My Advise for Linux Switchers

Package Managers

As I was telling you though there are many package managers, the organised ones are

a) Debian,

b) RPM,

c) URPMI,

d) Gentoo and

e) Packman.

Elimination & Selection of Package Managers

I am eliminating Pacman Series for three reasons:

a) Not for all machines

b) Difficult to deploy and use.

c) Even the seemingly easier ones like Kahel-OS, Manjaro Linux, Chakra Linux and Bridge Linux are not stable on all systems

I am also eliminating Debian Series for three reasons:

a) Broken and Non Updated Package List

b) Weak Security & Comparably Less Stabler

c) File Manager is not capable of handling volumes & hence can crash without proper log.

Thus the three package managers - RPM, URPMI & Gentoo are better Linux Base.

About RPM
Now of RPM we have three great original OS - Fedora, CENT-OS & Open-Suse of which I am eliminating Open-Suse as it is not comparably great. I do not want to go for any derived distributions like Stella, Kororaa, etc., as Original Ones are better and easier to be deployed and used.

About Gentoo

Of Gentoo there is only one great distribution - Sabayon, which can't be eliminated.

About URPMI
URPMI List has four great linux - Mandriva, Mageia, ROSA & PC-Linux-OS (PCL uses apt-get instead of urpmi commands). Of these I have never tried Mageia which is always praised by the Distro Watch as a Better Linux. However I do not vote for it for from the documentation I found that it is mixing Linux Mint and CENT-OS in a unique way and is also forging Mandriva - This means, it's features are more of a concept than reality.

I have attempted Mandriva and felt some instability & non compatibility with it. I found ROSA & PC-Linux-OS to be better OS. Thus my List is Fedora, CENT-OS, ROSA, PC-Linux and Sabayon as the best Linux OS List

Basic Conclusion:

My Choice for Myself

I keep Fedora & Sabayon at same level - these two are my No. 1 Choice and I recommend them for Personal Use & not Enterprise Use. I am planning to migrate to Sabayon 13.08 if Fedora 20 is also sucking like Fedora 18 & 19.

Similarly I place CENTOS and ROSA at the same level and these are my No.1 prescription for Office or Business Use. Though ROSA Can be deployed for Personal Use also, I do not recommend it as it has a bit complicated installation procedure

PC-Linux-OS is my No. 2 Choice for Both Personal & Enterprise Use.

Suggestive Choices

1) Linux Switcher - I do not recommend these for any learned end users; it is just for beginners.

No. 1 : Ubuntu LTS (A Stable & Simple OS)

No. 2 : Zorin (More Windows Like OS)

No. 3 : BOSS (For Patriots as it is the Indian OS) otherwise Linux Mint Based on Ubuntu LTS

2) Learned End Users – These are those having my taste and ability to tweak things for their best

No. 1 : Sabayon 13.08

No. 2 : PC-Linux-OS

No. 3 : Fedora 19

3) Best Enterprise Usage – These segments shall have a learned system administrator to trouble shoot the problems

No. 1 : ROSA Enterprise Linux

No. 2 : CENT-OS

No. 3 : Open-Suse

Simple Summarised Review of My Selected OS are as below

Simple Review of the OS

Fedora

Pros

Security & Compatibility

Best Application Set

Easier to tweak and customise

Cons

Slower

Becoming a Bloatware

More benchmarked on Windows 8 which itself is a failure

CENT-OS

Pros

Security & Stability

Updated Application Set

Best for Server & Client Machines

Cons

Compatibility

Difficult to tweak

ROSA Linux:

Pros:

Stability, Security and Compatibility

Best Application Set

Ready to be deployed

Cons:

Complicated Installation process

PC-Linux-OS

Pros

Easier to Use

Great Driver Support

Rolling Release

Has the plus points of RPM and Debian

Cons

Not having same performance on all machines

Poor Repos resulting in sluggish updates (Can be managed)

No DE Freedom

Sabayon

Pros

Ready to be Deployed

Great Security Features but Performance is not disturbed due to it.

Rolling Release

Very Minimal Crashes

Cons

Slow & Buggy

Compatibility Issues

Hope this gives some good insights and guidance.

Linux & BSD - Where I stand today?

To the Open Source Operating System : Linux & BSD - Where I stand today?

Why I came to Open Source
In the beginning of the year 2010, I felt that using a pirated OS or Software is bad. I want to respect the creators' value and not steal it. Hence, I was discussing with a dozen of my friends dealing with system software and firm-ware development. They suggested me to try Linux or BSD.

I was under the impression that Linux or BSD means it can't be used by an accountant like me and have to be used by the IT-Geeks. Hence for almost 2 Months (Feb & Mar 2010) I was reading about Linux and BSD.

BSD Attempts - Q2 2010
In 2006-07, some one gave me customised dragon-fly-bsd and I loved to work on it. Hence my first attempt was BSD. During April 2010 I tried Open-BSD, Dragon-Fly-BSD, Free-BSD and finally PC-BSD. I could install and use PC-BSD alone the rest was beyond my head. The problem of PC-BSD was WiFi Configuration and Printer Support. Hence by June 2010, I felt BSD is not for me and I went back to my "pirated windows 7" I was very sad indeed.

Linux Phase 1 - Q3 2010 to Q2 2011:
My sister gave me Ubuntu 10.04 LTS and I was quite happy with it. In 2 Months I mastered some of the  Terminal Commands and was able to customise the OS to my needs.  By September 2010, I discussed with my Tec Friends. Those who are at Red-Hat was unhappy with me and they suggested me to attempt on Fedora or Cent-OS. Similarly my friends at Novell Inc said Suse is the best. Some of the Friends told me to attempt on MEPIS, Mandriva, Mageia, Linux Mint, BOSS, Zorin and Sabayon.

I decided to try all these by using Live-Boot and Virtual Box. I downloaded the following:
a) MEPIS
b) Mandriva
c) Fedora
d) CENT-OS
e) Open-Suse
f) Sabayon
g) BOSS

I felt bad that CENT-OS was not windows compatible. MEPIS, Mandriva,  Open-Suse & BOSS looked like Windows and hence I did not go for it. The only two other OS I took for my attempt are Sabayon and Fedora

Fedora I was sad that it did not had the office & could not play media files by default and it was difficult to operate for me.

Sabayon was very difficult to operate but I was happy with the default application set.

Therefore I stayed with Ubuntu.

Linux Phase 2 - Q2 2011 to Q2 2012:
I crashed my Ubuntu during May 2011. I was shocked. I felt it is not the great one though easier to operate. Then I attempted on Linux Mint due to my friend Harish and I was annoyed with it also

L Palani Kumar - Tech Consultant of my company asked me to go for Fedora 15 DVD. I downloaded Fedora DVD and was happy with it. I really felt except for Windows Compatibility - it had all the features I wanted. I was quite happy.

Then I felt Fedora is best and However as an end user attempted on a testing basis various Linux OS like Back-Track Linux, Puppy, Warry, Sabayon, Chakra, Kahel, Kororaa, Fuduntu, Fusion Linux, Stella and Scientific Linux.


I concluded that Fedora is the best. Who did not have the time, can attempt on Kororaa.

Linux Phase 3 - since Q2 2012:
Fedora 18 shatterred me. It was bloatware and has sucked me. Once-again I was in search of a good Linux. My search concluded that the below 4 Linux can be a better alternative:
a) PC-Linux-OS (RPM-Debian Mix with Rolling Release Concept)
b) Sabayon (Gentoo)
c) Manjaro Linux (Arc Linux)
d) Chakra Linux (Independent)

I could not work on Chakra Linux as Terminal Commands are very difficult.

Manjaro Linux is so far good and I like it. However, do not want to deploy it on all of my systems. Currently it works well on Toshiba Satellite C850.

Hence my mind is on using either of PC-Linux-OS or Sabayon


First attempt was Sabayon as it is unique - Except for its Slow nature, I like it. However I feel migrating to Sabayon is not good

Therefore I am left with no other choice other than to try for PC-Linux-OS
Hope PC-Linux-OS satisfies all my needs

What is Best Linux

What is the Broad Conclusion
I have tested as an average end users various distributions and concluded that RPM is better for Enterprise Usage. I personally does not feel good about Debian and Arc Distributions. Therefore after RPM my Choice is Sabayon.

A Mixed Gene which was born out of RPM is URPMI headed by Mandriva. Mageia, ROSA, PC-Linux-OS are the three distributions which are born out of Mandriva but performs better than Mandriva. I have tested all except Mageia in this gene. I eliminate Mandriva for its outdated features. ROSA is superb, but it is not installable on all machines. Therefore the only left linux in this gene is PC-Linux-OS.

My Suggestion:
Fedora is the  best linux. However of late it is becoming like a free windows and hence I hate it

Manjaro is great - but still the features are not well tested by me & the commands are little difficult Unless we know unix, compilation and some coding, it is very difficult to use these linux

Going to Debian is suicidal and I do not like it. Hence the alternatives are PC-Linux-OS, Mageia & Sabayon.


Therefore after Fedora my choice based on my talent base and information is PC-Linux-OS if one wants some thing in RPM and Sabayon if one wants to go for Tar-Balls or Equo Commands/RIGO Package Manager

Sabayon 13.08:
I first attempted on Sabayon 6 and then on 7, after a break attempted on 11 & 13.04. I admired Sabayon for its ease of use and being in a position to be deployed readily. However the only problem was the initial updates are too large in size and the system slows down after one or two months.

Sabayon 13.08 removed this draw back.
It is now more speeder and is very less "updated" post release.

Sabayon is great in terms of stability, security & simplicity.
The commands of Sabayon are quite simple -
equo update -y
equo upgrade -y
equo install "Package or Application Names with space in between" -y
equo remove "Package or Application Names with space in between" -y
equo dist-upgrade -y

or you can use a tar-ball file, untar it and then with terminal use "make  install" command and get the things done.

I admire Sabayon 13.08..

Pros
a) Stability, Security & Simplicity is guaranteed
b) Speed has improved a lot in 13.08 and hence we opine it would be retained as such
c) More Close to BSD
d) Rolling Release
e) Great Community Support

Cons
a) Compatibility Issues
b) Printer Supports are little bad
c) Wine Tweaking is not great

PC-Linux-OS

a) This is a rolling release available in RPM World. Fuduntu and Suse are other rolling releases.

b) This is the only RPM which supports all media file formats by default - Fedora, Suse, CENTOS, Mandriva & Mageia we have to use third party repos and apps to get the media played

c) More focused on PC & Laptops than Servers. Fedora, CENT-OS,etc are all having server focus and client focus. But PC-Linux-OS is more desktop focused and can be linked with any server - Windows, Mac, BSD, Solaris or Linux

d) The Default Environment is KDE, however XFCE & MATE Spins are available.

e) It is not benchmarked on any other OS. Therefore, it may not get spoiled due to some innovation on Windows Side.

Pros
a) Stability, Security & Simplicity is visible


b) Rolling Release
c) Good Printer Support

Cons
a) boring apt-get commands
b) Neither RPM nor Debian
c) No Gnome Desktop Environment
d) Libre-Office can have some issues at times
e) Outdated Kernel
f) Too Much Security Enhancement may create problems on mounting USB Disks (You may have to use Gparted and Mount the device on /local/fire, then only it would be mounted normally)

I did Blunder ...

Previously when I was using Fedora 17 XFCE Spin, I have uninstalled the basic desktop environment xfce after I installed Gnome. Hence unless I give startx in the terminal to get into gnome mode. I could not install DE and do anything.I tried with Fedora Forums and I could not resolve it.Finally I got an idea, I first used startx and connected to Internet Network and then went to Base Terminal (Alt+Ctrl+F2 or F3) and removed Gnome Desktop and reinstalled it. Then things became normal

So I attempted to remove MATE on the Fedora 19 MATE Spin; I removed MATE after having installed Gnome and KDE. Except for Startx I could not get Gnome. Instead of following the previous solution I had found, I did a blunder; I uninstalled KDE and reinstalled KDE. Therefore the network manager was removed and startx gave KDE without Network. This I could not rectify. Therefore this time, instead of doing some thing in the Terminal and get back to normal working mode, I was forced to reinstall the entire OS

Conclusion:

Linux is too powerful, unless we know what we are doing, it is better not to do it 

Fedora 19

I was hesitant to upgrade to Fedora 19 on my Fujitsu as I was busy in meddling with Zorin on my ASUS. I found that Zorin despite a good OS, is not fit for me as I am a power end user and hence, finally I ended up in installing Fedora 19 MATE Compiz Spin.

Fedora 19 has improved a lot compared to Fedora 18. However the stability is compromised on MATE. What happened in this spin is XFCE & MATE Environment are combined and hence the File Manager & Panel's are crashing.

After receiving some updates and reading reviews, I found that Fedora 19 KDE is the best. The detail of the review can be found from the link http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in/2013/07/fedora-19-review-not-flashy-but-very.html

I installed both Gnome and KDE and find that KDE is really more stable and better compared to Gnome and MATE

The only one thing I hate is the slow booting up and it takes longer to enter the DE. Almost 75 Seconds to 90 Seconds. However stability is great.

After seeing the performance, I have upgraded my Fujitsu laptop also. It is performing well. It takes about 45 Seconds to 56 Seconds to boot up and become workable. The response time is much better in KDE than Gnome.

F-19 can be tried... as it is certainly better than F-18.

My review

Installation:
The installation Process is exactly same as Windows 8; same as Fedora 18.
The anaconda installer is tweaked to resemble windows and hence it is a crap.
The previous options like:
a) Replace Linux
b) Shrink Space
c) Use Free Space
are gone and hence I do not like it.

DE Choices
Gnome, KDE, LXDE, XFCE, MATE, Cinnamon & Razor-qt are the DE Choices. The F-19 seem to work better with KDE than any other desktop

a) Gnome crashes if you use Cover Flow Add-on
b) XFCE/MATE Spins are really useless with no proper app set
c)  LXDE is never my choice
d) Razor-QT a Suse invention is really good on an old machine and there is no Fedora Spin for it yet.
 
The only choice is KDE

Application Set
Default Set is good & reasonable on Gnome & KDE but not so on other spins
Hence Internet, Office, Media and Games one has to select and install
Yum Extender is good and then KDE Software Manager is much easier

Virtual Box is no more install-able through terminal
The download cracks once 16MB size is reached
It is better to download RPM and install.

Boot Time
The Boot Time is really bad.
Initially it took 36 Seconds, but after a kernel update and Virtual Box Install, the same has increased drastically. The details of time taken for booting is as below:
a) Now 10 seconds to get the Kernel Selection Menu
b) 40 Seconds to Log-in Menu
c) 10 Seconds for DE
Thus almost 1 Minute is being spent

I believe it is because of my hardware. The fresh install was 36 Seconds only. Fujitsu is about 45 Seconds

F-18 to F-19
a) Auto-Log-in Facility is taken out. Only Gnome Case - it works however with other DEs it is gone.
b) Security Menus enhanced i.e the power & usability is enhanced
c) More Eye-candy animations have been included
d) More windows compatibility - wine is really good
e) Scanner Compatibility has weakened. We have to use certain patches to make scans better
f) Printer Support has weakened. However with the help of Foozjs you can have better printing.
g) Tab & Phone Integration is better

Conclusion
Originally when I moved to Fedora (F-15) I felt Fedora aims at testing RHEL's New Ideas and also provide us a great OS. I became Fedora Fanatic as I found None of the Debian Distributions are capable of bringing such a computation environment and there is no other RPM Linux which is equal to Fedora. Sabayon & Arc Linux Distros are not really user friendly like Fedora at that time.

Windows 8 has spoiled the Linux Environment completely. Except Sabayon & Arc Linux Distros all Linux are focused on bench-marking on Windows. Hence in Long Run, I do not feel Debian and RPM could satisfy me. However on this worsening scenario Fedora satisfies me a lot compared to Debian Distros, CENT-OS, Mandriva & OpenSuse. The only devil which I am yet to try is Mageia. PC-Linux-OS is better however as there are no DE Choices like Mandriva, I am not feeling good at it. But it is comparably better and can be attempted upon in case one is not satisfied with Fedora.

My eye is set on BSD but since I do not have the needed knowledge and skills; my mind things of using more of Sabayon & Manjaro; however for my combined usage I stick with Fedora for the time being.

Zorin OS - Release Upgrade

Zorin is based on Ubuntu LTS and Ubuntu Normal Editions; you can choose to upgrade from LTS to LTS, LTS to Normal, Normal to LTS; therefore it is in your hands as to how you want the OS to upgrade itself. Remember the below two commands for upgrading via terminal

*) To set options

sudo gedit /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades

Edit the line "Prompt=?". The three options are never, normal & lts. Never means no Distribution Upgrade, Normal means every edition, lts means just lts

#)To update

sudo do-release-upgrade –d

In case you do not have the latest update manager, then use the below command before giving the above command

sudo apt-get install update-manager-core

However, this would not upgrade Zorin OS but its Mother Ubuntu. Unlike other OS like say Linux Mint, Zorin can't be upgraded through terminal. If one does by tweaking the through terminal, as I mentioned above, Zorin becomes Ubuntu and it is not good to use from that moment.

ADVICE
Use Zorin as it is. Else, you would lose peace of mind. If the support of the OS is Over, back-up and do a fresh install and finally restore the files and apps. This is the only way.

Zorin OS 6

1) I hate Debian

I hate any Debian Distribution for two reasons

i) Security & Stability are compromised for being windows compatible

ii) Applications are much outdated and broken into 4 or 5 stages and hence full functionality of an application at times is not available

2) Ubuntu Vs Ubuntu Derivatives

Ubuntu has many installation features which is not available to its derivatives
Ubuntu Derivatives are not stable as Ubuntu itself is not much stable.
Therefore after trying 3 or 4 derivatives, I am fed-up.

3) Coming to Zorin

Despite my emotions & opinions against Debian Distributions as such, Zorin-OS made me to look into it. The initial attraction was the eye candy behaviour with least resources. Pin-Guy-OS has much eye candy mode, yet the resource intensiveness made me to say no it. Zorin was special, with least resources it had the best eye candy features. This made me to try Zorin on Live Boots and also on physical install on some of the machines.

4) First Experience

I hated the Windows 7 & Windows XP Look. I wanted a native environment, Gnome Classic also sucked. So I was not interested to try it on my machine and hence attempted on my friends machine. The first experience is awesome. The Zorin had better stability and simplicity and it attracted me to watch it.

I worked on Zorin OS for about a month and have seen the bugs and its fixes also. Now I feel Zorin is one of the best linux distribution of my choice in Debian Standing next to Ubuntu. Now in Debian Distros I have just two Linux to consider - Ubuntu & Zorin

5) Deeper Appreciation of Zorin

a) Zorin uses LSM as its security feature that means it is Kernel Based Security than File or Port Based Security. This means the Linux has a top notch security level which is a module in the kernel itself. This also results in resource optimisation which is not available with other Linux.

b) Some Negatives

1) DE Customisation can be done only through compiz and not through extensions, this means nativity is not available
 
2) As usual the application set is totally bad – 3 to 4 versions down on majority of applications.
 
3) Zorin Version you can't find it any where, you can find only Ubuntu as the OS both on Kernel and as a Version Number. Do not know why it should be called Zorin
  
c) Certain Exclusive Positives
1) High Windows & Mac Compatible (No OS is such compatible)

2) Well Customised for Gaming, Multi-media and Office Usage

3) Gnome & KDE are combined in such a way that the draw-backs of each of the DE is never felt. If we want we can install other desktop environments (XFCE Crashes)

 

Conclusion:

The OS is full-filling the aim for which it is created, User Friendly Linux for Windows or Mac Users. The OS when used would not give a feel to the user that they are using a non windows or mac os. Perfect Forging. This is probably the best among the Debian Distros.

My three level advise is Zorin, Ubuntu & BOSS are the best for Business and Personal Use for any Linux Switcher. Then the next level is Centos, Mandriva, Mageia & Suse for Business Users; Fedora & Kororaa for Personal Use. The last level is Manjaror, Chakra & Sabayon, of which I love Manjaro for Driver Support and Sabayon for Ports Based Security.

Free Server OS

Free Server Operating Systems

The Free Server OS has two major stream - BSD and Linux. BSD as a Free Server has a niche and is used by many Internet Based Companies. However, as such I am finding BSD usage in India to be very meager and not many companies uses BSD Server OS.

In Linux, I find Server OS is in two genes - Debian and RPM. Though Gentoo and Arc also have some Server Editions, they are almost never used in India.

Let me see the Top 5 Debian Server OS

1) BOSS Server Edition

If some one wants the best options and optimise Client’s Speed then the best Server OS is BOSS. By Stability, Security, Speed and Simplicity, BOSS is superb Server OS. However, only few Indian Organisations uses it as the awareness about it is very less

2) Ubuntu Server Edition

The Ubuntu Server Edition is really better than the Desktop Edition. It is now getting into the market with Big Publicity and Support Services. Today almost 75% of Open Source Market is commanded by Ubuntu.

3) Mandriva Server Edition

Previously RPM Based, Currently Debian Based, as a Server Mandriva has many things to offer and is really a better Debian Based Server OS.

4) Xandros Linux

This is more like Windows Server and is a perfect replacement for Windows Servers.

5) Vyatta Linux

This is the best for all Entertainment Based Companies. This is not freely available like the above mentioned Linux Server OS. It has to be requested and the people will send you the OS in their CD or DVD. You have to pay for it. It tries to replicate Mac Server. But has not even touched it.

RPM is having rich server editions. However there are not as many as Debian Gene has. The best 5 RPM Based Server Linux OS are as below:

1) CENT-OS

This is the RHEL in a stripped down edition. We all know RHEL is having 85% Market Share of Paid Server. Hence CENT-OS is natural choice for any person who wants a Free RHEL

2) Suse

Free Server Edition of Suse is much better than its Desktop Variant. Server Edition is superb with lot of Customisability.

3) Unbreakable Linux

This is Oracle’s Creation. They have made their free OS to look like RHEL Paid Edition.

The only drawbacks are cross platform integration. RHEL is good in connecting any Client Machines - whether they are in Windows, Mac, Any Linux OS or BSD. However Unbreakable Linux is not capable of that level.

4) Mageia

The most promising upcoming RPM Based Free Enterprise Edition is Mageia.

In Fact Mageia is the best Desktop OS too. Thus with its Server and Desktop, Mageia if used properly can be the best OS. I am 100% satisfied with the Server Edition.

 

5) Mandriva

Mandriva is based on Mandrakes Red-hat and hence is very good for Business Use. However, I am not comfortable with Mandriva. However it has migrated to Debian Package Manager with RPM Installer. I have mentioned few words about it in Debian Distros above

 

6) Clear OS

Non Red-Hat and Novel edition available in RPM Gene is Clear OS. They are offering a comparable Server OS. It seems to be more promising.

Conclusion

In my Opinion, it is best to use Mageia as Server and Desktop for Office Use. The technical features and the documentation are the best. They are borrowing Red Hat’s Security, Stability, Speed and Compatibility and also Debian’s Simplicity. Thus from the point of view of Business Organisation, Mageia is the best Desktop and Server OS.

 

The second alternative is use BOSS Server and any Windows or Linux OS as the people may require.

The Third Alternative is to go for Ubuntu. The main reason for Ubuntu is that it is most windows compatible and is close to windows in all respects. Business World Runs on Windows.

My OS Study Conclusion

Some how I have entered the OS arena and is obssessed with testing lot of Linux & BSD OS.
BSD is really a great OS but my knowledge is very little and hence I could not install and customise BSD for me. Therefore my focus was on Linux.

Linux we have 4 great package administration - debian, rpm, gentoo and pacman. I have already written more about what these are and I have also rated OS based on knowledge & end user requirements. Now I am additing one more criteria - system.

Old PC or Desktop : Debian Distros are better than any other distributions. The top 3 list are BOSS, Zorin and Ubuntu.

Old Laptops : Cent-os & open suse are better deployable on them followed by Ubuntu.

New Budget Laptops : Zorin-OS, Manjaro & Bodhi Linux are better on such machines

New Business Class Series - Fedora, Sabayon, Manjaro and Ubuntu are the best

New PC or Desktop : Zorin OS, Ubuntu, CENT-OS and OpenSuse are better

Therefore the below are always usable OS
1) Debian Distros
a) Ubuntu LTS
b) Zorin OS
c) Bodhi Linux
d) Linux Mint MATE based on Ubuntu LTS or Pin-Guy-OS
e) BOSS

2) RPM Distros
a) Fedora or Kororaa
b) CENT-OS or Stella
c) OpenSuse or Mandriva or PC-Linux
d) Mageia

3) Gentoo & Pacman
a) Sabayon
b) Manjaro
c) Chakra

Hope this list and hints helps you to deply ideal linux