a somewhat off-topic question about linux

[John Salerno]

I'm interested in trying out Linux, probably Ubuntu, but I was wondering
which distribution you guys like to use (because it's a pain trying to
decide!) and you guys are smart.

And to keep it Python related, I'll also ask, is there anything special
I need to know about using Python on Linux? Do any things change, or can
it be used just as I use it on Windows?

Thanks!

[Christoph Haas]

On Sat, Mar 25, 2006 at 03:09:53PM -0500, John Salerno wrote:

I'm interested in trying out Linux, probably Ubuntu, but I was wondering
which distribution you guys like to use (because it's a pain trying to
decide!) and you guys are smart.
We had this discussion a couple of time during the last months already. :)
I believe the most frequently recommended distribution was Ubuntu (or
Debian which Ubuntu is based upon).
And to keep it Python related, I'll also ask, is there anything special
I need to know about using Python on Linux? Do any things change, or can
it be used just as I use it on Windows?

Some issues are platform-dependant. You will not be able to read the
registry or start a Microdoze-based program of course. Otherwise most parts
of Python are working the same way unless the documentation tells otherwise
in certain details.

Christoph
(Hoping to prevent a huge thread discussing pros/cons of distributions)
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[John Salerno]

Christoph Haas wrote:

On Sat, Mar 25, 2006 at 03:09:53PM -0500, John Salerno wrote:

I'm interested in trying out Linux, probably Ubuntu, but I was wondering
which distribution you guys like to use (because it's a pain trying to
decide!) and you guys are smart.

We had this discussion a couple of time during the last months already. :)
I believe the most frequently recommended distribution was Ubuntu (or
Debian which Ubuntu is based upon).

Oh sorry! I should have checked first. And yeah, I don't mean to start a
big argument about which is better... :)

But thanks for the answer. I'm comforted to know that my choice is a
good one. And as for Python, as long as there are no surprises, I should
be okay.

[Duncan Booth]

John Salerno wrote:

I'm interested in trying out Linux, probably Ubuntu, but I was wondering
which distribution you guys like to use (because it's a pain trying to
decide!) and you guys are smart.
If you just want to try out Linux then a very easy way is to use VMWare
Player: download it from http://www.vmware.com/products/player/. You can
then run almost any Linux you wish directly on your windows system, no need
to reboot or anything. Start with Browser Appliance which is a cut-down
installation of Ubuntu (but it is configured so that things like the
clipboard interact properly with Windows clipboard, and you can share files
by sharing folders on windows and connecting to them from Ubuntu). Then you
can use the package manager (on the System menu) to install Python and
other packages (when it asks for a password use 'vmware' if you are using
the default 'vmware' user).

You need about 2Gb of free disk space to install and use VMWare and Browser
appliance: all of the Linux file system is stored in one file which expands
as required up to 9.5Gb maximum (it helps performance if you keep the file
defragmented: use contig.exe from www.sysinternals.com).

Once you have Vmware installed, as well as Ubuntu, you can also download
Linux images for Novell/Suse, RedHat and literally dozens of other versions
of Linux and Unix variants, some preconfigured for specific applications
try them out and then throw them away. The only limits are your disc space.

And to keep it Python related, I'll also ask, is there anything special
I need to know about using Python on Linux? Do any things change, or can
it be used just as I use it on Windows?

The main difference is that it is much easier to install packages which are
part of the Ubuntu distribution: just run up the package manager, select
the ones to install and download and install happen automatically.

[John Salerno]

Duncan Booth wrote:

John Salerno wrote:

I'm interested in trying out Linux, probably Ubuntu, but I was wondering
which distribution you guys like to use (because it's a pain trying to
decide!) and you guys are smart.

If you just want to try out Linux then a very easy way is to use VMWare
Player: download it from http://www.vmware.com/products/player/. You can
then run almost any Linux you wish directly on your windows system, no need
to reboot or anything. Start with Browser Appliance which is a cut-down
installation of Ubuntu (but it is configured so that things like the
clipboard interact properly with Windows clipboard, and you can share files
by sharing folders on windows and connecting to them from Ubuntu). Then you
can use the package manager (on the System menu) to install Python and
other packages (when it asks for a password use 'vmware' if you are using
the default 'vmware' user).

You need about 2Gb of free disk space to install and use VMWare and Browser
appliance: all of the Linux file system is stored in one file which expands
as required up to 9.5Gb maximum (it helps performance if you keep the file
defragmented: use contig.exe from www.sysinternals.com).

Once you have Vmware installed, as well as Ubuntu, you can also download
Linux images for Novell/Suse, RedHat and literally dozens of other versions
of Linux and Unix variants, some preconfigured for specific applications
try them out and then throw them away. The only limits are your disc space.

And to keep it Python related, I'll also ask, is there anything special
I need to know about using Python on Linux? Do any things change, or can
it be used just as I use it on Windows?

The main difference is that it is much easier to install packages which are
part of the Ubuntu distribution: just run up the package manager, select
the ones to install and download and install happen automatically.

Thanks!