Which version of Linux?

[Sikawtic]

I am currently reading about Linux, it's ups and downs, and how to install it etc.

I would like to know which version (distribution) of Linux you linux users/linux knowing people would choose, and why.

~Sikawtic

[ZeroDarkStar]

I am currently reading about Linux, it's ups and downs, and how to install it etc.

I would like to know which version (distribution) of Linux you linux users/linux knowing people would choose, and why.

~Sikawtic

Redhat is the most stable version, but it's quite expensive. Fedora is free, but each new release has untested features which may affect system performance, or it may not.

Overall, I'd say go with Fedora, since it's free and shouldn't be that hard to set up.

[TimP]

In my opinion Ubuntu (http://www.ubuntulinux.org/)is the absolute easiest distro to install, but the least configurable. You just pop in the CD, answer a few questions, and it installs all the packages that a common desktop user would need. Fedora (http://fedora.redhat.com/), SUSE (http://www.novell.com/linux/suse/), and Debian (http://www.debian.org/)are good if you want more control over installation, but require a bit more Linux know-how to administrate, For the absolute do-it-yourself Linux experience, Gentoo and Linux from Scratch are the two most popular. I would say to start with Fedora or SUSE if you're looking for the Linux experience. I started with Fedora and have been using it for about 8 months now. In my opinion, Ubuntu tries to pass off as a Windows-esque experience by hiding a lot of the system internals. For example, the root account is disabled by default. Avoid the noob trap by going straight to Gentoo. A lot of first time users try to teach themselves Linux by generating their system with Gentoo, but typing commands out of a guide and watching screen fulls of gcc output doesn't teach you Linux. It's an interesting process that you may want to try later, but stick with a regular distro first. Distrowatch (http://distrowatch.com/)has a list of just about every Linux and BSD distro with some information about them.

[Sikawtic]

I'm a bit worried about compatability problems, do they have good emulators that'd let me still play halo/hl2/starcraft/guildwars?

[Modred]

My first attempt was Ubuntu due to the small download size, and it was frustrating in the least. The current Ubuntu release is based on a 2.4 series kernel and Debian Woody, only with a lot of extra stuff thrown in (a la Windows). If you don't really care about configuration too much, it'll work. I noticed that a few packages don't seem to work with the current version, or at least didn't work in my copy.

After Debian Sarge was released, I downloaded the netinstall disk and replaced Ubuntu with Sarge running a 2.6 series kernel. Overall, I'm much more satisified with Debian because 1)I only installed what I wanted and 2)Debian has better hardware detection. With Ubuntu, I had to manually configure the xorg installation to work with my ATI Radeon 9200. It isn't difficult, and I can walk you through it if you need help.

With Debian, it detected the monitor fine and asked a few basic questions about the card and overall was much quicker and easier than configuring Ubuntu (ironically, isn't that the opposite of what it should be?).

On another note, Ubuntu uses XOrg while Debian still uses the older XFree86. I believe the reasoning is that XOrg is still not complete (or was not at the time Sarge reached a freeze on development) and thus the Debian developers prefer the more modular but older window system. For the average user such as myself, there really isn't any difference.

As far as emulators, I'm not certain on their support within Debian or Ubuntu. Alright, I did a little research and Debian has a package for Wine (a free Windows emulator). You can see a list of supported Windows apps here (http://appdb.winehq.org/).

Oh, and StarCraft is the most popular application used under Wine.

[Spdstr]

Try SLAX for your first distribution. It shows you how Linux works without having to install *anything* ;). It's also very stable, and it can fit on a Mini-CD :).

SLAX HOMEPAGE
http://slax.linux-live.org/

Member,
~ Spdstr

[TimP]

If you still want to play games then dual booting is your best option. Windows compatibility emulation is sketchy at best on Linux and performance is much worse.

Modred,

I have Ubuntu 5.04 running on a virtual machine and it uses the 2.6 kernel by default. It runs the 2.6.10 kernel when fully upgraded at the moment, while other distros like Fedora are using the more bleeding edge 2.6.12 kernel. I'm also a big Debian fan. I just got Sarge running on a Pentium 166. :)

[TinyDancer]

I use Ubuntu, and I like it pretty well. My brother did all the installation though, but he uses Ubuntu himself and likes it. No viruses!

[TimP]

No viruses!
And no adware. After spending the day with the relatives (and their computer), I wish more people would use it.