at each and see which appeals to you:

http://www.ublender.com/2009/01/gnome-vs-kde-in-ubuntu-2009.html