Anyone ever use ubuntu?

[Benjamino]

Anyone ever use ubuntu? It sounds like it has a portage type tree system like gentoo.
I know there are a thousand distros out there...what really separates them?
https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu

[HiveChild]

I have a server running Ubuntu, and have been using it for my desktop pc as well for a long time.
Ubuntu uses apt package system, the same package system as Debian, very easy to use and there are over 16,000 packages in the ubuntu repositories :) the apt package system does not compile the programs like portage does with gentoo, but fetch the precompiled programs.
Apt does however function very well, and it will automaticaly fetch dependencies required by the programs that you install :D

Ubuntu uses by default the Gnome desktop, if you rather would have a KDE desktop based distro there is Kubuntu.

Hope that answered some of your questions :hic:

[phil]

I have an IBM Thinkpad T42 (one of the fancy things with bluetooth, wireless and fingerprint scanner etc). I was pretty bored today so decided to put a spare hard drive in and try Ubuntu. Wow, everything was recognised and is working fine (even wireless). Pretty much a non-event really. I was expecting to have to fiddle with something! It will even suspend the session when I close the lappy and resumes when I reopen it....this is apparently something linux struggles with but even that works great.

Recommended!

[Benjamino]

Yeah, I have tried a bunch of different distros now, and I am going to go back. Nothing has been as compatible and reliable yet. It's almost strange to me...

[Billy_Bat]

lol, I just scored a free 120 gig seagate, and was wondering which version of linux to play with on it. Ding Ding! We have a winner, I am downloading it now...

[phil]

It's real nice Billy. It takes you by surprise as there's no root account. You need to use "sudo" to perform admin tasks. When it asks for a password for an admin fuction from within Gnome, use your own password. I was sat there thinking "how the hell can I put a root password in when I didn't set one at install time?" :D

[Billy_Bat]

thanks for the heads up. It doesn't take much for me to start scratching my head.

[phil]

thanks for the heads up. It doesn't take much for me to start scratching my head.
Same here! To be honest though, it did ask for my password and not the root password :o :D

[MikeTimbers]

BOFH: Being Root (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/24/bofh_2006_episode_8/)

[phil]

Haha, too funny :D