Which is the best linux?

[planet_telex]

I am just about to start with Linux OS, and am a beginner, so I want to know which software platform is the best for amatuers. I have heard about SENTOS, UBUNTOS, FEDORA, and Red Hat Linux. Please Tell me the best to start with and also online help links so I can handle the troubleshooting by myself.

Thanks.

Planet_Telex

[saikee]

If you come from Nepal then try NepaLinux (http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=nepalinux) first. It is based on Debian.

[mrrangerman43]

planet_telex
Which is the best linux?
I am just about to start with Linux OS, and am a beginner, so I want to know which software platform is the best for amatuers. I have heard about SENTOS, UBUNTOS, FEDORA, and Red Hat Linux. Please Tell me the best to start with and also online help links so I can handle the troubleshooting by myself.


The best thing you can do is try them and see what YOU like, I as a rule will point new linux users to Ubuntu to start with. I myself like Debian, it takes a little more to set up but is rock solid, where as Ubuntu has a new version about every 6mo and tends to sometimes have some issues, it's still good to learn on though. What ever you chose though the best thing you can do is use it, use it for everything, and when you have problems (and you will) work through them just like you would with any other OS.

[Pierre2]

following on with the Ubuntu theme, try a offshoot of it called 'LinuxMint '.
- which hails from Ireland.

[kiel]

this is just my opinion so you can take it for what it is worth, but, alot of things can in turn, make you feel one way or the other about a distro, what I suggest you do is download some live cd's and get a feel for them and see if they all supprt your hardware and if they come with the software that you are looking for, myself I had alof of issues until I ran sabayon, now sabayon is based off of gentoo, and im just a beginner, now gentoo isnt for someone starting out, but I have learned a TON in the last 3 days, like using terminal for installing software, ubuntu and debain have a software manager, sabayon tought me terminal side, also, every distro i tried, didnt fully support my ati radeon 9550 like sabayon did, I have added and removed software to my liking, so my suggestion it, head off to the store, grab a spindle of dvd's or get a dvdrw and test some distro's off a liveCD.

Kiel :D

[i845_]

@planet_telex

Welcome to JustLinux. We hope you enjoy your stay here.

Here we go again...

Trying out a lot of distros is a good way to start, but this line of approach works only if you have a decent broadband Internet connection, and your ISP hands you out a generous download limit (...or if you use the network in your university.) This is an important point, since the task of installing new programs and keeping your machine up to date needs to be carried out online as well. (I might point out to my fellow JustLinuxers that in Nepal and India (where I come from), a sizeable chunk of the population still uses dial-up connections.) Even with magazines that provide Linux installation media, you're limited to 1 or 2 distros a month. (@planet_telex: If you're on broadband, ignore this paragraph.)

That said, I would recommend a distribution that:

a. Doesn't intimidate a new user.
b. Provides decent hardware support.
c. Can do most things that Windows can with a default install (read: playing MP3s, etc.)
d. Has a helpful and active support community.

I usually recommend Ubuntu (preferred for its user-friendliness and a very active support community) or LinuxMint (preferred for its out-of-the box support for most multimedia formats) to new users. You could start off with one of these.

(edit) Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu, and hence, almost everything that applies to Ubuntu applies to LinuxMint as well.
(edit) A lot has been said about Ubuntu and its 6-month release cycles. One answer: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[planet_telex]

Thanks to you all for all the valuable replies.

I just received a CD of FEDORA from my friend and I am going to install it

at first.

I'll let you know about its features or problems in the near future.


Bye.

Planet_Telex

[Pierre2]

Trying out a lot of distros is a good way to start, but this line of approach works only if you have a decent broadband Internet connection, and your ISP hands you out a generous download limit

There are some <very> kind lnx users in NA who will often download & burn a disk for fellow lnx users. These NA dudes have very generous isp's.

:cool:

[saikee]

Fedora is in Version 11 already.

[loopback48]

I love these post. Because there is no real 'Best' Linux distro. Which is the best DE is another topic I like to read too.

I started years ago with Linux. And now after years of jumping and trying out many distros, I've settled on Debian. And I mean the REAL PROPER Debian. The granddaddy of most distros.

Nothing against Ubuntu or Mint or Mepis or any of the other hundreds of flavors - RPM or .DEB. I like Debian proper. I just do.

So which one is the best? Only God knows. Because I surely don't. I just know that I'm comfortable with and use Debian. And talking about DEs,. well everyone knows that Gnome is the BEST DAMN DE of all!!!

[Belgian Brownie]

following on with the Ubuntu theme, try a offshoot of it called 'LinuxMint '.
- which hails from Ireland.

I have just tried it and am very impressed. Easy install and usage plus a nice look and feel.

[saikee]

I still run the box with 145 systems but cannibalized the M$ systems to move them in newer PCs. Over the last couple of years Linux has made an admirable effort.

The big families like Red Hat (now represented by Fedora), Debian, Mandrake (now represented by Mandriva), Suse (now called OpenSuse) and Slackware are moving forward each is a force in its own right. The king of Live CD Knoppix is dropping behind as the majority of distros are offered as installable Live CD.

Like Knoppix the Ubuntu was based on Debian but has grown to the most popular distro with incredible speed and started its own family with Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Mythbuntu etc. Ubuntu started life with a good financial support and is one of the most successful Linux to the point that many M$ users think it as "the" Linux.

Since Linux is easy to boot and 99% of them are free we don't need to chase the best one as it is a matter of personal choice. Each distro has it own character giving top priority to certain specific tasks.

So I recommend all of them because there is no bigamy law in Linux. Just install any distro you want to experience.

Try the thoroughness of the secure server grade distros like Debian or CentOS, the up to the last minute modern Ubuntu, OpenSuse's changes after M$ bought Novel that owns it, compare the big guns Fedora with Mandriva, see the go anywhere Slax family, the Damn Small Linux hanging on the 2.4 kernel, being barked at by a dog from Puppy (showing it fire up your sound card!), the lightning speed of some tiny size distros boot up, etc, etc.

In the past I allocated 5Gb per partition per distro. Now the hard disks are more affordable so I give a distro a minimum of 10Gb, 15 to 20 for the big ones and those I use more frequent than the others. The 2.6.28 kernel and newer allow a hard disk to breach the maximum number of partitions beyond 15 and the trend is at least 63 partitions per hard disk will be supported by most distributions. Modern mobo can easily support 6+ internal hard disks and many disros are ready-made to boot from external USB/Firewire devices so every PC user can have all the disros whatever he/she fancies, and his/her M$ and other systems too. And what about virtual machines with which we can put several guest operating systems inside one host operating system.

So why should we bother with the "best"?

[braindamage73]

I am just about to start with Linux OS, and am a beginner, so I want to know which software platform is the best for amatuers. I have heard about SENTOS, UBUNTOS, FEDORA, and Red Hat Linux. Please Tell me the best to start with and also online help links so I can handle the troubleshooting by myself.

Thanks.

Planet_Telex

You can't buy Red Hat anymore and the rental contract is skyward. Its for business. I like good ol frindly fat little Mandriva, but its slow. SuSe got ought out. And now there are over a hundred distros and subdistros, wqith almost as many countries representing their own. My choice is Ubuntu 9.04 (GNOME) released in April and its sidekick Kubuntu (KDE). Kubuntu is built for designing applications and finding or building drives for hardware and a lot of other things. Both are free downloads and come in 64 or 32. Most folks use the 32. Then there's the Ubuntu Server load, also free. Tons of free literature on Ubuntu including manuals, guides, tricks, tips and cigars. Of course, if you live in a country that has its own Linux distro, by all means, go forth. (If you live in Nepal, check out Nepal Linux, just for the Nepalese). There's another Ubuntu, Xubuntu for people who love media, gaming, music, videos and all that stuff. Puts many of the commercially loaded items to shame.

[saikee]

If you live in Nepal, check out Nepal Linux, just for the Nepalese

Don't even know what Nepalese look like but as it is a Debian we can recognise it. Once installed just change the language and keyboard to suit.

[leonpmu]

If you have a good internet connection ie DSL I would recommend PCLinuxOS 2009, it is based on Mandriva, and has a great repository availbale, where you can find most things..

[engless]

For multimedia:

dyne:bolic

Live and no hassle.

[LewRockwell]

We've got an Acer Aspire One Model AOA-150-1864 that is currently multi-booting XP, Ubuntu 9.04, Puppy Linux 4.2.1, Mandriva Linux One 2009.1, GoBoLinux, Moblin, and EasyLFS.

If you search that model number on the ubuntuforums you'll come across the threads and screenshots there.

.

[ehawk]

Since you have chosen to try Fedora first, here are some helpful links:

This is the main page for the Fedora project:

http://fedoraproject.org/

It has links to many other pages. Here is the list of help forums:

http://forums.fedoraforum.org/?

Here is the page with documentation:

http://docs.fedoraproject.org/

Here is a page of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) with responses:

http://www.fedorafaq.org/

Here is a page mentioning various online places to get help:

https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Communicate

I hope this helps you. If you can't find help you need at these places, try posting here again, and we will try to assist you.

[enshum]

Whichever one you choose for whatever reasons you chose it. Linux is the kernel everything else is snow on the mountain put there to be used by you anyway you wish to use it.:)

ed

[loopback48]

Whichever one you choose for whatever reasons you chose it. Linux is the kernel everything else is snow on the mountain put there to be used by you anyway you wish to use it.:)

ed

Very true: Linux is the kernel. But everyone uses that term to denote the OS and everything it encompasses. So don't let the purist lead you astray. Some of them insist on saying GNU/Linux. A minor and unimportant thing in my way of thinking.

The best Linux OS or distro, if you wish, it the one you can manage the easiest. And this is why I ways recommend either Debian proper or a debian based distro. Can't beat Debian's management of the OS. In my opinion, all others pale by comparison when it come to managing one's OS.

Stick to a Debian OS. Can't beat it with a stick.

[saikee]

I have installing hundred of Linux distros but haven't found the best one yet.

I like them all! They don't cost money so why not be greedy for a change?

Is there a better way to see how good Slackware, Fedora, OpenSuse, Mandriva, Ubuntu etc are than installing in your PC and try them yourself? About 10Gb per distro is the deal. The best way to learn Linux is to use the common denominator - the kernel at the console.

[Quake3DeathGod]

Well, here is another vote for Linx Mint. At distrowatch.c*m, you will find it has almost climb to the top. Yes, it is based on Ubuntu, but, I really think it is everything ubuntu wishes to be but cant because of license issues. If you get to a point where you are stuck, tired of trying to get it to do something, we are here to help. I have 51 different distro's on my harddrive, I can walk you through them all. Mint on the other hand is, boot, install, have fun, dont worry about configuring a lot of things. Loads all your drivers, flash and java is right at your finger tips. Will run on anything from a 500Mhz older system to anything you can build. I have mint on 3 of my systems, solaris on one, open solaris on another. Which are both very good too, just not for a new user.
Q3

[loopback48]

Although I prefer Debian proper and it's derivatives, for a newbie, or an old hand for that matter, I go along with the Mint Linux recommendation.

Two strong points: Mint is still a Debian based distro and it comes with everything anyone could want. It truly is a distro that works right out of the box.

While I've used Mint before and liked it much, I'll stick to Debian proper. And this is just a mater of taste. Or geekyness or the purist in me. Who know? Who cares! But give Mint Linux a shot.


But like posted previously, why not just jump into the fray and try the ALL! Eventually you'll fine the one that suits you best.

[nuttron]

When i started out with Linux i tried at least a dozen distros and stuck with Slackware since 8.0 .
I am with version 12.1 now and everything works fine . good luck

[Digit]

i've been a serious distro hopper for many years.
perhaps not quite as extreme as saikee, but thnx to his threads, i've had the number of distros on my machine well into double figures at least.

for years i've had sabayon on my main workstation as my main os, and since it pushed aside the competition, i've conveniently (and easily) done most of my distro surfing on virtualbox from my sabayon desktop.

many people advise to go for ubuntu. its got masses of community support, it's largely hassle free compared with some, it's generally THE thing to recomend to noobs. but i dont. i'm stopping recomending it... there have always been niggles, always little issues that put me off it... and they're just adding more n bigger ones. i always thought ctrl alt backspace was there as standard for good.... why they removed it in 9.04 is beyond me. just another nuisance thing i have to configure myself, nice faster booting times, but how come sound constantly refuses to play from more than one app at a time now? some nasty backwards innovations gone on there.
having said that...
i am building my own ubuntu from scratch (well... from ubuntu minimal), and besides sabayon that i use on my workstation, the main os i use these days is crunchbang linux. i think crunchbang is a better recommendation than ubuntu. you still get all the debian and ubuntu help backing you up, you still get repositories, but you dont get the GNOME desktop environment chewing up a few hundred mb of your precious ram. think of it as an unofficial (independent) lightweight configured ubuntu distro.


sabayon (gentoo based), pretty good choice, few problems out of the box (though i do prefer the old "FULL" version).

ubuntu, (debian based) pretty good choice, few problems out of the box, but also has alot of stupidity that comes with it.

slackware, great choice, will demand a little extra comitment, and it will teach you better than almost anything.

gentoo or arch, headaches for begginers. this is called jumping in the deep end without arm bands. likely to cause you having to be dragged from the pool coughing and gasping for air.

pclinuxos (mandriva based), i've only checked it out briefly, but it did seem worthy, n it carries forward with it some of the excellent and fairly unique innovations of the mandrivas. i dont think i'd reccomend it as a first nix os, nor as an only os though, despite its cleanlyness and innovativeness.

slitaz, slax, dsl, puppy, sam, etc,
nice choices, but might begin to feel a little inhibitive as a primary os... but well worth checking out. work great running from your usb pen drive, so you can take your os with you anywhere to any pc. plug and play.

crunchbang linux (ubuntu based),
ok, so it picks up alot of ubuntu's stupidness too, i admit. but you still get all the benefits, aaaaand its so beautifully lightweight without sacraficing useability. gorgeous distro. my fave at the moment (run it from my usb pendrive), and still worthy of recomending to beginners... and it teaches you linux stuff fast, without the headaches! :)

mint (ubuntu based), i havnt checked it out for a long time, but i hear good things. if you dont like lightweight nimble responsiveness, then this is probably a good choice, otherwise, go for crunchbang. they both come with all the stuff you'll need out of the box.

any fully GNU compliant OS, no non-free software....
great choice! choosing a distro recomended by the FreeSoftwareFoundation and gnu.org shows a real sence of justice, real care for the community... and an understanding that if its not free and cant be checked by the community, then it's probably drilling holes in the security of your pc. ;) stay free. ...otherwise, be like the rest of us chumps and give into the convenience, and install some proprietary software n codecs on your machine.

but which is the ultimate best?
your own.
wherever you start from, the best os is the one you set up to fit your needs perfectly. n thats the beaauty of linux and open source etc. freedom. empowerment. :)

ps. you may have noticed i didnt mention suse nor fedora... there's a reason for that. ;)