hi there,

i'm a Linux newbie myself, but i have tried ubuntu and openSUSE so far. the ubuntu distribution had the GNOME desktop and i can't say i can recommend it to a newbie, it's so counter-intuitive for people who are used to windows. openSUSE works fine for now, the KDE desktop makes life easier for us. another thing is, don't expect much multimedia from openSUSE (don't know how it is with other distros), as i spent countless hours on figuring out how to install a player which has all the codecs/plugins.

i think i'm going to try next the latest version of fedora, again with the KDE desktop. fedora has also different "spins", i.e. operating system + software which suit different needs. multimedia, science, security etc.

what i figured out in the few months i've been using linux, is that you should learn as soon as possible to use the terminal/konsole.

cheers, and good luck

alp

I have been playing all my MP3s, and watching my DVDs in OpenSuSE. downloading internet videos and other files hasn't been a problem

Follow this thread, scroll down to find the 'how to' to the version of your installation http://forums.opensuse.org/informati...ml#post2180319

Good luck to you.

As a matter of general interest, and because no one else has asked, what was it about Linux Mint that got you annoyed? Quite a few Linux newcomers like Mint, so, if you can define what you don't like, that would be interesting.

In general, ex-windows users often find KDE the easiest to acclimatise to, and ex-Mac users (or the I-want-something-a-bit-like-a-Mac-but-without-Apple crowd) Gnome. KDE has the habit of throwing lots of settings at you and saying 'now make of that what you want' where Gnome goes for more of a 'We know what's best for you, now you can be immediately productive' approach. Both have their merits, but I do find Gnome a bit annoying.

In lots of ways, once you settle on an Interface, the distro that you use is probably not of the largest significance in day to day use (day to day use, as opposed to admin) - there might be differences in, say, getting wireless working for the first time, but that doesn't happen often. On the other hand, you do interact with the Graphical User Interface quite a bit.

It's not that I don't like Mint, it's a fine Linux distro. It seems that Mint is suggested more often than not for first time Linux users migrating from Windoze. As I stated, I have Mint 9 on an older laptop that my wife uses and it has served well. For my laptop, I wanted something a bit different as I wish to learn as much as I can about Linux. That's why I said "Please don't say Mint."

I am annoyed with Windows in general and this post would go on forever if I listed the reasons why.

If you want to learn as much as you can about Linux, I will suggest Slackware. I tried Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora, and several others. Then I went to Slackware with Xfce, it has been (so far) rock solid, and seems to be much faster on my system than the others. I learned more in the first 2 weeks with Slackware than I did in 3 months with the others.

I will chuckle just a bit. Although I wish to learn as much as I can about Linux, I do need to have a working system that "I" can at least manipulate and understand on day to day basis. Once I get to south Carolina and I will have several PC systems at my disposal, and I may venture out into something like Slackware or even Debian. I have heard that Slackware is one of the most manipulative Linux distros via command line and that "IS" what I am aiming for. So Slackware may get installed on one of the PC's that I have at my disposal in the very near future.

I have also heard that Red Hat and Debian are the most challenging for Windoze users. Especially since they are the "oldest" base line distros.

I am looking forward to this endeavor and learning as much as you did in 2 weeks.

Thanks.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Zorin OS. It has the most Windows like feel of the popular Linux distros. Its default is GOME but it comes with a Windows XP or 7 skin or look changer. Its based on Ubuntu. OP your system is powerful enough to run any Linux distro I can think of so it will be what you like. Personally, I like KDE but that's me. There simply is no right or wrong distro. Some like Fedora are not as user friendly. Same goes for Arch and Gentoo. Some distros are more cutting edge and offer the latest software. Others like Debian don't. The ideal as a new user is to perhaps use a more stable OS that comes with most of what you need out of the box. Zorin does, Pinguy OS, Ultimate OS, Get to burning those live CD's and try them out.

In my case when I suggest a distro to a new comer I usually keep in mind the size of the community using that distro and the amount of documentation available out there. That will be helpful in case the user runs into trouble.

lots of stuff out there (how to, and tutorials) are written for Ubuntu and the Ubuntu community is huge.

perhaps SlackWare or Gentoo are my very favorite distros but I wont suggest them to a new Linux User.
I hope I am bein clear with this post.
Thank you!

I am not familiar with Ulimate OS. Could you provide a link please? I am going to be burning Live CD's of Zorin and Pinguy and check them out as well.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. It makes it easier to make my selection.

Hey mate. Here's a websight many Gnu/Linux users are familiar with:
www.distrowatch.com
it gives you information about distros you've never used, and informs you of ones you've never heard of.

Thanks for all the suggestions. After playing with Zorin OS and Pinguy OS, I have decided to install Zorin OS. Since this is being installed on my main machine and I cannot afford much down time or a large learning curve, an OS that is similar to the look and feel of Win 7 is best for my launch into Linux on this machine. I will however, be installing other flavors of Linux, at least one or two of those suggested in this post, on my other PC's in the next few week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-nW0_M62co There is a link to the OS as well. Ultimate has everything and the kitchen sink. Its a big download. Its also a memory hog. However 4gb of ram is fine. New Linux users in my view should stick with Ubuntu, Mint, Zorin and more user friendly distros. Arch, Slackware, Gentoo, as well as Fedora are wonderful but are more advanced. If you want superfast try Lubuntu or Puppy. If you want to learn Linux go for Arch or Gentoo. Stable? Debian, CentOS. Rolling release? Debian Mint and Arch. Linux has it all!

Moving from Windows 7 with Zorin is very easy. Same menus and feel. All the codecs that you need are there by default. I would
suggest distros with a large user base. All those mentioned have that.