[FAQ] Which Linux Distro Shall I Use?


Recommended Posts

Everything in this guide is all in my own personal opinion/limited linux experience

This article is only concerned about 'Which Distro' and the semi-noob in Operating Systems

Introduction

* Installation of Linux: There are tutorials out there for specific Linux installations which is beyond the scope of this guide.

We've all seen the threads that always get asked on a weekly basis and sometimes you'll notice similar replies:

- Good Place To Get Distros

- Help Me Choose A Distro

- Which Distro Should I Use?

So it's time a page was written to deal with most of them, and hopefully if we see a new thread that isn't a specific problem, then people could direct them here for some help. For a current poll on the neowinians 'best' distro thread you can go to: The Definitive "WHICH LINUX DISTRO?" Thread: 2005. There are currently 12 pages so I don't expect you to go through them all ;)

Q: What's a distro and why are there different ones?

A: Distro stands for 'Distribution', and basically they are all the same but works slightly differently. There are a number of 'flavours' which all have their pros & cons, so it's up to the individual in the end. Besides, every distro is built on top of the Linux Kernel (and ALL distros [except live cd's] can be upgraded to the latest kernel).

Client / Server Distros

Regardless of the following (Client / Server Distros), it really doesn't matter because every distro can be used for all purposes, which is what Linux is all about. I've only listed a couple as these seem to be the most popular, so I won't even bother writing out the entire list due the fact that there are hundreds of distros out there. But here would be your starting point before you go exploring old & new distros.

Client Distros

Fedora Core 3 (aka, Red Hat 12)

Mandrake 10.1

SuSe 9.3

Server Distros

Gentoo 2005.0

Slackware 10.1

Debian 3.0

FreeBSD 5.3

Discourage Against (Due to instability)

Fedora Core 3.90 (aka Fedora Core 4: Test 1)

Ubuntu 5.04

Kubuntu 5.04

My Own Internal Linux Network (still in design stages)

Desktop

Operating System: Fedora Core 3

Kernel: 2.6.11.5

Usage: Surfing the net, doing everything as normal

GUI: KDE 3.3.0 (3.4 is available, but I'm in no rush)

Server

Operating System: Gentoo 2005.0

Kernel: 2.6.11.5

Usage: Web Server, using Apache 2, MySQL 4.1.10 & PHP 5.0.3

GUI: Don't need one, and this will increase the overall speed and effeciency, also using less storage, less memory and less processing.

Further Neowin Reading Materials

- [FAQ] Linux File System Overview

- [FAQ] How is Linux Layered?

- Completed Client HOWTO & FAQs

-- [HOW TO] Installing Wireless Networking

-- [HOW TO] Recompiling kernel

-- [HOW TO] Install NVIDIA Drivers

-- [HOW TO] Install ATI Drivers

Further External Reading Materials

- Distrowatch

- Google's Linux Zone

Linux ISO Downloads (non-direct links)

- Fedora Core 3

- Mandrake

- SuSe

- Gentoo

- Slackware

- Debian

- FreeBSD

If there are any errors or suggestions please let me know

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/300941-faq-which-linux-distro-shall-i-use/
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...
:blink: Ubuntu 5.04 is unstable? I know it's taken from the unstable branch of Debian; but IMO I don't find it at all unstable.

586325907[/snapback]

umm yeah i'm going to have to aggree with my buddy here i've been running it on my laptop for 2 days without turning it off now and just learning a few of the commands, and i havent had anything go wrong with it yet. But then again it might just be YOUR experience with it....

I have never used Ubuntu, but I don't think that it is generally unstable.

I might also be inclined to change the "Fedora Beta" to "any distro in beta". The beta releases, just like in the Windows World, are for testing and reporting bugs to be fixed, and aren't recommended for daily use.

Is there a distro thats good for eyecandy?..:)

586336687[/snapback]

Any of them can do the same things, so there isn't too much of a difference in what can be done from one to the other.

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 months later...

This guide should be updated, as it is very informative. I've done a bit of the work, so just C & P it (source is below for easier-ness):

Client Distros

Fedora Core 4

Mandriva Linux 2006

SuSe 10

Ubuntu 5.10

Kubuntu 5.10

Server Distros

Gentoo 2005.1-r1

Slackware 10.2

Debian 3.1

FreeBSD 6.0

Educational (school-suitable) Distros *this would be a new list

Edubuntu

Further External Reading Materials *add to current list

- DistroGuide

Linux ISO Downloads (non-direct links) *add to current list

- Kubuntu

- Ubuntu

- Edubuntu

Code for easier C & P-ing

[b][u]Client Distros[/b][/u]
Fedora Core 4
Mandriva Linux 2006
SuSe 10
Ubuntu 5.10
Kubuntu 5.10

[b][u]Server Distros[/b][/u]
Gentoo 2005.1-r1
Slackware 10.2
Debian 3.1
FreeBSD 6.0

[b][u]Educational (school-suitable) Distros[/u][/b]
Edubuntu

[b][u]Further External Reading Materials[/u][/b]
- [url=http://distroguide.box.sk]DistroGuide[/url]


[b][u]Linux ISO Downloads (non-direct links)[/b][/u]
- [url=http://kubuntu.org/download.php]Kubuntu[/url]
- [url=http://www.ubuntulinux.org/download/]Ubuntu[/url]
- [url=http://wiki.edubuntu.org/DownloadEdubuntu]Edubuntu[/url]

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Why? Does anybody actually want this? The constant need to close all browser sessions and wait for a new version to install, just so that there’s a integrated coupon manager feels like a waste of everyone’s time
    • I remember when Louis used to just do interesting Mac/iPhone repairs, now he's boring and just launches "crusades" every week
    • A shame it don't allow people to bypass the MS account, I will stick to using Rufus.
    • Microsoft about to radically change how often your Edge browser updates by Paul Hill Microsoft has just announced that starting with Edge 152, it will be moving to a two-week release cycle for faster, smaller updates. This faster release cadence will begin on August 27. This change comes just several months after Microsoft switched Visual Studio Code to weekly updates. The company said that the Extended Stable releases will remain on an eight-week cycle and that no admin changes are needed to experience the faster release cycle on the Stable channel. The new two-week release cycle will enable the faster delivery of security updates and platform improvements, all while reducing the size and complexity of individual updates. Microsoft claims that organizations will benefit from this change as it offers predictable validation cycles. For organizations that prefer a “more deliberate pace”, the Extended Stable channel remains an option. This change will affect Edge Stable releases on Windows, macOS, Linux, and mobile. The Extended Stable channel will continue to be updated every eight weeks, or every fourth Stable release, for example: versions 152, 156, 160, and 164. The Extended Stable could be a good option for organizations that don’t want the latest updates twice a month and don’t want as much hassle constantly updating browsers. In the case of Visual Studio Code, many of the updates being pushed by Microsoft are AI-related. As we all know, Microsoft Edge has a lot of AI features, so we could see Microsoft pushing more AI, thanks to the faster cycles. On the flip side, quicker releases could mean faster security updates, which is beneficial in a world where AI systems are hunting for software exploits. What do you think? Let us know in the comments. For more updates on Edge, be sure to follow Neowin's coverage. In May alone, we reported on Edge offering in-browser pop-ups to assist users with website compatibility issues, that Edge was losing Copilot Mode, and that Microsoft had fixed a plain-text password bug in Edge. Source: Microsoft 365 Admin Center
    • not yet, because at the moment it is not a threat to MS, if and I mean if it did become a threat to MS Office, then it may be a different thing. MS don't like competition
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      davidbazooked earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Jamswaz earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Jamswaz earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Rookie
      Marzoid went up a rank
      Rookie
    • Community Regular
      coch went up a rank
      Community Regular
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      514
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      185
    3. 3
      +Edouard
      159
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      83
    5. 5
      ATLien_0
      75
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!