Re: [LINUX_Newbies] Which distro would you choose ?

That is a loaded question. It all depends on your interest, needs, and what
you are using it for, in addition to your experience level.

I have used all of the distros and all offer something to the user, but each
is for a different user base.

Ubuntu: newbie friendly, popular, large repositories, lots of support, 32 &
64-bit, can be bleeding edge or stable as you choose.

Debian: not newbie friendly, large repositories, fragmented and
ideologically driven community, practically free or proprietary source
material (may cause hardware not to work), stable and not bleeding edge, not
as easy to set up as Ubuntu but once it is set up it is rolling release and
you are set up for a long time

FreeBSD: not Linux, smaller repositories, less support, well developed

Knoppix: been around a long time, great live CD, but not much else

Slax: small distro with a niche community, Slackware with a twist, easier to
use, but very limiting in terms of support and packages

Not mentioned but worth considering:

Linux Mint: Ubuntu based, so most of what is said about Ubuntu applies
except the bleeding edge bit, it comes out a month or more later and takes a
more conservative path

Fedora: not newbie friendly, but rock solid and bleeding edge distro,
everyone should try Fedora at least once

PCLinuxOS: only 32 bit at present, been around a long time; small distro
with an active community, works well; mostly KDE desktop

SimplyMEPIS: Debian based small distro that is more user friendly; KDE
desktop

aptosid: Debian distro based on Debian Sid or unstable (same as Ubuntu;
don't let unstable fool you Debian is very cautious in labelling), KDE
desktop

Linux has so many distros that it is hard to choose. Your list is very
strange because you call yourself a newbie and only one in your list is
newbie friendly and one is not even a Linux distro and two are special use
distros (Slax and Knoppix). Where did these names come from? A good source
of info is distrowatch.com.

Something to consider: GNOME is switching to GNOME 3 from GNOME 2.32. A few
distros are using the old desktop and the more bleeding edge ones will
feature GNOME 3. Ubuntu is going its own way with its own desktop
environment, Unity. I mention this because GNOME 2.32 is a traditional
desktop, but Unity and GNOME 3 are very different. They may excite you or
shatter your expectations. This is a time of flux for GNOME and Unity. Know
that up front. There are several alternatives including KDE, XFCE or LXDE.
Many distros come with a default desktop, but you can switch desktops rather
than switch to another distro which is much easier. Unity and GNOME 3 are
incompatible. You have to choose one and remove the other. Classic GNOME is
going to disappear starting this fall and hang around in older distros for
some time.
Ubuntu offers at least three versions at a time. Right now you can install
10.04 LTS (expires April 2013) , 10.10 (expires April 2012)and 11.04
(expires October 2012) with the first two featuring classic GNOME and the
last featuring Unity, but you can install classic GNOME. All this choice is
confusing but it offers many different scenarios and choosing the right
distro is complicated. Getting it right the first time can save you lots of
time and trouble.

My general advice to someone these days is to install Ubuntu 10.04 LTS
unless you want to be bleeding edge. Then go with 11.04. A good alternative
is Linux Mint which takes a more cautious approach for 6 month release
cycles, but it means more upgrading than following Ubuntu LTS to LTS path
(upgrade every 2 - 3 years because LTS overlaps by a year). If you want to
use "Ubuntu" but avoid GNOME and Unity troubles then consider KDE (Kubuntu),
XFCE (Xubuntu) or LXDE (Lubuntu).

Good luck in choosing,

Roy

Using Kubuntu 11.04, 64-bit
Location: Canada

On 14 May 2011 19:49, johnmark1966 <johnmarkrobbins@gmail.com> wrote:

>
>
> What Linux distro would you choose from: Ubuntu, Debian, FreeBSD, Knoppix
> or SLAX ? I am a newbie and I am trying to find which distro is the best. I
> am studying electronics and computers in college. Thanks to each and all :)
>
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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