Making the switch

[emossman]

Hi, I am a self-titled Windows "Power User" and I think I am ready to make the switch to a linux distro. My question is, which one is right for me? I primarily play World of Warcraft(A-Khadgar), which I believe can be run fine using wine. I also have a vast collection of .avi and .mkv videos that I would like to be able to watch. My digital music collection is all in .mp3 format, but I would have no problems converting to .flac if needed. I also use Ventrilo to chat, which can also be run using wine. I read this great article in CPU magazine that compared 10 different distros, and i've narrowed it down to Mandriva, Ubuntu, and Fedora. I'm looking for a distro with a slick GUI(i've seen YouTube videos showing off XGL which I know nothing about), and I don't want to have to spend hours in the console(but I wouldn't mind learning).

[Which distro] is right for me?

[khafa]

hi,


maybe this can be a bit of help
distro choice

[smolloy]

That's a hard question to answer as it's a little subjective. Personally I prefer Ubuntu, but if you had have asked me ~3 months ago, I would have said Fedora.

My advice, and the advice always handed out here, would be try a couple of distros, and see which one you like best. They're free, and they're easy to install, so just keep messing around til you find one you really like.

This is also a useful link for learning about different distros.

[Gustav]

Mandriva is a good distro for new linux users. It was the first distro I used, and it's really easy to install.
You won't have problems installing new apps such as wine because of its package manager (rpm) and you can listen and organize all your mp3s using amaroK. wine will surely work fine. Finally, everything can be easily configured without using the console.

All in all, its a personal choice: Distro choice

[Dapper Dan]

Hi emossman and welcome to the forums! I consolidated your posts as duplicate threads are not permitted and moved it to the coffee lounge for all to see. I think you'll get a lot or responses here! I hope you enjoy your journey with Linux!

[Jonathan183]

Hi emossman

I suggest if you have managed to narrow it down to three you try live CDs for each and see how you get on, as nobody can say absolutely which will be best for you ... you should try them yourself . The nice thing about Linux is you have the choice.

[kveldulf980]

I would probably say Ubuntu out of those, maybe SuSe if you are willing to stray. I would normally say Fedora but your mp3s will take a little extra effort to play so maybe you should opt for one of the others.

[MikeTbob]

Hello and Welcome to the Forums.
I suggest you give this "Distro Test" a shot. It really works well to find the best distro for you based on your answers to this test.
zegenie Studios Linux Distribution Chooser

[techieMoe]

Hi, I am a self-titled Windows "Power User" and I think I am ready to make the switch to a linux distro.

Just remember to keep an open mind. You're likely to have a harder time getting used to Linux than a totally computer-illiterate user because you have well-established ideas of how things work in Microsoft Windows. Just remember that Linux is not Windows, and it will not behave the same way.

I'm looking for a distro with a slick GUI(i've seen YouTube videos showing off XGL which I know nothing about), and I don't want to have to spend hours in the console(but I wouldn't mind learning).

From my personal experience, I would stay far, far away from XGL. If you want desktop effects, try a distribution that comes with Compiz pre-installed such as Ubuntu.

Desktop effects do not require XGL, and it can actually cause some very serious stability problems on your system, so again I heartily recommend not installing it.