02-13-2018, 07:44 AM
Looong time computer user, just made the plunge into linux this week, haven't used it (*nix) literally since before browsers became "the internet". I squeezed my windows machine and was able to shrink out a 12G partition, and installed Linux Lite (with grub) on it. I lovelovelove the setup, being a longtime windows user, it felt like moving into an upgraded home (from a rental) where I finally have say-so over what goes where and how and why. I have minor issues (scrollbars are very thin and "steppers" missing frequently... and scary partition questions during install) but I am learning how to install packages, add repositories, the internet is my friend.
OK. So, I am all excited about linux now. So I scavenged up another hard drive, chose three distros I wanted to try... and I installed the latest version of Ubuntu.
DIS. A. POINTED! Apparently the Unity or GNOME, or whatever the "desktop environment" is, much more like Android than any Windows product. Panel is locked in place? No Whisker menu (my buddy). All those settings I just learned to find... I have to learn to find them again? I can't even change the panel settings (bottom, top, side)? This is part of why I wanted to transition away from windows in the first place! Here's the final kicker: apparently in Ubuntu, there is no (practical... did find admin:/// or whatever command for sh) way to access your own root directory.
The package manager GUI was nice, but I was already comfortable installing packages through the shell. It reminds me of the good old days writing batch programs in DOS, except super-powered.
So, I do have some questions, but I wanted to give some background on myself first. I have been hearing people talk about *nix for years, had some minimal exposure to it (yes I downloaded pr0n via ftp before there were browsers... in college), have been wanting to try it for years, and finally just did it. But my recent experience with Ubuntu was worse than disapointing. Linux Lite has, in a few days, made a much more lasting impression on me. It does almost everything my windows system did, I will keep windows, probably mostly for games, but I already prefer LL for everything else. So... questions:
1. LL uses XFCE, Ubuntu uses GNOME... where can I find a comparison of the differences between these (in terms a novice can understand), and what are they called exactly? Something like a flowchart, perhaps?
2. When downloading Ubuntu, I read that it was based on a "build" of Debian. I have some understanding of these terms... Debian is a server-oriented OS, and "build" means the code was changed a little. Right? Is there another flowchart perhaps of the popular distros, showing the versions they are based on, and the differences? Couldn't hurt to ask. Something like a family tree.
3. A lot of the problems I have (i.e. customizing the GUI), when I look up the answers, I originally was looking up LL specific answers, then Ubuntu answers (because they were easy to find). I got to a point where I was seeing gtk-specific answers, and LL does not have the gtk-specific config files. I figured they had to make it "Light" somehow, by choosing smaller components, OK. I guess my question is, what are the different major components of the build (like mate, or cinnamon, etc.), and how should I think of them in somewhat-laymans-terms?
Thanks in advance
OK. So, I am all excited about linux now. So I scavenged up another hard drive, chose three distros I wanted to try... and I installed the latest version of Ubuntu.
DIS. A. POINTED! Apparently the Unity or GNOME, or whatever the "desktop environment" is, much more like Android than any Windows product. Panel is locked in place? No Whisker menu (my buddy). All those settings I just learned to find... I have to learn to find them again? I can't even change the panel settings (bottom, top, side)? This is part of why I wanted to transition away from windows in the first place! Here's the final kicker: apparently in Ubuntu, there is no (practical... did find admin:/// or whatever command for sh) way to access your own root directory.
The package manager GUI was nice, but I was already comfortable installing packages through the shell. It reminds me of the good old days writing batch programs in DOS, except super-powered.
So, I do have some questions, but I wanted to give some background on myself first. I have been hearing people talk about *nix for years, had some minimal exposure to it (yes I downloaded pr0n via ftp before there were browsers... in college), have been wanting to try it for years, and finally just did it. But my recent experience with Ubuntu was worse than disapointing. Linux Lite has, in a few days, made a much more lasting impression on me. It does almost everything my windows system did, I will keep windows, probably mostly for games, but I already prefer LL for everything else. So... questions:
1. LL uses XFCE, Ubuntu uses GNOME... where can I find a comparison of the differences between these (in terms a novice can understand), and what are they called exactly? Something like a flowchart, perhaps?
2. When downloading Ubuntu, I read that it was based on a "build" of Debian. I have some understanding of these terms... Debian is a server-oriented OS, and "build" means the code was changed a little. Right? Is there another flowchart perhaps of the popular distros, showing the versions they are based on, and the differences? Couldn't hurt to ask. Something like a family tree.
3. A lot of the problems I have (i.e. customizing the GUI), when I look up the answers, I originally was looking up LL specific answers, then Ubuntu answers (because they were easy to find). I got to a point where I was seeing gtk-specific answers, and LL does not have the gtk-specific config files. I figured they had to make it "Light" somehow, by choosing smaller components, OK. I guess my question is, what are the different major components of the build (like mate, or cinnamon, etc.), and how should I think of them in somewhat-laymans-terms?
Thanks in advance
![[Image: dIwB1Lt.png]](https://imgur.com/dIwB1Lt.png)
