Thursday, January 10, 2013

What is the best type of linux for a beginning programmer?

Q. I just started software developing at ASU and my teacher recommends using linux over windows but I've seen all different formats and i don't know which one is the best to start off with i would be dual booting with vista 64 bit

A. For developing I would go with one of the technical distributions such as slackware or gentoo. The only thing is they are not only very UNIX-like, they are tough to wrap your brain around generally. Mark Shuttleworth, who started Ubuntu, got his start on Slackware.

Generally I would go with one with a KDE desktop. XFCE4 is nice -- that's my preferred desktop -- however KDE has a LOT tools which make programming easier. And slackware of course offers KDE and XFCE4 as its default desktops. It does not offer GNOME.

The downside of Ubuntu and its derivatives is that one of the innovations of Ubuntu is precisely that it does not offer easy access to the GNU tools, including GCC and make and gdb -- the debugger. You have to go to synaptic or open a terminal and type "sudo apt-get build-essential".

The technical linuxes, Debian, Slackware, Fedora, Gentoo -- or Linux from Scratch -- demand that you get comfortable with the command line. Nevertheless, even for a beginning programmer, I would precisely say that those are the best type of Linux -- or let's face it, GNU/Linux -- for a beginning programmer.

Also, Debian and Fedora have live CDs available, while you can get A taste of Slackware (though they don't say so) using dyne:bolic ( http://www.dynebolic.org ) or slax ( http://www.slax.org ) both of which are live cds. Therefore you can try them without installing them on your hard drive yet at all -- highly recommended.

What is the best version of Linux for programmers?
Q. Hi, I'm a programmer and I'm currently using Ubuntu as my main OS which I want. I looking for the best version of Linux or any other type of free OS that is good for a programmer. Ubuntu is the most user friendly version of Linux but I want a OS that is good for a programmer. Anyone have any suggestions?

A. I'm not too sure, I think that all GNU/Linux distros are a good choice, you may want to go with one that is very stable such as, CentOS (Red Hat Enterprise Linux), Debian, or Slackware. You may even want to try Gentoo (or Sabayon Linux which is a user friendly Gentoo) which you need to know how your computer components work to set it up properly.

You may want to look through:
http://www.linux.com/archive/feed/54657
http://freedomhec.pbworks.com/

Free Linux Books:
http://www.techbooksforfree.com/linux.shtml

What Linux distro is good for a beginner?
Q. I have absolutely no experience with Linux, but I want to try running one on a VM. I'm thinking of getting Ubuntu 12.04 or Mint 13.

A. In ascending order of how ambitious you wish to be:

Easy: Ubuntu, Mint, Zorin, Pinguy, Fuduntu, Mandriva, Solus

Moderate: Fedora, OpenSUSE, Debian, Puppy, CentOS, Bodhi

Advanced: Arch, Gentoo, Slackware

Of the two you mention, Ubuntu is the one which will require more "hands on" configuration, as Mint offers Flash, mp3, and DVD support out-of-the-box; Unity also has a less-traditional desktop than Mint in either the MATE or Cinnamon editions.




Powered by Yahoo! Answers

No comments:

Post a Comment