Newbie seeking advice on distro-choice
 

Guys I want to try my hand on Linux in this vacation,
so if any of you can help me select which version to go for
and how to use Linux as a beginner?
I have heard something about live DVD and etc.
Please guide me more on this.
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My simple suggestion would be to use ubuntu but beware linux is designed with a different user in mind then windows. every thing has it's pros and cons which I shall not list out over here. You might take a little time to get used to it. And finally be prepared to google a bit to do few things

Try any of the top 10 or so at www.distrowatch.com. If you want one very similar to MS, try Ubuntu.
A Live DVD means you can boot from the DVD and run Linux directly from there; has no effect on your HDD, unless you want it to.

hello

there are lots of distros that you an try for first time

lots of them are so good and you can use them for ever .... you know ... I mean they can do everything you want ....

I dont know if you ever used GNOME or KDE .... but for first steps I prefer KDE .... but DO NOT forget there is no better in the linux world

and about distros

here is a list of good and stable distros for you .....

1- ubuntu ( if you want use KDE as your desktop enviroment try to download kubuntu instead )

2- openSUSE

3- linuxMint

4- Fedora ( but I think its not a really good choice . because its a bit different )


and at last ...

I prefer kubuntu because :

1- it uses KDE by default 9 and Im a KDE fan :) )
2- it has lots of users around the world ... so if you face a problem in the future with it , there are lots of great forums for it
3- its so easy to use and there are lots of softwares available for it


PLEASE EXCUSE ME FOR MY BAD ENGLISH

ubuntu may not be the best choice because its design approach is "bleeding edge" so it tends to be buggy. One of the great advantages of Linux over Windows is that it can be very stable but this depends on the distro.

I always advise a newbie to use Linux Mint click here to download a live CD. Linux Mint is an Ubuntu made even easier but more elegant. If you are online you do not need a DVD because Mint can hunt for software in the repos via internet.

BTW, do not use version 8 because this is the latest, like other distros chances are there's got some bugs that needs a little fixing, good if you are an advanced linux user, so better use version 7 which is already stable to date.

Hope this helps.

Goodluck.

I would suggest downloading more than one live CD so you can compare for yourself. You would want to take a car for a test drive, why not a distro. May I suggest trying out my favorite, openSuSE. One advantage over Ubuntu is that you have both Gnome & KDE. Although the Live version may have just KDE4.
I've heard it said by many people that if they were to recommend a distro for there parents, they would recommend Linux Mint.

first time I've heard that, I thought it was supposed to be fairly stable ...
Fedora on the other hand ... definitely bleeding edge.

I use Ubuntu 9.04 which isn't the latest release, but even that, just updated to kernel 2.6.28.18 today and is using firefox 3.0.17 what is bleeding edge about that? It's also been extremely stable on both a 1 year old laptop and a 7 year old desktop.

Having said that, I would still burn some live cd's if you have them to spare and play with a few of them. Distrowatch is definitely the place to get a feel for what's available.

If you want to stay a beginner use ubuntu. If you want to learn linux you should start somewhere else

Thats kind of an overly-simplistic statement with stereotypical connotations, isn't it? What exactly is preventing anyone from getting their hands dirty with Ubuntu or any of the other uber-friendly distros? Nothing. At least, nothing in the software realm. It boils down to the user and his/her interest and motivation. That comes from within, not from some distro.

LTS = Long term support

By staying with the latest LTS version of Ubuntu, you can avoid the bleeding edges. The most recent LTS is 8.04. The next LTS will be 10.4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ubuntu_releases

If you want to limit upgrade notifications to LTS
- On Gnome desktop, do this
-- System > Administration > Software sources > Updates
--- Release Upgrade
---- Show new distribution releases = Long term support releases only

You will still receive update notifications for your LTS version.

Upgrade to the next released LTS, skipping over the intermediate releases.
e.g. 8.04 -> 10.4

This approach provides for a very stable platform in my experience.

Postscript: You can start with the latest intermediate release, like 9.10, and then stabilize at LTS 10.4 (April 2010) until the next LTS release (12.4?).

Overly-simplistic perhaps. I have no problems with user-friendly distros. My opinion is that if you never have to configure anything manually, you won`t.

I like live cd's / dvd's. See distrowatch.com for the top 100 maybe that have live cd's.

Another choice if you have a new enough system is to run virtual machines. A virtual machine is a software version of a real computer. You run it just like word or paint or any other window program. Except in this case you can run Linux and many other OS's at the same time. You don't have to waste time burning a cd and you almost can't wreck your xp system.