Let me say that I've tried alot of distros and I have had little sucess. I started messing around with linux a few months ago. My first impression was that it's hard to use and unpolished. So I stopped using it. But I didnt stop using it just for that reason - it's cause I havnt found a distro that suits me. I'm still using windows and I dont have a problem with it BUT windoze is SOO boring. If I could get a distro that works decent, i wouldnt mind tweaking a little to get stuff on linux working. I also really wanna mess around with Cedega and VMware.

Anyway, the distros I've tried are: SimplyMEPIS, PCLinuxOS, Xandros Deluxe 3.0, Gentoo, Fedora Core 3, SuSE Pro 9.2, Xandros 2.5, Mandrake 10.1, Knoppix 3.7, and Overclockix (which is really just knoppix I guess).

Xandros 2.5 worked the best out of all of them which isnt saying much.

But the reason that I didnt settle was common: poor drivers and package managment.

I need a distro that allows me to install packages without having to go to dependeny hell and back. Like Apt-Get or Portage.

I need a distro with excellent drivers.

I need something that makes me think but that doesnt make me yell the F word out loud repeatedly.

Please reccomend me something cause you think it'll work for me - not cause it's your favorite or whatever.

Thanks guys!

My question would be, what type of hardware are you trying to use that your are having driver issues. Drivers are included in the kernel, so the distro really has no play in that besides the fact that they choose a certain kernel release when that distro came out. Updating your kernel might take care of some driver issues.
I noticed slackware didn't make the list. You'd be using the package management system "swaret". By now, most distro's I've played with have a package management system to do the dependancy checks. The only other thing I can add is that many people are trying out "Ubunto" which I guess is a new distro. I have no desire to check it out as I've found my distro of choice for desktops and servers.

--
And for fun, "Why is Windows so complicated"

>>poor drivers and package managment.

LOOOL ur a joking do u know what ya sayin?


and the distro has nothing to do with ur running hardware, so u can run every hardware on every distro, on one distro less or more easy. but the missing hardware support is not a distribution related problem, so what

when you are happy with windows, use it.

dick_onion53,
I have been using linux for a little over a year now and have often had the same question about distros. I have found that, like these guys are saying, the distros don't have anything to do with drivers. I have 3 soundcards which I use for studio recording, midi, etc, plus a nvidia geforce2 card which can be a pain in the butt. Let me say I have had some serious hardware issues (not all of which have been resolved yet). But...
All the distro really does relative to hardware is:
- configuration at installation
- sets up a framework for user customization

Regardless of which distro you use, you will have to learn how to configure things yourself if you want anything non-standard (like multiple soundcards or 3D graphics). Given this, I have found that it is best to pick a mature and popular distro so that you have a broad support community. This is the primary reason I use Debian. Do I still occassionally end up in dependency hell? Yes. Do I still have hardware issues? Yes. Do I still use the F word repeatedly during my free time? Sometimes. But...
Do I have a stable OS with awesome apps? Yes.
Do I have a group of kick-a** wizards to help me with my problems? Yes (LQ rocks)
Do I support corporations that want to make money by monopolizing the OS market? HELL NO!

Final point - try Debian, try Slackware, re-try Gentoo - just pick something and LEARN IT! LEARN LINUX, LEARN GNU, then help other people who are learning too. And then take a hike in the woods or canoe down a river or something - just make sure you retain your humanity through all this. Remember, its just a computer.

Thanks for the help everyone.

Oh my, I would never buy windows (not for 200 bucks or whatever the hell it costs), I downloaded it via BitTorrent, I agree, I hate Microsoft.

Drivers are inclueding the kernal? Well why does my network card work under xandros but not under Mepis?

I don't want to side with the LQ enemy here but.... For example, to install the video card drivers on windows all i have to do is double click the installer and click next like five times -- thats it. On linux though... well go to the Install Readme from Nvidia and you'll se why its easier on windows.

HalfDiminished, I wanna try Debian but do i really need 7 cds?

No, you don't need 7 CDs. You need 14! Thats right, the Sarge set is 14 CDs. Yes, I realize this is a little ridiculous, but there are still those of us who are too cheap to get a broadband connection. But if you have access to high speed internet, you can use Debian's net installer and just 1 CD. I've heard it's pretty slick.
Case in point about learning linux... I thought I had the whole devices thing pretty much down pat. I had a cdrw'er, dvd drive, and usb flash drive functionality working just peachy. In the last week, I've "upgraded" to kernel 2.6.10 and poof! The classic (although somewhat buggy) devfs has been replaced by a fledgling (and somewhat buggy) udev device system that has me starting from scratch with devices! But-kudos to the udev developers for getting this thing going. It DID get all 3 of my soundcards working. CD writing and usb thumbdrives will take some work though.
(The intention here is not to switch topic to udev, but to provide a slightly amusing anecdote from my own experience)
So...on second thought, you may want the 7 CD 'Woody' (stable) release. The issue I have with Woody is that all the software is kinda old. I'd rather take my lumps on the bleeding edge and have access to the latest and greatest.
Unfortunately, I'm finding that this little hobby can easily turn into an obsession because pretty soon you're never quite satisfied. There's always more to do. Always something new to figure out. And always a few ringers thrown in (like udev) that change the paradigm you're working with.
Don't get me wrong here. You can use Debian to create a rock solid stable system - if you are content to focus on stable apps. But I think once you see all the cool stuff out there, you'll want to dive in.

17 cd's!? Man thats crazy. I could download it but i only got 256k and it would take days plus sucking up all my bandwidth. There has gotta be some free cd supplier place.

Usually most linux distrobutions have to option to purchase cds for a very inexpensive price to have them mailed to you. Particularly for those like you who have limited bandwidth. If the official distrobution website doesn't offer cds, then check somewhere else on the web, because there is bound to be somewhere on the web that supplies most distro cds.

I got mine from DebianVendor.org. The guy who runs it, Jason, is very good. I had my cd's within 3 days. He allows donations to debian, which I like. Seriously consider donating - once you get into Debian, you'll see why these guys are so awesome and deserve some support.

If i had the money i would donate to alot of places.

Dear Dick Onion53,

Give Conectiva 10 a try.
It is a redhat based distro with a slice of Debian (apt-get, Synaptic)

If you don't like command line work you can administer the system via Webmin.

Conectiva 10 has 3 Cds but you only need the first CD to do a basic install.

If you want more packages etc you need to download the entire set.

My only complaint about Conectiva is that the Update beta (Mostly security patches) is only available via bittorrent. ( I have issues with Bittorret.)

Conectiva 10 is a Brazillian distro but It is very professional and good looking.

I wish you luck in your search for a suitable distro.

If you do try Conectiva and run into problems let me know I will try to help you to the best of my ability.

Thorn168

Well, Redhat based distros freeze up during install on my system. It always hangs as when its finding usb storage or somthing like that. Well I have a possible buyer for my computer so if/when it sells i'm gonna build a new one. When I do I'll give it a try.


Thank you,
Onion