DEFINITIVE: Which Linux Distro? (poll)

[markwolfe Veteran]

im completly new to linux and was wondering which would be the best linux for me

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According to the poll (and leaving out Gentoo), Fedora, SUSE or Ubuntu seem to be good recommendations.

If you would like to compile and learn by doing, then perhaps Gentoo is worth considering, but it is usually not recommended for most people to start Linux with.

[Spyker]

i was considering fedora what is the best version, core 3 is the latest i think but is it the best

[markwolfe Veteran]

i was considering fedora what is the best version, core 3 is the latest i think but is it the best

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In general, the latest is always the best. (less to have to update)

In practical terms, if you are particular about which apps are installed, you can still selectively install only the exact packages you want.

[Spyker]

thanks, i think im going to enjoy linux fedora core 3

[ipridian]

Gentoo-user, and proud of it. ^^

~ Gentoo R O C K S ! ~

[giga Veteran]

Question: Which of the distros can play m4a/aac files? I was reading above that Fedora can't natively play mp3s so I'm assuming that this would be another problem?

[msg43]

Question: Which of the distros can play m4a/aac files? I was reading above that Fedora can't natively play mp3s so I'm assuming that this would be another problem?

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for newbie + gnome = fedora very easy to get mp3 working

for newbie + kde = suse

feodra seems to load faster for me

[_R2D2]

Maybe someone should edit the poll.

Debian (or other Debian-based)

Knoppix (Debian-based)

Ubuntu (Debian-based)

So..if you have Ubuntu, should you vote Debian or Ubuntu?

[markwolfe Veteran]

So..if you have Ubuntu, should you vote Debian or Ubuntu?

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Which one do you think? :shifty:

If you check out the previous thread (from 2004) on this, you can see us discussing how to name the options near the end of the year. This is what we came up with.

[MulletRobZ]

I haven't used Linux for about six months, but I was pretty impressed with Slackware 9.1. Once I get my new laptop, I'm giving Slackware 10.0 a shot and it that doesn't work, I'll try Fedora.

Ever since version 10.0, I started to really dislike Mandrake. That version was horribly buggy and I couldn't install the NVidia drivers on it properly (no problem with Fedora 2 Preview nor Slackware).

Edited February 20, 2005 by Webgraph

[Fred Derf Veteran]

Maybe someone should edit the poll.

Debian (or other Debian-based)

Knoppix (Debian-based)

Ubuntu (Debian-based) 

So..if you have Ubuntu, should you vote Debian or Ubuntu?

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Knoppix users should vote: Knoppix (Debian-based)

Ubuntu users should vote: Ubuntu (Debian-based)

People who run the original Debian or another Debian distro that isn't mentioned specifically should vote: Debian (or other Debian-based)

In that case "other Debian-based" would include Libranet and Xandros and others but not Knoppix and Ubuntu who are popular enough for their own section.

With this particular setup it is easy to see that Debian and Debian-Children are used by about 21% of the people who have voted. Using these aggregated numbers, Debian would be second in popularity after Fedora/Redhat.

[null_]

I've gone from Mandrake to Red Hat/Fedora, Gentoo, and now I'm on Ubuntu. This was over the course of 4 years on and off, and I finally found the distro that suits me. I love Gentoo because it doesn't install everything you don't need, you install what you want. But it's got too much of a learning curve, so I've found that Ubuntu is best for my needs. It doesn't install EVERYTHING I don't need, it's easy to manage, and yet very configurable. I love it. And it fully supports my laptop. :D

[rollinup]

I need to know the best linux distro, I'm new to the whole linux scene, I've been using windows.

I like a nice interface, and I like it to be customisable if possible, as well as stable.

I'm going to try Debian, do you think that it's the best choice?

I also need it to have very large hardware compatibility and have some programs to be compatible with it (a good amount anyway)

Also, if possible, I'd like it to be 64 bit compatible.

So go ahead, pick the one you would think would be best for me!

Thanks :happy: . (By the way I know there is a VERY large range of distros and thats why I'm asking the neowinian community)

[blik]

Debian or more specifically Debian based distros would be a good choice... I'd suggest Ubuntu, Mepis or Knoppix (Y)

[markwolfe Veteran]

* Merged the above two post into this thread *

[g-n-t]

I need to know the best linux distro, I'm new to the whole linux scene, I've been using windows.

I like a nice interface, and I like it to be customisable if possible, as well as stable.

I'm going to try Debian, do you think that it's the best choice?

I also need it to have very large hardware compatibility and have some programs to be compatible with it (a good amount anyway)

Also, if possible, I'd like it to be 64 bit compatible.

So go ahead, pick the one you would think would be best for me!

Thanks :happy:  . (By the way I know there is a VERY large range of distros and thats why I'm asking the neowinian community)

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yoper has great hardware compatibility, its REALLY fast and stable, nothing propriety that will stop you from customizing the interface. it comes with all the compilers and libraries needed to compile programs from source(im using fedora right now, i liked it, until i realised what "dependency hell" really meant). it uses apt, like debian-based distros, but it is built from scratch, not debian based. Although there are less packages for it than a debian distro, the packages are all optimized, so there is a tradeoff. Ive heard that they got a new dedicated compiling computer that will produce more stable packages and keep them updated. So, hopefully, in the next few weeks, there will be many more precompiled packages.

it works with 64-bit processors, and in the future there will be another version that is made specifically for 64bit with even more optimizations.

and if you dont go with yoper, go with mepis. ubuntu is all hype.

[Fred Derf Veteran]

and if you dont go with yoper, go with mepis. ubuntu is all hype.

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There is no doubt that there is a lot of hype surrounding Ubuntu. While I am a little critical that Ubuntu doesn't really offer much that isn't offered by other Debian-based distros, I would not say that it is correct that Ubuntu "is all hype".

I personally think that Mepis is only Knoppix with a graphical installer that they want US$10 for.

[g-n-t]

better hardware detection(uses knoppix's hardware in addition to their own), has gnome, a configuration app. and its free. you dont have to pay for it. you only pay if you download from them, but the mirrors are free

http://www.mepis.org/book/view/1462?PHPSES...6655bdf27cddd0c

i might have exagerated a bit, but i really dont see whats so good about ubuntu.

[Nelsinho]

lots of options ... i will suggest u get http://slax.org its a small download live-cd ( can be run from cdrom without installing the operating system ...

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yep thanks for the link dude downloading now :yes:

[DjmUK]

Downloading FC3-i386-DVD.iso (19 mins to go).

Q1: "Just how many *.nix distros are there?"

Q2: "Can anyone list all the *.nix distros out there?" (just the ones that get updated annually - as in, the ones that are used)

Q3: "An interesting project would be to list all *.nix distros and to list them with their category and release date."

Just curious - because there's some I've NEVER heard of before:

- Yoper

- Mepis

- BSD (not *.nix?)

- Slax

- Ubuntu (GUI looks alright)

- Fedora Core Legacy (FC3 - but more updates regularly)

With the hype over Ubuntu, I'm guessing it's one of the latest distros. I'm gonna' stick with FC3 for now - and see how I get along as a former RH9 user (years ago).

[Fred Derf Veteran]

Q1: "Just how many *.nix distros are there?"

Q2: "Can anyone list all the *.nix distros out there?" (just the ones that get updated annually - as in, the ones that are used)

Q3: "An interesting project would be to list all *.nix distros and to list them with their category and release date."

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The answer to all those questions and more can be found at http://www.distrowatch.com

[markwolfe Veteran]

A1: Jeebers! Counting defunkt ones, too? I don't think *anyone* can count them or track them ALL.

A2: Technially, no. But http://distrowatch.com is pretty good at gathering even the minor distros.

A3: Again, distrowatch.com is a good resource. They even have a bit of history going back a few years.

BSD is a unix. Linux is not a unix, but it is unix-like. The biggest difference in why this is, is that BSD shares direct code (some bi-directional copyright infringement, too!) with AT&Ts (Bell Labs) Unix at the time. Linux is meant to copy the functionality and methods of Minix, but contains no unix code. And that difference makes Linux not unix (or, more properly, it makes GNU not unix, and Linux is the kernel that popularly drives GNU).

Clear as mud? :blink: Don't let it overwhelm you. :)

EDIT: I am going to have to stop posting full dissertations if I am ever to beat Fred to a post! :p

[g-n-t]

but you can delete his post and noone will ever know :ninja:

[Fred Derf Veteran]

but you can delete his post and noone will ever know :ninja:

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I'll know. :D

[Kurse]

Gentoo gets my vote. Fedora is a close 2nd. Have played with SuSE, Devian, Slack, FreeBSD. I always end up going back to Gentoo. I have 4 Gentoo boxes, 1 Fedora Core 3 box, and 2 Fedora Core 2 boxes currently.