Offline User Friendly Linux Distro with Updated Wine?

[XDelusion]

My friend gave me her old laptop, it's quite the beast, but I don't want Windows on it.

I'm looking for a nice, USER FRIENDLY, GUI driver Linux distro that does not require you to be on-line to install it, and comes with an updated version of Wine.

I'm not to keen on Ubuntu anymore and would like an all in one download solution that I can update on-line when I need to without the OS nagging me during install and what not.

Is there such a thing?

[XDelusion]

Thankx!

[XDelusion]

Debian Stable.  You obviously will need to download the install media, but you can download every program in the repo on 5 DVDs and just run with CDROM repo.  It will not have the latest wine, but that is easy enough to obtain and install.  The only updates stable gets are security ones.  Also, its still on Gnome 2

EDIT:  There are some here who would say that USER FRIENDLY and LINUX will never go together...

I don't know if I can even use Debian, isn't that sort of complicated to install?

Also I was trying out Aeros r3.5 (with fingers crossed) hoping it would install, but I kept getting kernel panics. I was told that it will work on any hardware that Debian works on...

I did forget to try ZevenOS though. Gonna download it and Pear now and check into them for the time being.

EDIT: Hold on, ZevenOS is Debian based too... well we'll see. If Debian or something Debian based does run that will suck because I REALLY wanted to try out Aeros. :/

[XDelusion]

I'll check out Debian next. Thus far Ubuntu, ZevenOS, Areos, and Pear all fail to boot on my machine, they are all locking it up.

Haiku installs fine though and boots in 15 seconds...
...sadly not all the hardware is supported by it yet.

Have any of you heard of this?

http://www.longene.org/en/develop.php

[XDelusion]

"Please to be installing Most Excellent Backdoored Kernel from the PRC"

lol!  I'll pass.

That bad hugh?

[XDelusion]

Lets backup and ask:  What brand of laptop and model is it?

This might help in determining what is going on.  Haiku installing and Linux not installing is very weird.

Inspiron 1521

[XDelusion]

After an hour of tinkering in BIOS, I'm currently installing Lucid Lynx. It was suggested for my particular model of laptop on a Forum so I figured it would be a safe bet...

...no go. Acted like every other Linux distro, but alas I made some progress. Now that I have all these distros downloaded I guess I'll spend some time and check them each out.

Looks like a lot is based on Debian out there.

[XDelusion]

I don't see any reason why Linux shouldn't run on that laptop.  From ArchWiki (wouldn't recommend it for "user friendly", but the kernels are kernels):

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Dell_Inspiron_1521

Lucid Lynx is EOL in April.  I would try not installing a 3.x kernel and install a 2.6 kernel instead.  Most distros should allow you to do this.  There should be no reason you are getting kernel panics if Haiku installs...weird.

Alright, I'll switch distros then. Lucid is light weight, was easy to install, but I'm not swooned by it. On to the next experiment.

[XDelusion]

I think I like MINT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=uFMMXRoSxnA&feature=fvwp

[XDelusion]

I have MINT installed (Debian version) and CAN NOT for the life of me see the obvious place to go to upgrade my drivers, let alone detect my internal wireless network device.

[XDelusion]

Thankx, I'll try that after it gets done taking 5 years to download and install WINE.

I used to take classes for Linux back in the 90's...

Command Line was understandable in those days as Linux was in its early stages...

...at this point, I thought for important things like installing much needed drivers, that the need to be a Linux guru with a vast knowledge of commands were behind us. Guess not.

Also Mint is sluggish next to Haiku or even AROS in Vesa mode, two more strikes against it. Dunno if I'm going to keep this machine. May sell it and just invest in a laptop that will run AROS or I "might" pick up a powerbook for MorphOS as that would REALLY make me a happy camper along side of one of these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/320924766108?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649


EDIT: Never mind all, thanks for the advice and help but this OS experience has me PISSED. Not my cup of tea. I've used every OS under the sun quite possibly and when it comes to Linux I ALWAYS end up in a bad mood.

[XDelusion]

No, I don't really want the Windows experience, that's why I remove the default start bar from my beloved IcarOS distros.

Don't want a OS X like experience either, I think all in all what I want is Amiga, Aros, MorphOS, and Haiku, so I will sell this hardware, keep working on my DOOM project in Windows, and skip Linux and Wine all together because honestly, it doesn't flow all fluid like, like my above mentioned loved OS'. I'll just bear with Window while I'm editing as that's about all I use Windows for anymore anyhow, well that and video and audio editing, but that's only because those great Linux media tools are not portable to next get Amiga platforms because we lack Widgets and all that other jazz that the main three OS' have easy access to.

[XDelusion]

There's always this

http://www.bodhilinux.com/

e17 is unlike anything else.....

Until Linux can come out with a Desktop distro that makes me forget I'm using Linux, and make me believe I'm running an advanced Amiga OS or Haiku, then I ain't going back.

Likewise installing things such as hardware should be obvious. I remember once I used an Ubuntu disto that automatically popped up and said,"hey man, you need drivers from the maker of that hardware, want me to go get them for you?" And I was like,"sure thing man!".

Of course if I had to do something like, I dunno, goto Nvidia's page, download a package, double click it, hit NEXT NEXT NEXT, maybe reboot, then I'm done? Well I'd settle for that too.

But when I have to memorize, not a few commands here and there like I do with AMiga OS, but have to memorize paragraphs of commands just to get my OS to do the very basics, I.E. use my hardware, well then I'm turned off. And I"m turned off by the fact that it seems to take a while to boot and shut down, it does not run very smooth on low end hardware unless you want to go with that primitive 1994 GUI look, etc. I just don't like it, makes me sick to my stomach, and though it is free of adware and all the corporate B.S., it's still not enough to get me to use it, not even for Wine. Hopefully some day ReactOS matures some more, I'd love to be able to replace Windows for those handful of apps I have no window-less alternatives for, but ya, Linux ain't the answer for me, I hated it when I was learning it in the 90's and I can instantly tell I still hate it.

EDIT: Well if Aeros would actually boot on anything, I'd still love to give that a try.

[XDelusion]

I think the best OS sitting on a Linux kernel for you can be found at the first link in my signature.

No doubt, would it not be nice to run Amithlong on modern hardware with Wifi and the whole nine yards?!

[XDelusion]

Well there is http://aminet.net/package/driver/net/prism2v2

But if you meant that it would be great if Amithlon was still developed I'd wholeheartedly agree.

Interesting, that or this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/320924766108?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

Then again, my on board chipset is not well liked by Amithlon. I thought since it was running on Linux that it could somehow be updated to support pretty well what ever Linux supports, but I don't understand it all anyhow.


EDIT: Oh ya wait, no one bothered to make USB do anything except support Keyboard and Mouse in Amithlong. Guess that Wifi device would be useless on it, bummer.