Which Linux distro do you think is best and why?

Question

Can't sleep

Answer 1

I use Gentoo Slackware and Debian in no particular order and I'll go with those three in no particular order. Why? Well Debian begat DSL Ubuntu etc., several techie distros have boasted their gentoo origins and my last slackware install was inspired by finding installpkg on dyne:bolic (yep, all you need is wget -- which dyne:bolic has and you can get and install a complete slackware OS on your computer using a live CD).



Those three distros are adaptable to any purpose and will run on the widest variety of hardware. Simply put, no? RH/Fedora is adaptable to any purpose but is something of a resource hog compared to the others. You literally cannot conceive of a purpose you can't customize any of them to, and again, Slackware, Gentoo and Debian, while techie in origin, are so powerful and efficient you could potentially use them as the OS for your proverbial dead badger.

Answer 2

Fedora for me. Reason: I started with this distro when it was #1 on distrowatch.com, so this became the distro of choice for me. Ubuntu is also pretty good, but I don't like debian base as much as redhat.



Also Fedora is bleeding edge distro, which means that they try all sorts of Beta's and Alpha's, so even not all things are working 100%, but I like new things. For example, Fedora 11 already uses EXT 4 file system etc.

Answer 3

Fedora has always been my favorite, it just feels good. It makes working on the command line a joy, something about just the way it does it... I would advise you avoid fedora 11, and go with 10, although anything below 11 is nice. Fedora doesn't whine about not having a GUI if you don't want one, as debian whines if you don't. All my systems have Fedora Linux with GNOME, and the system I am using now is my eMac G4 running fedora 10 for ppc. Linux can really save that ppc mac. Go with fedora, and avoid debian/ubuntu. Deb is aweful. RPM is very good.

Answer 4

Depends on the user. Many Linux distros are made for a specific purpose, such as Damn Small Linux (DSL), which is made for old computer and USB booting.

Answer 5

Ubuntu, until you get your feet wet. I'm using vers. 8.10 64-bit. Installed in 11 minutes and connected to the internet. The Debian based packages include a very large library of ready-built software for you to choose from which is important.



With Linux we have the freedom to build with the backing libraries of our choice that make the individual softwares. One could have a large base of prefered software they already built and discover they need to substitute another library to build the new software they may desire. That substitution action has the potential to break everything. The community volunteers at Ubuntu keep that library inter-dependency in mind when they uploade pre-built software for users to download.



Red Hat is cool, but requires a learning curve.

Answer 6

I’d just like to interject for a moment. What you’re referring to as Linux, is in fact, GNU/Linux, or as I’ve recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Linux. Linux is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning GNU system made useful by the GNU corelibs, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX.



Many computer users run a modified version of the GNU system every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of GNU which is widely used today is often called “Linux”, and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the GNU system, developed by the GNU Project.



There really is a Linux, and these people are using it, but it is just a part of the system they use. Linux is the kernel: the program in the system that allocates the machine’s resources to the other programs that you run. The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself; it can only function in the context of a complete operating system. Linux is normally used in combination with the GNU operating system: the whole system is basically GNU with Linux added, or GNU/Linux. All the so-called “Linux” distributions are really distributions of GNU/Linux.

Answer 7

I've had very good luck with Ubuntu, and have all but given up anything Windoze. Debian is nice and I've tried a few others, but Ubuntu works best for me, and they come out with a new one every 6 mos.

Answer 8

i used to like mandrake before it went to mandriva, that name is horrible!!!



now I play with ubuntu... its nice, and always free.