Update

It has been brought to my attention, by one of the GNOME contributers, that Ubuntu 11.04 will now offer a classic GNOME option in the log in menu. This will not be the default option, but it will allow new users to select the traditional GNOME desktop. Hopefully this will be enough for users who do not appreciate the changes Unity brings.

Distributions

Probably the biggest knee-jerk reaction will be users migrating to other distributions. Ubuntu Linux is probably going to see the largest amount of users jumping ship. Why? Ubuntu Unity. Although users will be able to install an alternative desktop, many users who choose Ubuntu aren’t at that level of ability. Remember, Ubuntu is the Linux of choice for most new users. And when a new user is greeted with the completely different (and less effective) desktop of Unity, they will abandon the distribution in favor of, say, Kubuntu, Linux Mint or PCLinuxOS. My guess is another option will make itself available soon after the initial release of 11.04. Someone is going to create a spin of Ubuntu with the traditional GNOME desktop.

This will, however, be prime time for other distributions to sway new users. I fully plan on offering up more Linux content geared toward those distributions as this happens.

Desktops

There is one particular desktop that will probably see more gain as a result of the migration to the new GNOME 3 and Unity desktops. That desktop is KDE. Remember, KDE went through it’s major evolution quite some time ago and has now settled into a very stable, reliable desktop that is as polished as anything GNOME has ever released. KDE will gain serious ground with the new GNOME.

Other desktops that stand to gain new users are Xfce and Enlightenment. Although Enlightenment does vary quite a bit from the standard desktop, it can be configured to look and behave in similar fashion. Xfce enjoys the same ability. Both heavily rely on panels and menus similar to the traditional desktop. Both are also very light weight and are deeply rooted in Linux’ past.

Growing pains

I don’t want to come across as being against the new desktop metaphors. I embrace change. I think GNOME 3 has a lot of potential to be something the desktop has yet to be. And when touchscreens are the standard, a new desktop aligned with the changes GNOME is bringing to the table, will be a must. Remember when KDE 4.0 first hit the desktop it was a disaster. The main reason for that was KDE 4.0 was an entire rewrite of the code base. When it was first released it was nothing but a bug hunt in the making. GNOME 3 will not suffer this same fate. The jury is still out on how Unity will fare upon first release, but it will not be on par with GNOME 3.

Ultimately the immediate reaction will be for new users to jump ship. But I would ask that new to Linux users give these desktops a chance before they do. And, after a trial period, you do not like what you see, install a new desktop on your system and try that out. That’s the beauty of Linux – there are so many options available to you. If you don’t like Unity, try GNOME 3. If you don’t like GNOME 3, try KDE 4.6. If you don’t like KDE 4.6, try Enlightenment. Eventually you will find that desktop that really speaks to you.

The only problem with E17 is the installation. Getting this desktop installed on some distributions is a nightmare at best. So when there is a distribution that ships with E17 as the default, I always give it a good look see. One of the newest options for this is PCLinuxOS – Enlightenment edition. I thought I would share my thoughts on this special distribution.

What’s included

Besides the ever-wonderful E17 desktop environment, you will enjoy the following on the PCLinuxOS E17 edition:

• Kernel 2.6.33.7-pclos6.bfs.
• Nvidia and ATI fglrx driver support.
• Multimedia playback support for many popular formats.
• Wireless support for many network devices.
• Printer support for many local and networked printer devices.
• Addlocale allows you to convert PCLinuxOS into over 60 languages.
• GetOpenOffice can install Open Office supporting over 100 languages.
• MyLiveCD allows you  to take a snapshot of  your installation and burn it to a LiveCD/DVD.
• PCLinuxOS-liveusb – allows you to install PCLinuxOS on a USB key disk.
• ark-4.5.3 – Archiving Client
• choqok-0.9.92 – Microblogging Program
• clementine-0.5.3 – Music Manager
• digikam-1.5.0 – Photo Client
• dolphin-4.5.3 – File Manager
• drakconfig-12.17 – Computer Control Center
• dropbox-0.7.110 – Online Backup Storage Program (2 gig free)
• firefox-3.6.12 – Web Browser (Chromium and Opera also available from repository)
• gimp-2.6.11 – Graphic Drawing Program
• gwenview-4.5.3 – Graphic Viewer Client
• k3b-2.0.1 – Burn CD/DVDs
• kcalc-4.5.3- Calculator
• kwrite-4.5.3 – Text Editor
• ksnapshot-4.5.3 – Capture Screenshots
• ktorrent-4.0.4 – Bitorrent Client
• liveusb-0.7.4 – Put PCLinuxOS on USB key disk (New on LiveCD)
• okular-4.5.3 – PDF Viewing Program
• nscd-2.10.1 -Caches name service
• pidgin-2.7.4 – Instant Messaging Program
• shorewall-4.4.11 – Firewall
• smb4k-0.10.9 – Samba Share Client
• synaptic-0.57.2 – Package Manager
• thunderbird-3.1.6 – Email Client
• tvtime-1.0.2 – Television Viewing Client (Requires a TV tuner)
• vlc-1.1.4.1 – Multimedia Video Program
• xchat-2.8.8 – IRC Chat Program

As you can see, oddly enough, PCLinuxOS E17 edition is heavily dependent upon KDE, as it is filled with KDE applications.

What you will not find, strangely enough, is an email client. You will also notice that PCLinuxOS E17 edition does not pre-install OpenOffice. You actually have to do this installation yourself. I have to admit I was a little shocked at the decision to not include a mail client and and office suite. Yes, KWrite is included, but why not add the entire KOffice suite so the distribution is complete?

What it looks like

Figure 1

Figure 1 shows what the default PCLinuxOS E17 desktop looks like. The only thing I have done is install The GIMP (in order to take a screenshot).

As you might expect, the desktop behaves very much in the way a standard E17 desktop would. The only thing missing (from my perspective) is the Ecomorph module. If the makers of this distribution want to take this to another level, they should consider adding that particular module to give it a broader appeal (with a great 3D compositing engine).

How it performs

Even using this distribution in “live form” you immediately feel that you are using a distribution built for speed and simplicity. What really surprised me was how stable the distribution was. With serious claims of HEAVY DEVELOPMENT you would think PCLinuxOS E17 would be more prone to bugs than it is. I have yet to come across one (other than the lack of an office suite and mail client – but you can’t really call that a “bug”).

Who should try it

If you are one of those that prefers an alternative desktop, or if you’ve been wanting to give E17 a try, this might be your best bet. Since PCLinuxOS is one of the most user-friendly distributions, you will get the Enlightenment experience with little to no headache.

So how does a new-to-Linux user decide? With so many choices, how is it possible to start off on the right path? Without help, it’s not easy. My first Linux distribution was Caldera Open Linux 1. It was rough and nearly pushed me back to Windows. It wasn’t until I found Red Hat (4.2 at the time) that I found the right distribution for the right purpose. That was ten years ago and the choices were much more limited.

Because the new year is here, and I am always one to want to help people make the move to Linux, I thought I would create a flow chart to help Linux users make the right choice. Is it perfect? Probably not. Do I include every possible choice? No way. The distributions I have included are:

• Ubuntu
• Ubuntu Server
• Ubuntu Studio
• Slackware
• Fedora
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server
• SuSE Enterprise Linux Server
• SuSE Enterprise Linux
• Gentoo
• Mandriva Power Pack
• CentOS
• PCLinuxOS
• Linux Mint
• Debian

It’s still a healthy list of distributions, but not everyone. And I’m sure there will be those that disagree with my approach. That is understandable. So much so, that I am (in the spirit of open source) including my .dia file for the flowchart. NOTE: The .dia file is hosted on my domain (outside of ghacks). I would love to see how readers change my flowchart to better fit their opinions/experiences.

Figure 1

But for those that do not want to bother messing with editing the flowchart, and just want to see it in all its scattered “glory”, take a look at Figure 1.

One of the first things you might notice is the predestination paradox (temporal causality loop) I created for those unsure of their purpose for choosing Linux.

There might also be some initial confusion as to why I have included, in some choices, distributions that are rather similar. For example: The difference between Mandriva and PCLinuxOS might not be that great, but notice I have included the Mandriva Power Pack which includes pre-installed flash, various codecs, and Mandriva support.

Final thoughts

I hope this flowchart makes your choice of Linux an easier one. Even more, I hope this flow chart helps you to start your new year off on an open source foot, and that you find this path a rewarding one.

Little do the unwashed masses know that installing Linux is actually a very simple process. In fact, installing Linux is far easier than installing any flavor of Windows. Let me walk you through the typical Linux installation from a LiveCD disk. There might be some minor variation on the order, depending upon which distribution you use.

NOTE: A LiveCD is a version of a Linux distribution that allows you to run the operating system from CD and RAM. No changes are made to your computer unless you start the installation process.

• Insert CD of Linux distribution
• Reboot Computer
• Let the LiveCD boot to the desktop
• Double click the Install icon
• Enter the basic information (location, time zone, keyboard layout, etc)
• Select how to appropriate space on disk (If you are not dual-booting you can select Use Entire Disk)
• Enter user information and password
• Read the installation summary and then, if all is correct, move on with the actual installation.

At this point the installation will be completely automatic. When the installation is complete you will want to reboot your computer (remember, you are running from the LiveCD still). When the reboot is finished you will be at the log in screen. Enter the username/password you supplied during install and your desktop will start up. Congratulations, you have successfully installed Linux!

But will all of my hardware work?

This is often one of the more often asked questions regarding Linux. Generally speaking, the answer is “yes”. There are, of course, some hardware that might have trouble. One area that can give you problems is your video card. Linux does a great job of detecting hardware, and most likely your video card will be detected. There are, unfortunately, cards that simply aren’t supported. For a good list of supported video cards take a look at this page for a fairly comprehensive listing. The next piece of hardware that can cause problems is wireless networking. I have found most modern distributions are outstanding at finding wireless cards. But just in case you need to know for sure, here is an extensive listing of how wireless cards fare with Linux support.

Most other hardware shouldn’t give you problems. But in case you have one particular piece that doesn’t work “out of the box” you can always try a different distribution. As far as I have discovered Ubuntu, PCLinuxOS, and Mandriva are the best as discovering and automatically configuring hardware.

Final Thoughts

Installing Linux is a piece of cake. Seriously. If youc an install a piece of software on a Windows machine, you can install Linux. It’s that easy.