Have you found your perfect OS, or are you still looking (open minded to change)

[wolfen69]

i can say for now with certainty, that for me, ubuntu is the best os ive ever used. and ive tried most of them. i feel so at home with it, that it's frightening. anyway, have you found THE distro?

[LaRoza]

Not really. I have found "the repos" in that everything I want is easily available (Ubuntu repos), but I find Ubuntu itself not exactly what I want.

[wolfen69]

i only use what works for me. that's all you can do. bottom line.

but for my customers i have to know how to make their pc's sing. that means knowing almost all OS's and distros. linux has served me well.

[vierdreieins]

I don't know if Ubuntu is the perfect OS for me, because I've only tried this and Knoppix, and it's very possible I could eventually feel more at home in another distro once I know more of what I'm doing with Linux. But I do know that when it comes to Windows/Mac/Linux, I'm going to be a Linux fan for life.

I recently blew up Windows Vista, which came with my laptop (I already ran Ubuntu on my desktop for a while) and feel like I finally have control over my computer again. It's a wonderful feeling.

[dizee]

I'm happy with Xubuntu and while other OSs look interesting I don't see any real need to change. I have it set up the way I want as well and don't really want the bother of going through all that again.

So, yes, I think I have :)

for now at least

[Kingsley]

Fedora is my perfect OS for the time being. Though I'd like to try ArchLinux.

[croto]

I must say that the operating system that has really made me feel at home is Slackware. I love its transparency and simplicity. I've tried Ubuntu as well, but I found it a bit unstable on my laptop, and to my taste, it was trying to do too many things for me, getting on my way. I cut me teeth on Slackware, so probably I need more time to get accustomed to the Ubuntu way.

[TheOrangePeanut]

Arch is a great distro. I like the rolling release system, the simplicity and the "build it yourself and the way you want" system it uses. If I had better compatible hardware I know for a fact I'd stay with Linux... thinking about switching back to Windows until I can get a new computer, however :(

[wolfen69]

But I do know that when it comes to Windows/Mac/Linux, I'm going to be a Linux fan for life.

I recently blew up Windows Vista, which came with my laptop (I already ran Ubuntu on my desktop for a while) and feel like I finally have control over my computer again. It's a wonderful feeling.

nice...

[jrusso2]

You know things change over time, sometimes the quality of a distribution falls over time.

I started out being a commited RedHat user, then when Mandrake came out I moved to that so that I didn't have to install KDE myself.

Then the quality of Mandrake went down when they started charging. So I moved to Debian, then when Ubuntu came out it was more modern so I tried that. But things bothered me about it so I was using Fedora for a while. That turned out to be too buggy so I went back to Ubuntu. But lastely tested the last couple of Mandriva releases and they were pretty good so I have that running now on one computer and Ubuntu on the other.

[cardinals_fan]

I'm very fond of Slackware, but I prefer NetBSD. Unfortunately, there are no NVIDIA drivers for NetBSD. DragonFlyBSD could be my perfect OS in a couple years.

[SomeGuyDude]

If at any point you find yourself unwilling to try something new, you've forgotten your way.

[jeyaganesh]

I used to test new linux distros. But mostly I come back to Ubuntu. I have installed PC Linux OS, Fedora, Open SUSE, Mandriva and Fluxbuntu. Most of the distros looks like ubuntu. Some of these distros' live CD are difficult to use in my system. So I come back to ubuntu. Other than Ubuntu I like Fedora. Fluxbuntu is a lovely distro with artistic look. But I couldnt able to work with its desktop environment. Among Ubuntu flavors, Ubuntu studio has beautiful look. For listening music and photo works, I still use Windows Vista. Ubuntu sound quality is not so good.

[kernelhaxor]

I am very happy with Ubuntu on my desktop (switched from Fedora - wasn't happy with it) .. I still use Vista on my tablet PC though due to lack of drivers for linux ..

I like both Ubuntu and Vista .. neither have given me any problems .. contrary to what most say, I have had lesser issues with Vista than Ubuntu ..
Personally, this would be my order of preference: Ubuntu > Vista > XP > OpenSuse > Fedora (Apart from these 5, I havent used others)
By the way, I would never go with a MAC (used it for close to a year .. didn't like it at all)

[Ioky]

I like ubuntu, but I love Arch Linux, If I can use Arch Linux along with ubuntu's repo, I will feel so at home. haha but that is like asking for a wife and a girl at the sametime, Not going to happen, hahaha

[frup]

As it stands I can't see myself not using Linux; I can't stand using Windows or Mac OSX.

I'm open to using different distributions but so far Ubuntu is what I prefer. I haven't actively searched for distributions. I think I've only tried (in order) Mandrake 10.1, Linspire, Ubuntu and Fedora. I prefer Debian based systems. With 4GB bandwidth available a month and an extra 5GB costing $10 more, I don't waste it willy nilly and most distributions just don't seem different enough to bother trying.

[Famicommander]

I love Xubuntu, and I currently run it exclusively on my Pentium 4 PC. I wouldn't mind having Windows just so I could play Diablo II, Vice City, and KOTOR, but I don't ever see myself getting rid of Ubuntu and/or its variants.

[Lord Xeb]

I am still looking but so far Linux mint/ubuntu have suited me best... I haven't tried Gentoo since it is a pain to even install...

[Barrucadu]

I love Arch, it lets me make of it whatever I want, and is always up to date thanks to the rolling-release system after typing one command.
I do plan on trying a few other distributions though: Crux, Gentoo, Debian (Again), Slackware, and LFS.

[MONODA]

I do plan on trying a few other distributions though: Crux, Gentoo, Debian (Again), Slackware, and LFS.
I also plan on trying some of those (I have already tried some of them) plus a BSD or two.
My favourite distro is arch for sure, it is absolutely the best for me. I love aur, abs and pacman + yaourt. However, arch linux could not be my perfect OS since I feel that many parts that make up the most important parts of linux are two buggy, not properly written. For example, X11 crashes way to much and has way to many bugs. I have lost much work due to X crashing since all GUI apps are killed along with X (why arent they just kept in the ram?) Also, I have found that parts of the linux kernel tend to fail too much (while using bluetooth, wireless etc). Because of this I intend on making the awesomest OS ever which I will surely call MONIX :p

[angry_johnnie]

Ubuntu is home. :-) It's probably not my perfect OS (sometimes I want to punch it!), but it certainly is where I belong.

Other than that, I'm really impressed by Mandriva's hardware detection, and I installed it on my Desktop.

I really really want to try Arch, but the only time I installed it, I couldn't get my wireless working, so I chickened out. :-) I may try it again, when I have a wired connection but, for now, I am bound to whatever works with my wireless out of the box.

But then, even if I did find my perfect OS somewhere else, I'd still keep Ubuntu. It is home. And it feels good to come back home after some time.

[MONODA]

I really really want to try Arch, but the only time I installed it, I couldn't get my wireless working, so I chickened out. I may try it again, when I have a wired connection but, for now, I am bound to whatever works with my wireless out of the box.
you do realize that you have to manually configure everything is arhc including wireless. It is actually pretty easy. I suggest you download the new ISO (it was released today :D) and try to install from that, the beginner's guide is also on the cd fro you to use.

[sharkinfested]

I love my Mac so I am looking forward to trying out Snow Leopard. I tried Vista when it first came out – that was a mistake. It was a new laptop with Vista basic and even after maxing out the ram it was too slow to use - took 5 minutes just to boot!
With Linux I’ve tried out Puppy, Damn Small, Tiny Me – tried to put them on jump drives with no success. Next I tried Dreamlinux as it has an installer application for jump drives – still didn’t work. Hum… let’s see – I tried PCLinuxOS and I’ve also downloaded Kubuntu but haven’t tried it out yet. I’m currently using Ubuntu mainly because everyone says that noobs should start off with this distro. I’m sure I’ll try out many more.

[angry_johnnie]

you do realize that you have to manually configure everything is arhc including wireless.

:-) Yes, I am aware of that. I've also downloaded the beginner's guide as a pdf. I'll read it a little more thoroughly than last time :p before I attempt to do it again. I've plenty of time and, if nothing works, there's always remastersys to rescue me.

[MONODA]

Yes, I am aware of that. I've also downloaded the beginner's guide as a pdf. I'll read it a little more thoroughly than last time before I attempt to do it again. I've plenty of time and, if nothing works, there's always remastersys to rescue me.
oh ok, just asking b/c when i first tried it i didnt knopw that.

[regomodo]

`

[hessiess]

Im thinking of trying arch or gentoo sometime to learn more about the innter workings of the os.

[PrimoTurbo]

I don't think there is a perfect OS for me. I find XP faster and more productive, while Linux offers me the ability to design my own OS. I like to fool around and run various taskbars or pagers and customize them to my liking.

A perfect OS for me would be extremely well organized. There should be no dependencies, or compiling. The source should be editable and applied instantly, with unlimited rollback ability. Definitely include a terminal and extensive repos, however they should also be available in graphical form.

I like how linux manages settings for programs, a more organized system would also work for each user. No multiple files, single executables for a program. Programs can be moved anywhere on the system and organized in any way. A cross system program should be integrated in to the OS. Giving the ability to manage icons and various settings.

[Zeotronic]

My first attempted replacement of Windows was Xubuntu, and presently it is the OS for me... however, if they keep straying from the default Xfce, I may start hunting around a little...

[wolfen69]

Among Ubuntu flavors, Ubuntu studio has beautiful look.

you can always install ubuntustudio-look in synaptic.

[cardinals_fan]

you do realize that you have to manually configure everything is arhc including wireless. It is actually pretty easy. I suggest you download the new ISO (it was released today :D) and try to install from that, the beginner's guide is also on the cd fro you to use.
Arch is easy. Pacman does all the work for you :)

Actually, increased control is my primary reason for using Slack over Arch.

[aaaantoine]

I've tried a few linux distros (the list: Red Hat 4.x, Mandrake 10.1, Knoppix, Ubuntu 7.04-8.04, Fedora 9). I've settled on Ubuntu. I'm happier with Ubuntu than I was with Windows, but I'd still like something better. That said, there are a few reasons I'm not checking out other distros right now...

1. It takes a number of CD-Rs to distro hop.
2. I'm done playing with partitions for a while.
3. The real gains I'm looking for are in terms of hardware support, and parallel distros won't necessarily do that any better.

[Barrucadu]

You could always try out distros in virtualbox, to see if you like them without using a load of CD/DVDs or fiddling with your partitions.

[cookieofdoom]

Ubuntu is great, but I'm open for change. I like trying new Linux distros, but so far Ubuntu seems the best for me.

[FranMichaels]

I've been very pleased with Ubuntu. It is my distro of choice. Is it perfect? Nope. I'm looking forward to more goodies. DRI2 (http://wiki.x.org/wiki/DRI2) for one.

Hardware requirements should go up for legitimate reasons, not just this new version needs more ram, more disk space, and more CPU power... So far I'd say Ubuntu is on the right track. Having gone through several Ubuntu releases, my hardware is being better utilized than ever. :guitar:

I should mention I'm curious about HURD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurd), Ubuntu/Hurd (one day?) or Debian/Hurd. That's something to look out for later on though ;)

[regomodo]

`

[cardinals_fan]

You could always try out distros in virtualbox, to see if you like them without using a load of CD/DVDs or fiddling with your partitions.
I prefer Qemu for virtualizing Windows or VMware for anything else. VirtualBox never works for me... *shrugs*

I've tried a few linux distros (the list: Red Hat 4.x, Mandrake 10.1, Knoppix, Ubuntu 7.04-8.04, Fedora 9). I've settled on Ubuntu. I'm happier with Ubuntu than I was with Windows, but I'd still like something better. That said, there are a few reasons I'm not checking out other distros right now...

1. It takes a number of CD-Rs to distro hop.
2. I'm done playing with partitions for a while.
3. The real gains I'm looking for are in terms of hardware support, and parallel distros won't necessarily do that any better.
I have six CD-RWs that I alternate. I also have three partitions: a big one for my data, one for my Slackware, and one for whatever OS I'm in the mood to test. Virtual machines are also very good for testing.

[scouser73]

Is there such a thing as the perfect Operating System?, I don't think that there is, Ubuntu, for me, is pretty close, but nothing is ever perfect. - Remember the old addage, 'Prevention is better than cure.'

[AndyCooll]

I've found the operating system that I'm happy with in Linux. I have no desire to go back to Windows or try Mac OS, or indeed any of the smaller ones such as SkyOS etc.

When it comes to distros however, that's another matter. As someone mentioned earlier, times change. At the moment Ubuntu is just right for me ...but that might change tomorrow.

Like most people I like to look at other distros.

And for me, my "freedoms" are important so I'm interested in Debian, Gnewsense etc. And I'll be interested to see what happens with the next version of Ubuntu and it's plans to incorporate some of the ideas of Gobuntu.

And then I'm also interested in some the more advanced distros, e.g. Arch.

Indeed, it seems that when you gain the freedom that Linux gives you, being "open minded to change" or trying something different or simply tinkering is almost a requirement ...and Linux is the perfect OS for that!

:cool:

[Linuxratty]

Linux suites me best...I find the longer i use it,the more I like it.
The Linux distros I like most are Mepis,Mint and Klikit.

[mthei]

I've used Ubuntu for over a year (6.10 to 7.10) as well as tried Sidux, Elive, Gentoo for few days, and currently using Fedora. The main reason I've stuck with Fedora for so long now is that it just works better with my hardware, and Ubuntu Gutsy gave me some issues with sound. I've tried Hardy for a week, and it's a huge improvement, and would certainly use it again, but there was still some issues with ALSA for me, and suspend/resume still doesn't work properly. The only things I don't like about Fedora is that dist-upgrades are a pain, and often don't work in the long-run. If the upgrade from F9 to 10 doesn't work out for me, I'd happily go back to Ubuntu or Debian-testing.

[tbrminsanity]

My list of best OS at the time I used it and for how long it was the best and why it was the best.

Amiga OS (1985-1996):
This was an amazing OS that even when it was 5-8 years old out performed other OSs when it came to multimedia, games, and general use. It's only down side and the thing that cause me to abandon it was the death of Commandore and the resulting ravaging of the OS after wards.

Windows (1996-2002):
Linux was still too unrefined at this time, M$ was in their prime and controlled almost 99% of the PC market and Mac was just for Mac fanatics. There were a lot of things that I didn't like about Windows but I still used it.

Dual Boot (Linux/Win) (2002-2006):
I was really fed up with Windows but I couldn't do without it for things like games and M$ Office. I went from distro to distro but never really stuck on one for more then a couple of months.

Ubuntu (2006-present):
The first time I used Ubuntu (Xubuntu) it was almost perfect. I loved how easy it was to use and how quickly new logical features were added to the distro. There is a reason why Ubuntu has become the #1 distro in the last 2 years.

I'm always looking at as many OSs as I can and trying to find the next best thing. For a while I though Solaris may be the next best thing (especially with Looking Glass UI) but there were too many defects. I tried Vista but was turned off when I saw things that made XP great excluded from Vista. Mac OSX is nice but never really appealed to me. I like to control as much as possible in my OS and that is counter to what Mac OSX lets you do. The BSDs are nice but I only consider them for server based computers as it is a pain to set up a GUI on them (I'm sure someone will tell me otherwise but this is just my experience). I haven't tried some distros like Gentoo due to the lengthy and involved install processes. I would love to try MorphOs, Haiku, and Zeta but haven't gotten around to try them yet.

[bmac]

Perfect is a tough word. I'm not certain I've ever found anything to be "perfect". However, Ubuntu Hardy sure pushes the envelope with respect to my interruption of the perfect OS on my system. It just keeps working... I don't particularly care about all the screen graphics (compiz, etc.) and primarily utilize my system to perform specific tasks - internet, report writing, image viewing, pdf creation, audio, e-mail, etc. Recently, have enjoyed using the Kteclab Circuit Design to enhance a number of projects. Cool app...

I've used:
Ubuntu since Feisty
Windows starting with 3.1
Fedora
Slackware

We should all be open to new concepts and functionality. Fairly certain I will never return to M$, but will endeavor to maintain an open mind when evaluating. Hard to beat open source....