Favourite Flavour of Linux

Hey guys,

I was wondering what Linux Distro, if any, you guys use? I tried to get into the whole linux thing a few months ago, but found it enormously slow when compared to windows xp running on the same machine. Everyday programs took way too long, imo, to load. Also I found driver support and information for the *complete* noob to be somewhat lacking. There are lots of 'newb guides to linux' out there, but the people who write them, in general, expect a certain amount of knowledge about the operating system and the commands they use are hardly ever explained, its just taken that you type it in and dont question it. Therefore I'm on the hunt for a new Linux Distro and a good community in which to learn.

I tried Fedora Core 3 and 4 and Ubuntu. Both had their pros, both had their cons.

Frazz.

I'm a FreeBSD guy myself (though because of some particular applications I'm stuck using Windows as my primary desktop), but I heard good things about Ubuntu. Everyone that I know that runs it loves it. I see you said you tried it...what were the cons to Ubuntu?

I've been playing around with a new Ubuntu installation recently. My only complaint is my wireless USB card doesn't have any good drivers, open-source or otherwise. Otherwise, it's been a good experience.

I find Ubuntu to be somewhat slower than windows, on the same computer. Not sure if its only something i have realized or something in the specs of my computer?

Drivers are also quite hard to come across, for instance i have a fusion HDTV DVB-T card with a remote control and DLINK wireless lan (both sold in Australia, so revision numbers sometimes differ from that of the same product in America).

I would like to be able to dual boot between Linux and Windows, but in reality I am yet to find a Linux OS (in my limited experience) that can provide the functionality Windows can across the board. Hence me asking which Linux you guys like so that I may try it out.

My preference is Slackware, but thats a good distro if you want to get kicked in the butt by Linux and hardcore learn it. MOst people I know also love Ubuntu, just because it is easy to get going, and I think Debian or Gentoo is very well liked amongst those new to the linux community. I think its odd that it takes you longer to load stuff on Linux than windows, thats a little weird, I've almost never heard of it, it usually runs a lot faster. I know a lot of USB drivers are harder to find for linux, but there is a really good one that works for most I found, but I forgot the name... A good thing to try is to google
"device (with number)" Linux
That usually finds a forum post somewhere or something about it.

Really, when you try out linux, its kind of like finding your favorite food, there are so many flavors out there, you really should try as many as possible until you find one that fits your needs and does what you want.

Can you be more specific on what functionality you want? Most Linux distros don't come pre packed with all the applications you need (very much like windows), but you can usually find it

I would use my Linux for coding, limited word processing, internet and multimedia as i like to listen to music while i code. For ease of use however, i would also like to get my HDTV card running on it so that I don't have to change OS just to watch 10 minutes of a show.

also, i have never set up dual boot OS, what is a a good way to setup for linux if i already have XP installed?

I like Ubuntu for what I would call out of the box setup. It installs many useful things which is good for the new user. It also has a great community. I am a great fan of Debian based O/S's however I've always liked Redhat Based for servers. For example at home I use Ubuntu on my Laptop, Desktop and CentOS (Redhat) on my TV system, Backup server.

Surprisingly though I've never used Fedora, never really got into it. Just moved from like Redhat 9 to Debian. Never really understood why they changed Distro Name.

As to the cons towards ubuntu i would say that the default and most common repos are usually quite outdated. For example if you want to use MSN Messenger Clone AMSN then you will find yourself 2 whole stable versions behind because the Repo's haven't been updated. But then theres nothing stopping you from compiling your own software.