Looking for General Opinions

[Snoots]

Greetings folks. I'm a computer professional who has worked in the Windows area my entire life. I know very little about Linux and I'm sure I'm asking the primary question that comes from most folks in my position, namely:

Which of the primary forms of Linux is generally considered the best for general use?

To specify: I'm not talking about specific-label "try my company" type distros. I'm not so much interested in specific distros as I am central FORMS of Linux. I'm talking about the primary, hard-core distros that are themselves recognized as central Linux systems. Examples of such would be:

* RedHat
* Suse
* Ubuntu
* Kubuntu

etc etc etc

Rather than individual street-corner distros, what we, as new Linux users need to know, is what are the advantages and disadvantages to the primary distros, where does each shine, which is best for home / small business?

I have read other forums where similar questions were asked, and the answers are usually vague and refer to specific distros rather than covering the basic concepts of the above central core concepts.

If you folks could provide me with your opinions, impressions and experienced suggestions as to which of the "big dog" distros are generally considered the easiest and most reliable to install, and generally the most useful for the average computer user / small business, I'm sure such would be of great interest to everyone who has tried to research the different forms of Linux and come up confused. I currently own several Linux distros and am trying to figure out which one I wish to install for examination and daily use. Thanks! : )

[GNU-Fan]

DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD.

[daark.child]

Your question is difficult to answer (and I don't think there is a proper answer for it) because the best distro depends on what you need to use the distro for and personal preference. From your list, if I was running a production server, I would go with Red Hat (I like the configuration tools and integration of selinux for security) or SUSE (I also like the ease of configuration on servers and desktops). Many businesses and enterprises use Red Hat and SUSE on their servers. For the desktop it would be SUSE and to a lesser extent Ubuntu. Other people would probably choose something different.

[DT0X]

I choose RHEL for production / development systems and Fedora or CentOS for test, RHEL gives you the stability and support a business needs, CentOS and Fedora the extra functionality and community support needed for testing new ideas...

[Snoots]

Thank you for your quick replies. The three of you together provided exactly what I needed. You also pointed out one of the major drawbacks of Linux and one perhaps the community needs to work together to overcome: the non-standardization of the product.

Understand, I am no fan of either Windows or Micro$oft. I use the product kicking and screaming because essential software I use works only on that platform (and running "dual platforms" is to me, counter-goal). What people need from the Linux community is a centralized, widely-recognized "get started" point that the entire community agrees upon as a "move from Windows to here" launchpad. Then of course, what people do for individual needs is up to them.

The site you provided GNU-Fan, was incredibly helpful. I appreciated the very first paragraph of their board, which describes the whole thing in a nutshell (especially the very first line). This paragraph sums up what Windows users face coming into the Linux community for the first time:

"The bewildering choice and the ever increasing number of Linux distributions can be confusing for those who are new to Linux. This is why this page was created. It lists 10 Linux distributions (plus an honourable mention of FreeBSD, by far the most popular of all of the BSDs), which are generally considered as most widely-used by Linux users around the world. There are no figures to back it up and there are many other distributions that might suit your particular purpose better, but as a general rule, all of these are popular and have very active forums or mailing lists where you can ask questions if you get stuck. Ubuntu, Linux Mint and PCLinuxOS are considered the easiest for new users who want to get productive in Linux as soon as possible without having to master all its complexities. On the other end of the spectrum, Slackware Linux, Gentoo Linux and FreeBSD are more advanced distributions that require plenty of learning before they can be used effectively. openSUSE, Fedora, Debian GNU/Linux and Mandriva Linux can be classified as good "middle-road" distributions. CentOS is an enterprise distribution, suitable for those who prefer stability, reliability and long-term support over cutting-edge features and software."

This is why I came here: a friend told me I could find just about any information I needed by going to the Linux forums. He wasn't wrong. You folks were most helpful. My appreciation, and thanks.

[gnuuser]

daark child is right it is difficult to answer that.
there are so many distros out there I would say that your choice depends on these things: task you wish to perform, (almost all linux distros have office software and a wide variety of games and utilities).((and many more that you can download free))

personality: your choice is also influenced by your personality( example the gui you would chose displays your mindset quite well! KDE (Flashy) fluxbox and xfce (plain and no nonsense) gnome (I'm here and ready to go).

Please do not disparage a linux distro as a billy bob distro! there is a lot of work that gets put into a program to try to make it easier and more useful than windows.
keep in mind that they are offered free of charge as well.

I have been a programmer and hardware tech for nearly 30 years so I know how much work goes into these projects.
at present my collection of linux distros exceeds 170 (stored on my server)

pclinux os is a good choice but could be a bit daunting to new users, It is powerful and has a tremendous amount of programs available.
pclos gnome is easy to use but is a bit unusual
ubuntu is very easy to use (if you like an african motif)
xandros while comercial is an excellent distro for new users
open solaris is also good.

but there are a lot of distros out there written for special purpose
and while easy to install I would not recommend them to new users!

[reed9]

You also pointed out one of the major drawbacks of Linux and one perhaps the community needs to work together to overcome: the non-standardization of the product.

What people need from the Linux community is a centralized, widely-recognized "get started" point that the entire community agrees upon as a "move from Windows to here" launchpad. Then of course, what people do for individual needs is up to them.

The entire community will never agree on a central starting point, I'm afraid. It's simply not in the nature of the beast. There is simply no over-arching authority and when anyone can fork a project or build their own to scratch whatever itch they have, you will inevitably end up with a fragmented landscape.

That said, the two near de facto standard distributions that have emerged are Ubuntu on the desktop and RHEL (of which CentOS is a rebuild) for servers and the Enterprise.

But there are still many other viable options out there for either. And I think the choice is a good thing, despite the occasional confusion it can cause. But it leads to a great deal of competition, innovation, and rapid improvement.

[Snoots]

Have no fear: I meant no insult in the term "Billy Bob Distro". I was referring to the large number of distros that seem to be everywhere-- in particular Linux magazines who seem to throw such out there right and left as "buy this zine" prompters. "Billy Bob" not in mentality... but in "one on every corner". In recognition of the possible confusion, I've changed the original post to "street corner" distros.

I have nothing but respect for the Linux community and what goes in to it. I've been involved in computers since 1977 (my first computer was a Commodore PET with digital tape drive, then Apple II, then TRS-80 when we used to hand-solder-piggyback RAM directly to the motherboard, then finally PCs...). I was around when being a "hacker" was something good (and am pleased to find it still is in the Linux community). So my reference to "Billy Bob distro" referred more to commercialization of distros for advertising purposes rather than legitimate effort of the community. (Even then, it has to be recognized the magazines serve legitimate purpose. I haven't enjoyed computer magazines more since the early TRS-80s hit the market, when mags contained actual hexadecimal machine code we'd enter directly into RAM. LOL).

@reed9: I think you're right, the nature of the Linux community tends to fight centralization concepts-- which is probably its Acheiles heel. Linux of course isn't alone in that: anyone trying to figure out which version of Windows to purchase faces the same thing (Home, Pro, Ultimate, retail, OEM, system builder???). Indeed, it seems only Apple presents the luxury of "Here, use this"... but at great sacrifice to individiuality and needed freedoms.

Still, it doesn't hurt for someone to say, "Try Ubuntu with a Gnome interface" (if that's even a valid concept. LOL. I don't know at this time... yet, but I'm researching), or "Try this to start with, it's a good all-around starting point." That's what those migrating from Windows are looking for, a good starting point.

For my part, once I have this under my belt and figured out, when someone comes to me with this same question, namely, "Which distro?", I'll tell them: "Try THAT one". Not because it's necessarily the best for their particular needs, nor because it's undeniably the best one out there... but because it will give them the diving board they need to get into the water. Imo, the first step to getting into Linux, is to have someone "in the know" help remove the confusion. Where one goes from there, comes later. : )

Thanks guys, for helping to remove the confusion. That website provided by GNUfan, along with the advice and opinions of the others here (and more hopefully yet to come) helped me at least find the diving board.

(At this time I'm considering going with either Kubuntu, or DreamLinux with a Gnome desktop. We'll see...)

[reed9]

Still, it doesn't hurt for someone to say, "Try Ubuntu with a Gnome interface" (if that's even a valid concept. LOL. I don't know at this time... yet, but I'm researching), or "Try this to start with, it's a good all-around starting point." That's what those migrating from Windows are looking for, a good starting point.

That's fair, and I think in general Ubuntu has taken up that mantle. (To the chagrin of some.)

I personally recommend Linux Mint for newcomers needing a desktop environment. It's based on and binary compatible with Ubuntu, but includes support for non-free multimedia and the Adobe Flash plugin out of the box. One less hurdle for new folk to overcome.

However, I also have some reservations about advocating Mint, precisely because of the inclusion of non-free software. It means glossing over the ethical questions of freedom and the use of proprietary and patent-encumbered code.

[gnuuser]

any distro with a good gui is a help but for a total noob to start with I suggest the privare linux iso (live cd)
This one was designed to teach a new user about linix and how to navigate the lixux program
It can build the confidence needed to explore and ease them gently into the linux world ( the first time I tried linux was Gentoo and it was quite overwhelming)
you can find privare at linuxlinks.com and distromania.com (type in the search box)

a person doesn't mind paying a reasonable price for a good os but to pay what you have to for microsoft and receive shoddy software(for all the pretty packaging and extensive hype). just galls so many people.
and couple that with expensive programs written for microsoft just makes it worse because you pay for software and hardware with your onw money but you essentially do not own the software only the right to use it and your software essentially takes over your computer as well.

the linux world needs a more open presence because you would be surprised how many people have never even heard of linux
in my own home town (almost 3000 people) I am one of 6 people who use linux ( and I introduced them to it)