In your opinion (very objective) What do you think is the best flavor or Linux?

Question

I'm going to reinstall everything on my laptop when Windows 7 comes out next month so I'm buying a larger hard drive and I'm looking to dual-boot Linux something and Windows 7. Mostly to learn more about linux. So in your opinion, what version of linux do you like?

Answer 1

I thoroughly recommend you take a look at Linux Mint 7 Main Edition which is built upon Ubuntu 9.04 Its easy to install and easy to use plus it comes with much of the software you are likely to need preinstalled



Linux Mint 7 Download

http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=38



Linux Mint 7 User Guide

http://www.scribd.com/doc/15884753/Linux-Mint-7-Gloria-User-Guide



The Perfect Desktop - Linux Mint 7 (Gloria)

http://www.howtoforge.com/the-perfect-desktop-linux-mint-7-gloria



You download the ISO. image of Linux Mint 7 then you need to create a Bootable LiveCD for installation



Linux Mint 7 can also be run direct from the LiveCD from Booting up without touching your Hard Drive



After trying out Linux Mint 7 you may think twice about Windows 7. If gaming is an issue then XP is the way to go on a Dual Boot with Linux



How to dual boot Windows XP and Linux (XP installed first)

http://apcmag.com/how_to_dual_boot_windows_xp_and_linux_xp_installed_first.htm



ALSO WORTH CONSIDERING FEDORA 11



Fedora 11 Download

http://fedoraproject.org/get-fedora



Fedora 11 User Guide

http://docs.fedoraproject.org/user-guide/f11/en-US/html/



The Perfect Desktop - Fedora 11 (GNOME)

http://www.howtoforge.com/the-perfect-desktop-fedora-11-gnome



CURRENT SESSION



Linux Mint 7 ext4 with Compiz 0.8.2

http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=38

http://wiki.compiz-fusion.org/





LUg.

Answer 2

I use Ubuntu as my main distro of choice with the Linux Mint Repos added so I can get stuff like the Linux Mint Menu. I like how Ubuntu just works (as I really don't like messing around getting everything to work). Ubuntu also has features that make it nice as a dual boot. You can mount your Windows drives so you can access you Windows files while your running Ubuntu. This was a critical feature to get my wife switched over to Linux.



Of the other distros I've used I like Fedora as well. I'm not a big fan of RPM (mainly due to the lack of standardization between RPM distros) so I find that the main advantage Fedora has over Ubuntu is lost (I'm not 100% certain that a RPM I find on a website will work in Fedora). If I'm installing Linux on a PPC machine though I always go with Fedora.

Answer 3

I like ubuntu but for your part I would suggest that you start now and try different distros to see which you like and which will work with the least problems on your laptop. Some laptop hardware does have a hard time with some linux distros. You can use the livecd to give it a test run without installing it to get a feel for it. I would also suggest that you read the documentation on the website to get the most out of linux.

Here is a website where you take a little quiz and it will recommend a distro that fits your situation.

Good luck.

Answer 4

For a Windows user who has little to no experience with Linux/Unix, I would most definitely download and install Ubuntu. Ubuntu much more user-friendly than other Linux distros. I would definitely not install another Linux distro, especially coming from Windows 7 (MS-DOS based) to Linux (UNIX based). The transition is a pretty big deal to begin with, and you don't want to complicate that by getting a more complicated OS. Plus, Ubuntu has the best support (although it is spread out over the Internet, it's still very good).

Answer 5

Ubuntu or Linux Mint, which is based on Ubuntu.



I've tried all the main Distros, on multiple systems.



Ubuntu usually runs fine without any problems. The other Distros seem to always have very annoying problems that can take hours for me to figure out, or I can't figure it out at all.

Answer 6

Its a matter of choice and usage. The general rule of thumb is: Use Ubuntu then change it when know what the difference is and what you want. Changing it easy and free (ish - if you discount the cost of a CD but I now use a USB drive unetbootin).



If you don't like Ubuntu I suggest you don't wander beyond Mint or Mandriva for the time being.



Good Luck



nb don't forget to install ubuntu-restricted-extras if you use Ubuntu. These are restricted for business use; not private use.

Answer 7

For ease of installation, I prefer Ubuntu. it also runs on a CD rom, so you can try it out before installing it.



To answer a question you didn't ask, I wouldn't install Linux to try it out. I would install it on a pendrive and run it from there, run it from a CD, or run it as a virtual operating system. Linux systems often have problems with hardware drivers, so if you install it on a dual boot you may find that you can't use the internet with it. Running it as a virtual OS gets round this problem.



To answer your next question, the Ubuntu system can run on a CD. It's available here: http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download



You can also have a CD version that will run without a CD! It's available here: http://lifehacker.com/228956/install-and-run-ubuntu-without-disturbing-windows



You can run it from a USB using this download site: http://www.pendrivelinux.com/usb-x-ubuntu-610/



or alternatively, you can run DSL (damn small linux) from a USB. It's small (obviously!) and easy to use:

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/all-in-one-usb-dsl/



You can also download a VirtualBox, in which you can run a CD image (.iso) of DSL or any other variety of linux. VirtualBox is from here: http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads



And an image of DSL for the VirtualBox is from here:

http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/download.html



Finally, there's a virtual linux scheme being developed on Sourceforge available here:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/virtual-linux/

Answer 8

not a one-answer kind of question.

what the best distro is depends heavily on what it will be used for and who will be using it.

i like knoppix for live file recovery

i like red hat enterprise linux for business servers

i like gentoo for a developing environment

i like ubuntu for people who couldnt find their backside with a map.

Answer 9

UBUNTU.........



No second thought go for it. Hassle free installtion.....



I have tried it on IBM, Lenovo and HP laptops...



Dual OS works fine (Xp & Vista), 7 not tried

Answer 10

Slackware or LFS.



Just kidding, go with Ubuntu.