Posts
I’ve been using Linux for longer than I can remember. Over those years I have written a number of “top 5″ lists for various publications. So I thought it would be fun to share with the Ghacks readers my “top 5 top 5s”. I’ll give the category and a short description of each entry in the list. Hopefully you will find something new or something you had forgotten. With that said, let’s get to the lists.
Top 5 distributions
Ubuntu: Although it is not my desktop distribution of choice, it is my “go-to” distribution in just about any situation. And the only reason it is not my desktop distribution is because of the next entry.
Elive: Elive combines my two favorite desktop tools – Enlightenment and Compiz. Without Elive, these two would not work together.
Debian: It is that which Ubuntu is based. Need I say more?
OpenSuSE: The YaST tool alone puts this distro in just about any top ten.
Fedora: I was a long standing Red Hat user so Fedora is a natural for a top ten distribution. And even though Fedora is “bleeding edge”, it’s still rock solid.
Top 5 applications
Let’s not pick nits and divide into categories. Let’s just see who bubbles up to the very tip-top.
1. OpenOffice: Let’s face it, without OpenOffice Linux, as a whole, wouldn’t stand a chance as a desktop distribution.
2. Firefox: Although Chrome is my weapon of choice, it doesn’t always cut it. And Firefox is one of the most successful open source applications of all time.
3. Claws Mail: If you’ve not used Claws Mail, you don’t know how much email power you are missing out on.
4. Nano: Nano is the text editor for all those who don’t want to have to bother with the cumbersome nature of vi or emacs. And without a tool like Nano, console-only Linux would be a real challenge.
5. Apache: Do I really have to say why Apache is in a top “anything” list for open source (or Linux applications)?
Top 5 desktops
You’ll never see any favoritism in this category. Will you?
1. Enlightenment: All the eye-candy, with have the weight of the big boys.
2. GNOME: If you want a full-featured, reliable desktop, look no further than GNOME.
3. KDE: Although KDE 4 began with a lot of issues, it has grown up to be quite a nice desktop.
4. Compiz: Although not a desktop on its own, Compiz adds such amazing features to your desktop, it must be included.
5. Fluxbox:If you are looking for the lightest weight desktop around, Fluxbox is your tool. It doesn’t offer all the bells and whistles, but it will bring new life to that old machine.
Top 5 commands
1. mkdir: Need to create a directory?
2. cd: Need to change to a new directory?
3. ls: Need to list the contents of a directory?
4. tar: Need to unpack a tarball?
5. man *. Need to find out about a command?
Top 5 places to get help with Linux
1. Ghacks: But of course.
2. Guru: Find yourself someone who knows Linux well and latch on. That’s how I got my start (with a shout out to Marc G.!)
3. Google: When in doubt, Google is your friend.
4. IRC: It’s old school, but there are plenty of Linux chat rooms still alive and filled with over-sized Linux brains.
5. Mailing lists: Just about every distribution has a mailing list. If you have a distro of choice, subscribe to that mailing list and read on.
Top 5 distributions
Ubuntu: Although it is not my desktop distribution of choice, it is my “go-to” distribution in just about any situation. And the only reason it is not my desktop distribution is because of the next entry.
Elive: Elive combines my two favorite desktop tools – Enlightenment and Compiz. Without Elive, these two would not work together.
Debian: It is that which Ubuntu is based. Need I say more?
OpenSuSE: The YaST tool alone puts this distro in just about any top ten.
Fedora: I was a long standing Red Hat user so Fedora is a natural for a top ten distribution. And even though Fedora is “bleeding edge”, it’s still rock solid.
Top 5 applications
Let’s not pick nits and divide into categories. Let’s just see who bubbles up to the very tip-top.
1. OpenOffice: Let’s face it, without OpenOffice Linux, as a whole, wouldn’t stand a chance as a desktop distribution.
2. Firefox: Although Chrome is my weapon of choice, it doesn’t always cut it. And Firefox is one of the most successful open source applications of all time.
3. Claws Mail: If you’ve not used Claws Mail, you don’t know how much email power you are missing out on.
4. Nano: Nano is the text editor for all those who don’t want to have to bother with the cumbersome nature of vi or emacs. And without a tool like Nano, console-only Linux would be a real challenge.
5. Apache: Do I really have to say why Apache is in a top “anything” list for open source (or Linux applications)?
Top 5 desktops
You’ll never see any favoritism in this category. Will you?
1. Enlightenment: All the eye-candy, with have the weight of the big boys.
2. GNOME: If you want a full-featured, reliable desktop, look no further than GNOME.
3. KDE: Although KDE 4 began with a lot of issues, it has grown up to be quite a nice desktop.
4. Compiz: Although not a desktop on its own, Compiz adds such amazing features to your desktop, it must be included.
5. Fluxbox:If you are looking for the lightest weight desktop around, Fluxbox is your tool. It doesn’t offer all the bells and whistles, but it will bring new life to that old machine.
Top 5 commands
1. mkdir: Need to create a directory?
2. cd: Need to change to a new directory?
3. ls: Need to list the contents of a directory?
4. tar: Need to unpack a tarball?
5. man *. Need to find out about a command?
Top 5 places to get help with Linux
1. Ghacks: But of course.
2. Guru: Find yourself someone who knows Linux well and latch on. That’s how I got my start (with a shout out to Marc G.!)
3. Google: When in doubt, Google is your friend.
4. IRC: It’s old school, but there are plenty of Linux chat rooms still alive and filled with over-sized Linux brains.
5. Mailing lists: Just about every distribution has a mailing list. If you have a distro of choice, subscribe to that mailing list and read on.
Comments (0)
Post a Comment