I've been using Fedora Core 5 for a while now. I also have Windows XP installed. I'm a college student and when I'm home for Christmas I'd like to format my hard drive and re-install windows. I'm also thinking about trying out another Linux distro. With FC5 I there where some things that I never got working right. For example, I could never get video files or DVDs to play correctly. I also had some trouble with flash stuff on some webpages for a while.

My computer is a Dell Inspiron 6000. It's 1.5-2 years old. I'm looking for a distro that's really easy to use. I tend to avoid using the command line as much as possible.

Programs I typically use in FC5:

Amarok - I love this for my music!
Firefox - web browsing
KOrganizer - calendar
Evolutionn - Email
Gaim - AIM
OpenOffice

Those are the ones I use the most. I prefer KDE to GNOME but it doesn't make a lot of difference for me. I'm also thinking about getting a second monitor and TV tuner. I'm hoping I can get those to work with whatever distro I choose. Also if I could run some of my windows programs and games from Linux that would be great. I've messed around with wine a little, but not much.

I'm looking to try something new and I want to know if anyone has any suggestions. I'm thinking about trying Mandriva, Ubuntu or Kubuntu. Any suggestions?

I've also got an old desktop computer at home that's I'd like to install a Linux distro on. It used to run Windows 98. I think it's about 8 years old. It's got a 500Mhz processor in it I think. What's a good distro to run on an old machine?

Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks

It sounds like Kubuntu would be a good choice for you. Here's a thought though, you could multiboot with as many as you want. The trick is to make the first distro, say Kubuntu, have a separate /boot partition. Install Kubuntu's grub to the MBR. Then, after that, install each successive linux bootloader (grub/lilo) to the / partition instead of the MBR. Then use the Kubuntu grub to chainload the next bootloader. If you ever nuke Kubuntu, grub will still live in the separate /boot partition and you'll still be able to boot into other linux distros you have installed.

As for the old machine, I always recommend Debian. Do an Etch netinstall of just the base system (i.e. when it comes the to tasksel screen with Desktop, print server, file server, etc) don't pick anything. Then login to the text prompt and just aptitude install program to install any programs you want. (Hint: the first thing is aptitude install x-window-system-core kdebase synaptic). I even used KDE (by installing kdebase instead of full blown KDE with all the bloat) and openoffice with my old Celeron 400MHz. It doesn't scream, but it still runs as well as Win 98 ever did... Synaptic is the gui for selecting programs in case you really do hate the command line. Anyway, by building a system from the ground up, it's a bit faster since you don't have any of the bloat.

You may also get some mileage out of recompiling your kernel on this old machine. If you do, google for "Compiling kernel the Debian way".

At this point my hard drive is pretty full so installing another OS on top of Windows XP and FC5 isn't possible. Maybe after the re-format and re-install I'll have enough space for that though.

Hard drives are cheap these days... even on a student's budget.

I used to be a diehard Suse fan, but decided to see what the big deal was about Ubuntu. I'm very impressed. It's even easier to use than Suse and I actually like using Gnome now (before, whenever I'd try Gnome, it would be on a live cd... that make s anything too slow to enjoy!). If you really do like Kde, though, I'd follow the advice of the other poster and try out Kubuntu.

Just check out some Ubuntu/Kubuntu beginners' How-To's. There's a bunch of stuff that you'll want to install so it will play DVDs, mp3s, etc. It's all really easy, just cutting and pasting stuff into your terminal (so you don't have to actually work with the command line, you're just pasting and hitting enter). You can even set up some front-ends that will automate all of this.

Anything that uses APT/Synaptic for managing packages--ie Debian, Ubuntu, Mepis, PCLinuOS, etc.
Mepis is the default at home (based on Ubuntu, but without the silly "no-root" thing.)
Kubuntu on laptop at work. First distro EVER where everything on the laptop worked right out of the box.

Some of you are suggesting Kubuntu, but what about Mandriva?

Also if you know of any good Kubuntu beginner "How To"s please leave me a link.

Thanks

Mandriva is OK. my biggest issue is that I do not like their business model. Ubuntu and others keep the SW free and then seek to make money by other means. The Mandriva approach seems to steer you into paying for it--but providing the free version if you spend several minutes searching their site.

With the maturity of Linux and the proliferation of distros, you could randomly pick 3 from the top 10 or so on the Distrowatch "hit list"--and you would see very little difference. All three would work fine with the mainstream apps--AND all three would find little ways to annoy you.

Kubuntu
http://www.kubuntu.org/

Uses KDE desktop, one CD install works both as a live and Install CD. Be wary it is a bit bloated.

Mandriva
http://frontal2.mandriva.com/en/downloads/mirrors

This is what PCLinuxOS is based on it is a BIG distrobution with all you will ever need


PCLinuxOS .92
http://ftp.nluug.nl/pub/metalab/dist...glish/preview/
ftp://ftp.nluug.nl/pub/metalab/distr...glish/preview/

This is the distro I use and recommend, Why because it works right out of the box. No need to configure Everything, everything just works. It also comes as a 1 CD install that is a live CD that you can install later if you wish.

BeatrIX
http://www.watsky.net/download.html

This Distro is small fast and effective, the ultimite Workers CD

Blag
http://www.blagblagblag.org/download/

is A one CD install of Fedora Core

Jake

In all honesty you should try as many as you have time for. And why not? Its just Linux. When you find the one that annoys you the least, cease your quest till you grow bored then start again.

Indeed--keep at least 10 different distros installed at any given time---with lots of extra disk space for impulsive new installations.

But--DO develop some way of keeping track of what is where, including which partition has the grub config. files

Anything that can be installed in 1 CD or less is not bloated enough to make any difference on a modern computer. This why they invented repositories.

If you mean RAM usage, then I think getting something like Xubuntu (XFCE) is a good option.