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Why mint/ubuntu is user-friendly and other linux are not?

Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 3:36 am
by yasirassassin
hey guys i wnna ask that why people say ubuntu and linux mint as user friendly linux and others linux distors like fedora and opensuse not as user friendly ...
what makes ubuntu user friendly...i mean is it beacuse in opensuse and other distros we have file and folder permissions strict every where ???
whats the main reason to call ubuntu and mint a user -friendly linux please reply thanks

Re: Why mint/ubuntu is user-friendly and other linux are not

Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 3:58 am
by xenopeek
Whether a distro is user friendly or not, each user decides that for himself. It is very subjective and depends on what the user is expecting from the distro, and how well the distro meets up with those expectations.

That said, Linux Mint is generally labeled user friendly for users new to Linux (and for user not tech savvy). It comes with sensible default applications for working with photos, connecting with others on the Internet, reading and writing documents, playing back music and videos, and so on. Out of the box it supports most multimedia content on the Internet, meaning you can just start using it and won't have to first install all kinds of programs to get that to work. A non-threatening Software Manager and Update Manager make it easy to install new programs and keep them up to date, and Linux Mint by default ensures risky upgrades that could break your installation aren't installed. All the editions of Linux Mint feature a user interface that can be described as an implementation of the "classic desktop", so most users will fit right in.

Re: Why mint/ubuntu is user-friendly and other linux are not

Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 4:26 am
by Orbmiser
"whats the main reason to call ubuntu and mint a user -friendly linux"
As Vincent mentions comes down to personal needs & expectations using it. Ubuntu & Mint are specifically aimed at mainstream users many coming from a Windows environment. And try to create a close as possible work out of the box experience without the need of users to get their hands dirty doing the geeky things to fix it. Up & Running and Raring to Go!

Whereas disto's based on Arch & Gentoo which the user compiles the source code locally according to their chosen configuration.
And is for the more Geeky and Technically inclined.
.

Re: Why mint/ubuntu is user-friendly and other linux are not

Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 6:23 am
by bimsebasse
The installer is a huge part of this and Ubiquity was ground-breaking in terms of user-friendliness. I wouldn't expect 95% of people I know to get safely past a text based installer or a mess like fedora's new Anaconda installer. Other than that I think the less CLI-dependent and the more "Windows" like an OS is, the more user-friendly it will be perceived by a majority of users, at least newcomers.

Beyond that it's of course purely individual. I now feel hampered in a Gnome 2/MATE session however Windows-like because I have gotten so used to Gnome Shell/Cinnamon/Unity. Just launching an application seems cumbersome and difficult.

Re: Why mint/ubuntu is user-friendly and other linux are not

Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 12:14 pm
by The Dark Side
While it is true that Linux Mint and all derivatives of Ubuntu Linux distributions are more "user-friendly", it is not true that they are all. Although, of course, for those who ever used Linux, switching between Windows and Fedora or OpenSuse or Chakra Linux can be too traumatic.-

Another Linux distribution very "user-friendly" to recommend to a novice user coming from Windows would be Mageia. Another very good Linux distribution. Greetings.-

Re: Why mint/ubuntu is user-friendly and other linux are not

Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 12:51 pm
by MALsPa
xenopeek wrote:It is very subjective
So true. For example, after getting it installed and set up, Debian Stable is so user-friendly that it's boring...

Re: Why mint/ubuntu is user-friendly and other linux are not

Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 2:06 pm
by yasirassassin
mmmm thanks to all of u uys for replying :)
i appreciate that thanks again :D