[GRASS-user] grass on linux

[Rich Shepard]

On Thu, 18 Apr 2013, BLANDENIER Lucien wrote:

> I'm actually using grass on Window but I would like to migrate to Linux.
> Which distribution do you suggest for a new Linux user? I like the Mint
> distribution but there is not the latest grass version (only the 6.4.1).

Lucien,

   Any one will do you well (and offer orders of magnitude more than
Microsoft). The real differences are the components packaged with the
distiribution, the tools used to manage packages, and how much control the
distribution developers take away or hide from users.

   Debian and its off-springs have been rock-solid for years. Red Hat's
Fedora series tends to be more cutting edge development oriented (which is
why there are CentOS and Scientific Linux as derivatives). The Ubuntus are
aimed primarily at new users who want linux to look (and behave, without the
flaws) like Windows. For what it's worth, I switched from 6 years of Red Hat
in 2003 to Slackware which is the only distribution I use on all our
systems.

   Regardless of which distribution you choose they will all run grass very
well. I strongly encourage you to learn how to compile your own applications
using the three-step 'configure; make; make install' sequence. This gives
you complete control over your systems and applications and lets you
configure them for your needs and preferences.

   Linux consists of hundreds of small tools (utilities), each designed to do
only one thing while doing it exceptionally well. Each is (comparatively)
easy to learn but there are many of them. These small tools can be strung
together in a chain (called a pipeline) to automate complex tasks.

   Join the mail list for your local linux/*BSD/UNIX user group as that's
where you can more quickly learn and become proficient and comfortable.

Rich

-- 
Richard B. Shepard, Ph.D.          |   Integrity - Credibility - Innovation
Applied Ecosystem Services, Inc.   |
<http://www.appl-ecosys.com>     Voice: 503-667-4517      Fax: 503-667-8863