Unix

[Lamp]

While surfing (@ work LOL !), I came across these rather attractive desktops:

http://jk.yazzy.org/screenshots/windowmaker/

see also: http://rox.sourceforge.net/desktop/static.html

These are for a unix-based OS, right ?

First up, I know nothing at all about unix. Please don't blind me with unix geek-speak !

How's it compare to traditional IBM PC OS's running Windows ?

Can I partition my drive and create a part-unix OS ? Is there any advantage to the average home user to run a unix OS ? How do you go about doing it ?

 

[DocWolfe]

While surfing (@ work LOL !), I came across these rather attractive desktops:

http://jk.yazzy.org/screenshots/windowmaker/

see also: http://rox.sourceforge.net/desktop/static.html

These are for a unix-based OS, right ?

First up, I know nothing at all about unix. Please don't blind me with unix geek-speak !

How's it compare to traditional IBM PC OS's running Windows ?

Can I partition my drive and create a part-unix OS ? Is there any advantage to the average home user to run a unix OS ? How do you go about doing it ?

more probably linux rather than unix matey... no one uses unix anymore really. Linux is pretty tough for beginners... I've been using it for 3 years at uni and I still have no idea how to install shit. Documentation is pretty thin.

You can duel boot... pretty easy but you have to be careful you dont screw up the boot sector so you cant boot into either installation Theres pretty much no advantage over windows for a home user... infact its more likely to be a disadvantage.

 

[Lamp]

thx

 

[Cylian]

SuSE Linux

quite easy to get that one running, and some free versions to download too.

 

[Ingafgrinn Macabre]

more probably linux rather than unix matey... no one uses unix anymore really. Linux is pretty tough for beginners... I've been using it for 3 years at uni and I still have no idea how to install shit. Documentation is pretty thin.

You can duel boot... pretty easy but you have to be careful you dont screw up the boot sector so you cant boot into either installation Theres pretty much no advantage over windows for a home user... infact its more likely to be a disadvantage.

I've been using Linux since 1999, started with Red Hat Linux 7.1 I think... anyway, documentation is far from thin. You just need to know where to look.
Any linux distribution comes with internal man files which explain a lot about how to operate most programs. Just type man ls in a shell and you'll see a document on how to use the linux dir equivalent ls.

On books, I like Christopher Negus's Linux bible serie. It explains virtually everything you'll need to know to start using linux. From basic installing programs, up to modifying the OS kernel to your personal needs. There is however a whole load of different books on how to operate and use linux.

As for starters, I recommend an easy distribution like Fedora, Unbuntu, Suse orso. You could also download a so-called live CD. That's a CD with a linux distro installed already, so you can get a feel of how it works before actually attempting to make a seperate partition and installing linux on your drive.

Fedora
Unbuntu
Suse

Explanation of Live Distro's
Linux from Scratch *)

*) Linux from scratch is a hard distro to work with. It is essentially not really a distro because it just explains you to build your entire linux installation from a blank. It's very difficult and time-consuming but it does give you a good understanding of how linux actually works and what makes it ticks etc.

 

[Ctuchik]

While surfing (@ work LOL !), I came across these rather attractive desktops:

http://jk.yazzy.org/screenshots/windowmaker/

see also: http://rox.sourceforge.net/desktop/static.html

These are for a unix-based OS, right ?

First up, I know nothing at all about unix. Please don't blind me with unix geek-speak !

How's it compare to traditional IBM PC OS's running Windows ?

Can I partition my drive and create a part-unix OS ? Is there any advantage to the average home user to run a unix OS ? How do you go about doing it ?

if all u want is the desktop look, wouldent it be easier just to search for something simmilar to wondows insted of making the steeeeeep learning curve on linux?

that said. IS there something simmilar to windows?

 

[Ingafgrinn Macabre]

By the way, if you like those kinds of desktops, take a look at enlightenment. It's a really slick looking and light weight graphical user interface. No picture can do it justice though.
When you first start a desktop with E16 installed you'll see a green/blue'ish brushed steel background with a darker rim horizontally in the middle of the screen. These appear to be doors that open vertically (bottom half down, top half up) and make a plain brushed steel background appear. This window contains nothing. No icons, no menu's, not even a <start here> icon of some sort, but press the right or middle mouse button on the background and you'll find everything you'll need. The "start menu" is there, and also the menu's to change the configuration of it all.
After shaking off the old windows habits it actually feels really easy to handle, and natural to operate. it makes everything less cluttered and calm on screen.

various E16 themes
various E17 themes

E17 is still in beta, so only two themes there, but apparently it is pretty stable for an unfinished product.

 

[Bahumat]

Hoff hates unix, i'd steer clear of it!

 

[Chronictank]

Its great for filestores and game servers because there is VERY little overhead from the operating system.
I use Fedora (Linux variant) with Widowmaker as the GUI personally for my media pc
I wouldnt use it as a primary operating system as it is not supported by alot of applications which you use everyday and take for granted.

However its great for lower spec pc's as you can rip apart linux to tailor to minimum specs, also Linux dynamic screensavers>>>>>>Windows (basically they automatically change through various ones)
And is alot more customisable;
3d desktop;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGs9qJNYufE&search=linux

Linux is by no means a easy os to setup, but once you done it, it is great

 

[Cylian]

is there a guide how to install and configure Enlightenment btw ?
preferably one that doesn't start at "everything is installed and running"

 

[Ingafgrinn Macabre]

is there a guide how to install and configure Enlightenment btw ?
preferably one that doesn't start at "everything is installed and running"

what linux distro are you running? suse? If so, apparently you can do it almost fully automatically with Yast
(http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/The_Unofficial_Enlightenment_User's_Manual)
(http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/feature/16231.html)

 

[Cylian]

mkay, first RPMs I downloaded were buggy it seems, got it to work with that guide ... but where do you shutdown/reboot with that thing ?

Only thing I can find is Left Mousebutton -> Logout, just that that thing kicks me right back into Enlightenment.

 

[Ingafgrinn Macabre]

mkay, first RPMs I downloaded were buggy it seems, got it to work with that guide ... but where do you shutdown/reboot with that thing ?

Only thing I can find is Left Mousebutton -> Logout, just that that thing kicks me right back into Enlightenment.

heh... good question... don't quite know from the top of my head anymore.... hold on

[edit] well, you could always use the shutdown command (shutdown --help for more info on how to use it)

 

[Cylian]

there's just the tiny little problem that Enlightenment denies me access to my SuperUser rights as well, Shutdown, Init 3 etc doesn't work then either.

<polishes KDE some> oh luvly one!

 

[Ingafgrinn Macabre]

there's just the tiny little problem that Enlightenment denies me access to my SuperUser rights as well, Shutdown, Init 3 etc doesn't work then either.

<polishes KDE some> oh luvly one!

hmm... I can't remember having those problems... it's been a while since I worked with enlightenment so I don't know it all anymore by heart... just know it worked good for me...

You can't be su? That's weird... Enlightenment shouldn't have any effect on that as far as I know.
Does it give an error when typing su in bash? or does it just do nothing?

 

[Cylian]

admin account appears to be non-existant with Enlightenment active, can't relog to it, YaST doesn't even ask for the root password when it starts up, so can't change anything that requires root privilegs.

 

[Ingafgrinn Macabre]

admin account appears to be non-existant with Enlightenment active, can't relog to it, YaST doesn't even ask for the root password when it starts up, so can't change anything that requires root privilegs.

That's weird....

Did you install E16 or E17?
(E16 looks like green brushed metal out of the box, E17 looks like glassy-silvery metallish with gold accents etc in menu's when hovering over items etc)