Which linux distro is more similar to win xp? Specially to what it refers to user friendly.

I assume you are asking for a user friendly version of Linux. I guess the best way to compare Linux to WIN XP is the desktop configuration. KDE has a menu similar to Windows. So there are a multitude of verions just remember when you decide which Linux look for the KDE desktop version. My favorite is OpenSuse version of Linux. It is easy to use and has a good information website at www.opensuse.org. Check it out. Good Luck.

hi
i have installed recently opensuse 11. I felt it as very user friendly
rgds
bil

While I don't buy the whole 'KDE is more friendly to a Windows user" nonsense, it works just the same..

Any of the newbie friendly distros..

Ubuntu(or Kubuntu)
PCLinuxOS
OpenSuse
Linux Mint

IGF

If you want a distro similar to XP, you will never find something really good I'm not saying user-friendly distros are bad, I'm saying you can't be better than something while being like it.

The distros listed above are very easy to use, and I would recommend them.

I try to avoid the term "user friendly" though... IMHO user friendly does not always mean easy, it can mean "helps you learn" as well.

It comes down to what you are looking for. Do you have some spare time? Are you willing (or wanting) to learn, and how much?

recently all most every Distro out there is very user friendly ... very rarely do you see a distro where u have to type in commands to get programs and stuff ... the package manager gives you all that you need to install !! so you can actually download any distro you want .. try Mandriva,Fedora,Ubuntu,open suse ,pclinuxos,damn small linux,puppy linux,dreamlinux,............ goes on !! all of these are Gaphical interfaces and are user friendly ...you will get support for all these here and many other linux forums/websites !!
All the best

:edit: i agree with Ranguvar .... user friendly .. isnt that good !!!when it comes to linux there is nothing that beats the Terminal/Konsole... and i recently only discovered that and Rang ... i want to learn u have some valuable website or suggestion ????

Linux = XP

Title = b*ll*cks

Having got that out of the way,

Broadly, I agree with Ranguvar; in asking that, you are asking for a distro which copies Windows' problems as well as its good points. I can't see the point in that, but some people can.

I do believe that kde offers ex-windows-users the more shallow learning curve than gnome, although in some ways, Gnome may be the more user friendly, so it is important what you ask for (although kde 4, imho, still isn't quite ready, but that's another debate).

In most distros you can install a collection of user interfaces (KDE, Gnome, XFCE, enlightenment, windowmaker...) and you should probably try several. A live CD would also be a good idea just to have a quick look without breaking anything.

Actually, you can probably try almost anything for six months and then you'll have a better idea of what you really want.

http://mandriva.com/en/product/mandriva-linux-one

discussion closed.

Does "User friendly" mean it behaves exactly like m$ Windows?
If so just keep using Windoze. Linux will never be the same as windoze.
Gnome is less cluttered than KDE, but they all have their good points.
With linux you can have a choice of desktops. Windows only gives you one.
Here's a list of some the desktop managers
http://xwinman.org/
A lot of people confuse the gui/desktop with the underlying os.

A lot of people equate 'user friendly' with 'I am used to using this' even though the two concepts are obviously different.

Some might say that at least some of what is refered to as 'user friendliness' in Windows XP comes at the expense of security. In Windows XP you run with administrator rights by default. You can alter any part of the operating system at any time without anything asking you 'are you sure you want to do that?'. This is why viruses spread so easily on Windows systems and why malwear can be silently installed without the user noticing. Is an operating system which exposes the user to the possibility of majory changes being made to their operating system without their knowledge simply because they opened a dodgy email or clicked on something on a website is user friendly? In Linux there is a very clear distinction between the root user and regular users.

The question 'Which linux distro is more similar to win xp' really doesn't make sense. Linux is not Windows XP.


This is an excellent point. People who ask questions lke the one the OP has are demonstrating they are making the confusion. Which is perfectly understandable if you are very new to Linux.

Nonsense is the key word.

Xp has a start menu, kde has a k menu, gnome has a gnome menu.

Xp has a taskbar, kde has a taskbar, gnome has a taskbar.

Xp has windows, with max, min, close buttons, kde has windows, with max, min, close buttons, gnome has windows, with max, min, close buttons.

Strange.

Like 99% of the window managers and desktop environments out there. In that sense, MacOS is also similar to Xp, as is OS/2, as is any other windowing environment as long as we are not talking about the remaining 1%: the tiling wm's.

I am not a kde lover, but it's a silly nonsense, since gnome or xfce are not anything different in that regard. Even more: gnome has at lot less features. That's more xp-like than kde could ever be.

Just try a distro like puppy or ubuntu. Since there are livecds, you can try before deciding. However I recommend actually learning Linux, which is the right thing to do. If you want Xp then use Xp, it's also a logical thing.

Very subtle.

How about Linux XP?

You might want to look this over and save yourself a lot of frustration:

http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm

Have you ever used it?
I've heard only bad things about it. I downloaded the current version, Linux XP Desktop 2008, last year out of curiosity. I never did actually use it because when I tried to installer it all I got was an error message before the installer even started running. I couldn't be bothered going any further with it.

Also Linux XP costs. You can download what is apparently a 30 day trial though. I don't know what it does stop you using it after 30 days.