Knoppix

I suppose I better begin this blog by being honest (what I do after the start is open to debate).

I do not know what I am talking about with regards to Linux. I don't know what a kernel is, I don't know how to partition my drive, and I'm annoyed that nobody seems to make any drivers for Linux to make my printer work. But that's part of the reason why I want to do this - I'm no boffin, but I do like the idea of open source software - somehow I trust it more, simply because if I chose to I could in theory open it up and see what was making it tick. I can't do that with XP.

Not that I ever could, but you get my meaning.

Regardless, I did not want to like Knoppix. After my experience with Ubuntu, that was (and most likely is) to be the path my Linux usage was to follow thereafter.

But in the interests of fairness, I decided to give a few other flavours a go. First up (somewhat unsurprisingly since I've mentioned it by name twice already in this post) was Knoppix.

Actually, first up would have been Gnoppix, but that refused to boot, so I'm on to this instead. Knoppix in contrast booted straight away, and (get this) the sound works. I really don't like the KDE default desktop - it's not as intuitive as Gnome, and far more blocky. Unlike Ubuntu, Knoppix isn't a permanent solution - but like the Ubuntu live CD, it does give me a chance to get a feeling for different reeds of Linux before I make the big switch.

Surprisingly enough, though, it all works. All my favourite programs are there. I can happily write letters using OOo, browse the web on FIrefox, or if I could be fussed to set it up, read my mail on Thunderbird. I should be a happy chappie. I should probably point out that I already have the above (and more) on my WIndows desktop.

But I'm not a happy chappie. Call me shallow, but it isn't very pretty, and while it's all competent enough, it doesn't feel professional in the same way Ubuntu did. I don't like the blockiness and, well, it's all a bit meh.

What is interesting, though, is that my main complaint is aesthetic - both Live CD's that I've tried have demonstrated no real reason (at least none that can't be readily overcome) why I shouldn't move to Linux permanently. This, I must reiterate, is me we're talking about, the same me who doesn't really understand how the little man in the computer can draw all those different screens so fast.

My laptop, however, has different ideas. It refuses to boot from CD, despite the prompting of a sepcial disky thing designed to make such processes happen, and thus making Ubuntu installation impossible. I would go the whole hog on the desktop straight away, but I'm scared. I may even go down the path of paying someone to install it for me...

...or maybe I'll just keep playing with Live CD's until I build up the courage to make the leap.