[NBLUG/talk] linux distro

[ME]

Hello Nathaniel,

Welcome to NBLUG and the wonderful world of Linux!

Nathaniel Welch said:
> Hi, i am just starting out in linux and i now tons of people ask this
> question. but what are your guys favorite linux distros and are there any
> that you suggest for some one starting out?

RedHat is one of the more popular Linux distros. Many people find it
fairly easy to install, and the latest versions often have better support
for newer hardware (especially laptops.) Most of our LUG users run RedHat.
http://www.redhat.com/

Mandrake has a an easy install. Some have said it is easier than RedHat.
However, they recently looked for legal protection from their creditors,
and I do not know what the status of their financial situation is right
now.) We have a few Mandrake users on the NBLUG list who find it quite
impressive.
http://www.mandrakelinux.com/en/
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-980819.html

SuSE was really big in Germany, Europe and parts of Asia for their support
of multiple languages. (Several years back.) RedHat was able to catchup to
some extent with the multi-language support and has taken many previous
SuSE users from SuSE. Though SuSE has a fairly easy install, they are not
as popular (by percent of the world Linuxmarket) as RedHat. They have many
avid fans who like it a lot.
http://www.suse.com/index_us.html

Knoppix (I hear) has a bootable CD that permits you to "play with linux"
without actually installing a full Linux system on your hard drive. If you
choose to, you can actually use some space on your hard drive to store
data between sessions, but a few people have said they liked it a lot.
http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html

Debian is not so easy to install, but over the longterm, many experience
Linux users find it easier to maintain. I do not suggest a new Linux user
start with Debian. The learning curve is too steep for most first time
users. Many people who choose to go with Debian have had experiences with
other distros first. Our list has a few Debian users.
http://www.debian.org/

I prefer Debian. However, I have a little experience with Linux and find
the install soothes my controlling side that wants to have control over
every single detail. (Debian's install will often stop to ask many
questions as it installs. It does offer many defaults to permit users to
choose a default when they do not know, but the many questions often
overwhelm the new user.)

There are other distros.
http://lcic.org/distros.html
and
http://www.distrowatch.com/
to find other distros.