I think too often, people look for different distros to make up for the fact that they are not comfortable configuring the system or using the command line. I would suggest that newbies to linux learn the following basic things before they write linux off:
- vi (knowing how to edit your configuration files is key. If you don\'t know how to edit these files from the command line and you can\'t get your gui running, your dead in the water)
Uhh...I\'ve been using Linux since Slackware 3.3, and actually started back in 1997-98. I didn\'t touch vi then and I don\'t touch vi now. Unless you\'re programming or heavily coding in any number of languages, vi is waaayyyy overkill. To be proficient in a given distro, vi is NOT an essential tool...not for admining a box. Coding, yeah, admining, no. There are tons of lightweight editors out there that aren\'t as cumbersome as vi.
I\'ve been helping admin #slackware on irc.freenode.net for a few years and we see vi vs. emacs vs. other editors and it always boils down to what you need an editor for. For admin and scripting purposes, vi is overkill...akin to using a sledgehammer to kill ants. End the end, on #slackware, at least, I tell the user to test vi against any other editor and make the decision for himself which is better. I never hand-feed noobs when they ask questions like that...I tell them to try it and make their owns observations and use what they like.
BTW, Slackware is a good distro to try, if you\'re looking for something light and tight.
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