Ubuntu

[benslayton]

Is Ubuntu the best way to go if I want a free linux OS?

[chovy]

*best* is a relative term. From my experience Ubuntu is great for a newbie...easy install, convenient package manager, and great community support.

if you really want to get your feet wet, try gentoo.

[codeexploiter]

Yes i think Ubunthu is quite good.

[BLiZZaRD]

I use Fedora Core, but only cause it comes with everything. I haven't found a nix system that wasn't easy to install though...

[Twey]

Ubuntu is considered to be very user-friendly, but has a reputation of being rather slow. It's also limited by default to one desktop environment per distribution (Ubuntu uses GNOME, Kubuntu, KDE, and Xubuntu Xfce) which I find unpleasant to say the least (especially since I can't abide GNOME ).

Fedora Core is slightly less newbie-friendly, but certainly not beyond the capabilities of a complete novice, and offers a lot more power.

[chovy]

I use Fedora Core, but only cause it comes with everything. I haven't found a nix system that wasn't easy to install though...

which ones have you tried?

[Twey]

I haven't found a nix system that wasn't easy to install though...

I can think of a few The ones aimed at end-users are typically very easy to install. Power-user-oriented distributions (Gentoo, Slackware) can be a bit tricky though. I haven't tried Slackware, but Gentoo's installation method is a live CD, a copy of the package manager, and a lot of docs In fairness, though, the docs are very comprehensive, and the installation could probably be completed by a complete newbie (although s/he'd have no idea what s/he was actually doing ).

[chovy]

the moment you require someone to "type" something during an install - you've lost 80% of the audience

...personally, I think this is great - I'm a great typist!

[blm126]

My only experience with linux is Ubuntu. I have to say, I like it a lot. However, I intend to start over with a KDE based distribution soon. There a few reasons I want to switch. Mostly, I want to explore other distributions to find out what I like best. In my mind I can't make a good decision until I have tested more than one.

[benslayton]

Thanks guys! I had ubuntu installed for a while on my PC. I liked it other than the fact i coudnt get wine to work so i can use dreamweaver and fireworks.