Best Distro For Amateurs?

Forum: Other Help Topics
Topic: Best Distro For Amateurs?
started by: Tekno

Posted by Tekno on Dec. 13 2006,23:21

I want to get my friends and family to start using Linux. But they see it as impossible to learn. Can anybody recommend a distro with a simple graphical user interface so it is easier for them to make the transition from windows?
At first I was showing them how to us DSL, but my dad forgot to unmount the hard drive before turning off the computer (fried windows). Is there a distro, or even a program for Linux that mounts and unmounts drives as they are opened and closed, like windows?
Thanks for any advice.

Posted by ^thehatsrule^ on Dec. 14 2006,02:35

When you shutdown, all devices will be automatically unmounted.

Posted by Winter Knight on Dec. 14 2006,10:34

The classical answer is "Try a bunch, and use the one you like." However, Ubuntu seems to be the distro of choice for new users. I tried it, and liked it. Not enough to use it rather than debian, though.

As for mounting automatically, edit /etc/fstab. You want "auto" under options for all of the hard drives you want to be automatically mounted at boot up. If you don't know how, you can find instructions for writing this file properly on the internet.

Like hats said, hard drives unmount when linux is properly shut down. Was your Dad using the "It's a LiveCD, so I'll just cut the power" shortcut? I find it odd that it would kill a Windows partition, though. That almost never happens. If it was a Windows NTFS partition, DSL would have mounted it read-only, and I don't think that particular mistake would even have a chance of killing it.

So, probably Ubuntu for beginners. Or Xubuntu for older hardware, or if you're family is more minimal. Xandros and Linspire are linux distros designed to be Windows-like. I haven't tried them.