Looking for a stable distro

[ifflejink]

So, I've been using Linux Mint for a while, but I've been experiencing random sound and graphical issues quite a bit. So, now, I'm thinking about switching to another distro. I also have a few other things that I'm looking for-

-The distro should not be difficult to use or install. I'm not a Linux expert at all, and I definitely don't want to lose my /home partition or anything like that, and I would be replacing my / and /boot partitions in the install.

-Ideally, the distro should be fairly lightweight, but that's not a huge deal, just a preference.

-It would need to have at least fairly up-to-date repositories. I'm pretty big on using current versions of programs, although I don't use many betas.

-I'd prefer if I didn't have to use multiple CDs or a DVD for the install, just based on logistics for myself.

Thanks!

[cardinals_fan]

Slackware is my choice for a stable distro, but you need to be open to learn with it. Same goes for FreeBSD.

CentOS is the best combo of easy and stable that I've seen (although I personally love Slack)

[ifflejink]

On second thought, I should actually probably narrow down my choices a bit. I'm going to go do that.

Although Slackware could work, it just sounds way too complicated for me. I am in no way a Linux expert, so I'm pretty sure I'd just screw up Slackware.

CentOS I don't know as much about. I may well read up on it.

[wolfen69]

if you want stable, wait until debian 5 comes out. debian is legendary for its stability.

[Antman]

Although Slackware could work, it just sounds way too complicated for me. I am in no way a Linux expert, so I'm pretty sure I'd just screw up Slackware.
Than try Zenwalk. It's based on Slackware but easier to setup and use.:popcorn:

[cardinals_fan]

Than try Zenwalk. It's based on Slackware but easier to setup and use.:popcorn:
It also is less stable.

It really depends on what you consider "stable". Do you mean rock-solid and ready for production use, or just a bit less bleeding-edge than Ubuntu? If the former, try CentOS. If the latter, consider Vector.

[Sorivenul]

Zenwalk is an excellent distribution if you are looking for an "easier" Slackware.

I personally second the suggestion for Debian 5 (lenny). I currently run multiple boots of lenny and it is already very solid, and of course the repositories are huge...

[trekrem]

My suggestion would be for openSUSE, easy AND stable AND one of the best looking distros out there. I use it as my primary OS (which explains my minuscule post count on this forum).

http://software.opensuse.org/

[oOarthurOo]

No need to wait for Debian 5, aka Lenny. It's already about 10x more stable than the average Ubuntu Release. Heck, it's probably more stable than the 8.04 release and yet has newer packages. Plus, if you're using Mint, which is based on Ubuntu, which is based on Debian, there is a smaller learning curve than going CentOS, which is your second best choice in my opinion.

[neoflight]

I would confortably recommend 2 distros in the order of my preference.

1. CentOS 5.2 [Stable]

Rock solid. Its easy to set up. Some times it has some difficulty in setting the display right during installation. Work around is to use
linux resolution=1280x1024
to start the installation. Of course use whatever resolution your monitor has. Then the installation is as usual. you have the choice of selecting Gnome/Kde/Xfce etc and other packages.

Once you have booted into it then do some essential things such as install graphics dirvers, updates etc. I would install yumex immediately after the installation. They have FF 3.02.

CentOS wiki is a life saver.

You will immediately notice that gnome is much much faster.
I always had trouble with speed when using imap gmail in evolution. But centOS nailed it. It's extremely fast and i can use it on as many accounts i have. Openoffice response is instant after the first start.

I have had uptime of the order of several weeks without having any issues. suspend works just fine for me. (pm-utils)..Resume is almost within 6-10 seconds.

Insallation of Sun Java is easy. so is Nvidia and ATI. Both not from repos.

Texlive is not in the repo.. But there is a net install binary you could use from CTAN. It's just a command; run it, sit back and enjoy while its installing the entire TeX Live 2008.

Yum is also faster compared to fedora (8,9). It could also be due to fact that fedora has a very large package base than CentOS.

Most of the documentation for redhat would work for centOS + a very friendly community.

2. Debian (a)Stable-etch (b) testing-lenny [as of last week]

It is a fine distro. Rock solid as well. superior package management system. HUGE package base.

TeXlive is in the repos. So installing that (as a matter of fact, anything) is just a command. Gnome is slower in debian (both) compared to CentOS (thats my experience as based on no formal scientific analysis. But hey I cannot perform or search for analysis on everything every time. I just go by what I feel on a regular basis)

Installing Nvidia is ok. If you insist from installing from the repos they ask you to combine testing and unstable.

If you look in terms of very well maintained packages Debian wins hands down. If you are used to deb, then go for debian.

I hope Debian will have just one stable and one testing version at a time for users. They have stable, testing, unstable, experimental, hopeless, danger,..... That's just me.

So you can see that both are good distros and I just prefer CentOS

[MisfitI38]

GNU/Linux distributions are as stable as the user can make them. What I mean is, in common with Windows, the user's experience and computing habits play a large role in how stable and predictable their system is and will become.
So, in answer to your question, the more experience you gain, and the better your computing habits are, the more stable your chosen distro will be.
Generally speaking.

[regomodo]

Debian Etch and Slackware are the only 2 distros i've found to be stable.

[oldos2er]

Vector Linux is based on Slackware, but is somewhat friendlier. It has a decent package manager (slapt-get), and there's a version optimized for low-end systems.

[SuperSonic4]

Debian or Arch

Personally, I'd use arch. You can either use it as a CLI OS or put a "mod" on it (such as KDEmod). I've done it on the laptop and it is very stable and lightweight for a KDE. Plus the wiki is amazing :p

Debian is also lightweight though

[notwen]

+1 Debian. Download the first CD and install it in a virtual machine. Not quite as pretty as Ubuntu, but you should already be familiar w/ apt-get. The only irk of your demands is up-to-date software, even Debian Testing has frozen packages after certain dates, so if you can handle somewhat delayed package updates you may want to consider Debian. I've been using Debian since 2000 consistently and have zero complaints. If you mention the word stable, one distro pops to my mind instantly and that would be Debian. =] Best of luck w/ whatever distro you decide on.

[ifflejink]

After a lot of consideration and procrastination, I think I'm going to go with Zenwalk.

[wolfen69]

+1 Debian. Download the first CD and install it in a virtual machine. The only irk of your demands is up-to-date software, even Debian Testing has frozen packages after certain dates, so if you can handle somewhat delayed package updates you may want to consider Debian.

actually, debian lenny RC1 has more up to date packages than Hardy. lenny at this point can be considered stable. i'm using it now and has been absolutely flawless.

[gabhla]

Debian.

[mikjp]

Debian/testing is pretty stable and has uptodate repositories.

m

[angelsguitar]

And another one for Debian here! Lenny is pretty stable right now.

Another one you might want to consider is Mepis. I'm using Mepis 8 right now, although is in beta 5 stage, is very stable. Mepis 8 is based on Debian Lenny (unlike some other distros that claim to be Debian based but have their own repos - like Ubuntu - it actually uses Lenny repos), plus some cutting edge packages and utilities they include. Uses KDE 3.5

[LinuxGuy1234]

So, I've been using Linux Mint for a while, but I've been experiencing random sound and graphical issues quite a bit. So, now, I'm thinking about switching to another distro. I also have a few other things that I'm looking for-

-The distro should not be difficult to use or install. I'm not a Linux expert at all, and I definitely don't want to lose my /home partition or anything like that, and I would be replacing my / and /boot partitions in the install.

-Ideally, the distro should be fairly lightweight, but that's not a huge deal, just a preference.

-It would need to have at least fairly up-to-date repositories. I'm pretty big on using current versions of programs, although I don't use many betas.

-I'd prefer if I didn't have to use multiple CDs or a DVD for the install, just based on logistics for myself.

Thanks!

Linux from Scratch (http://linuxfromscratch.org)?