Linux Distribution: Which to pick?

Question

About the user:

* I am moderately familiar with programming in C.
* I don't mind learning how to swing in Linux - I might enjoy it!

My requirements in a Linux distribution:

* I don't want it to waste memory on programs that I never use or am not currently using. (Only runs the programs I need at the moment).
* I need it (perhaps with the help of a Windows emulator program) to be able to run Photoshop, Firefox, Bloodshed Dev-C++, Notepad++, Sibelius (a music-writing program), InDesign, and some type of a non-OpenOffice text editor with scientific/engineering formatting capabilities.
* I need it to be able to run whenever I need it... I don't want to be stranded for months trying to install a kernel. I don't mind a user-intensive installation, as long as it can be done within one night.
* I need it to be free. That's right. I'm cheap. ^^

Does anybody have suggestions for a distribution that doesn't come with a buttlode of unnecessary programs that I might like?

Answer 1

Ubuntu is the most popular distro out their.

Answer 2

I personally use Gentoo, which fits most of your description. It comes with the bare minimum in terms of installed applications, and is very fast because you compile every package for your architecture. The downside is a very tricky and lengthy installation, and a long package install time on slow computers. It has great tools for fixing itself if you know how to read the manual. For example, I accidentally deleted all of the initscripts on my laptop (approx. /WINDOWS/System32) and was able to fix it from within the distro in less than an hour. It is geared towards developers, and a large part of the system is written in Python.



If you need something quick and easy to install, you could use something like Ubuntu or Fedora, which are general purpose but relatively bloated (less than a base XP install though). You could also try Arch Linux, which is somewhat hard to install but light and quick to set up.

Answer 3

My Linux install almost never needs to use the swap partition. Memory management under Linux is superior to windows.

.

- Firefox is available natively for Linux.

- Photoshop: You should check out the GIMP. There is a windows version too.

- Notepad++: check out appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&iId=2983





" I need it to be able to run whenever I need it... I don't want to be stranded for months trying to install a kernel. I don't mind a user-intensive installation, as long as it can be done within one night."



Debian GNU/Linux installs in under an hour on my laptop. Stock kernels work fine except for wireless support. If its a desktop you probably won't have any issues.



Debian is free to download, but you can buy dvds from vendors who give a little back to the Debian project.

Answer 4

any ubuntu based distro is ideal for starters