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Fastest booting desktop linux distro? [closed]

I'm currently running Ubuntu 9.04 on my laptop and I'm very happy with it. But boot times aren't great... So I'd like to have a second distribution on my hard disc that I can boot to quickly check my email and stuff like that. It really only needs to run firefox and a terminal. Ext4 support would be a plus since my Ubuntu partition is ext4. In the next couple of hours I will try xPUD and DSL. Any other suggestions?

EDIT: Tried xpud, hangs on boot.

Little girl friendly versions of Linux (or themes for Linux) [closed]

I'm going to install Linux on a PC for a daughter (age 7) of a friend of mine. I recently came across Hannah Montana Linux. The parents don't want a commercially branded thing going on, so no Hannah Montana. But I was wondering if there were other Linux distributions - or desktop themes - that would be cool for a 7-year-old girl.

Are Linux distributions mutually compatible?

In other words, can an application that runs on one distro be simply copied and run on another distro?

Linux distributions comparison

Does any good comparison exist (like a table of present features) between the many Linux distributions?

What are the features and advantages on each distribution? (Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, etc.)

What choice is better for what kind of user profile?

Is there a stable Linux distro using btrfs?

I'm a big fan of ZFS on FreeBSD (I've been using it on my home server since before it got stable; bleeding edge, baby!) and I'd like to try out btrfs to see how that's evolving.

Since it's still largely in development, none of the usual mainstream distros have btrfs as an option. I haven't used Linux in a bunch of years, so I don't really know what my best options are for giving btrfs a try.

Requirements:

• easy to install
• btrfs supported without requiring me to rebuild the kernel

Thanks!

What is the world's smallest-footprint LAMP stack? [closed]

What is the world's absolute smallest known VMWare/VirtualBox image supporting basic Apache/PHP/MySQL functionality? Before or after compression.

Ubuntu vs Kubuntu: The closest Windows experience

For an experienced Windows user wanting to start experimenting with Linux, which distro provides the closest Windows experience? Assuming the use cases enumerated below:

• Web browsing
• Working with Office 2003/2007 documents
• File indexing (desktop search)
• Basic Sql Server 2005 database administration
• Media playback(MP3, M4P, WMV, WMA, dvds, etc)
• Windows Live instant messaging
• Skype calls/video calls
• Organizing millions of files
• FTP/SFTP, SSH, telnet automation

How to know which Linux Distribution I'm using?

How to know which Linux Distribution I'm using?

uname -a gives

Linux xxxxxx.net 2.6.9-42.0.3.EL.wh1smp #1 SMP Fri Aug 14 15:48:17 MDT 2009 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux

How can I know this is Ubuntu/Debian/Fedora or Redhat?

I uses /etc/init.d/serviced restart for restarting serevices, seems it is not Redhat family

[itf][~]$ cat /etc/issue
cat: /etc/issue: No such file or directory
[itf][~]$ cat /etc/issue.net
cat: /etc/issue.net: No such file or directory
[itf][~]$ lsb_release -a
-sh: lsb_release: command not found
[itf][~]$ cat /etc/*-release
cat: /etc/*-release: No such file or directory
[itf][~]$ cat /etc/*-version
cat: /etc/*-version: No such file or directory
[itf][~]$ cat /etc/*release
cat: /etc/*release: No such file or directory
[itf][~]$ cat /etc/*_release
cat: /etc/*_release: No such file or directory
[itf][~]$ cat /etc/*version
cat: /etc/*version: No such file or directory
[itf][~]$

What are the differences between major Linux distributions? Will I notice?

I've been using Linux in some form intermittently for the past ten years or so, but have only really been in to it for the past few months.

What are the major differences between distributions? Ultimately I know that package management and branding are the big ones, but would it be easier to do task x with distribution y? Why so?

what's the difference between /dev/hdc, /dev/sr0, /dev/cdrom

I created 2 virtual machines with VMware Workstation 7. They have identical hardwares. One guest is CentOS 5.6, another is Mandriva 2011. When I try to mount the cdrom in guest OS, in CentOS, I should execute

mount /dev/hdc /path/to/mount

in Mandriva, I should execute

mount /dev/sr0 /path/to/mount

I also remebered in some other Linux variant, I had to use

mount /dev/cdrom /path/to/mount

My questions are:

1. What's the difference between hdc, sr0 or cdrom?
2. Is there a consistent way to mount cdrom in all Linux variants?

Linux distro with just busybox and bash?

I just want a linux distro that boots fast, has a bash terminal (no gui) and busybox.

Is there any such distro or is it hard to compile a kernel and just make one myself?

Is there a free (as in money) version of Redhat linux? [closed]

I've not dabbled with Linux for a while, but I need to, I am slightly outraged RedHat Linux is not free... or am I being dumb?

Is there a free version available?

If not what are the best alternatives.

(The client wants RedHat).

Redeeming an old laptop

I have a 2001-vintage laptop that is getting so slow my kids won't even use it much anymore. Is there anything I can do that's free or inexpensive to make it more usable for light-duty use (web browsing, checking email, etc.)? Things I've considered are:

• Reinstalling the OS
• Reinstalling with some small Linux distro (although I'm a little worried about compatibility with the Linksys wireless PCMCIA card)
• Adding more memory (if that's even possible; I may have maxed it out already)
• Getting a larger hard drive (which would certainly help, if could get one cheap)

I'm planning on buying a new machine for the kids, but I hate throwing stuff out if it has any life left in it. Is there anything that will make this a useful piece of hardware, or should I just junk it or donate it? The physical hardware itself (screen, keyboard, etc.) is in good shape, apart from the fact that the battery won't hold a charge anymore so it always needs to be plugged in.

Here are more or less the full specs:

• Dell Inspiron 2500 laptop
• Intel Celeron processor, 900 MHz
• 10 GB (!) hard drive
• 512 MB RAM
• CD (not DVD) reader/writer
• Running Windows XP SP3

Choosing a Linux distribution

Dangerous territory with this question so please try to be impartial and instead focus on what to look for when choosing a Linux distribution.

I'm completely new to Linux. I thought it'd never happen but I need to have a Linux box to play with and I have a spare fanless Atom PC (32-bit only).

I'll be using the machine as a non-commercial hobby server, the trouble is, I don't even know how to compare Linux distributions and why people pick one over another.

If anything, I want to have an easy install from USB stick.

My question is: what do you look for when choosing a (free?) Linux distribution for a server?

If you can, please explain what sorts of things actually differ between one and another without saying which you think is better, just the facts.

The way I see it, Linux as a server is just an SSH console and I find it hard to imagine what could be different between one and another.

Are there any linux distributions similar to RedHat 5 Enterprise?

I want to install RedHat 5 Enterprise Edition server on my home PC. I will install servers and clients on virtual machines using Virtual box and study server-client structure at home. But RedHat EE is not free. Instead, I will install a linux server distribution similar to RedHat 5 EE. But I don't know which one is most similar. I know that Fedora is based on RH but it doesn't have a server edition. What are my options?