I'd recommend OpenSuSE. I would steer clear of Fedora too, as soon as they move to a new version they tend to just dump those on the previous version - lack-luster updates and patches mainly. After all, Fedora is simply a testing ground for RedHat tbh. I certainly wouldnt use it in any kind of production environment at least.
best linix/unix distro for replacing windows
- Thread starter wijcc
- Start date
Gentoo, Arch, Linux From Scratch? (j/k)
OpenSuSE gets my vote for n00bs - easy gui install (can be more advanced if you're feeling adventurous), has a decent package manager (with a gui - although when I was using SuSE, I prefered SMART) and looks nice. More importantly though - YaST is a very good configuration tool (again, with a nice gui) - which makes setup and post install configuring easy and intuative for people not used to rooting around in /etc with vi. Also has an automatic update tool (zmd) which work a lot like windows automatic update.
The main issue with the big distros is that they all have their own little scripts to do things and these vary from platform to platform, so if or when you move on to a new distro, you'll find that some of the "commands" that you're used to are missing (all the basic commands will still be there, of course).
If you have any problems with linux, you can usually find the answer to any problem you come across with the help of mr google: he will become your best friend!
Also - this has been posted hundreds of times, but is well worth a read.
Best of luck - hope it works out for you.
OpenSuSE gets my vote for n00bs - easy gui install (can be more advanced if you're feeling adventurous), has a decent package manager (with a gui - although when I was using SuSE, I prefered SMART) and looks nice. More importantly though - YaST is a very good configuration tool (again, with a nice gui) - which makes setup and post install configuring easy and intuative for people not used to rooting around in /etc with vi. Also has an automatic update tool (zmd) which work a lot like windows automatic update.
The main issue with the big distros is that they all have their own little scripts to do things and these vary from platform to platform, so if or when you move on to a new distro, you'll find that some of the "commands" that you're used to are missing (all the basic commands will still be there, of course).
If you have any problems with linux, you can usually find the answer to any problem you come across with the help of mr google: he will become your best friend!
Also - this has been posted hundreds of times, but is well worth a read.
Best of luck - hope it works out for you.
Last edited:
Soldato
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Had a play on this the otherday. Very easy to get to grips with considering I have very limited linux experience.
- Pea0n
Edit: If interested this also comes in 32/64bit requestable on CD. It also runs from CD so you can give it a try before installing.
Interesting to see the OpenSUSE folks slating Fedora for being a beta test for RHEL (SLED, anyone? 
). That issue is covered by Fedora Myths.
It's true that Fedora 7 doesn't have easy access out of the box to Nvidia or ATI drivers, but they're only two clicks away in the Livna repo (just like you'd have to enable Packman in OpenSUSE). No biggie.
I do agree though that for total n00bs Ubuntu is a great start. *buntu, OpenSUSE, Fedora, PCLinuxOS, take your pick really. They're all slightly different but they're all easy to use once you know the basics. *buntu can possibly be given the edge due to the Restricted Drivers Manager, but it's nothing you can't copy and paste into any other distro in 2 seconds flat, and it's easier to get all codecs working under F7/Suse imho (BBC Real Player 10 vids, for instance - Mplayer provides an "extras" rpm that sorts it instantly).
Whatever you choose, it's about freedom. Don't worry too much about the distro, just enjoy the security and freedom of being away from Windows. JMHO.
Have fun
). That issue is covered by Fedora Myths. It's true that Fedora 7 doesn't have easy access out of the box to Nvidia or ATI drivers, but they're only two clicks away in the Livna repo (just like you'd have to enable Packman in OpenSUSE). No biggie.
I do agree though that for total n00bs Ubuntu is a great start. *buntu, OpenSUSE, Fedora, PCLinuxOS, take your pick really. They're all slightly different but they're all easy to use once you know the basics. *buntu can possibly be given the edge due to the Restricted Drivers Manager, but it's nothing you can't copy and paste into any other distro in 2 seconds flat, and it's easier to get all codecs working under F7/Suse imho (BBC Real Player 10 vids, for instance - Mplayer provides an "extras" rpm that sorts it instantly).
Whatever you choose, it's about freedom. Don't worry too much about the distro, just enjoy the security and freedom of being away from Windows. JMHO.
Have fun
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- Cleveland, Ohio, USA
One thing I like about Ubuntu is that it makes it easy without being too easy. You usually still have to get your hands dirty once in a while, thus introducing the new user to the Linux-y way of doing things while still being forgiving.
Remember, you're only a noob once but you can be an experienced user forever.
Remember, you're only a noob once but you can be an experienced user forever.