DEFINITIVE: Which Linux Distro? (poll for 2006)


  

869 members have voted

  1. 1. Which distro do you use or recommend?

    • Ubuntu/Kubuntu
      415
    • Fedora Core (or Redhat, or RHEL)
      102
    • Novell/SUSE Linux
      96
    • Gentoo (or derivatives)
      85
    • Debian
      50
    • Other Debian Derivative (Mepis, Kanotix, etc)
      17
    • Mandriva
      32
    • Slackware (or derivatives)
      29
    • Linspire
      16
    • Arch
      27
  2. 2. Which desktop environment / window manager?

    • GNOME
      429
    • KDE
      251
    • Xfce
      34
    • fluxbox/openbox/blackbox
      43
    • Enlightenment
      12
    • IceVM
      4
    • TWM or something equally basic
      2
    • GUI? pft. CLI or die!
      10
    • other
      5
    • whatever my distro came with. Is there a choice?
      38


Recommended Posts

I use Debian Sarge (I previously used Gentoo, then Sid, then Etch) because I found out (after a long while) that I didn't need the latest software on my system to do what needed to be done. :blush:

As others have already mentioned, the Debian package management system is fantastic. I recently purchased Martin Krafft's 'The Debian System: Concepts and Techniques,' and I'm beginning to enjoy using Debian even more :D

As far as WM's go, I've found simple tile-based setups to be excellent. While I use Ion3 frequently, I enjoy tinkering with dwm, wmii, or even ratpoison.

Ive recently made the switch to linux (my work is 100% MS and decided it was time to try the other side)

I gotta say the one distro I have liked the most on live CDs was Ubuntu 6.06LTS with Gnome. (tried linspire :x and knoppix :rolleyes: ) ended up dual booting XPP with Ubuntu 6.06

Within two days of using it in a dual boot I have managed to discover Automatix (it is a godsend for noobs like me on getting NVidia drivers and codecs & dvd playback etc going) and the 686 smp kernel for my northwood p4 what a difference in speed over the 386 lts kernel.

Tommorrow is getting XGL Desktop Enhancements to work. :D

Im cooking with gas now, p4 3ghz 2gb ddr400 and a 7800GT 512mb AGP Gainward runs 6.06 a dream.

voted ubuntu & gnome, when ive got my head round it and confident enough im going to give Gentoo a whirl, heard good things about it. (didnt want to jump right in at the deep end)

its a keeper (heck prompted me to buy a 2nd sata drive just to dual boot fully)

im converted :woot:

Edited by Mando

I vote for Ubuntu + GNOME as it is the only distro I've used and I like it so :)

BTW, why is Xubuntu not on the poll?

It is Ubuntu using Xfce http://www.xubuntu.org/

Xubuntu wasn't around at the creation of this poll. :)

I would have voted Xubuntu but obviously I couldn't so I went with my second choice: Ubuntu with Gnome.

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

I vote for Ubuntu + GNOME as it is the only distro I've used and I like it so :)

BTW, why is Xubuntu not on the poll?

It is Ubuntu using Xfce http://www.xubuntu.org/

Just vote for Ubuntu/Kubuntu and choose Xfce from the second list (at least for now).

  • 2 weeks later...

man i am sorry i just found this thread probably too late. i have been running slackware for a while and i see no better distr for learning the ins and outs of linux. but it has problems namely its hardware detection and lack of any real package manager. this was my fav until i discovered arch and pacman. every bit as customizable and with an excellent package manager. the community is awesome and the best part is the distro is optimized for 486 and above. arch linux with gnome with slackware and gentoo close seconds

  • 3 weeks later...

(open)SUSE or Debian for me :p

SUSE is a great desktop with either GNOME or KDE, extra multimedia support is easy and it just takes care of hardware configuration but still lets you tweak it how you like.

Debian rocks for not getting in your way and letting you do quick software management with apt-get/dpkg. The stable/testing/unstable system is cool for pinning versions of packages you want, plus all the package have been optimized to run faster, most noticeably OpenOffice.

man i am sorry i just found this thread probably too late. i have been running slackware for a while and i see no better distr for learning the ins and outs of linux. but it has problems namely its hardware detection and lack of any real package manager. this was my fav until i discovered arch and pacman. every bit as customizable and with an excellent package manager. the community is awesome and the best part is the distro is optimized for 486 and above. arch linux with gnome with slackware and gentoo close seconds

Got slapt?

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

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Well I've done a grand total of nothing, and it now clocks between 2010mhz and 1995mhz (stock is 1710mhz) and hovers around 80c, warmer than it used to, but tolerable clocks seem to have returned. Thanks for all the advice on this thread. Will review the evidence and make a choice.
    • Audacious 4.6.1 by Razvan Serea Audacious is a lightweight, open-source audio player that emphasizes simplicity, performance, and sound quality. Designed for Linux, Windows, and macOS, it supports a wide range of audio formats, internet radio streaming, and playlist management. Users can customize the interface with Winamp-style skins or modern themes, making it flexible for different preferences. Audacious also includes an equalizer, advanced audio effects, and a plugin system for extending functionality. Its low resource usage makes it especially suitable for older computers or users who value efficiency without sacrificing playback quality. Audacious key features: High audio quality – delivers clean, gapless playback with minimal distortion. Wide format support – plays MP3, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, AAC, WAV, WMA, and more. Internet radio streaming – supports Shoutcast, Icecast, and other online streams. Winamp skin support – classic, nostalgic look for users who prefer the old-school style. Modern GTK-based interface – clean, simple UI with a more modern feel. Customizable themes – change appearance through skins and themes. Advanced playlist management – organize, save, and edit playlists with ease. Equalizer – fine-tune audio output with a built-in graphical equalizer. Audio effects – built-in DSP options like crossfade, replay gain, and more. Plugin system – extend functionality with additional components. File metadata support – displays and organizes music based on tags. Drag-and-drop support – quickly add songs or playlists. Global hotkey support – control playback without switching windows. Bit-perfect output modes – bypass system mixers for pure audio output. ReplayGain support – normalizes track loudness automatically. Cue sheet support – play entire albums from a single audio file with .cue. MPRIS2 integration – integrates with Linux desktop environments for media controls. Advanced resampling options – adjust playback quality with different resampler settings. Gapless playback – seamless transition between tracks encoded properly. Crossfade plugin – blend one song into the next smoothly. Last.fm scrobbling plugin – track listening history online. Remote control support – control Audacious via command-line or scripts. Lyrics plugin – display song lyrics if available. Alarm / timer plugin – start or stop playback at set times. SOX resampler plugin – high-quality resampling for audiophiles. Spectrum analyzer / visualization plugins – visual feedback while playing music. Headphone crossfeed effect – simulates speaker listening for headphones. Customizable buffer size – tweak latency and playback smoothness. Audacious 4.6.1 changelog: Use XDG cache dir to store temporary files (#1817) Accept embedded lyrics in more cases (#1818) Bump .so and plugin ABI versions retrospectively (#1819) Include Georgian translation (#1820) Fix build on systems using musl instead of glibc (#1823) Download: Audacious 4.6.1 | 48.2 MB (Open Source) Download: Portable Audacious 4.6.1 | 69.8 MB View: Audacious Website | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • I really wonder if this has to do with the built in VPN or "private DNS" of browsers that trip up legal requirements like cookie consent and Cloudflare (to avoid all the botnet attacks we get). And BTW some botnets still manage to get past Cloudflare, we are constantly having to tweak it to block malicious traffic that ultimately cause a DDoS.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      rolfus earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Leroy Jethro Gibbs earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Conversation Starter
      flexorcist earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • One Month Later
      AndreaB earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Month Later
      agatameier earned a badge
      One Month Later
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      505
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      197
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      142
    4. 4
      ATLien_0
      89
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      80
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!