Linux distro

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Gilco2

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#150331 18-Jul-2014 20:22

have dabbled a bit over the years so not total noobe but close enough. After latest update my laptop went into startup loop and no matter what couldnt start. Tried refresh and couldnt as disk locked. etc etc. Could install 7 then 8 ring MS long activation etc but sick of it so looking at switching permanent to Linux. So far I like Linux Mint and Linux lite. Linux Lite wont open file from nas with file manager. Has to be copied to desktop first but Mint works well.
However with both of these the fonts still arent as clear as with Windows 7 or 8 and after a while eyes get sore. But these are best I have seen so far. Have tried Ubuntu but didnt like Unity and tried lubuntu and kubuntu and xubuntu but fonts werent as sharp either,
So is there a better distro for reasonable noobe or just stick with Mint. I should say I want a LTS or rolling like Manjaro so dont have to reinstall every 6 months. Also I should mention I want Kingsoft Office as it works best with some MS Excel files that arent compatible with Libtre Calc.
Long order I know but should be some compromise amongst the thousands of distros.

HTPC Intel Pentium G3258 cpu, Gigabyte H97n-wifi motherboard, , 8GB DDR3 ram, onboard graphics. Hauppuage HVR 5500 tuner, Silverstone LC16M case, Windows 10 pro 64 bit using Nextpvr and Kodi

MikeB4

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#1091739 18-Jul-2014 20:29

One person supports this post

Open Suse may suit you. It is a very polished Distro and offered Gnome or KDE versions. It also has the best font rendering of the Linux offerings

Mike
Retired IT Manager.
The views stated in my posts are my personal views and not that of any other organisation.

Be it ever so humble, there is no place like home.

Gilco2

1540 posts

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#1091744 18-Jul-2014 20:37

thanks will give it another try. I liked it years ago but last year it wouldnt install. Maybe it was bad download. Will download latest and try it again.
Thank you

HTPC Intel Pentium G3258 cpu, Gigabyte H97n-wifi motherboard, , 8GB DDR3 ram, onboard graphics. Hauppuage HVR 5500 tuner, Silverstone LC16M case, Windows 10 pro 64 bit using Nextpvr and Kodi

toyonut

1508 posts

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#1091840 18-Jul-2014 23:06

Stick with Mint if it works, you have had a fair go around the common ones. Elementary could be another candidate once they release the next version too. Both Mint and Elementary will only be basing their distro's off Ubuntu 14.04 LTS which means 4+ years of support and no reinstalls. If you have to use kingsoft, you are not likely to find it preinstalled as it is currently an alpha according to their website, but they have .deb and .rpm packages so it should be easy to install it to any debian/ubuntu/mint/debian based distro or a fedora/redhat based one.
As for the fonts, there are options for tuning those and things like the aliasing, but I have found Mint to be good off the bat.

Try Vultr using this link and get us both some credit:

http://www.vultr.com/?ref=7033587-3B

Glassboy

835 posts

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#1091841 18-Jul-2014 23:08

On older equipment LXLE is very nice.

valtam

384 posts

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#1095322 25-Jul-2014 01:07

Every distro has it's quirks, things that don't work exactly as you expect or want to, something may be missing that makes it feel incomplete. For example, one will have the driver you need, whilst another is missing it, one will have a file manager you don't like using, the other will fit you like a glove. You will discover this on your linux journey. What's important to focus on is finding one that you instinctively enjoy using. Then use the Support mechanisms within that community to get you where you want to be operationally. Rarely will you find one that is 100% across the board perfect, although I hope you do.

Support a locally made Linux based Operating System, try Linux Lite.
Download Linux Lite

grudge

266 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1095366 25-Jul-2014 08:13

I've seen a few complaints about font rendering from people switching from Win/OSx to Linux. Despite my eyes being too crap to notice any differences, I've seen this font bundle recommended to improve things. Linked the Arch Wiki page but I'm sure you can find a way to install it for your favorite distro https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Infinality-bundle%2Bfonts

MikeB4

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#1095395 25-Jul-2014 09:02

Some of the non hardcore open source Distros like Suse have the MSFT fonts available on disc as it were. They are also available for the hardcore Distros as third party work arounds.

Mike
Retired IT Manager.
The views stated in my posts are my personal views and not that of any other organisation.

Be it ever so humble, there is no place like home.

robjg63

3047 posts

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#1095422 25-Jul-2014 09:54

There is a young NZ guy that has created a distro call nOS based on Ubuntu - he was up for some award recently (cant find the article of stuff - sorry).

This is the website: http://www.nos.net.nz/

I tried it out on a Asus netbook (eee 1000HE with Intel Atom chip).
Window was making it run like a dog - Runs pretty well with Linux - I am quite impressed - It also seems to have a reasonably friendly interface compared to some Linuxes I have dabbled with.

I also installed it on an old Compaq Desktop that a family member kepts killing with viruses and malware - Everything installed and worked ok.
The only thing I couldnt get working was the on-board speaker - but that's no big deal as it will have extrnal speakers plugged in and this tested out fine.
(I cant say I looked too hard for a solution to be honest).

Give it a try and support a local!

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler