help me decide which linux system is best for me

[Aquarillis]

Alright, I'm 18 years old, and I've been using Windows XP Pro for 6 years now. No problems with it at all.

My only experience with Linux is having it installed on my Xbox, as Xbox Media Center (XBMC). I'm sure some of you have heard about it.

Anyway, I'm looking to have my hard drive partitioned with XP Pro on one part for iTunes, games, torrents, etc. and the other part partitioned with some form of Linux.

Now, I'm not too sure which Linux distribution is best for me. I've already downloaded Fedora, but I'm yet to install it (Mainly due to the fact that I first need to finish downloading a rather large 25 GB torrent before I format and partition my hard drive).

Now, I understand that Linux is a VERY dynamic and flexible OS. And that it has some gorgeous eye candy GUI's.

I'm going to start learning the stock market and economics (on my own, of course), as soon as I wrap up my current research.

I'm looking for a build that's attractive to the eye, and can be customized, and also already have several good themes for it.

And the other thing would be the ability to have the build display all kinds of financial information (GDP, real-time stock prices, etc.) on the desktop, and possibly even have a live feed of MSNBC going on. Possible? I'd imagine so.

What would be a good build for what I'm looking for?

[oz]

Welcome to the forums!

Check the link in my signature for lots of good information on getting started with Linux. You'll also find a couple of quizzes there that might help you to pick your first distro(s). While Microsoft might tell users what is best for them, most Linux users generally end up deciding for themselves what is best for them.

Best of luck with your venture into the world of Linux... hope you have lots of fun with it.

[Dapper Dan]

Hi Aquarillis and welcome to the forums. In my opinion, Fedora is a pretty tough distro for a new Linux user. Fedora is very cutting edge and doesn't come standard with a lot of the goodies I think you'd want it to have, making it necessary to install and configure those goodies yourself. That can be a daunting task for a new Linux user.

I'd recommend Ubuntu as a first distro. It has excellent hardware support, a massive user community to help you and plenty of easily installed eye candy like compiz fusion. There are also little stock market apps you can place on your Ubuntu taskbar too. Couldn't tell you about MSNBC but seriously doubt they've started paying attention to Linux users.

After getting used to Ubuntu, you can then set out to find a distro that may or may not suit you better as there are many to choose from. All in all, Ubuntu is hard to beat for new users and veterans alike.

Have fun with Linux and good luck!

[dalinux_n00bie]

I personally found the OpenSUSE experiance nice, that was my first distro. the green theme was nice.
I would also recomend Ultimate Linux (google it). Its Ubuntu, but with much more eyecandy, color schemes, themes, and in my opinion, much better hardware suppoer.