Recommendations Please

[DarkPrime]

I want to try out Linux (as I'm tired of Windows). Could someone suggest a good version of it?
What's the best one?
Price?
Pros, Cons?

Thanks.

[chriscaffee]

From my Linux experience (about four hours) I've found it really isn't that much different from Windows.

[Light Speed]

Price?

Hehe.

[Segaholic2]

I suggest you at least be a little familiar with Unix and how to use it. Linux is pretty lame unless you know what you're doing.

For which distro to go for, it really just boils down mostly to personal opinion. Try some of the big ones out. SuSe is pretty good.

[DarkPrime]

Hehe.

Some distributions do cost money.

To Segaholic2: Yeah, I am familiar with Unix. I'm a Network Tech. I just haven't encountered Linux on a "down home" scale. I can swing the Enterprise Distributions, but its the home versions that have me vexed.

[Ash Holt]

I suggest you at least be a little familiar with Unix and how to use it. Linux is pretty lame unless you know what you're doing.

For which distro to go for, it really just boils down mostly to personal opinion. Try some of the big ones out. SuSe is pretty good.

I second SUSE, as it's know as being the easiest distro to install/use. Ubuntu also seems to be pretty popular.

I never bothered actually using Linux for any extended amout of time, though. I'd just ask myself "What the fuck am I going to do with Linux?" and the answer would be "The same exact things I do with Windows, except harder."

[Bo]

SuSE is the way to go. It beats Mandrake, if they're even still around.

[CE]

I think the choice should be between Debian, Gentoo, SuSE, and Mandrake. These distributions all have good package management (allowing for easy installation and uninstallation), and a good community (to help you with any problems you encounter). The real difference is in the installation and the available packages.

Gentoo has the hardest installation method (you start with a kernel on a CD and compile a kernel for your computer), but the most packages, with the most recent software. This is possible because each user of Gentoo ends up compiling the software on *their* machine, making it much easier to add a package.

Debian has the next hardest installation (it's gotten better with the new Debian installer, but setting up X is still a pain). If you install Debian, I suggest you download a copy of Knoppix first and use that to get the XF86Config file. Debian has slightly less recent software then Gentoo, but it has a hell of a lot of it. Also, since Debian and Gentoo are completely community based, there are a lot of more esoteric software available -- which I find is better.

SuSE and Mandrake are both commerical distributions, where you pay for support. They provide a much easier installation method (I hear that SuSE is the best), but at the price of flexibility. The obscure software is not available, significantly limiting your choices.

So it all comes down to what is it you want to get out of this? Do you want a cheap Windows alternative? Then use SuSE or Mandrake. Do you want to try out new, and possiblely better, ways of doing things? Then try Debian. Do you want to have the latest software, but spend a week compiling it all first? Then try Gentoo. At least you have a choice.

(For what its worth, I use Debian Linux, the "unstable" branch, which is as stable for me as Win2k.)

[Ash Holt]

Ubuntu is actually based on Debian, and is known for it's usability and easy installation, so that might be sort of the best of both worlds. And you can get dozens and dozens of Ubuntu discs in the mail for free, they won't even charge for shipping.



I'm never going to use them for anything besides coasters. I just got them because I could.