Hi Forum !

I decided to go from Windows to Linux. I heard a lot of great stuff about security, less resources used, faster, more stable than Windows.
I need your help in deciding on what Linux Distribution am I to aim for. I will use my Linux OS to program mostly in C++, C#, Javascript, HTML, CSS, and a little bit of Java. I know that there is WINE program to help out with compatability if I want to run Windows Programs. But as I have read, WINE doesn't guarantee me that the Windows programs will run without errors. I want to know what kind of Linux Distribution should I get in order to program with these languages smoothly ? Any advice would be appreciated.

Hi and welcome to LQ.

Slackware includes out of the box most if not all that's needed for software and web development.

That said, if you want to make sure of the compatibility with Windows, IMHO there's no best way than to check it in Windows, possibly in a virtual machine.

There can exist some Linux distributions specialized in software and/or web development that I am not aware of, though I don't see such a category in Distrowatch Search.

I'm not a Debian user myself, but I've heard that Debian has the widest software repository, so you might try it as well.

In any case, you could just try a few of the major distributions and see which one you prefer.

I recommend that you start with Fedora. The Fedora installer allows you to to pick packages of programs based on what functions you want to include in your Fedora system. Among other things the Fedora installer lists package groups for individual languages.

Pretty much any Linux distribution will have all of these development packages available. The advantage with Fedora is that during the install you can pick out the language package groups that you need without being familiar with any of the Linux software development packages.

Like Didier Spaier says you will probably try several Linux distributions before settling on one. I am just recommending that you try Fedora first.

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Steve Stites

Didier Spaier, thank you for the answer. I have been working with windows for ages and i am used to programming in visual studio 2012, 2010, etc... and using adobe creative cloud products... on the other hand, i want to migrate to linux as I said before, its more stable and i am just getting tired and frustrated with some of the windows features that microsoft nags on to windows. So I will try using slackware as you said. Now, I went to the slackware website, and saw that in the store the slackware dvd 14.1 costs around 50 dollars. Is slackware free or do I have to pay the fee ?

I'd actually recommend Slackware. To be honest, with the way GNU/Linux is evolving, you should learn the core fundamentals of not just using GNU/Linux but being a GNU/Linux administrator even if you're new to GNU/Linux from Windows. To be honest every other system out there is more or less clones of each other with a different packaging system added in anymore, so picking a distribution really doesn't matter when they all use the same tools. The only true distributions still using custom designs are Slackware, CRUX, Void, and Gentoo, and possibly a few others, but out of those, Slackware is your best bet to learn with.

And yes Slackware is free, but you could donate to the project by purchasing a subscription or a media disk, book, and other paraphernalia. The downloadable isos are always free.

I confirm. Just click "Get Slack" on this page. I assume (yes, that's just an assumption) that what Patrick Volkerding expects is that people first try Slackware then, if they like it, support it financially as they can afford/think it deserves. On the Slackware Store you can buy some stuff and/or make a donation of which you freely choose the amount.

Ok, I will try slackware on VMWare first. I also got the book online to read: Slackware essentials v2.0.
One question I have though is will it be hard for me to grasp all of this as I have been using Windows ever since I was born ?

No, assuming that you're not the kind of user who's lost as soon as asked to type something in a terminal, or an icon has moved or disappeared from the GUI Also, my advice would be not to try to find in Linux exactly the same things as in Windows.

Additional information is available @ http://docs.slackware.com.

Feel free to ask for help or information in the Slackware forum.

1 members found this post helpful.

Just a good idea when you're installing. Try out the Xfce desktop or KDE desktop. Both are very straight forward and are somewhat Windows-Like in methodology and usage.

Btw post install, here are some commands to get you started quickly.

xorgsetup - Sets up the Xorg display and drivers. Usually this works correctly without issue.

startx - Launches the X display service and your desktop of choice.

xwmconfig - Let's you reselect a different desktop and window manager, if you want.

netconfig - Let's you tune your networking if you skipped it.

If you need any helps there are always dozens of Slackware users online to assist you, so when you have a question, ask even if it seems trivial.

And don't fear the Shell system. Terminal/Console shell command line is very powerful and highly useful. It takes a bit of getting used to, but after a while, you'll be just as comfortable typing commands as point-and-click.

1 members found this post helpful.

I started with Slackware. I'm glad I did.

It's not the out-of-the-box easiest distro. For one thing, it will not automatically partition your hard drive for you--you have to do that with fdisk or cfdisk (I recommend cfdisk), but it's rock solid stable and it's a damn fine teacher.

If you want easy out-of-the box, I'd recommend Mint. Fedora is Red Hat's test bed and is too bleeding edge for me.

1 members found this post helpful.

Thanks Frankbell, ReaperX7, Didier Spaier and all the rest who participated and helped me out
I probably will have some other questions but as for now I am handling everything smoothly
I ran across my friend who also wants to have Linux but he is aiming at buying a laptop with ubuntu installed or without a system where he can install it right away. He told me that if you get a laptop with linux installed, you are sure that all the hardware is compatible ... as I dont know if that seems true or not but I did look up Dell XPS 13 Developer edition and read some good reviews on it, though on the pricy side.
Anyways, thanks guys for your help !!

Go for a Thinkpad, new or used. Mine is more than 8 years old, used intensively everyday, sometimes treated harshly, and never failed. Only the battery died a few months ago (not a big annoyance as I use it as desktop). I'm considering replacing it in a few years if/when I can find an excuse for that.

Plus the Thinkpads are known to be Linux compatible.

Which Thinkpad ? There are a lot of Thinkpads

One in the T serie. They are the most robust, I think.

This is the guide to all things Thinkpad + Linux
http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/ThinkWiki