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How do you decide which linux distro to use?
Any favorites out there?
Any favorites out there?
I would suggest you choose based upon what you want to put into it. At the "hard" end of the scale you have Gentoo. Difficult in that you have to compile it completely but when you finish you have a system you have designed for your needs. At the other end of the scale is Linspire - 10 minutes flat for install (or less) and you have a complete OS that you have nothing else to do.
I agree that Gentoo is definitely hard for a beginner, but in the end not only do you have a fully customized system, but you also learn A LOT in the process. But for a total beginner, it would probably be a little much, unless you like to really dive in head first.
You know that is a very good point! When I started with Linux I didn't have any choice - all the ones had to be compiled, but I really did learn a lot. But boy oh boy did I have some frustrating times!
How do you decide which linux distro to use?
Any favorites out there?
Ubuntu!!!!!!
It's funny, but I hate Ubuntu with a passion. Probably because I like doing everything by hand, digging into the kernel, working from the command line etc. I know a lot of people that use it, but I am too much of a purist to let my Linux OS make that many decisions for me. If it gets more people to use or even just try Linux, then thats good by me, but I can still hate it.
I can respect that, but I would offer this...
One of Linux's biggest strengths (the ability to customize and tweak to your heart's content and the endless variety in distributions and variants) is also its biggest weakness in terms of mass appeal. Ubuntu, by virtue of its standardization, refinement and large installed base, goes a long way toward giving Linux some credibility to the masses. And if you really want to tweak it, you can still get into its guts.