need some distro suggestions (besides ubuntu)
 

i used to be really into linux when i was younger. i used mepis around version 5 and 6 as my main OS. as i got more into PC gaming i of course switched back to windows but now i'm looking to get back into the linux world. i don't really want to go with ubuntu, i played around with the newest version a bit in a VM and i didn't really like it that much. it seems too polished. part of the fun i used to have with linux was problem solving, not having everything always work perfectly from the get go and playing around a little with the behind the scenes stuff. i'm still going to use windows as my main OS but i want a linux i can mess around and experiment with. i'm tempted to throw the newest version of mepis on but it doesn't seem to be as popular as it used to be. is it still a decent OS? any other suggestions? as for my competence level i wouldn't necessarily call myself a linux noob but i'm certainly no expert. somewhere in between.

edit: i just realized this belongs in the distro section. sorry everybody. any suggestions you guys have would still be much appreciated

Well, since you asked ;)
Install something non-Debian.
I personally use and approve Slackware14.

nuff said.

If you want a distro that needs fixing(?) a bit, you could get Fedora. Its RedHat's R&D bleeding edge distro and they're always looking for more guinea pigs ;)

thanks guys! i'll definitely check those out

Sounds like what you are looking for is Arch Linux or Linux From Scratch, or Gentoo Linux, or SlackWare Linux or FreeBSD.
Enjoy and good luck to you. Ah and welcome back!

arch, gentoo?

Mepis is OK. I'm actually a big fan of straight Debian using the testing repo with deb-multimedia added. It's what I run on both of my desktops (which are the only machines I have that don't get regularly reimaged to test something on). I used to love Arch, but I have a tendency to test distros and so reinstall on some of my laptops rather frequently, and the installer for Arch IMO went MASSIVELY downhill, and it reminds me of trying to install like Debian 1.0 or Slackware 3 it's that archaic with how little it does for you anymore. Not my style anymore. And they seem to have taken a love for breaking the system every 4 months. So I gave up on them.

Something to look at IMO would be Chakra. It started out as an Arch based distro, but is no longer, and is moving further and further away from Arch. Still not one of my favorites, but I think it's decent now. They're still nowhere near where they want to be (they're actually writing a new package manager to replace pacman as they want to move to a gui package manager and they've been unhappy with the gui frontends for pacman), but it shows promise.

Fedora is a decent suggestion, but be warned if you're like me and hate when you're forced to install a program that's not related in order to install another one (for instance, being forced to install rekonq to use kopete), then you won't be happy with it. A TON of the software is only available in "mega packages" that include multiple different peices of slightly-related software, some of which you may not want or need.

Obviously, Slackware is always going to be a suggestion. It's the oldest living distribution for a reason...

Another suggestion for Arch. You start with no Window Manager and a small setup that allows you to build it to your liking.

You want to get your hands dirty, thats the spirit!

Slackware, Archlinux, Gentoo.

Slackware is the easiest and most automated one of the three to install, but Slack do not have any dependency resolution in its package management, which is both good and bad. Arch can be a bit tedious to install for a beginner, but once installed it is more automated than Slackware due to itś package management with dep.resolution. Arch is a bit of a bleeding edge distro of the type "rolling release", where you have to expect some glitches. Slackware on the other hand is more of "dont touch, it works", Slack has a rep. of being extremely stable in its base-system, any bleeding edge you can/have to add your self. Both Arch and Slack adhere to the KISS philosophy, especially Slack that can be said to be the father of all distros that keep things simple.

As for Gentoo whicj is a source based distro i think they nowadays have a live CD with which you can install a base system automaticly, but it is a long time since i tried Gentoo. To compile everything from source was a bit much for me, but YMMV. Slack is my favourite, even if have wondered away to Arch in some of my computers.

Well, then I wouldn't recommend Slackware because it works perfectly.

Arch seems to be good for you because it breaks from time to time when upgrading.

Markus