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*NIX Distribution Review(s)!
  • D0WNGRADE
    Posts: 220
    Hey iExploit,

    So I thought I would help new people by writing reviews for every *NIX OS I've used, and update it as I boot new ones...

    [align=center]Ubuntu:[/align]
    Ubuntu is a very friendly distro. I've booted and installed 9.04, 10.04, and 11.04. I liked them all except 11.04, I'll get into that in a few minutes. The OS' Window Manager (WM) is GNOME, but there are other "versions" of Ubuntu that use other WM's. (such as Kubuntu which uses KDE) Now, 11.04 uses Unity which is a sort-of "addition" to GNOME made by the Ubuntu team. I love the look and feel of it...it's sleek, and just pleasing to the eye. But there are some bugs with it, and other minor problems that make it a hassle. It has a graphical installer, and a graphical package manager. It's friendly to Linux beginners, but advanced users still use it.
    For Beginners
    9.04 ~ 2/5 (only because it's no longer supported)
    10.04 ~ 5/5
    11.04 ~ 4/5
    For Advanced Users
    9.04 ~ 1/5 (only because it's no longer supported)
    10.04 ~ 4/5
    11.04(with Unity) ~ 4/5
    11.04(without Unity) ~ 5/5

    [align=center]BackTrack:[/align]
    BackTrack is the ultimate penetration testing distro...the only problem is it's filled with tools novice users wouldn't really use. It uses KDE as the default WM, except in BT5...you can choose GNOME or KDE. A problem I had with it is that is doesn't support b43 (broadcom wireless). I've heard BackTrack 5 supports b43 without any firmware installation, but I'm not sure. I'll review that later. Anyways, BackTrack isn't beginner friendly in my opinion...but some beginners use it. :P
    For Beginners
    BT4/r1/r2 ~ 2/5
    For Advanced Users
    BT4/r1/r2 ~ 4/5

    [align=center]ArchBang:[/align]
    ArchBang is an Arch Linux based distro that uses OpenBox as the default WM. It is not very laptop friendly. I've had two problems so far, no touch-pad software (I hate tap-to-click on touch-pads...xD), and no b43 firmware. ArchBang doesn't even like b43, after I extracted the firmware the wireless works...but disconnects me every 10 minutes, then I have to wait 2 minutes before I can re-connect. It would be perfect for wired desktops, or even if you wire your laptop...except my Ethernet is broadcom too (b44), and doesn't work at ALL...
    For Beginners
    2011.02(on a laptop) ~ 2/5
    2011.02(on a desktop) ~ 3/5
    For Advanced Users
    2011.02(on a laptop) ~ 3/5
    2011.02(on a desktop) ~ 4/5
  • D0WNGRADE
    Posts: 220
    [align=center]OpenSUSE[/align]
    OpenSUSE is not a very "lightweight" distro, but it is fast nonetheless. I just started using it yesterday, and I'm loving it! I'm using the GNOME3 flavor. (there's also KDE, LXDE, and xfce) The package installation "center" is decent, it's not really a category-based center, you search for a package (i.e. "python3") and install it from there. I hope this helps you!!:)
    For Beginners
    11.4(on a laptop) ~ 3/5
    11.4(on a desktop) ~ 4/5
    For Advanced Users
    11.4(on a laptop) ~ 4/5
    11.4(on a desktop) ~ 4/5
  • Sh3llc0d3
    Posts: 1,910
    Very nice D0wngrade! Great idea and thanks for this, this should help a lot of noobs out.

    I love ubuntu 10, hated 11 with the sidebar :(.
    I also like Backtrack 3/4 - old skool ;)
  • Deque
    Posts: 78
    A nice idea. Hope this gets more.

    The OS' Window Manager (WM) is GNOME


    That is not a window manager, it is a desktop environment. Ubuntu uses Compiz or Metacity as WM. Depends on your settings of the desktop effects.
  • D0WNGRADE
    Posts: 220
    said:


    A nice idea. Hope this gets more.

    The OS' Window Manager (WM) is GNOME


    That is not a window manager, it is a desktop environment. Ubuntu uses Compiz or Metacity as WM. Depends on your settings of the desktop effects.


    Oops, you're right! I probably wasn't thinking, because I wrote that for all of them. XD

    Thanks for the compliment though! :)