Linux for Dell XPS M1530 uncovered
 

After a long quest for the right version of Linux on my Dell XPS M1530 laptop, here are some of the points on which i would like to discuss:

I have 4 partitions (C,D,E,F)
C = Vista
D = Ubuntu 9.04
E = openSuSE 11.1
F = Mandriva 2009.1

Objective:
My requirement includes Entertainment, Office, Programming (Using eclipse for JAVA), Application server (selectively JBoss), Peer networking.

Ubuntu 9.04:
Tried it, is a great distro at ease. But the only demerit is the number of packages and functionalities. It is true you get unlimited packages online, but as you proceed incrementing the packages install, Ubuntu degrades in performance comparatively.

openSuSE 11.1:
Again, is a distro from Novell, seems to have appealing GUI but below Mandriva's GUI look & feel. SuSE doesn't have that many features bundled. It lacks in the area of customization. When I say this i mean it doesn't have programs which can customize the layout, fonts etc. As well the greatest problem I see here is the driver incompatibility for touchpad. Fails to connect secured WiFi. Also the system gets heated up very quickly. Also, most of the commands ain't available. The 3D desktop as said for this distro, I'm find it hard to locate this feature.

Mandriva 2009.1:
As said earlier, GUI architecture is great. It's a distro built over RedHat. I have not tried with all the softwares as mentioned by me, but my gut feel is strong coz of RPM support and the ability to resolve package dependencies. So installation should go at ease.


The Problem Area (Suggestions invited):
Installation of Mandriva ain't great. With custom partitioning option chosen, you get unique suggestions each time when you go previous and come back again. It's very confusing. I lost my MBR due to this, and now its is almost impossible to get it back on the track. I'm left with no other option but to reformat all the partitions and reinstall all the OS.

Your suggestions invited:
Based on the above said scenario and my requirements from Linux, what would be the right choice of distro you would select for me and why?

Thanks for you cooperation, can solve lot more queries and doubts for many geeks.

You've posted things that don't sound right, or don't make any sense.

How, exactly, would adding a software package, make your system slower? The only way it would, is if you were RUNNING all the packages at once.

Wrong. I use openSUSE 11.1, and can (and have) customized everything. Fonts, widgets, buttons, etc. 3d desktop works great for me under KDE4.2, and I'm on a laptop, without really good graphics. I'm connected to several secured WiFi points, with no problems. If your system is heating up, chances are something didn't get installed right, and ACPI isn't working, which is what controls fans, etc.

Well, openSUSE, and most of the Linux distros out there, are RPM based. But even if they're Debian (.deb) based, it's still just a package distribution mechanism. Not a whole lot is different.

Also, be aware that any Linux package also has source code available for it. You can then go build it for ANY distro you want, so when you mention things like "unlimited packages", that's true for any distro, really. Also, you say "GUI look and feel"...WHICH GUI? You can run KDE (several versions), Gnome, FVWM, IceWM, and Enlightenment, to name just a few. All of them look and feel different from the others, so if you don't like one, pick another.

From what you've posted, it seems like you're just doing a very basic, default installation, taking the defaults on everything, and judging things based on that. Look deeper. Which should you pick? Any of the ones you mentioned work fine for what you want, so pick one.