Thread: Linux distributions

What one do you use and why? If you have experience of more than one, can you say what you liked about each one and their advantages / disadvantages?

Ubuntu - the most user-friendly and simplest. Doesn't look great straight out of the box, but very customizable and easy to get to how you want it. Some good software pre-installed and installing extras is so simple from the repositary and fast too as there is a Thai mirror available. Most things work without any modifications and there is oodles and oodles of online help stations to find out how to do stuff. Very easy to become competent I'd say.

I've also used Edubuntu which is the same but with a different look and some educational software included although it wasn't much cop!

And Kubuntu, which is my preference of the Ubuntu derivatives because I like the KDE look rather than Gnome.

I didn't like Dreamlinux because it's too awkward, lots of things weren't working properly and downloads for new stuff was hopelessly slow.

Couldn't even be arsed to persevere with Open Suse Linux - just didn't like it.

My personal favourite at the moment is Sabayonlinux which looks good and has loads of software pre-installed. It's a live DVD download but quick enough. It's a bit more fiddly than Ubuntu, although what I had learnt with Ubuntu left me in good stead, and at the moment it is fairly regularly updated (which menas a new download) as it is quite new and improving all the time. Not quite as well supported as Ubuntu, although I have found that mostly the same stuff works across different distributions.

http://www.sabayonlinux.org/

I have tried at least two others, but I can't even remember them as I didn't persevere beyond the live CD stage.

Wow... I have used... let me see here...
Red Flag
TurbolinuxJapan
TurbolinuxPRC
Sabayaon/Gentoo
Damn Small
Puppy
College
LinuxFromScratch
Debian
Ubuntu
Red Hat
Suse (open and otherwise)
etc etc etc etc etc

I make it a personal hobby of mine to try new linux distros almost compulsively. Right now I am using... Ubuntu CVS, Linux Mint, and my server runs this wierd Japanese distro called "Vine".

Not much more to say about Ubuntu that has not already been said. Loads of help on every problem ever out of the box. New easy to use codec installer is lovely, if you click a file type that you do not have the proper things to play it, it give you a box that says like "you do not have the blah to play this file, get it now? Yes/No". I thought that was genius. Also, the foriengn language support is top notch on Ubuntu, out of the box.

Linux Mint is like ubuntu only smaller, and more configurable, it is for people who want less Ubuntu, to get more out of ubuntu. Also, it has a painfully cute look to it, and a big squishy logo.

Vine is a pointless waste of time... period.

My new fav linux distro though, has to be Arch Linux. If you want something that is small (~100 MB instal) and configurable beyond all imagination (think Slackware, but usable, and post 1995) check out Arch. The package manager is called "pacman" so to install you would just do "pacman -s blah" and it installs it. The catch is, everything is built from source for your box, like with the portage system in BSD or Gentoo (and to a lesser extent, Sabayon as well).

I also support Sabayon as being lots of fun. I really hope the Gentoo team fixes up Gentoo also, as it was a wonderful distro back in the day, but it has recently fallen into the gutter from which it came.

Next!

Very kind of you C.

So which one would you recommend as a starting point for someone like me (please try to avoid the temptaion to be needlessly rude at this point, even though I wouldn't)?

By someone like me I mean someone who has no prior knowledge of Linux or Unix or any other Xs but is not a "regular" Windows user and would want to get inside the OS, fiddle around with it and want to use some development tools with it. Think accomplished developer with no prior Linux convictions.

Any advice gratefully received.

Originally Posted by SageAndOnion

So which one would you recommend as a starting point for someone like me

Ubuntu - no question!

Onionz baby I could never be rude to you!

Ubuntu, easily, not even a contest... or maybe Ulteo. Ulteo says they are going to be the easiest to use Linux distro in history. I am curious to see what they will do with it.
http://www.ulteo.com/main/

Any "tweaking" that would be needed can usily be replaced with an efficient script... but that is a bit more nerdy than most people wish to get.

Originally Posted by Ulteo Website

The Ulteo operating system has been actively developed since March. It will provide an easy-to-use, easy-to-maintain operating system.

Primarily aimed at individuals with limited knowledge in computing. The Ulteo operating system will also provide all the applications needed for experienced users.

Thanks for your input gentlemen, seems pretty unanimous. And does it actualy take up 4gb of disk space as I read somewhere?

No, it does not, but I usually use 15 GB becase I like to store data. The thing is, since you do not know Linux, you do not know what software you do and do not what, so the more default software it can give you, the more likely you are to enjoy the learning experience. Once you know what you want, you can slim it down.

I wish I could tell everyone how to partition their HDDs on install... if you put /home on its own partition, then you can change linux distros as often as you want and never lose any data you put on the system, it is just so damned convenient.

I usually run Ubuntu on a 8-10Gb partition - but it doesn't need anything nearly so big as that. Once you get started you can easily configure it to access data stored on Windows partitions from Linux (even NTFS support is pretty good now I believe although I still use FAT).

I guess 4Gb would be fine. Probably get away with less than that too.

http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/index.php

http://users.bigpond.net.au/hermanzone/

What about Yellow Dog Linux?

Never heard of it 'til now. Seems to be aimed mainly at Mac users and more recently PS3 users which I guess is your interest KK.

Oh, and it's not free - which means there is no chance of me trying it

^ I think it's free on some sites??? And yeah PS3 indeed mate!

I think...Ubuntu (not the poster) is what I'll get...anyone want to hold my hand through it all?

Post your questions here mate

Also check out the Ubuntu support forum - it's awesome, every question you'll ever have has already been answered!

http://ubuntuforums.org/

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/

Also check out the two links I posted above for S and O - and Google is pretty good too I believe

^ It's the physical contact that I desire though mate

Will get on the case...gotta unplug it and replug it in etc. Tiring you know?