I have installed, or attempted to install, three distros of Linux on my home desktop computer (not counting Ubuntu and Kubuntu as different distros). Of those three, only Ubuntu/Kubuntu worked perfectly "out of the box". It took me two long weeks to get Debian 3.1 Sarge (then "unstable") up and running properly on my system, and I gave up on getting Fedora working (I think it was Fedora 5). Ubuntu/Kubuntu I installed on four other systems with only two problems. I had a hard time getting the wireless card on one laptop to work, and I had to work getting a USB wireless device on one desktop to work. I switched from Debian to Ubuntu just after Ubuntu 5.10 was released, and other than a brief attempt to work with Fedora, I have been with Ubuntu ever since. I will probably switch to Hardy before it is officially released, but I want to hold off a little before I do.

Not just the fact that there is a GUI for everything, but that it's simple enough for someone to use who does not care what "Linux" is. I'm not Ubuntu fanboy, even though it's been my daily driver for almost a year now, but Fedora was not maintainable by someone who is not interested in learning. I understand that SUSE has a decent GUI control center as well, but I've not had the opportunity to play with it.

Why? It's not like Google Mail Beta where you are automatically updated to the stable version when released. Use the Beta/RC only if you intend on filing bugs. Otherwise use any of the currently stable versions, there are at least three to choose from.

Over the last few months I have replaced RHEL and Gentoo with Ubuntu and Ubuntu Server on my personal clients and servers. Ease of configuration and administration being the main reason - I don't like every idea implemented, but all in all it simply takes me less time to manage.

I don't mind the GUI tools, as long as they don't get in the way of using the CLI. Several distribution have poorly integrated graphical tools, Ubuntu a little less so.

Originally posted by dotancohen:

I think you're referring to yast. It's a few years since I used Suse but I found some of the settings a bit obscure or hard to find compared to other distros. Otherwise it worked OK.

Sorry it took so long to respond. I have been out of town and away from the Internet.

When 6.10 was released, I tried to upgrade that first weekend and ran into some problems because the Ubuntu servers were extremely busy. With 7.04, I decided to wait a week before I upgraded. That worked relatively well, but I was itching to try the new version. With 7.10, I decided to upgrade to the release candidate the Saturday before the official release. The servers were far less busy, and I had no problems whatsoever. After the official release, it was a seemless process to "upgrade" from RC to final. That went so well, I figured I would do that again.

I'll throw in $.02..


I first installed Ubuntu 5.1 & have been using it in some form or another since, though now, it's only on my laptop.

I hate that there's a new version every 6 months and that old versions are put to pasture after 2 years. This is a nightmare when managing many systems (like 100+ with mixed hardware). For this reason, I moved my render nodes to Debian. For the most part, I don't need bleeding edge apps anyway, as they are often unstable & the old ones worked just fine.

At one point, my dekstop running version X got a notice that I could upgrade to version Y (I think this was 6.1 -> 7.1). I said, "sure" & clicked ok. That was the last time that computer worked until I wiped the drive & installed Debian.

Outside of that, it's a fine distro. I don't know why people think it's only a "beginner" distro, as it's largely based on Debian. It's only as beginner as you make it. It did install quite nicely on my old laptop & got all the network cards & such right, so points for that... I just can't get over the need to upgrade every 6 months. So annoying.

Ubuntu is OK...but not the best...

-C

then what is the BEST????

Unfortunately, "the best" is very subjective. There are so many variables that change by individual (and by distro) it is very hard to point to any one of the hundreds of Linux distros and say unequivocally "That one is the best for everyone". Each distro has their own mix of features, and each user has their own set of features they are looking for.

Most distros are a balance between various extremes, such as...

simplicity vs. power
stability vs. cutting edge
commercial support vs. community support
server vs. desktop
free (cost) vs. paid
Lots of included programs vs. very few included programs
DIY vs. done for you
pure open-source vs. some proprietary

Someone who wants a free, powerful, cutting edge, community supported, pure open-source desktop with very few included programs aimed at the DIYer would probably choose a different "best" distro than someone who is looking for a powerful, stable desktop with lots of included programs who wants their system to "just work" and doesn't care if there are proprietary components or not.

In my mind, Ubuntu may not be "the best" for everyone, but I do think it is a very good starting point for anyone. For example, if you try it and think, "This is too simple," then you can find one that isn't quite as simple. If you try it and think, "This isn't simple enough", then there are simpler ones out there. Similarly, if you think, "This distro installs too many programs by default", then there are distros that install fewer programs. On the other hand, if you think there are too few programs, then there are distros that install more programs by default, and so on.

i think that ubuntu is the best choice to new linux user
but i have a question a point this point you can download any distro u want from the net go to any torrent site and u will find many paid ones
the problem now if u download those ones can u update them and have security updates or what???

There are many sources for download or puchasing CD's but all updates come from the Ubuntu repositories. You get updates regardless of where you got the distro -- even copying from a friend.

I'm going to have to contradict you and say Ubuntu is terrible for a new Linux User. Why? Because by trying to be simple, it gets in the users way. The best way to learn Linux is by doing it yourself, and learning things on your own, so that you can fix problems as they occur. I know many people that use Ubuntu that are in an utter panic when X11 won't work for whatever reason, couldn't tell you what the root user is, and couldn't use vim, emacs, or nano if they're life depeneded on it.

look what i mean that u can download mandriva powerback and redhat enterprise,....... from any torrent site without paying :)

Exactly my point. There is no best...just "What works for me"

-C