The Practical Linux Desktop Part 2: Software

So now that you have your new desktop built, the next major question is what Linux distro should you choose to install? I will cover this, as well as some of my favorite desktop software below.

Choosing a Distro

The two major distros vying for desktop domianience these days are Ubuntu and Fedora. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. Ubuntu seems to be the choice for users that are completly new to Linux (usually coming from a Windows background). It is easy to install, and Ubuntu 7.01 has a nifty script that autodetects most hardware and installs the approprate drivers (even nonfree drivers, so beware!). The other nice thing about Ubuntu is the community is aware of its stance as a "Distro for newbies", and takes pride in their motto: "Linux for Human Beings".

On the other hand, you have my personal favorite, Fedora. Fedora is sponsered by Red Hat, which gives it a unique advantage over several other Linux projects: it has strong and steady cash flow. Fedora is all about showcasing cutting edge open source software. This means that open applications will be installed by default, and as such it can pose a few issues for complete Linux newbies, even so, it is still considered by many to be "newbie friendly". I have chose Fedora to install on my desktop systems because of ease of installation and the cutting edge open source software that is always included.

The Next Step

After you've chosen a distro and installed, you will usually have some work left to do. If you have an Nvidia card, make sure you install the proper drivers (in Fedora):

yum --enable-repo=livna install kmod-nvida

After this, you can enable such things as Beryl or Compiz. I personally use VLC to view videos, Rhythembox for music playback, Firefox for web browsing, Miro for Internet TV, and Evolution for email (many people prefer Thunderbird). Many of these programs are already in the distro repositories, therefore you can just use the package manager to install them if they are not already installed.

Programming

If you are a programmer, Linux is definitely the best OS for you in terms of practicality. Many languages are included with the install (Perl, Python, bash, C, C++), and most others are trival to install. The main issue of note here is that installing Java has been an ordeal, however, the Java VM included with Fedora 8 called Iced Tea will be an OpenJDK implementation included in the main repository (hopefully). This will be a huge relief to many Java on Linux programmers.

More Multimedia

Multimedia is huge these days, and of course you should expect it to be a huge part of your desktop environmet. Many detrators of Linux try to bash its seemingly low quality support for multimedia. As a long term Linux user, I can tell you that multimedia support under Linux has improved dramitically and with increasing rapidity over the last few years. I use Fspot for my digital camera and photo management, GnomeBaker for audio CD burning, mencoder for DVD ripping (XDVDShrink works just as well, and has a GUI), dvdauthor to create DVDs, Audicity to create audio, and Cinelerra to create and edit movies. Installing all of these programs is fairly trivial in both Ubuntu and Fedora.

Final Thoughts
So that's it! The next step? Enjoy your powerful new Linux desktop!