Best Live Linux For Christmas Giving? 594
trustedserf writes "This year I am including a bootable Live Linux CD in many of my Christmas cards. As I'll be making the copies myself I may even change the default desktop background to something personal, or Christmasy before running it off on cheap CD-Rs. The objective is to show people the easiest possible route to using a linux desktop so that they will be: A) Aware and B) Pleasantly surprised. About Christmas they may also have more time to try it out too. Naturally, I'm thinking of Gnoppix, but there are other options.. I use KDE, so I have to decide between it and Gnome. Bearing in mind my objectives, what distro would you choose. Also, importantly, is it possible any of them will damage their hardware (monitors with incorrect refresh etc.) I would be *very* unhappy if that happened. How many of them would fail to boot, leaving a bad impression? Which way would you go about it for maximum "WOW"."
Stuff it with games (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Stuff it with games (Score:5, Informative)
Stuff it with free software (Score:3, Insightful)
Audacity
BitTorrent - probably doesn't belong
Blender
FlightGear - along with our local scenery area
Gaim
Gimp
GnuGo - never seen any interest in this (duh)
GTK - for Gimp and Gaim, but it adds confusion
Inkscape - version 0.40 due any day now
Maxima
Mozilla - FireFox and Thunderbird
Mplayer
OpenOffice.org
Python - for the geeky kids
VideoLan
All this crap fits on one CD. I don't usually distribute
Re:Stuff it with games (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Stuff it with pr0n (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Stuff it with games (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Stuff it with games (Score:2, Funny)
It is? So was once popular but now it's out of fashion? Really, I must not have picked up on that trend.
Or maybe you're using words that you don't know how to define! Always bad form, even for Slashdot. Hell, especially for Slashdot!
Re:Stuff it with games (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Stuff it with games (Score:5, Informative)
He's giving it out in his Xmas cards which generally are just a card and a signature, perhaps a "Seasons' Greetings" or something scrawled in there as well. This is added value over and above a simple card. At no point was the submitter suggesting that this was in lieu of "real" presents. This instead seems to be an added bonus for his acquaintances that would otherwise just be getting the $0.25 card mailed to them. Sounds fine to me.
Re:Stuff it with games (Score:4, Interesting)
Never has anyone accused me of that before. You insensitive clod
What I don't get is people going off on the idea this guy's motive is to somehow "forcefeed" people Linux. Is the guy going to their house with a rifle later on to check up on them and see how much they've been worshipping at the Altar of the Penguin? I doubt it.
He's not "adding value" by giving people something they can get themselves just as easily
The "value add" here in MarketSpeak(TM) is that rather than someone getting just a Christmas card, you also get something you can try out on your computer. Or not. The choice is yours. Regarding the "just as easily" bit, that's rather in the eye of the beholder, don't you think? Out of my potential Christmas card list of 40 odd people, I can count on one hand the number of people on that list who would know:
- How to download and burn an ISO
- are on a broadband connection to make it possible
- and even know what a Linux LiveCD is, what it's for, and how it might be interesting to try.
Just because it's easy for you and me, doesn't mean it's easy for everyone.
As an aside, last Christmas when I went to visit relatives in the interior, I brought my laptop with me and some disks, including the latest rev of Knoppix at the time. My sister's computer went tits up at her place on Boxing day, and the whole crowd was amazed to see me put a CD into the drive and boot into a fully functional machine on a CD, recovering all her data before we redid the box. They were even more amazed by the idea that this was a free to give away CD and they could each have one too in case something happens to their machines so they can still get on the web, etc. I probably burned and gave away a dozen copies of Knoppix. Based on that experience alone, just for giving to relatives "just in case", I think it's a great idea.
Re:Stuff it with games (Score:4, Insightful)
Yo, bad-asshat, step down off that high horse and think carefully about all that self-righteousness before idiot-casting it to all and sundry, eh?
Well, you know... there's the added value of not having to download the entire distro. And the added value of not having to find and burn a CD. And the added value of not having to take the time to research and worry about choosing the right linux installation to start playing with. Note that (flamebait!) all these are issues which have so far stopped me running my own Linux box, and I'm an IT-literate user on broadband who's actually quite curious about Linux. If you allow for the fact that most family & friends aren't, you get the added value of not having to learn how to download distros, not having to learn how to burn CDs, not having to go out and buy CD-Rs (you'd be amazed how many people own CD-R drives but no CD-Rs). As I said, I'm Linux-curious, but haven't had the time/energy to run my own box. If a mate handed me a pre-set-up CD that was guaranteed to work, no questions asked, I'd try it out tomorrow. No, tonight.
Christ almighty. He's sticking a free CD in a card, not anally violating them while pouring sugar in their gastank. Get some perspective, really.
Funnily enough, I find that approach more irritating, opinionated and unhelpful than simply burning me off a CD and going "here y' go... have a look if you're interested". You're basically instructing them as to how great Linux is, then instructing them to do all the learning and work themselves. He's doing all the work himself, and offering me the chance to try Linux risk-, effort- and pressure-free.
Ok, I'm going to explain something to you now. The reason people probably don't respond well to your approach? It's probably because you lecture them on the benefits of Linux, then leave them to go do all the hard work themselves. Family != nerds. Friends != geeks. Make it as easy as possible, and they'll do it. Lecture then abandon them, and don't be surprised if nobody takes a blind bit of notice.
Ok, this is just ludicrous. If he's doing it out of altruism (even "misguided"), he can't by definition be doing it "more for himself". Look up the definition of altrusim if you don't believe me:
Altruism: altruism (n.)
1. Unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness.
Ah. Oh. Ah. I apologise. I was under the impression we were talking about family, and friends. I didn't realise we were talking about died-in-the-wool linux geeks. I mean, my 90-year-old granny's a Debian admi
Re:Stuff it with games (Score:3, Funny)
Fuck yeah she's a l33+ h4XoR! Biotch totally 0wnz0r3d my damn box last April fools. I'll get her good next year, packing her off to a home. See who's laughing.
Re:Stuff it with games (Score:4, Insightful)
Wow, lucky thing that's not what he's doing!
Re:Stuff it with games (Score:5, Informative)
One thing to note here is that if you use mini CD-Rs and are sending to non-technical people, do them a favour and add a note that they shouldn't use the disc in a slot-loading drive. Most slot-loading drives (mostly found on laptops) can't handle these discs, where they jam and can damage the drive.
There's nothing worse than getting a gift that forces you to send your laptop in for repair.
Yaz.
Why did he stop using it??? (Score:3, Interesting)
Why did he stop using it? Was it due to an issue with Linux or something else?
Re:Stuff it with games (Score:2, Insightful)
1. Firefox
2. SuperTux
3. The GIMP
4. GAIM
5. OO.o
6. Solitare
That should show them that they can do everything they want; games, web browsing, photo editing, and word processing. All the basics.
PS- If you can, make sure that Firefox is ready to go with java, flash, and shockwave
Re:Stuff it with games (Score:4, Interesting)
Yea, ok, they'd make a "demo Live CD" rather bloated, but the eye candy would be nice...
Re:Stuff it with games (Score:3, Funny)
knoplix and frozen bubble (Score:2)
Re:Stuff it with games (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Stuff it with games (Score:5, Funny)
sad. (Score:2, Funny)
best? (Score:5, Funny)
Mandrake (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Mandrake (Score:2)
Cb..
Re:Mandrake (Score:5, Informative)
I went throught this before with, IIRC, mandrake 6.x series and 7.x.
This time I suspect it doesn't like my video card* (can't find screen when trying to start X), but with the earlier distro's I would always get a divide by 0 error, and that on four or five machines in a row.
It seems odd they have so much trouble with building a bootloader/installer that can't recover from such errors, in the first case div by zero is simply a very bad sign, and in the second shouldn't it switch to generic vga or even text mode?
My current video card is a Radeon AIW-9600 and was used on both systems as the second try occured after a significant upgrade (new mb,ram,case optical drives and floppy+media reader only hd's,video,audio and powersuply were kept), given the issues surrounding drivers on any recent video card (especialy radeons) it doesn't suprise me X had issues, it does suprise me mandrake didn't think of it.
Well I still have the old mb (nforce2) and case and can probably borrow my brother old nvidia card so I'll likely try again when I turn that into a backup system.
Though if anyone knows how to get it working on my curent system (A8V delux asus mb, 1G ram, Atholon64 3500+, SB Live platinum, and Radeon AIW-9600) I'd listen. but this is someone elses ask slashdot, and to be honest I didn't really dig or try much beyond booting the livecd and watching it crash.
Mycroft
Re:Mandrake (Score:3, Informative)
other alternatives to Live CDs (Score:5, Funny)
Re:other alternatives to Live CDs (Score:5, Funny)
Think Again (Score:5, Insightful)
I would suggest pulling some of your more technically inclined relatives/friends aside, and just show them Linux running on your machine.
Re:Think Again (Score:5, Interesting)
There's a fair bit of curiousity out there from people who've heard about these cheaper/free alternatives to Windows for their computers. Something they can run as easily as sticking a disc in a drive might be just the thing for them to take a first-hand peek at it.
Much really depends on how many of your family members/relatives already enjoy using a computer. In my direct family, practically nobody does. My mother uses the same PC I put together for her and gave her as an Xmas gift about 6 years ago - and she still struggles to remember exactly how she's supposed to check her email, print it out, and write replies to people. Honestly, she just hasn't been willing to put in the time it would take to get comfortable with using the few programs she wants to use.
Re:Think Again (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously
Cheers,
IT
You mis-understood his point (Score:3, Insightful)
Legos or video games are an example of a good gift. They didn't require any unwanted effort from you.
An example of a bad gift, on the other hand, would be if I gave you an XBox game if you don't even own an XBox. And then pestered you to play it. It requires more effort on your side than it required on mine. You get to s
Re:Think Again (Score:3, Interesting)
I have done it, I am a nerd, and the gift was greatfully received, not to mention put to good use.
Re:Think Again (Score:5, Insightful)
So this isn't something you give out to your close friends and family. This is a gift you give out to people you just know well enough for a card.
It does have a message with it. It subtley indicates that the sender knows something about Linux and wants other people to as well.
If you want to make a living in Linux, think of it as a form of networking (the human kind, not the computer kind).
Re:Think Again (Score:4, Funny)
I have a family full of Democrats, I never got clothes from them again.
LK
Re:Think Again (Score:5, Funny)
Can I have your address? I have a lovely cardigan that you *must* see.
you must be the tech guy in your family (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:you must be the tech guy in your family (Score:2)
Re:you must be the tech guy in your family (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:you must be the tech guy in your family (Score:5, Funny)
Mepis (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Mepis (Score:3, Informative)
It lets Linux users take for granted a lot of the things on the web that Windows users do. Which is important for something like this.
MS2k
Re:Mepis (Score:3, Informative)
Recognized my sound card and modem
Setup nicely with KPPP as a dialer
Apt and Synaptic worked flawlessly
Very nice installation with none of those useless flash-past-your-eyes messages about errors or problems (Ubuntu take note)
As an aside, any distro that does this should pres
Re:Mepis (Score:3, Interesting)
If there's one thing I know... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:If there's one thing I know... (Score:2)
Soko
Re:If there's one thing I know... (Score:3, Insightful)
what's linux? (Score:3, Informative)
interesting choice, as i'm guessing at least half the people you send to don't even know what linux is. i'd like to know how this turns out
also, my suggestion is you is to include some sort of leaflet into getting them started, do they even know how to boot a bootable CD? just thought i should point this out.
GUI (Score:2, Insightful)
Command Line? (Score:2)
The 90's called. They want their joke back.
Gnome [gnome.org] and KDE [kde.org] are two of the many GUIs available and they have been included in most distributions for years.
Set the Firefox default home page (Score:5, Interesting)
My vote: (Score:3, Funny)
Re:My vote: (Score:3, Funny)
Re:My vote: (Score:2)
It is a DVD, but the new Suse 9.2 Live Eval... (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Wow (Score:2, Insightful)
Honestly.
Don't give people these discs, unless everyone in your family is a geek no one will even use it or know what to do with it.
Most people who use Windows don't even know how to install that and that's really easy.
Re:Wow (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Wow (Score:5, Insightful)
...and the ones that are geeks will already know where to get it if they want it.
For starters.. (Score:2)
Which brings up the point: What makes you think that the people you send Christmas cards to want to switch from Windows?
"WOW"! (Score:2)
You mean as in: "WOW! I knew he was nerdy, but...just... WOW!!"?
Mepis (Score:4, Informative)
Mepis is Debian based; much lower barrier to admission than other Debian distros.
Two Words (Score:2)
well.... (Score:2, Funny)
Oooh, the card's heavy (Score:2)
*rip, rip, fwiiip*
"What the hell?"
"LINUX! Oh for f*ck's sake!"
"Why the hell would I want to put this on my machine? It's got what... like 18 games out for it? Can it play HL2? No... can it play Halo2? No... Does it really improve what I'm currently doing if I'm not a nerd? Not really."
*throws it with the AOL CDs*
* Note: I actually think the idea is fairly cool.... BUT only when sent to a very select g
Re:Oooh, the card's heavy (Score:2)
not to be anal or ruin your post but HL2 is now playable on linux using transgaming's flavor of wine
slashdot story here [slashdot.org]
all the same, your point is prolly true....
MEPIS (Score:2)
Cb..
Awesome! (Score:2, Interesting)
And the 2004 uber Dork award goes to... (Score:5, Insightful)
lame gift.
Give em a linux powered media player or something useful...
What about putting photos and music on it and use it as the card itself...
Don't (Score:2)
SuSE live cd distro (Score:2, Informative)
WHY GNOPPIX? (Score:2)
Re:WHY GNOPPIX? (Score:2)
Re:WHY GNOPPIX? (Score:2)
Why just christmas? (Score:2)
1.Start by sending Linux CD's to friends and family.
2.Branch out to your whole town
3.Now county level, then state, etc
4.????
5. pro^H^H^H declarw bankruptcy
Okay, so maybe a few bugs to work out, but still, Rock On! great Idea
Oh, and I would use Red Hat, so maybe you could get sued for some free publicity.
Oh, jeez. (Score:3, Funny)
Give them something useful like Firefox. Leave a note:
1) Install
2) Use for 7 days
3) Send me a thank you card for saving you
Getting People To Switch (Score:2, Informative)
There is a good point to be made from this (Score:3, Interesting)
I mean seriously, how many people really want to think about OS's during Christmas?
This is a better Halloween gift then anything. You can be that crazy old man that gives out Linux Distros instead of candy bars.
On a serious note.
This puts a thought in my head.
I have pretty much 'zero' interest in running Linux thankyouverymuch.
One of the reasons I don't desire to attempt it is because of the headache factor. Command line commands I don't know, drivers I don't know where to find, sound card that won't work.... blah, blah blah.
All I know is that when I install windows it comes up as advertised.
See, I think this guy is onto something. I just don't think he is thinking of the correct use for it.
What about a seriously generic Linux distro where a newbie like myself could put it in his CD drive, it would boot into some sort of DOS like equivelant where it would ask some simple questions about partioning and formatting the drive, then 20 minutes later it would finish the install and boot me up to a GUI desktop with video drivers installed (well generic ones at least), sound drivers installed and firefox installed.
I am not aware that such a creature exists. It probably does though. But that is one reason I haven't attempted it. I don't feel like taking on a learning curve that for me would start on the install. I can learn about dealing with drivers and command lines and such later. Just get me to a GUI desktop so I have some sort of baseline to work from.
Re:There is a good point to be made from this (Score:4, Informative)
Here's the Ubuntu About page [ubuntulinux.org] for more info.
Re:There is a good point to be made from this (Score:5, Informative)
See, given your comments below, that's why you need the CD.
What about a seriously generic Linux distro where a newbie like myself could put it in his CD drive, it would boot into some sort of DOS like equivelant where it would ask some simple questions about partioning and formatting the drive, then 20 minutes later it would finish the install and boot me up to a GUI desktop with video drivers installed (well generic ones at least), sound drivers installed and firefox installed.
I've got news for you, the CD's we are talking about here go way beyond that. It's basically just put it in your CD drive and 1 minute later it's up and running a full GUI with your browser connected to the internet and solitaire ready to play. Not to mention having a _full_ office suit ready to use.
Still think it's not something you want to find in your XMas stocking?
Re:There is a good point to be made from this (Score:3, Insightful)
You, sir, discredit the open source movement with your fanaticism by making such outlandish statements. Linux is good, but Windows has its advantages, and to not recognize them is to turn people away from your argument.
What does linux have to do with Christmas (Score:5, Insightful)
If one of my relatives tried to use a christmas card to evangelize an operating system, they'd be spending Christmas outside in the barn.
Re:What does linux have to do with Christmas (Score:3, Funny)
I love your idea! (Score:2, Informative)
To spread Linux cheer... (Score:2, Funny)
Knoppix Hacks (Score:5, Insightful)
The idea of giving them just a CD though? Lame. The CD with some decent instructions tailored to their needs, if they actually have them then maybe you've got something there. I'm personally going to go check the book out in the store before I order it for him.
Why not make it the Christmas card? (Score:3, Insightful)
How about... if it were the Christmas card, and you gave instructions on how to boot it, and that it's *safe* and doesn't install anything to their hard drive. Some people might try it out.
Have it boot up, pop open a browser and show some online christmas card that you know is safe.
After that closes, have a stocking or something that says "click me" which is really a folder with a bunch of games in it.
That's more like something someone would want...
Buy them a Mac (Score:5, Funny)
Buy them a Mac
cardgames and kittens make the best OS (Score:3, Insightful)
That's how people judge an OS, you know.
They'll think it's cool. In fact, they'll think it's so cool they will show it to anyone who comes to visit them. And that's when we'll unexpectedly pull them in on superior security, stability, standards compliance and ofcourse the preemptible kernel...
OK, maybe not, but they'll still think it's a cool demo cd, ho ho.
Games? How about Hikarunix? (Score:3, Interesting)
What about free bibles or AOL cds (Score:5, Insightful)
Still, what if you received a bible, coran,scientology book or a Chick Track from a friend that is concerned for your soul. Perhaps even got an AOL CD from a friend that wants you to switch to a "better" service.
Send them something that they like, not something that you think might be good for them. Do not be an evangelist in christmass time. You might have less christmas cards to send next year.
Cheers,
Adolfo
Gift giving rules (Score:4, Insightful)
I get the feeling that trying to switch someone to another OS somehow falls under the same etiquette.
Dan East
My Expert and Unassailable Take on This (Score:3, Informative)
One person I know hasn't been able to get online for months, and has spent hundreds on getting their computer fixed. I gave them a linux CD (install) after making sure they didn't mind that everything would be wiped, and they knew enough to configure their dial up. I haven't heard back yet, so maybe they're dead, or catching up on porn.
My suggestion for a window manager is definitely Gnome. I'm no dummy, but KDE seems to have a bigger learning curve. My coworkers are happily using Gnome, and don't really notice a difference from Windows 98. As they were already moved to Firefox and Thunderbird, I didn't have much trouble.
As far as the busted hardware, I am one of the few people (that will admit it on here) who blew up a monitor with a wanky custom Knoppix, NOT the one from Knoppix, and probably due mostly to a tard sandwich I enjoyed earlier that day. It can happen, but most likely not - if you shut off any way to get into the 'mess with your video' at start up, everyone should be fine. At worst, they're out a cool Linux CD, at best they'll call you up and ask how to get it working. (Then you're in trouble - at least it's not Windows - 'Uh, ok, go into the registry...' Ugh.)
I think its a fine idea, and encourage you to do it. There may be one person out there who really appreciates the ability to use their computer again, if only to surf the web and use email without fear.
So ends my Expert and Unassailable Take on This. (Which was really just to get you to read this comment - I know how /.ers can't resist a challenge :)
OpenCD (Score:3, Informative)
This is repugnant. (Score:3, Insightful)
Christ, what a bunch of cocks.
A comment to the whole thread (Score:4, Insightful)
News for nerds indeed!
I like the idea. Why not try it out and give a report back later? This is what I think will happen: They will ask you the next time you visit what you gave them because it didn't work in their cd-player or computer. You sit down and show them and they will think it's a fun idea.
Then. The next time people in the news mentions Linux, they will say something like: "Yeah! I've tried Linux. I'm up-to-date in this computer-place-thingy-stuff. This intur-newt-thing."
It's fun. It's nerdy. I can't see why all you so called "nerds" are so negative. If it doesn't hurt anybody. Why is this such a bad idea?
Re:Linux or coal? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:*noppix or ubuntu (Score:2, Informative)
Re:I need a dist CC live CD (Score:3, Informative)