Which Linux is best

so debian is an OS in itself, but you get different front ends for it?

i know of rpm for mandriva but i seem to remeber it was something different for ubuntu. is there any that are more commonly made for, if so which is best to find the largest range of software, or does most software get written for all?
 
I think debian has the most packages...

Debian is an OS :D

It is the father of so many distributions. Including Ubuntu and many many others.

I like Debian as an OS and Arch to test myself :D
 
paradisiac said:
so debian is an OS in itself, but you get different front ends for it?
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No, it's not an OS in itself. It's still Linux. It's a distribution like Ubuntu or Mandriva or Fedora Core, etc.
Any distribution can have any one of the front-ends (or even multiple ones), either depending on what the developers choose or depending on what you want to install.
I suggest you give the wiki page a read if you want to know more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux#Design

i know of rpm for mandriva but i seem to remeber it was something different for ubuntu. is there any that are more commonly made for, if so which is best to find the largest range of software, or does most software get written for all?
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Yeah RPM is on Mandriva, Fedora, Slackware (I think?) and a few other smaller ones.
Ubuntu, Mint and Debian are based on APT (Advanced Packaging Tool) and the .deb package file. APT is arguably the most widespread in use and probably the most user-friendly too.
 
paradisiac said:
so debian is an OS in itself, but you get different front ends for it?
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Debian is probably the biggest Linux distro there is. It is the parent for many others, including Ubuntu and Mint. The "different front ends" would be desktop environments such as Gnome (the default for Debian), KDE, LXDE, Fluxbox etc. These will work on any distro, not just Debian.

Where I think your confusion is coming from is Mint Debian. It's called that because Mint has historically been based on Ubuntu, but it's moving toward a Debian base. So Mint Debian is the version of Mint based on Debian.

i know of rpm for mandriva but i seem to remeber it was something different for ubuntu. is there any that are more commonly made for, if so which is best to find the largest range of software, or does most software get written for all?
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There are two package systems in use by the majority of distros, RPM and APT. They both do the same thing - install software onto the system - but in slightly different ways. You will be very unlucky to come across commonly-used software that isn't available for both systems.

By the way, for reference, RPM packages have the .rpm extension whereas APT packages have the .deb extension.
 
paradisiac said:
so is debian a better one to go for than mint? or is mint a user friendly interface for debian that is more suited for my needs?
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Mint is undeniably better for newbies if I'm honest. Debian is rock-solid but has an extremely long release cycle (averages 18 months!) so you won't be using bleeding-edge software on it unless you use the "unstable" or "testing" repositories. Mint is easier to use because it's been heavily customised by the distro developers. Debian is a much more "pure" distro without so many bells and whistles (by default) so it takes a bit of tweaking to get it where you want it. Mint is much more likely to be appreciated "out of the box" by Linux newbies.
 
ok think i am understanding. so, gnome or kde? from what i gather, kde is more for easily applying eyecandy? or can you do it as eaily with gnome?
 
paradisiac said:
ok think i am understanding. so, gnome or kde? from what i gather, kde is more for easily applying eyecandy? or can you do it as eaily with gnome?
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Gnome is arguably easier to use than KDE, but personally I prefer KDE because of the range of customisability options. Gnome is a bit more locked down in this regard and more difficult to tweak.

By the way, you can install both Gnome and KDE on the same system, and choose which one to use at the login screen by using the session options.
 
Huw said:
Gnome is arguably easier to use than KDE, but personally I prefer KDE because of the range of customisability options. Gnome is a bit more locked down in this regard and more difficult to tweak.

By the way, you can install both Gnome and KDE on the same system, and choose which one to use at the login screen by using the session options.
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can i use the 3d desktop features as easily in GNOME? also, is one better/easier for modifying the panel than another?

also, im guess stay clear of 11 whilst its in RC stage as im not that good with linux the bugs might throw me?
 
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paradisiac said:
can i use the 3d desktop features as easily in GNOME?
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Yep, there should be no problem here at all. Assuming you're not using an open-source GPU driver, anyway.

also, is one better/easier for modifying the panel than another?
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I'm not sure there is an easier; they both have their ways of doing it.

also, im guess stay clear of 11 whilst its in RC stage as im not that good with linux the bugs might throw me?
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Correct. Unless you specifically want to be involved in bug-squashing (or are just intensely curious/impatient to see the next release), stay well clear of release candidates.
 
Its worth downloading a few different live CDs of different distros with different window managers to get a feel of each one, then go with what works best for you.

I would suggest chosing one and then sticking to it across multiple machines as running various distros is a good way to have a lot of headaches. You can then tweak each install based on what the machine needs by installing/ removing software etc.
 
Linux isn't really ideal for jumping straight to a desktop environment, install a light weight build of a base debian install without window manager or extra software and get used to the environment, learn to use apt-get, cron, configure ifconfig from a text editor (nano by far the best for quick easy editing), etc., then install something like fluxbox for yourself and install the programs you need.

Either that or jump straight in with Ubuntu :S
 
If you have an obsession (or fascination) with 'order', then try Slackware. Not the easiest of distros, but you'll see how things should work. After a week or two you'll get a sudden impulse to write haiku.

Although, there is much to be said about going debian/ubuntu, because sometimes, life is just too short and you just want get online. With a cold coke and some french fries.

zen of distros
slackware is
motd
 
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I find mint a little too buggy but I do like it a lot. Especially v10

I like Ubuntu however 11.4 with gnome seems to have utterly ruined my future with gnome. This is utterly annoying because since KDE4 came out, I have never bothered and thats what moved me to Gnome. If I cannot get gnome back to how it was then Im no longer interested in that either.

My main Linux box has been Sabayon. since v3.5 ( now 5.5 ) and its the only linux that has never crashed on me - ever - And Im not too clever with Linux so that says a lot.
 
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