Definitive: Which Linux Distro? (2011)

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

A "Which Linux Distro?" poll for 2011. Please use this as a reference when researching Linux distros. As time goes on, the poll can be updated to add further options.

Happy Voting!

[bjoswald]

Ubuntu at the moment, but I have my doubts about 11.04.

[MrFuji]

Even though I like Arch Linux for it's flexibility and customisability, I voted Ubuntu as it is the best distro in terms of usability and user-friendliness. And to me, that's what matters most.

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

Clearly, my knowledge of Linux distributions is lacking. :pinch:

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[KiHu]

crap happens Anaron, No worries :)

[MarkusDarkus]

Just started using Mint. It's really good and dare I say easier than Ubuntu so far.

[Subject Delta]

My favour is still with Ubuntu for now, although it has been getting rather buggy of late :/

[mps69]

Ubuntu 10.10 all the way, finally dumped Windows on it's backside. It's been a bit of a learning curve, but fun.

[Jen Smith]

Arch, definitely. Get exactly the setup you want with minimal fuss. Sort of like Linux-From-Scratch... without the self-induced brain aneurysm. Always up to date, everything is pure vanilla from the source without third party butchery, easy to configure and maintain, and nobody picking what you should be running for you.

[Mouldy Punk]

Personally, I'm using Ubuntu on my netbook - but it's not really recognisable as ubuntu any more, it's openbox and a lot of the underlying 'stuff' has also been removed - so, although I'm happy that it's easy for me to do that with Ubuntu, I wouldn't feel honest voting for it.

I use CentOS on my VPS, and that gets 10 out of 10 for being so damn reliable.

Other distros are probably as reliable/easy-to-modify though, so I think my experience is a bit limited in terms of number of different distros I've used recently.

[Growled Member]

Just started using Mint. It's really good and dare I say easier than Ubuntu so far.

In my opinion it's the best distro by far right now. Easy to set up, easy to use, and has all the right tools you need to get going.

[metallithrax]

Been using Mint for a few weeks now. Got Steam running, so I can go on Trackmania on either Mint or XP now.

Software manager makes installing stuff very easy and loads of online help for other stuff.

[Lee G. Veteran]

Clearly, my knowledge of Linux distributions is lacking. :pinch:

Mine too. I would like to be enlightened.

The distribution I'm most familiar with is Ubuntu, so I voted for it. I use it in a virtual machine on my primary PC, and I dual boot it with Windows XP on my old laptop. It's been a while since I used other distributions, so my vote isn't the most well informed.

[Gilly]

Linux Mint. By far the best "out of the box" distribution there is, in my opinion, and they have different flavours to suit different tastes as well (i.e. GNOME, KDE, LXDE etc.).

Right now I'm playing with their Debian-based edition (as opposed to their other editions, which are based on Ubuntu) and am very impressed.

[ncc50446]

Idea for the poll is to add in which GUI people use...Gnome, KDE, OpenBox, and so on.

I use Mandriva...Was the first Linux distro that I used, back when it was Mandrake.

Had the best support for my laptop. I tried Ubuntu, and really didn't like it...Bad hardware support for my laptop. Same with Fedora.

I prefer Gnome. Bad thing about Mandriva though...It doesn't seem to support the other GUI's out of the box...Just KDE and Gnome

[Xilo]

Didn't vote because I use two different distros. Ubuntu on work laptop and Arch in a VM at home.

[x-scratch]

ubuntu for me with the right tweaks of course

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

Idea for the poll is to add in which GUI people use...Gnome, KDE, OpenBox, and so on.

I use Mandriva...Was the first Linux distro that I used, back when it was Mandrake.

Had the best support for my laptop. I tried Ubuntu, and really didn't like it...Bad hardware support for my laptop. Same with Fedora.

I prefer Gnome. Bad thing about Mandriva though...It doesn't seem to support the other GUI's out of the box...Just KDE and Gnome

Didn't vote because I use two different distros. Ubuntu on work laptop and Arch in a VM at home.

I'll tweak the poll soon. (Y)

[W3N4]

Ubuntu. It is the only linux distro I was able to make work properly. I've tried just a few distributions, though.

[08993]

Arch!

• Awesome Wiki.
  
• Will not hold your hand attitude, you are responsible for your system, no default anything.
  
• Rolling release - install once, pacman -Syu will keep you up-to-date.
  
• Bleeding edge, bang up-to-date.
  
• Binary distribution - packages are pre-built, however there is also...
  
• ABS (Arch Build System) - rebuild packages easily so they are tailored for your needs, which leads to...
  
• AUR (Arch User Repository) - 1000's of packages created using ABS by the community for the community.
  

There's not much more to it than that, it's simple really. Because you have to build and maintain your own system, Arch encourages experimentation and all it gives you is the tools needed to chisel away at the rock you are sculpting, the rest is down to your imagination.

[Farstrider]

Linux Mint. By far the best "out of the box" distribution there is, in my opinion, and they have different flavours to suit different tastes as well (i.e. GNOME, KDE, LXDE etc.).

Right now I'm playing with their Debian-based edition (as opposed to their other editions, which are based on Ubuntu) and am very impressed.

Uhh not quite with you here? Ubuntu is Debian based so not really sure what you are trying to say??

Ubuntu and Debian are closely related.

Ubuntu builds on the foundations of Debian's architecture and infrastructure, but has a different community and release process.

About Debian

Debian is 'the rock upon which Ubuntu is built'.

Debian is a volunteer project that works on developing a GNU/Linux operating system. The Debian project began more than a decade ago and has since grown to comprise more than 1,000 members with official developer status, and many more volunteers and contributors. It has expanded to encompass over 20,000 'packages' of free and open-source applications and documentation.

[Elessar]

Any suggestions for an eeePC 900?

[Syanide]

Crunchbang Linux, Lubuntu or Linux Mint LXDE. Crunchbang would be the fastest of the bunch, but the other two are more user friendly. Maybe also PCLinuxOS LXDE.

[tHaCuBe]

I prefer Arch Linux

[bjoswald]

One of these days, I should stop being lazy and give Arch a shot. I just don't feel like hopping from one PC to the next, transferring commands from one to the other, when I can get Ubuntu or Fedora going in a half hour.