Today, after some blue screens and constant virus reports (that cant be healed or deleted) I thought I try to find some other software.

My contact with linux has been basically zero, but I have played tux :P

Now I tried to find out what kind of linux based systems should I install but couldnt decide. I looked some forums and tried to figure out should I install KDE or GNOME or RED HAT, but I couldn´t. I did found out that I can use my adobe programs with ease but solidworks doesn´t work so well.

Anyway, maybe somebody can suggest me what kind of desktop system should I download. I am an industrial design student so I need to use Photoshop and sometimes other CAD programs - ofcourse Adobe family also.

I don´t know how to use the command window (big black screen ) so I need a system that is most noob friendly, easy to install and doesn´t want me to update it too often.

I hope somebody will help

Visit distrowatch.com and have a look at the most frequently downloaded Linux distros. The ones that appear at the top are also the ones that should be the easiest to use for novices. Most of these cds/dvds can be used as livecds/dvds, which means they can run off cd/dvd so you don't need to install straight away. Just bear in mind that, inevitably, running off cd/dvd is slower than running off a hard drive and that you will have access to only a selection of all the software that is available. Should you decide to go with Ubuntu, here is a bit of help: http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Ubuntu:Intrepid

KDE and Gnome, by the way, are not Linux distros but desktop environments, that is, sets of software applications. To the first time user, the most striking difference is a different interface and a different feel. But both KDE and Gnome can be installed on a single system so you can switch from one to the other.

As for the applications you mention, unfortunately, many of those are written for windows and/or Mac only. You can run a good many windows applications on Linux (such as Photoshop) if you install WINE but so far it does not work for everything.

First each linux distro has both KDE and Gnome, Red Hat is a distro and is now part of the Fedora project. I would recommend Ubuntu However I have never used it. But it is the most popular! And it will run with the Gnome Desktop. I have been using KDE for the past few years, I just like the feel better than Gnome. But as far a distro's go most Linux noobs go with the harder distro's and end up going back to Windows. I used Mandrake Linux when I first started using Linux which is now called Mandriva you may also want to check that out too.Fedora,Debian and Slackware are more Advanced in my opinion.And Lastly I use Opensuse 11.1 which I would consider in between. Depending on your system you could run most of your programs with a windows emulator such as wine. However most windows programs have a linux alternative. An example would be Photoshop I use Gimp which comes prepackaged in most distro's.CAD Software for linux is both free and not free I searched and came up with FREECAD and most are running AutoCAD in linux using wine.Good luck though and hope you find what your looking for?

You're a Debian guy (like me), you should try Ubuntu once. That'll probably withold you of recommending it once again because "so many people are using it". Ubuntu has tried to take over so many "user friendly" features of Windows, it is far worse than most Linuxes.

It is impossible to recommend a distro to a complete newbie. No one will like Linux. I only understood that when I had to explain someone how Office 2007 worked. I felt totally helpless. A priori Office 2007 is a crap program, although maybe it isn't really. Jsut because of that banner thing I don't know, I despise it.

I can only recommend the OP to use one of the distro finders on Internet, make a first, second and third choice. Install it, and be prepared to trash it. After a few weeks make a final choice.

Adobe seems to run in Wine or in a Virtual machine. I prefer a VM. Windows is stable if you don't install more than 4 applications. Some programs have a Linux alternative which is soo good that it is useless to try to use the Windows program.

jlinkels

Yeah, be cautious picking Ubuntu. It seems to have made someone as mad as a hatter - and he used it only once!

Just to correct what Mojojo said, Red Hat is NOT part of Fedora. Red Hat supports Fedora so that Fedora will develope (debug) new features. RHEL(Red Hat Enterprise Linux)3 was based on FC4(Fedora Core 4), RHEL5 was based on FC6. RHEL6 was scheduled to be based on Fedora 9 but it proved to be too buggy(last I heard RHEL6 is scheduled to be based on F11).

On F11? Surely that does not make sense. That would mean at least another 15 months before RH6 gets released?

Might wanna read that again

Exactly why I recommended it

F11 is due to be released in May. They have pushed back the scheduled release date on RHEL6 a number of times already. The push back is also generally used to explain why so many packages in RHEL5 have been updated to newer versions (rather than patched as they have always done in the past). When 5.3 came out they even upgraded GCC to 4.3(something I do not think they have ever done before).



Mojojo

Was the part I was talking about.


Edit: FC6 was released October 24, 2006(?) and RHEL5 was released Feb 2007(?). So I do not think there will be a 15 month lag between the release of F11 and RHEL6 (assuming F11 is relatively behaved).

Wikipedia states "Red Hat sponsors the Fedora Project" I stated "Red Hat is a distro and is now part of the Fedora project" I don't see what this has to do with the topic of this thread though

It does not have anything to do with the OPs topic. Those two phrases do not mean the same thing(I suspect a second language problem?). Just becuase Red Hat(the company) sponsors Fedora, it does not mean that Red Hat (the distro) is part of the Fedora project.