Best Linux OS

Currently using 32bit Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (laptop) and 64bit Linux Mint 13 Cinnamon (desktop). Out of these two I prefer Linux Mint 13 with Cinnamon more than Ubuntu 12.04, because 64bit Linux Mint really looks better on my bigger monitor with a decent graphics card and more RAM (desktop environment) than on the smaller 15.6" screen and onboard graphics chip (laptop).

With these I can connect to my home wifi network with 3g modem and browse the web on both desktop and laptop together and also wifi enabled cellphones using this setup. The nice thing about linux is the freedom to read up reviews and thereafter download the chosen distro to try it out for yourself. With enough experience using several distros, you can then use that acquired knowledge on any linux distro available currently (installing from source, upgrading the kernel, command line (terminal), etc.).
 
I like Ubuntu 12.04 LTS for my laptop. but if I was installing it on a desktop, would go for Mint. Nowadays, everything in the PC works first time. Windows 7 had a problem with my bluetooth mouse but Ubuntu 12.04 picked up immediately
 
I started out using Kubuntu with the KDE UI. I enjoyed it. Later I moved over to Ubuntu with GNOME UI. Enjoyed it more. The Unity UI that appeared on the newer Ubuntu wasn't for me. So I install GNOME.

At the beginning of this year I decided to ditch Ubuntu in favor of Fedora 16. Was best decision every. Really enjoying Fedora 17 at the moment.

On the fence about using Ubuntu 12.04, Fedora 17 or the live XBMC install for a media PC.

However, It is personal preference. There are many different flavors out there. Pick on and learn to use it. Usually if something is missing it will be available from some repository somewhere. If you are new to Linux then Ubuntu is a good start. I found it a great way to learn a non windows OS, but once you are familiar with it try others.
 
I just moved to Fedora 17 after 6 years of Ubuntu/Debian. I'm loving Fedora and I do find that the difference between distros is becoming less obvious. Its so much easier to migrate between them now and thats a win-win situation for everybody.

But you still need to play with them all.
 
No mentions of Slackware? Well that's my vote. Version 13.37 has just been superseded by 14.

A dream development base (forget all those stupid -dev packages that are always missing in other distros), download some source and it will likely compile with a simple ./configure; make; make install

The latest versions have a bunch of desktops to choose from, kde, xfce, fluxbox, etc Trouble-free Nvidia support in my experience. If what you need is not in the core distro, have a look at slackbuilds.org

And over the last few weeks I've had to work on RPM-based machines to compare it with. RedHat, Centos, Fedora etc. Oh my what a mess! I feel paralysed by dependency fear. A single yum command and kablooi! mass destruction.

I need to build a custom Apache / PHP / Postgres system to support new stuff, but I can't do it, cause it will break all the old stuff that needs to keep running.

Give me nano, source tarballs, and /usr/local and I'm in control.
 
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I'll say this, I am a fan of Ubuntu, I think they finally got to the point where I like the distro, although not in the way most would assume at first.

I use the minimal install (30mbyte ISO) instead of the normal one, and build up my desktop from there much like I would on Arch or Gentoo or even Debian. I prefer it over Debian, mostly because software are updated faster than Debian. I prefer it over Arch, because I hate fixing stuff in Arch after updating, which happen more regular than the dist-upgrades in Ubuntu.

So my latest setup is Ubuntu minimal install with i3 as my window manager.

Sadly, what I have done, is only really possible once you know enough on how the software are added on top of each other, but that is something you can learn building Gentoo or Arch.
 
Fingolfin said:
The latest versions have a bunch of desktops to choose from, kde, xfce, fluxbox, etc Trouble-free Nvidia support in my experience. If what you need is not in the core distro, have a look at slackbuilds.org
Click to expand...

Fingolfin does make a good point here regarding Nvidia support. I have an a laptop with the Intel on board graphics and a Geforce 520mx and on Fedora I cannot get drivers to support Optimus technology.

I may be wrong but I believe it is a bit better on Ubuntu. Going to have a look at Slackware now
 
Tinuva said:
I'll say this, I am a fan of Ubuntu, I think they finally got to the point where I like the distro, although not in the way most would assume at first.

I use the minimal install (30mbyte ISO) instead of the normal one, and build up my desktop from there much like I would on Arch or Gentoo or even Debian. I prefer it over Debian, mostly because software are updated faster than Debian. I prefer it over Arch, because I hate fixing stuff in Arch after updating, which happen more regular than the dist-upgrades in Ubuntu.

So my latest setup is Ubuntu minimal install with i3 as my window manager.

Sadly, what I have done, is only really possible once you know enough on how the software are added on top of each other, but that is something you can learn building Gentoo or Arch.
Click to expand...

I'm also the minimal install type person and add your own stuff on top of a base install. The Arch & Gentoo wikis are absolutely fantastic. I had a 12.04 minimal install but it's not the same as Arch, you install a package and it pulls in a whole lot of crap with it so you end up with something heavier. I left Arch due the the frequent updates (annoying) & occasional breakages. I recently discovered Manjaro which is Arch but with their own repos, they take the arch stable stuff and move it to their testing repos and once they are happy with it they then move it to their stable repos which is pretty great. It's still in beta stages and they will release their 0.8.2 images later this month, I use their netinstall image.



robinjohnobrien said:
Fingolfin does make a good point here regarding Nvidia support. I have an a laptop with the Intel on board graphics and a Geforce 520mx and on Fedora I cannot get drivers to support Optimus technology.
Click to expand...

I don't have a optimus laptop but I know Manjaro handles this well and does all the work for you via their mhwd scripts.
 
I know the Linux guru's think that Linux Mint is for lazy noobs and is a blemish on Linux because it is easy peasy...but ja...I love Linux Mint. It is easy...install and play :-) I am using Mint 13. Cant remember the Desktop version thingy now...mate or cinemon. Not sure.
 
What level are you at with programming?

Ubuntu is pushing for simplifying the whole process, from user interface to finally packaging and distributing. Definitely worth checking out
 
WTF?

The thread has become a list of "My linux experience is better than yours" instead of trying to answer the question from the person that started the thread.
 
Ryansr said:
The thread has become a list of "My linux experience is better than yours" instead of trying to answer the question from the person that started the thread.
Click to expand...

It may be useful being able to see what others look for, seeing that there is no single "best" distro.
 
Ryansr said:
The thread has become a list of "My linux experience is better than yours" instead of trying to answer the question from the person that started the thread.
Click to expand...

If you cared to read the very first page you would have seen:
* There is no "best of the best"
* User experience determine what is best for you and your current situation
* You'll have to download and experiment for yourself
 
Go to distrowatch.com, pick a distro in the top 9. Those are usually easy and run smoothly. But if you wan't to be a Linux pro, hop on to something from 10 and up.
 
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