Different flavours

[jnorris235]

Basic question - with Windows I could make my own decision (with the help of a magazine review, maybe) on whether to upgrade to the new Vista or whatever.

With Kubuntu - now converted! - I notice on the magazine shelves new flavours of Linux all the time. Do I understand that the underneath Linux stays the same, or are different versions really quite different?

Surely people aren't just switching operating systrems for the hell of it? I know geeks will - but the rest of us ordinary souls?

Once with Kubuntu (as someone who just wants to get on with day to day computing) I should stick with it, right? Faffing around with SUSE, Ubuntu etc is a no-no having made my decision to go with Kubuntu? Assuming that I don't want to roll my sleeves up and get all oily - it's bad enough dealing with Kubuntu's secrets!

[klerfayt]

Re: Different flavours

leave one partition free (6GB?) to test varios linux distros that you are interested in - this way you can still keep using kubuntu or whatever you like the most

[Rog131]

Re: Different flavours

There are small differences between various linux distributions: How often they are upgraded and location of some files.

example from dolphin file manager forum:

THree seems to be a problem with the configure script we are using at
the moment. The documentation has bene placed in
/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/dolphin/ which is correct for non-debian
systems. However on debian systems the documentation should go in
/usr/share/doc/kde/HTML/en/dolphin/

But it is easy to use different linux distributions (if you have seen one you have seen ...)

[jnorris235]

Re: Different flavours

I think my question was more 'why' than 'how'? It may be a bit of a daft question to you, but when most of us had Apple or Windows, and 99% of us went with Windows - who on earth has the time to try out dozens of other operating systems. And why would they unless that was there sole interest in life. Or am I missing the point?

Hence my question - are they different (Red Hat, SUSE and many others that appear all the time - dolphin...), or almost identical (like Win 98 and Win ME for instance). Are they each superb in their own right? Can you just switch happily from one to the other (like Themes?). Are they just fun versions of each other or deadly serious rivals

I'm certainly never going to see another version because I don't live in a conclave of geeks (just me as a mini-geek)

[Rog131]

Re: Different flavours

Why

Why does a dog lick its balls?
Because it can!


Why there are so many linux distributions (300+) ?
Because someone think it's fun to develope new things.
Because someone think it's fun to develope better things.
Because i don't want to play with those #@¤##.
Because my product is suberb.
.
.
.
Because they can.


Why i use kubuntu ?
Pure coindicence. (i also use windows)

[jnorris235]

Re: Different flavours

So - flogging a dead horse here I feel...are all these linuxes essentially the same underneath. Different flavours being simply like different flavours of ice-cream? Like different themes? Basically the same? Interchangeable?

I have never seen any comparison other than waffle to enable one to choose.
It's no good getting the latest flavour when another 5 pop up tomorrow - and for all I know, all get dumped after the writer goes off to university.

It seems to me that to grab people from Windows, a little guidance might help - and I haven't been able to find it put succinctly?

I even here that the programs don't work on all the flavours.Is this true? God help me - it's difficult enough without all these hidden factors!!

[Rog131]

Re: Different flavours

Different flavours being simply like different flavours of ice-cream? Like different themes? Basically the same? Interchangeable?

Opinion - Yes, basically the same . Biggest difference is what desktop you are using (kde/gnome/xfce/...).

About ubuntu/kubuntu/xubuntu...
Topic: whatS ths difference?
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/index.php?topic=8811

all get dumped after the writer goes off to university.

Yes that is problem if distribution is one man/woman/small group project.

I even here that the programs don't work on all the flavours.Is this true?

Well there are good programmers and there bad programmers . Usually problems arise when your distribution bits and pieces are older than needed. When you try to install program manager tells that Depends: kdelibs4c2a (>= 4:3.5.2) but you have 3.5.0 (or something like that). Then you get newer version (upgrade).

You can install Red Hat packages in the ubuntu/kubuntu but use alien.

Alien - Convert or install an alien binary package

DESCRIPTION
alien is a program that converts between Red Hat rpm, Debian deb, Stam‐
pede slp, Slackware tgz, and Solaris pkg file formats. If you want to
use a package from another linux distribution than the one you have
installed on your system, you can use alien to convert it to your pre‐
ferred package format and install it. It also supports LSB packages.

If you want to install Red Hat Packages then please use the alien
package. Using rpm directly will bypass the Debian packaging system!

Note - kubuntu is debian based linux distribution.

Good link:
Installing Software in Ubuntu
http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/installingsoftware

[jnorris235]

Re: Different flavours

That was really helpful and aided me in my conversion to Linux. Thank you.

Having read that RedHat will surely go bust (and even I had heard of RedHat) made me wish for the welcoming and safe arms of Microsoft rather than finding my computer useless just because I chose the wrong flavour of Linux.

Would I necessarily lose all my work just because, lets say, Kubuntu disappears and I have to install Suse. As you have to have different programs for different Linux's, and each program writes its files in its own proprietory way I can see all my Kontact notes or whatever other program I rely on being lost forever! I appreciate OpenOffice does work on other Linux's, and I will read about alien - thanks, but I bet most don't. Or do they?

I'm also assuming that if I had to change flavour of Linux I'd have to reformat my disk and through hell again. Source all programs and so on.

I don't want to be a geek!

[lowey23]

Re: Different flavours

Hi jnorris235,

I think what you are looking for from an OS is already what is on your PC.
One that works for you and you are happy with.

I tried Ubuntu over a year ago as my first Linux experience. After a sharp learning curve and a lot of help from these forums, I am still using Kubuntu. While I like tinkering a little, basically just making sure I have the latest and greatest (as you do), I really have no interest in trying other distro's just to see if they are better or not.

I've had the same car for five years and have not felt the need to test drive others.

What I'm basically trying to say is that if you are happy with your Kubuntu, use it. And I can't see Ubuntu going away anytime soon. I really think we are using a distribution which will be a huge success for Linux on the desktop, judging by the massive improvements made in the last 12 months. And it will only get better.

Hope this sets your mind at rest a bit.

No more babbling, now.

Cheers

Lowey

[kubicle]

Re: Different flavours

Would I necessarily lose all my work just because, lets say, Kubuntu disappears and I have to install Suse. As you have to have different programs for different Linux's, and each program writes its files in its own proprietory way I can see all my Kontact notes or whatever other program I rely on being lost forever! I appreciate OpenOffice does work on other Linux's,  and I will read about alien - thanks, but I bet most don't. Or do they?

In general you can install the same software for most linux distributions (just that some distributions prefer gnome and gnome applications and some kde and kde applications...and install their preferences by default)...but you can nearly always install your preferred software for any distribution.

Also, the file formats in linux are, as a rule, non-propietary...so most software (at least the good ones) can read/convert other formats. So if you back up your personal data (or have /home on a separate partition) you won't lose your data even if you decide/need to switch distributions sometime in the future.

That said, although it's highly recommend to read about/test different distributions when you're starting up (just to see which has the feel you like), it's usually better to stick with the one you've chosen as long as it's working for you and does what you want. You can usually learn more and be more productive using the same system than switching distributions regularly (all distributions have slight differences that you must get accustomed to use them effectively)

[jnorris235]

Re: Different flavours

End of discussion as far as I am concerned - thanks for your time! :-X Now pretty much understood. Lowry23 - you sound exactly like me (scary isn't it?) what wioth the car and everything. Now - on with the things I actually got the computer for...