[jbirdie1]

is there a linux distro that basically does away with command mode processing...or at least making me use it. i used command mode crap for over 20 years and despise it, then win98 came along and i became a gui idiot and got used to it. with xp i will occasionally shell out to command mode to kill a service or see what my ipconfig is but those are Voluntary NOT mandatory functions. i really despise command mode and have tried mandriva, ubuntu, and live distros of suse, linspire, knoppix and whenever it wants a command line, it gets uninstalled/formatted/taken out of the cd drive and must sit in the fharkin corner. please help, if linux is so cool why hasnt somebody cinched up all the 'holes' that require command mode? not an insult, just an incredulous question. i look forward to your input, aloha

 

[K-B]

Hi, first there are no distros that I know of that completely do away with the terminal and I doubt there will ever be one. Put it this way. Linux isn't Windows. If you're looking for something exactly the same as windows, use windows. But there are some distros that require less configuration using the command line. PCLinuxOS has a very good configuration GUI control panel. You can change the GRUB boot loader opens, you can change tons of things through the GUI. You might want to give it a spin. It's a Live CD that comes with an installer. Link in my sig.

 

[TheMatt]

I can tell you from experience that you will have to use the command line in linux, it is almost inevitable. But, you will pick up on how to use it quickly. I had no experience with Unix when I installed Ubuntu, but I learned how to to manipulate files and do other things quickly, and became fairly proficient within a month.

I think the reason why Linux is so cool is because it is very stable especially when compared to Windows, and it is for the most part Free.

 

[Skie]

Due to how Linux is designed, the X Window System runs on top of Linux which is command line only. X just gives you windows on an OS that doesn't know much about such things Kind of like how Windows 3.1 and DOS worked, but better. Most of the modern distros however do a lot to keep new users away from the command line as much as possible. OpenSUSE, Fedora Core 6, Ubuntu, Mandriva, etc all do a good job of allowing you to work with minimal exposure to the command line.

 

[Kalim]

This was something I was unaware of before researching for my first Linux install. I really didn't want command line at all as I left the programming type of notepad interface 20 years back. But after installing and using them, basically learning the simple terminologies and commands its now very simple and isn't a problem with me anymore. Infact I quite like it as it brings originality and difference with Linux and improves navigating power to the root user, once you realize how much is possible.

There are scripts you can install which minimize and make easier terminal usage and frequent root switching.