The most popular linux distro’s explained

That big big world of Linux distributions out there… What is what?

• Ubuntu: “Beginner” distro because of it’s simplicity and straightforwardness, but also for advanced (as it has all the tools and possibilities). It has a big community around it and is financially supported and run by Canonical. Very popular, is my primary distro at the moment.
• Linux Mint: “Beginner – Intermediate” distro.
• Fedora: More for advanced users. Still sponsored by Red hat.
• Arch: Most customizable. Basically lets you decide at setup every single package you want to put into it.

Of course there are much more. Any other suggestions/additions please in the comments and I will post them in here, so we can have a nice overview of the distributions 🙂

Learn Programming

You want to learn programming.
Why?
It is a LOT of fun.

Just one quick introduction to programming:

• C: Most Operating Systems are coded in C, as well as the kernel of Linux.
  Suitable for Beginners? 5/10
• C++: Basically the next iteration of C, better for Object Oriented Programming (if you don’t know what that is, look here: OOP)
  Suitable for Beginners? 6-7/10
• Java: Used on many portable devices but also on the desktop, only OOP is possible.
  Suitable for Beginners? 4/10
• Python: Used as scripting and general purpose language for all kinds of software and is used in for example the development of Google, Youtube, Linux.
  Suitable for Beginners? 10/10
• Perl and Ruby: Scripting languages.
  Suitable for Beginners? 8/10
• Javascript: Language for making interactive websites, also usable for other stuff.
  Suitable for Beginners? 8/10
• Of course there are much more out there, but those ones are the ones most widely used.

So what is the language you should start learning? Absolutely Python. It is easy to learn, fun and supported by all major platforms.

To start learning, I would recommend a book like “Python programming for beginners”, but anything else is fine really, as long as you always practice the programming concepts you learn before moving on. Video tutorials on sites like Youtube are also quite good for the beginning. Of course a personal teacher would be so much better (if you have one who is willing to teach you programming), but unfortunately little of us do have that opportunity.

Another language with good tutorial material is Javascript. There is an interactive site called Code Academy which teaches you Javascript in a fun and interesting way, I loved it.

One last thing: Always remember, that no matter what language you choose, after learning that one the others will come along much easier.

Good Luck!

Want to try out Linux?

So some of you might actually know Wubi, the Windows installer of Ubuntu. To those who don’t, here’s a quick explanation: Wubi installs Ubuntu as a program on your windows machine which you can choose at boot-up in the boot menu.
Longer Explanation: Wubi creates a dual-boot with Ubuntu via GRUB, but it doesn’t create “real” partitions. Instead, it simply creates a directory in your C: partition with the entire OS in it. This lets you install and remove Ubuntu as a dual-boot easily and without all the partitioning a traditional dual-boot would need.

Of course it is not a long-term solution. Your file system size is limited to 30 GB max, and you are of course dependent on your Windows-installation for it to work. But as I said, it’s great for beginners!

Wubi was actually what got me into Linux, because it made it so easy to install Ubuntu! It is a really good tool for beginners looking into maybe trying out Linux!

By the way, if you’re interested, you can get Wubi on http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/windows-installer.