S0E9: "Two Dicks and Two Virgins"

Posted 2015-06-15 08:12
Modified 2017-01-28 09:09
Comments 0

Jthan, myself (the “dicks”), and two newcomers to GNU/Linux (the “virgins”) review some popular GNU/Linux distributions- why we love them, why we hate them, and why Slackware needs to just throw in the towel these days.

• Notes
• Errata
• Music

Notes

• We review the following distros:
  • Arch Linux
  • CentOS
  • Debian
  • Gentoo
  • LFS
  • OpenSUSE
  • Manjaro
  • Linux Mint
  • Slackware Linux
  • Ubuntu
  • Xubuntu
• I am drinking PBR. I’ve linked multiple times throughout past shownotes, just try a search.
  • Jthan is drinking the Hoss Rye Lager.
• Alan (and Jthan) both work at BioFrontiers.
  • Bryan works at LASP
• Arch
  • As Jthan said, Linode is (one of the few) VPS providers that provide Arch install images.
  • And Arch’s wiki is awesome.
  • If you really want a GUI installer for (vanilla) Arch and don’t want to try Manjaro or Antergos, try the Evo/Lution liveCD.
  • If you’re into embedded stuff (especially ARM processors), check out Arch’s derivatives.
• CentOS
  • To make sure you have network on boot during install, while still in the installer in the NETWORK & HOST NAME section, select the interface you want to come up on boot, click the “Configure” button in the lower right, click the “General” tab, and make sure “Automatically connect to this network when it is available” is checked. Save your changes. I recommend ensuring that the installer then switches the interface “ON” (slider-looking button, top right) after saving and that it successfully connects (e.g. if using DHCP, it successfully pulls a lease, etc.).
    • To do this for an already installed system, edit /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-<your interface name> and change ONBOOT to yes. Save the file. Then issue an ifcfg <your interface> up. The network should now be up and be enabled on boot.
  • We may have mentioned RHEL, which is crazy expensive.
• Debian
  • No word on what item Alan ordered on eBay.:)
  • I mention Progress Quest, it’s multiplatform.
• Gentoo
  • You can see a screenshot of Gentoo’s now-dead GUI Installer in google images. It was… pretty dang extensive and customizable. Shame it rarely ever worked. There isn’t, to my knowledge, any current GUI installer for vanilla Gentoo, but there is a derivative called Sabayon which aims to create a more complete Gentoo experience while still remaining compatible with Gentoo’s packaging system, Portage (which is incredibly flexible). Also worth mentioning is another Gentoo derivative, Funtoo, though it features a similar install process as vanilla Gentoo.
  • And we really hate that the Gentoo Handbook is no longer in the older format but is instead wiki-ized, and no longer on a single page easily (though see the errata section about this).
  • Gentoo users aren’t bad-ass, they’re ricers.
• LFS
  • Jthan, the LinuxFromScratch book is here available in multiple formats.
  • The YouTube videos Jthan used can be started here.
• OpenSUSE
  • We mention that you can downloads a smaller ISO. It’s on their download page, just click on the “Network” button.
  • In addition to OpenSUSE (formerly, if I recall correctly, called “SuSE Community Edition”), Novell offers SLED (SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop] and SLES (SUSE Linux Enterprise Server]. However, both are pricey (and holy CRAP, Novell. Maybe tone down on the tiered pricing a little bit).
  • According to Novell, it’s pronounced ‘SOO-zuh’.
• Linux Mint
  • Linux Mint is indeed actually leading DistroWatch’s popularity at number 1 for quite some time now.
• Slackware
  • Slackware’s install ‘GUI’ is comparable to the Windows 95 installer.
• I mention the Hacker Dictionary (also referred to as the “Jargon File”). There is also a new version or two.

Errata

• I have signed the .zip file with all of the review notes/rubrics, as well as the sha256sums of those sigs (GNU. BSD, GNU SIG, BSD SIG)
• Gentoo, as it turns out, does still have a single-page handbook in the wiki. But it ain’t pretty.
  • And Jthan mentions OpenOffice; he means LibreOffice.
• Arch is indeed born from CRUX Linux, which saw its first public release in January of 2001. Arch saw its first release on March 11, 2002 and Gentoo on March 31, 2002. So technically yes, Arch is older- though if only by 20 days. ;)
• Did you know Novell had some commercials that actually aired on television? And they were super lame.
• Oops. YaST is Yet Another Setup Tool.

Music

Author r00t^2
Categories (Pilot Season)