Best Dist for a Linux Newb?
 

Looking for something that is the most user friendly but not very buggy :) Less bugs is more important, I want to learn but don't need too many headaches.

Right now I'm using Fedora Core 4 with KDE. Is that a good place to start or would suggest something else?

In case you need PC specs:

Pentium 4 3.2c@3.6
Corsair XMS 1GB dual
ATI 9800Pro 128mb
Audigy 2 ZS

I think that's all you need, if not lemme know.

Even if you could point me to a good link regarding my question that would be great :)

Thanks in advance.

Some main newb choices are mandriva 2006, suse 10, FC4 - then knoppix and ubuntu and stuff...

I use mandriva 2006, tho I think suse 10 may be easier install... I just prefer mandriva as mp3's work out of the box and dvd's are a tiny bit easier to get going.

ATI can be a hassle and the pick in video is nvidia - but the mandriva powerpack seems to handle nvidia and ati out of the box - even in 3D...

Check this out:
http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/index.php

I'm kind of partial to Mepis myself, as it supports some of the software that can be a headache to newbies, and it's Debian-based, so you'll have access to a lot of programs (using synaptic) without a ton of install headaches (which Fedora Core, while a nice distro, has it's share of IMHO). On the other hand, if you have relatively Linux friendly hardware, the previously listed distros are good, too.

I would checkout mandriva, easy to install and use. I love it.

I've tried alot of Linux distros in my time and Mandriva definitely takes it for news users. Fedora Core isn't that bad, but it doesn't include alot of things like MP3 playback and access to Windows drives. Fedora is a bit better if you're a new user looking to get into the server/development side of things, it also has the best installer out of the whole lot. Ubuntu stinks, stay away from it. It's communist Linux. It's got a friendly face face but it is evil deep down inside. Mandriva has the best configuration GUIs (almost independent from shell if you're a basic user). I haven't tried SuSE because it wasn't free until very recently, supposedly it's about on the same level as Mandriva. The best thing about Mandriva is that it runs MP3s, MPEGs, AVIs, etc. without any problem (it's the only one that does). I think this is because it is developed in France or something and can't be attacked by American laws.

I know that I first started on Mandrake (now known as Mandriva) and it was a nice distro to start on.

I read somewhere that SuSE is recommended for new users, and I know that YaST is a pretty good configuration tool in SuSE.

Lately, however, I have become partial to the Debian package management.

I would say that the best distro for anybody to use (newbie or not) is Ubuntu.

They are doing great work on it. Some might say that there are a few shortcomings with proprietary formats (like mp3) not working out of the box, but its easy to set up (there are guides in the ubuntu forums and on the ubuntu wiki). The ubuntu communtity is also a great one to be a part of.

Thanks for the great replies. Looks like the majority think Mandriva, so I'll probably give that a go, but I'm going to check out the others as well. Appreciate the help, and I'm sure you'll be seeing me posting alot in the near future :)

:confused: Care to expand on this? That's hardly a reason not to use it - I'd recommend it for a newbie. Surely the whole concept of FOSS is pretty socialist anyway?

This is an outrageous statement. I really doubt that there is much intelligent basis for it, but I would certainly like to hear your attempt........

IMO, if you are running FC4 and like it (even somewhat), you should continue with it until you know it inside and out. I typically recommend SUSE to new users, since it is my preferred distribution. Still, as you have read in this thread and elsewhere, there are many distributions that are considered newbie friendly, including Mandriva, Ubuntu and Kubuntu, etc. Actually, I am surprised that someone hasn't yet posted what a great distro Slackware is for newbies. (And they would be serious when they write it.)

In my opinion, PCLinuxOS and Mepis are the top newbie distros.

They are going to be able to do almost everything they can do with windows right out of the box.

The installs are simple and straightforward, multimedia support, wireless and wired connections are mostly automatic.

What a great intro to linux.

I have Mandrake, Debian and Linspire. Wich of these is best? i currently have installed Nandrake

Linsipre is certainly easier to install and most user friendly (it goes out of it's way to look like Windows), but I think you have to pay for it. Mandrake (now called Mandriva) is again a very user-friendly distro, and it's free :-).

Debian is my favourite distro and is very easy to use and maintain once you get the hang of it, however I wouldn't recommend it for a newbie unless they really want to learn about Linux as it has a steep learning curve compared to Ubuntu, SuSE, Mandriva:D

Additionally, you might want to look at Xandros.

Actually, many people consider the entire free software movement to be communist. By your arguement, Linux is communist. And France is socialist not communist.