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 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

[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.

[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&#37; 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..