linux Definitive: Which Linux distribution do you prefer? (2012 edition)

[paxa]

littleneutrino +1.

for me there's nothing better than arch when using linux for a desktop.

for a server centos no questions asked

[Maccy1988]

Voted Debian, although could be tempted to give Arch a run this year when I get time.

[Mouettus]

For those voting out of Ubuntu because of unity, you can still use KDE and I've just installed GNOME on it. With Docky, I find that it completes the experience very well, keeping the ubuntu a right choice for me because of hardware compatibility. The only problem I have is that it won't detect the progressive resolution of my tv. Only interlaced is available. ??

[Detection]

Quite enjoying Linuxmint 12 GNOME at the minute, seems much better built than Ubuntu's latest

Flash works full screen out of the box, Ubuntu's was like a slideshow on the same laptop

Multiple format Video files play without having to download extra codecs, I assume they were installed during setup

Only thing I have an issue with is it will not resume from sleep, which is what I always use with my Laptop

[MidnightDevil]

Elementary OS. I really think that these guys ideas and implementations for Linux it's the future all Linux distros should embrace.

I urge people to give them a try and get involved, this is how Linux should progress guys.

http://elementaryos.org/journal

I have a question for you.

Since ElementaryOS is based on Ubuntu 10.10, I'm assuming it's using the same ubuntu repositories, correct?

Once you update it, will it change things? I mean, breaking native distro things like the way the enviroment is designed, etc?

Because it's shipped with gnome 2.32, so auto-updates won't get gnome3 installed ?

How does that work ?

Tell me more, I'm downloading it now for it's simplicity, but if it's just another ubuntu based distro i'll eventually stick with Mint.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

I used to be Ubuntu but lately I've dug my hands into Arch Linux and just love it, I love how the pacman package manager works and how i can set up my system almost exactly how i want it

I also tried out Debian but the fact that they don't use the actual firefox really bugs me for some reason along with a few other things

[sanctified Veteran]

I have a question for you.

Since ElementaryOS is based on Ubuntu 10.10, I'm assuming it's using the same ubuntu repositories, correct?

Once you update it, will it change things? I mean, breaking native distro things like the way the enviroment is designed, etc?

Because it's shipped with gnome 2.32, so auto-updates won't get gnome3 installed ?

How does that work ?

Tell me more, I'm downloading it now for it's simplicity, but if it's just another ubuntu based distro i'll eventually stick with Mint.

I think you should wait for Luna, the next version. Right now Jupiter it's a great distro, but since it's heavily based on Ubuntu 10.10 it will ask you to "upgrade" to Unbuntu 11.04 and then serious breackage will occur.

This is what the devs recommend:

http://elementaryos.org/support/answers/508

However, if you update the packages carefully Jupiter it's still a great minimal OS and a delight to use. It's just that Jupiter it's still more or less a normal distro. Luna will implement a lot of technologies the Elementary team have been developing, including a new launcher, new file explorer, web browser, GUI, control panel, etc.

[MidnightDevil]

I think you should wait for Luna, the next version. Right now Jupiter it's a great distro, but since it's heavily based on Ubuntu 10.10 it will ask you to "upgrade" to Unbuntu 11.04 and then serious breackage will occur.

This is what the devs recommend:

http://elementaryos....ort/answers/508

However, if you update the packages carefully Jupiter it's still a great minimal OS and a delight to use. It's just that Jupiter it's still more or less a normal distro. Luna will implement a lot of technologies the Elementary team have been developing, including a new launcher, new file explorer, web browser, GUI, control panel, etc.

I'll be waiting for it then :)

[Digital.K]

For my primary , I use Ubuntu 10.04 LTS 64 bit with linux kernel v3, It's hard to let go of classic gnome and this version of Ubuntu is like so rock solid, a bulldozer couldn't knock it over. I decided to stick with 10.04 LTS although I do regularly test other distros on a desktop I have.

[GreenMartian]

Used to use Ubuntu, but got tired of upgrading every 6 months, with no guarantees that it will leave my machine in a usable state (I hate reinstalling & re-configuring from scratch).

Have moved on to Arch for about 2 years now, and never happier with their rolling releases.

At least with rolling releases, things usually break 1 at a time, as opposed to 50 different things breaking during an Ubuntu upgrade.

[sanctified Veteran]

As I continue my "support Elementary OS" campaign, I would like to share this entry of their blog:

http://elementaryos.org/journal/fruits-first-few-contributor-meetings

[Syanide]

Ubuntu. Depending on the situatuon I might use a different variant, but the base is pretty much always Ubuntu and I've always been super happy with it.

[(Spork)]

I used to be Ubuntu but lately I've dug my hands into Arch Linux and just love it, I love how the pacman package manager works and how i can set up my system almost exactly how i want it

I also tried out Debian but the fact that they don't use the actual firefox really bugs me for some reason along with a few other things

with archlinx is there a easy install guide like in ubuntu ? most i have seen are been done in a dos command style ( not a big deal ) just like to see a ubuntu style installer is all

[Kreuger]

with archlinx is there a easy install guide like in ubuntu ? most i have seen are been done in a dos command style ( not a big deal ) just like to see a ubuntu style installer is all

AFAIK there is no GUI installer for Arch. However, Im pretty sure there are a couple of distros based on Arch that do have it.

[cork1958]

Zenwalk is my preferred distro, but playing with Xubuntu 11.10 right now. Never have much of a fan of Ubuntu, but they just might be on to something now. At least the last couple kernel updates or video driver updates haven't ruined my setup!!

I checked "other" even if Zenwalk is Slackware based.

When I first saw this topic on the front page, I was hoping it was a poll just for the sake of seeing how long the list of distros might be! Thought I might see a distro I hadn't heard of or tried before.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

with archlinx is there a easy install guide like in ubuntu ? most i have seen are been done in a dos command style ( not a big deal ) just like to see a ubuntu style installer is all

yes, right on the front of the ArchLinux web page there is a link to their "Beginners Guide" which is very well written and helpful

yes, most of the stuf at first (after the install, which takes you step by step) is done via command line (which isn't actually all that bad once you get used to the basic commands) but it's rather easy to install a GUI if you wish (refer to the beginners guide for that as well)

[Scorbing]

Linux Mint 12. Elegant. Easy to use. Unity-Free UI. Fast. It just works.

[sanctified Veteran]

Seriously, why Elementary it's not more popular? These guys know what they're doing.

http://elementaryos.org/journal/focusing-text-details-hig

The way the rest of the Linux community ignores it will cause that Apple hire all these guys to plan their future GUIs and Linux will be again stuck with... well, with Unity and the likes.

[Syanide]

Seriously, why Elementary it's not more popular? These guys know what they're doing.

http://elementaryos....ext-details-hig

The way the rest of the Linux community ignores it will cause that Apple hire all these guys to plan their future GUIs and Linux will be again stuck with... well, with Unity and the likes.

I think it's fairly popular, considering they've only had one release so far. I think most people (myself included) are just waiting for Luna to really give it a shot.

[(Spork)]

Seriously, why Elementary it's not more popular? These guys know what they're doing.

http://elementaryos....ext-details-hig

The way the rest of the Linux community ignores it will cause that Apple hire all these guys to plan their future GUIs and Linux will be again stuck with... well, with Unity and the likes.

could not get the cd to boot :/

[Growled Member]

Zenwalk is my preferred distro, but playing with Xubuntu 11.10 right now. Never have much of a fan of Ubuntu, but they just might be on to something now. At least the last couple kernel updates or video driver updates haven't ruined my setup!!

You can make Ubuntu much more stable by going into your software sources and unchecking everything except security updates in the update tab. At least that's been my experience.

[Quillz]

I use Ubuntu, so I guess that means I technically had to vote for Debian...

[Miuku.]

As per signature, SLES so openSUSE it is.

[cork1958]

You can make Ubuntu much more stable by going into your software sources and unchecking everything except security updates in the update tab. At least that's been my experience.

Oh yeah, and then be running with all non updated programs and such. Makes a lot of sense!!

I look at it like this. If they give me a tool that is supposed to update everything, as all Linux distros do, and a distro can't do this right, I simply won't use it, at least not for very long. Exactly why I've never been much of a fan of Ubuntu!

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Oh yeah, and then be running with all non updated programs and such. Makes a lot of sense!!

I look at it like this. If they give me a tool that is supposed to update everything, as all Linux distros do, and a distro can't do this right, I simply won't use it, at least not for very long. Exactly why I've never been much of a fan of Ubuntu!

IMHO it depends on what you want to do with Linux. On my private laptop I have Fedora 16 as dual-boot option, with -testing and -unstable repositories enabled. I like being able to always have the newest program releases installed here, and can deal with occasional breakage.

For a productively used workstation on the other hand I would go with a distribution like RHEL/CentOS or Debian Stable with a few carefully selected backports. Stability > bleeding edge in a productive environment.