[Gllug] frustrated with Linux

[Mike Brodbelt]

Steve Nicholson wrote:
> skip to questions at end if you don't want to read about my problems.
> <rant on>
> I'm getting tired of having to spend a lot of time reading doc's messing
> with files etc. just to get the basics working on my computer.  I
> originally learnt Linux (Debian) to run a server for our webhosting so
> we had a cheap stable platform to operate from.  I decided to migrate
> myself over to Linux on my workstation/desktop and then the fun started.

Debian is an excellent choice for a server. Personally, I also run it as
a desktop, and like the distribution. However, if you're not an
experienced linux user, and want a desktop that works with minimal
hassle, so you can just get stuff done with your machine, and not spend
a lot of time configuring it, you may be better off with Mandrake or
RedHat. Both of these should install with good hardware support and
decent desktop applications out of the box.

> Seconds seem like hours to me so I'm frustrated with the speed of
> starting/using bloated and not so bloated web browses, and email that
> freezes while it checks for new mail while I'm in the middle of
> composing a new one.  All the gecko based browsers now seam to crash
> that regularly that I've almost given up using them and constantly fear
> ridicule from my business partner for wasting more time on buggy
> software.

Mozilla on Debian is extremely stable for me, and fast enough, these days.

> setting it up, keybindings etc so it works how I like. Having to reach
> for the mouse every time I want to do something really annoys me so
> using the keyboard is great but having 3 different text editors and 5
> browsers that all use different key combos for save, close window etc is
> driving me nuts!

Try a distro with Gnome 2.2 or KDE - the desktop environments will
provide you with consistency lacking in collections of random X apps.

> again).  I like apt-get but find it frustrating when the latest versions
> aren't available of packages or the dependencies screw up other things I
> have set up.

You could run unstable, but I'd almost hesitate to point you in that
direction if you want a system that needs minimal tweaking.

> As much as I hate it I am seriously considering moving back to windows
> because things just work most of the time when I want to print, play a
> sound, look at an image open/close a window on a new app etc.

All of this can be done, and set up right by hand with arbitrary
collections of software, but it requires knowledge and time. If you need
a box that "just works" for business reasons. go with a consumer focused
distro like RedHat. You can always dual boot it with Debian, and when
you have spare time, use it to get the Debian set up working the way you
want.

> reinstall again to try and solve some of my problems.  But I don't
> really want to go though having to set everything up again, like the
> drivers for the G400 graphics card etc, it always seems to take me a day
> or more to get it set up again with most things working.

On a reasonable modern machine, RedHat 8 should pick up all the hardware
and just work. I don't personally play with SuSE ir Mandrake, but from
all reports, both are well polished distros. I'd go SuSE if you want to
use KDE.

> 2. Using Gnome or KDE so there is consistency in apps/key bindings?
> (speed is an issue here which is why I've been using ION and moved to
> MUTT for mail).
> 
> 3. Would a faster computer help?  I'm currently using a 500Mhz AMD with
> 196Mb RAM, my main reason for not using openoffice is it's too slow,
> same with mozila, GIMP etc.  Although this in mainly opening new windows
> or rendering large pages but then this is what I'm doing a lot.

Speed always helps, but that machine should be able to cope reasonable
well. Performance improvements seem to have been made in the newest
Gnome, to Nautilus at least.

HTH,

Mike.


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