Survey

[Shippou]

Just thought of starting this thread...

For you, what do you think is the best Linux distro?

I just want to decide if I'll stay permanently Kubuntu.

[wolfen69]

any debian based is good with me.

[Bachstelze]

For desktops, Gentoo if you can afford the compiling, Ubuntu otherwise. For servers, Slackware is the least bad.

[chris4585]

ubuntu since you can get things to just work, well with my hardware, but anything based off ubuntu i'm good with

[new2*buntu]

I say Debian, but I am going to try Arch when I feel I'm up to the installer.

[kellemes]

I say Debian, but I am going to try Arch when I feel I'm up to the installer.

You'll be surprised how straightforward it is..

[cardinals_fan]

Another one of these, eh? I love Zenwalk (http://www.zenwalk.org) and KateOS (http://www.kateos.org). Xubuntu (http://www.xubuntu.org) is ok. I really want to try Arch (http://www.archlinux.org) when school gets out this summer.

[Midwest-Linux]

Vista.....

Just kidding...lol



Linux Mint 4.0, Freespire 2.0, Ubuntu, Puppy Linux

[Shippou]

Vista.....

Just kidding...lol


Nice one... :lol:

What do you think about Lindspire? I sort of want to try it, but my classmate discouraged me, saying its a "Linux aspiring to be Windows"... :lol:

[LaRoza]

What do you think about Lindspire? I sort of want to try it, but my classmate discouraged me, saying its a "Linux aspiring to be Windows"... :lol:

You can try FreeSpire, but I didn't like it at all. (I don't say that about many distros)

It is trying to be Windows.

[kpkeerthi]

1. Arch
2. Zenwalk (although package management is still nowwhere near arch's or debian's)

[mivo]

I don't believe there is a "best" Linux distro. They all have up- and dowsides, and people are looking for different traits and qualities in the distro of their choice.

Personally, I like Arch a great deal, because you have full control over what is installed, there is no baggage, little is done automatically without you setting up, and it's a rolling release distro, so it's always up-to-date and you don't have to upgrade (or reinstall) every x months. Arch also has the best packaging system I've ever encountered. It's really very lovely.

I also like Ubuntu, because it has a solid philosophy, an outstanding community, and it's rather complete -- you can get a fully working and and fully featured system in very little time with very little to no tweaking. There are how-tos for any given problem, 64-bit support is advanced (compared to other distros) and there's a huge repository.

[igknighted]

I don't believe there is a "best" Linux distro...

He said, "Which distro is the best for you"

For me, It's Fedora. I can't afford to run a true rolling-release distro due to stability concerns (my laptop has to boot up ready to run every day), but I cannot stand waiting around 6 months for a new release just to get an upgrade on a bad driver or application. Fedora strikes a nice balance, leaving important systems (Xorg, GCC, etc.) versions the same, but upgrading many drivers and applications throughout the release.

[sujoy]

for me its.....
1. Debian
2. Arch
3. Slackware

[jacob01]

ubuntu has the best support out there

[Antman]

For me it's:

1. Sidux (debian sid) :KS
2. openSuse
3. Ubuntu
4. LinuxMint 4

[CCNA_student]

Ubuntu is best for me.

[Pogeymanz]

I really, really like the idea behind Arch, though I haven't tried it yet. So, that aside:

1. Xubuntu (I like XFCE)
2. Puppy (I love this guy)
3. OpenSUSE (But YaST is always slow on every computer)

[Shippou]

Updates on this thread:
As of today,

Gentoo - |
Slackware - ||
Ubuntu - ||||||
Arch - |||||
Zenwalk - ||
KateOS - |
Xubuntu - ||
Mint 4.0 - |
Freespire 2.0 - |
Puppy Linux - ||
Fedora - |
Debian - |
Sidux - |
OpenSuSe - ||

It seems that I will switch to Ubuntu or Arch...

Question: What is the difference between Arch and Ark Linux?

[cardinals_fan]

Question: What is the difference between Arch and Ark Linux?

Arch (http://www.archlinux.org/) is a true rolling-release distro which installs a very simple base system (CLI), and YOU install the rest. Arch adheres to the Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS) method. For more info see The Arch Way (http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/The_Arch_Way), Arch FAQ (http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/FAQ), and Arch vs. Others (http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Arch_vs_Others). Explore the wiki and learn!

I don't know much about Ark Linux (http://www.arklinux.org/), but it seems to be much more gui-based, and meant for new linux users. I think that it installs KDE by default.

[init1]

You can try FreeSpire, but I didn't like it at all. (I don't say that about many distros)

It is trying to be Windows.
Yeah didn't recognize my NIC (most distros (excluding Slackware based ones) recognize it).
Anyway, I'd have to say Debian is my favorite. Blag and Suse are nice too though.

[myusername]

i liked mint but soon it started to feel weird on my system and the only thing i liked about it was the colors, the codecs and the start menu so i d/l the start menu for ubuntu and haven't looked back since

[Shippou]

Hello again...

How about vixta? I tried it, but didn't like it (maybe because it is only new).

Does anyone have already tried it, even on virtual machines?

How about Mac OS?

just kidding... :)

[cardinals_fan]

Vector Linux is absolutely exceptional. It's literally perfect for me. I also like anything else Slackware-based, NetBSD (which would be my favorite except for the lack of NVIDIA graphics drivers), OpenSolaris (would be my favorite, but it's slow), and Arch.

[zmjjmz]

Ubuntu is best for my main computer, Any non-GNOME/KDE distro is best for my 10-5 year old computers, Damn Small Linux is best for my 10 year old computers, and BasicLinux is the best for my 586's.

[ibutho]

For me the best Linux distro is openSUSE followed closely by Debian. Other OSes I like are FreeBSD and NetBSD.

[Antman]

For me it's:

1. Sidux (debian sid) :KS
2. openSuse
3. Ubuntu
4. LinuxMint 4
Wow... times change huh...?!?

Now my top four are:

1. Zenwalk
2. VectorLinux
3. Slackware
4. Fedora

openSUSE would come in at 5th place

[cardinals_fan]

Wow... times change huh...?!?

Now my top four are:

1. Zenwalk
2. VectorLinux
3. Slackware
4. Fedora

openSUSE would come in at 5th place
Admirable choices :)

[Antman]

Admirable choices :)
I just found out that OpenBSD now supports WPA (as of april 2008 ). So this may change again. :lolflag:

[Twitch6000]

I wouldn't say there is a best Linux disto.
However,I would say there is a Linux that could probably make anyone happy if they wanted it to.
Like for me PClinuxOS makes me happy.
DSL makes my friend happy.
Ubuntu makes my teacher happy.
Windows makes my grandparents happy(well not a linux distro,but it makes them happy)

[karellen]

for me, Mandriva

[L815]

For best, I think OpenSuse would take the lead if Yast was a bit less "bulk".
Otherwise, Ubuntu has always drawn me back. If it weren't for Ubuntu/Debian based distros, I wouldn't have as much interest in Linux as I thought.

[Barrucadu]

Definitely Arch, I can set it all up exactly as I want from a base CLI system, and despite that it is very easy.

[mthei]

For desktop usage, I've settled on Fedora, as it runs better on my hardware, although I think it's tied with Debian in my mind as the best.
I'm also a bit of a fan of Zenwalk and OpenSUSE.

[Shippou]

I wouldn't say there is a best Linux disto.
However,I would say there is a Linux that could probably make anyone happy if they wanted it to.
Like for me PClinuxOS makes me happy.
DSL makes my friend happy.
Ubuntu makes my teacher happy.
Windows makes my grandparents happy(well not a linux distro,but it makes them happy)

Nice post! :)

Windows really just make almost all people happy, no? (especially when they own a pirated copy. Hehehehe...:))

Well, it is sometimes cool to think that all of the three main OS in the world have a specific place:
1. Windows for the desktop
2. Linux for sysadmins, servers and supercomputers (someone said this)
3. Mac for notebooks and "elites" (those who can afford the expensive OS)

But then, so far I've been experimenting with Linux, and all of your choices supports the fact that there are many Linux distros to choose from, each tailored for a general or specific purpose. For example, Vixta and Linux XP for windows converts, and RedHat and Fedora for sysadmins and security paranoids (sorry for the term).

I have tried these distros though:
1. Puppy Linux
2. OpenSuSe
3. Ubuntu and Kubuntu (and some Xubuntu, though I didn't like it)
4. RedHat (didn't like it)
5. Fedora
6. Vixta (which is buggy)
7. MuLinux (tried from VirtualBox; I was inspired to DL it because it is small (about 60MB) and fast (maybe maximum of 128MB RAM needed, but it is command-line based (reminisce the time of DOS))

Well, just post your thoughts, though. I am currently using Ubuntu Hardy Heron, and have encountered some problems (see my thread entitled Stupidity. PLease help! :)

[Blessed_Coffee]

Best "distro" ever!
LFS ==> http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/
You don't have to worry about any developers messing up XD

[Inxsible]

+ 1 For Arch
+ 1 For Debian

I use both all the time

[perlluver]

I would say Slackware if you like stability, or Arch if you want bleeding edge.

[zipperback]

For you, what do you think is the best Linux distro?

For a very long time, I was using a dual boot system of Windows XP and Ubuntu.

Over time I found that I was booting into Windows less and less due to the fact that there really isn't anything that Windows can do for me, that I cannot due in a similar fashion using an open source solution. I no longer have Windows installed and have no intention of ever installing Windows again.

For me as a personal choice I use Ubuntu as do the members of my family.

So for myself and my family Ubuntu is the "Best" choice.

For others, it might be OpenSuse, Fedora, Mint, or any of the other numerous versions of Linux.

As for the "Best" version of Linux in general, I would have to say that it is the version that best meets the needs of the person using it, and what they need to do with it.

One thing that I would like to point out though is that Linux is not the distribution that a person runs. Linux is the kernel that comprises the core of the operating system. http://kernel.org/

A distribution of Linux such as Ubuntu, is a large collection of software which its developers feel best meets their needs and the needs of their community and best meets the goals which they have set for their distribution.

Ubuntu is intended to be a highly stable, easy to install, and easy to use desktop distribution that can be used by just about anyone with very minimal effort. There is also a version of Ubuntu which is intended for deployment on servers as well.



- zipperback
:popcorn:

[K.Mandla]

"Best" depends on what you mean. For me the "best" ease of installation is Ubuntu. The "best" for speed and customization is Crux. In between there's Debian and Arch, but not many others that I would list.