timmmay:

 

I agree re Amazon Linux, I started using it when I was learning Linux. It works fine, but getting software onto it is time consuming. The repository has a lot less software in it than the Ubuntu one.

 

This is another viable option, one I have used and its been quite effective for work. But the easiest way to get this up and running is to use AWS, rather than run it on Virtual Box.

Its easier to get started by getting an ISO of ubuntu, and installing it into a VirtualBox VM. 

darylblake:

 

 

 

This is another viable option, one I have used and its been quite effective for work. But the easiest way to get this up and running is to use AWS, rather than run it on Virtual Box.

 

Its easier to get started by getting an ISO of ubuntu, and installing it into a VirtualBox VM. 

 

I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say here. Amazon Linux only runs on AWS. It's not a desktop OS. Yes, Ubuntu on VirtualBox is a good way to get started, I do development that way. Linux is just more stable.

Its not a desktop os at all.

And it can be ran outside of AWS for development purposes. 

darylblake:

 

And it can be ran outside of AWS for development purposes. 

 

Amazon Linux can run outside of AWS? That's not what the FAQ says. How an you run Amazon Linux outside of AWS? Only reason to do it would be testing.

Q: Will the Amazon Linux AMI be supported outside of EC2?

No. The Amazon Linux AMI is only available for use inside of Amazon EC2.

You can use Amazon Linux on Docker containers

https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/new-amazon-linux-container-image-for-cloud-and-on-premises-workloads/

Interesting. I'd probably avoid it though, there are better choices.

solutionz:

 

Incidentally Ubuntu was my daily driver for some time before work requirements started necessitating Windows 7 / 10, and for a time in-between that using XenClient to switch between the multiple OS before moving to Windows 10 + VMWare Workstation.

 

Now requirements have changed (including security & privacy) I'm also looking to head back to a *NIX-based host on my laptop / workstation.

 

Currently evaluating options:

 

a) Qubes OS (Xen-based)

 

b) OpenBSD or TrueOS (BSD) + VirtualBox

 

c) Gentoo (Linux) + VirtualBox

 

 

 

Any particular reason for VirtualBox over the built in KVM hypervisor. I  run Fedora locally and use KVM for any demo / playpen environments.

Don't see a lot of noise about Gentoo these days either.

openmedia:

 

 

 

Any particular reason for VirtualBox over the built in KVM hypervisor. I  run Fedora locally and use KVM for any demo / playpen environments.

 

Don't see a lot of noise about Gentoo these days either.

 

Convenience / familiarity / features coming from VMWare Workstation, have used QEMU in the past and when required for full emulation.

Gentoo is gaining popularity with those trying to avoid systemd.

Just installed RHEL - working great so far:

@openmedia thanks heaps for pointing this out. I've been needing a Red Hat VM more for training (CentOS / Fedora just isn't the same).

What is Linux UEFI support like now? I bought a cheap HP notebook intending to install Debian/Ubuntu on it to learn something new, but failed at - literally - the first hurdle when I couldn't get it to install.

At some stage I will deploy @michaelmurfy Standard Distribution Home Server too. 

I've had RHEL/Centos/Fedora/Ubuntu all running under UEFI. Key pain point is Secure Boot which can cause issues with some device drivers which aren't  correctly signed.

just to add my two cents worth . . . I've been using openSUSE / Plasma (KDE) for the past 10 years or so as my sole desktop OS. I like it because of its professional polish, stability and YAST being the best package management / sys config tool of any OS (although you do have to jump through a few hoops to get full multimedia support).

If you do give linux a go . . . give it a real go. Don't just try it for a few weeks and then give up saying things like "it doesn't do this like windows" etc. . .
Whenever I use windows now I often am tempted to say the same thing "it doesn't do this like linux" . . . but in reality a good linux distribution is as good as windows or mac os for most purposes - you just need to take the time to learn it and get used to it . . . and understand that it will be different to windows.