[ale] vFAQ: Good distributions on Dell D610 laptops

Brian D. Pitts bpitts at LearnLink.Emory.Edu
Tue Dec 5 12:07:15 EST 2006


John Mills <john.m.mills at alum.mit.edu> writes:
>I see 'ubuntu' downloads its installer as a single CD. Is it then usual to 
>go through a net installation to end up with a usably complete setup? If 
>so, is the net procedure automated?

No, the ubuntu CD is not like a Debian netinstall cd. It includes a full GNOME
desktop, Firefox, OpenOffice.org, etc. Much more software is available in the
online repositories, but you don't download from them during the installation
process.
>
>
>I also see some DVD downloads for 'kubuntu'. What are the 'pros' and 
>'cons' of 'ubuntu' and 'kubuntu', and CD vs. DVD installations?

Ubuntu = GNOME, Kubuntu = KDE, Xubuntu = XFCE, Edubuntu = GNOME + LTSP, Ubuntu
Server = No X. You can install one and add the features of another by
installing the right metapackage. I think Ubuntu is more polished, but that may
just be because I'm more comfortable with GNOME.

I've never seen anyone use an Ubuntu DVD. My guess is that it's aimed at people
who don't have regular access to high speed internet but need additional
software. There are two installation cd's available: live and alternate. I
prefer the live cd because a) it's a live cd with all the attendant benefits
and b) installing from it is much faster. The alternate installer is useful if
you have a machine with less than 256mb of RAM or need a disk setup involving
LVM or RAID.

I hope that helps.

-Brian

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