DEFINITIVE: Which Linux Distro? (poll)


Which Linux Distro do you prefer?  

773 members have voted

  1. 1. Which Linux Distro do you prefer?

    • Slackware (or derivatives)
      33
    • Debian
      56
    • SUSE Linux (or derivatives)
      99
    • Fedora Core (or Redhat, or RHEL)
      120
    • Gentoo (or derivatives)
      86
    • Ubuntu
      273
    • Other Debian Derivative (Mepis, Kanotix, etc)
      25
    • Arch
      19
    • Linspire
      22
    • Mandriva
      40


Recommended Posts

ok thanks for that. i'll get on with downloading it! another question what is KDE is it another Linux Distro or an addon?

586340408[/snapback]

What is KDE? That is a Desktop Environment. It can run on any Linux/BSD distro.

Here is a little guide on how Linux is put together that I wrote up several months ago...

https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=259962

What is KDE?  That is a Desktop Environment.  It can run on any Linux/BSD distro.

Here is a little guide on how Linux is put together that I wrote up several months ago...

https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=259962

586341792[/snapback]

Thank you very much, you've been a big help!

Greetings,

I am practically new to the whole Linux thing and was wondering what OS to go for? I liked the look of SuSE 9.3, Debian and Yoper. But I don't know what one to choose. I know that this is wrong but some of them like Debian and Yoper look alike. Or is that just me. Anyways, any help or assistance to which one would be nice. If there's one that can handle Cedega/Half-Life 2, it would be interesting. DivX and video playback would be good as well. Another point, does certain Linux Distros let Laptops run for longer on batteries, or is that just psuedo-science?

Any assistance, help and advice different to the other 3 Distributions above would also be gratefully accepted. PM me if you think there's something better or more useful.

Cheers,

Iamit2900

If you are trying to pick a distro because of how it looks, you need to re-think a bit. Any distro can look like another, just by which Window Manager or Desktop Environment you use on it. Add your preferred theme, and they all look alike.

As for battery usage, I have heard the story all three ways: Linux is better/same/worse on batteries. I think it boils down to whether the hardware is fully supported in Linux. If so, then Linux can very efficiently throttle the CPU and extend battery life (the kernel frequency holds something on this, from what I have been able to gather, but don't know if it is significant). If your install runs the CPU at full speed, even when idle, then your battery life will stink.

If you are trying to pick a distro because of how it looks, you need to re-think a bit.  Any distro can look like another, just by which Window Manager or Desktop Environment you use on it.  Add your preferred theme, and they all look alike.

As for battery usage, I have heard the story all three ways: Linux is better/same/worse on batteries.  I think it boils down to whether the hardware is fully supported in Linux.  If so, then Linux can very efficiently throttle the CPU and extend battery life (the kernel frequency holds something on this, from what I have been able to gather, but don't know if it is significant).  If your install runs the CPU at full speed, even when idle, then your battery life will stink.

586410722[/snapback]

I was just remarking from the screenshots, I don't normally pick something simply because it looks good or bad. But with Linux I don't understand it entirely, in terms of technical information. How do you decide what is the best Linux distribution for you? For example, why do you use the Linux flavour that you use and why?

  • 3 weeks later...

I am just wondering, what is the best linux for me.

I will use it for programming, the internet, emails, and misc. Linux stuff.

I don't want anything too high maintenance either.

I want it to be efficient and fast, and not take 4 years to boot up.

I would like a slim/simple looking GUI, but I guess I can change this...

I would also like to setup a Dualboot with Windows XP, how is this done?

I am a linux n00b, but not stupid at using PC's - as I used to use PC's even when I was very young 6 or so, and then it was all DOS commands.

Thankyou...

(Please can you tell me why you recommend particular distros?)

I am just wondering, what is the best linux for me.

I will use it for programming, the internet, emails, and misc. Linux stuff.

I don't want anything too high maintenance either.

I want it to be efficient and fast, and not take 4 years to boot up.

I would like a slim/simple looking GUI, but I guess I can change this...

I would also like to setup a Dualboot with Windows XP, how is this done?

586496564[/snapback]

Sounds like general-usage computing to me...

* post moved into pinned "which distro" poll thread *

As far as dual-booting, most distros will set that up for you.

Ok, I reserved some HDD space for a Linux install, but now I don't know which distro to install. I would like something that is user friendly and it can easy install packages- as little compiling as possile. I have a few choices such as Mandriva Linux, Fedora Core 4, or Ubuntu. I'm open for other suggestions, as long as it's not SuSE.

Thanks.

Desktop/LX

( http://www.lycoris.com/ ) Failed these criterias:

# Only a demo version is free

Desktop/LX is an operating system designed with your ease of use in mind. Desktop/LX loads ready for Internet access, office productivity, multimedia, entertainment, and more.

Mandriva

Mandriva Linux, formerly known as Mandrake Linux, is a friendly Linux Operating System which specializes in ease-of-use for both servers and the home/office. It is freely available in many languages throughout the world.

Visit Mandriva at: http://www.mandrivalinux.org/

Failed these criterias:

# Does not have one-click installable applications

Mandriva, SuSE and Fedora all are simple to use, as well as outstanding package managers. Your "one-click" criteria for installing apps doesn't even hold true for Windows.......

YAST, YUM, URPMI, RPMDrake, Up2Date, Apt (using Synaptic), or any other of these geart package managers are just as easy as Windows Update. And they update EVERYTHING on your computer.. not just the operating system.

To make an intelligent choice, go to http://www.distrowatch.com and read the reviews of each of these (and others). Then you can make some realistic and accurate decisions about what flavor of Linux will suit your needs. :yes:

Barney

Edited by barneyt

Ok, I reserved some HDD space for a Linux install, but now I don't know which distro to install. I would like something that is user friendly and it can easy install packages- as little compiling as possile. I have a few choices such as Mandriva Linux, Fedora Core 4, or Ubuntu. I'm open for other suggestions, as long as it's not SuSE.

Thanks.

586510824[/snapback]

* merged into the definitive thread *

Ok, I'm pretty sure there are tones of other people who already asked this question but ya...I worked a bit with RedHat about 2 years ago but pretty much lost it all.... and I was wondering if anyone could tell me which client is best to start with!

Thanx!

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

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • On Tuesday, Microsoft drilled another hole in the duo's sinking relationship with the debut of its MAI-Thinking-1 AI model, a midsize model that the company said is intended for high-efficiency, low-token-cost situations...... https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/article/microsoft-and-openais-relationship-continues-to-crumble-183330195.html  
    • Ladybird Browser is no longer accepting outside contributions thanks to AI by David Uzondu The Ladybird Browser Project has announced it will no longer accept public pull requests and will limit changes to those made by its maintainers as it works towards its first alpha release. According to Ladybird's creator Andreas Kling, this is "not a change we make lightly," but the rapid shift in AI capabilities forced their hand. Previously, a massive PR implied that the person behind it put a lot of care into the code and is ready to "answer for the consequences." Now with AI, anyone can generate a PR without even understanding the bug fix or feature they want merged. The blog post goes on to say that the team is closing all open public pull requests immediately, and that maintainers will not treat external forks as a review queue for upstream Ladybird. Instead, the team wants outside contributors to focus on reporting bugs and running tests. Kling started Ladybird back in 2019 as LibHTML, a simple HTML viewer for his hobby operating system, SerenityOS, but by September 2022, it had turned into a full-fledged browser project. What sets Ladybird apart from the likes of Google Chrome, Apple Safari, or Mozilla Firefox is its totally independent engine, which does not rely on pre-existing codebases. The project maintains a strict policy against default search engine deals or user data monetization, keeping development funded entirely by donations and sponsorships. Generative AI is forcing open source project maintainers to rethink how they handle public code contributions (and the whole open-source thing in general). One month ago, a leak about the National Health Service (NHS) suggested the organization was planning to take all of its public repositories private ahead of a May 11 deadline, thanks to Mythos (an AI model that Anthropic believes is too dangerous to be released to the public) and its ability to find and write exploits for zero-day vulnerabilities. Thankfully, the Government Digital Service (GDS) issued a counter-report titled "AI, open code and vulnerability risk in the public sector" that stopped the shutdown by pointing out that hiding code does not improve security.
    • Kalmuri 4.2.4 by Razvan Serea Kalmuri is your all-in-one, portable screen capture and recording solution designed for speed, simplicity, and flexibility. Whether you need a full-screen snapshot, a custom area, a scrolling webpage, or smooth video recording, Kalmuri delivers with ease. Capture text instantly from images with built-in OCR, keep floating images on top for quick reference, and use the precise color picker for perfect design matching. Customize hotkeys to work your way and share results instantly with built-in upload options. Kalmuri runs without installation, making it ideal for USB use, and offers an intuitive interface that’s easy to learn. Kalmuri key features: Video recording support (designation of whole screen and area) Whole screen, active program, window control, area application Extract text from images using optical character recognition (OCR). Support for PNG, JPG, WEBP, BMP, GIF file formats MP4 video recording powered by FFmpeg for high-quality results Full web page capture Share the captured image on the web Color extraction function Printer output Hotkey settings Adjustable via keyboard for area capture (Arrow key, Ctrl+Arrow key, Shift+Arrow key) File name format (sequential, datetime) Free to use it at work, at home, in government offices, at school, etc. Using Kalmuri portable for video recording Kalmuri’s portable version doesn’t include FFmpeg, which is required for video recording. Without it, you’ll get an “error FFmpeg.exe not found” message. To fix this, download FFmpeg from the provided link, extract it, and place FFmpeg.exe in Kalmuri’s folder. Kalmuri will then recognize it automatically, allowing you to start recording in high quality instantly. Kalmuri 4.2.4 changelog: Fixed an issue where color picking could occasionally freeze Improved capture stability Resolved a possible unexpected app shutdown in certain cases Refined internal handling for a smoother experience Download: Kalmuri 4.2.4 | 24.2 MB (Freeware) Download: Kalmuri Portable 4.2.4 | 2.1 MB View: Kalmuri Website | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • I like the show more options. The only problem with it is that it's not always in a consistent spot in the menu. If the copy/paste/cut, happens to show on top, then more option is the last in the menu. But if copy/paste/cut happens to show on the bottom, then more options is before the copy/paste/cut. But I do like the more options because it hides the stuff that I rarely use. But I would like to choose what it is or isn't hiding. That would make it better.
    • I wonder if "put it back the way it was for decades" ever crossed their minds? 🤣
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      I2D earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      Dr Jared Dental Studio earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      RG INVESTMENT GROUP earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Very Popular
      The Norwegian Drone Pilot earned a badge
      Very Popular
    • Very Popular
      s0nic69 earned a badge
      Very Popular
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      484
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      257
    3. 3
      Skyfrog
      81
    4. 4
      FloatingFatMan
      64
    5. 5
      Michael Scrip
      62
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!