Arch linux

Currently i am using Frugalware Linux ..and loved it
previously i used Yoper..even though its quite fast
its still not that stable.

I liked Frugalware though...
www.frugalware.org

I am a new Arch user and Arch is really great -- and I'm no Linux Guru by any means!! It's so easy to keep up to date, and it was much easier to install than I had been told.

http://www.ccux-linux.de

The fastest one i've ever seen!

I am new in using linux, and i use mandrake linux.Though am finding it easy by reading the documentation, but i have problem in using the commands.Why is it that when i use some commands, it replies that [such comand is not found].

Arch linux is one of the best out there for for people who want to set a system to only include what they want.
It is highly and easily configurable.
It has a simple to use package management system that enables you have rolling updates to your system, including dependencies. This means you can install it once, then just keep up to date as required - no more worrying about whether the latest formal release will corrupt your system or break things.
After trying numerous other distros (listed in this questionnaire), users generally end up sticking with Arch (see http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?t=3608&highlight=distro).
Try it, you won't be disappointed - www.archlinux.org

I have internet connection problems with KPPP so could not connect with Mandrake, Mepis, Linspire and others, but found a wonderful and easy to use distro in Libranet. It has a LibranetPPP setup wizard which easily permits connection to the web. So a tool is only as useful as it is workable. I like the GUI based products that are being developed for Linux. I also had success with Suse Linux. My most frustration came from Linspire which was supposed to be SO easy to work with. Same connection issue with them and no setting ever seemed to work, so if I can use that wonderful CNR site, what good is it to me?

So give Libranet a try if you are looking for an easy install (old DOS look for the install, but effective), but the rest of the software is pretty good with very few reservations about it.

Count me among those who love Ubuntu. It's everything I need, and nothing more (and there's always apt-get when I do need more!). Since it wasn't in the poll, I selected Debian - gotta give credit where credit is due.

I have been using Linux since kernel version 0.91, which is a long time ago. I feel like a wise old monk.

I'm running Ubuntu and like it.

My system is dual booted with Mandrake 10.0 and Red Hat 9.0. I float between both of them but I prefer Mandrake. However, in the future I will be delving into Debian Based distros such as UBUNTU and the AGNULA/DeMuDi. The Agnula based distro will be my main system for audio production work only and UBUNTU will be used on a trial bases just so I can my feet wet with the GNOME desktop amd the apt repository I hear so much about with Debian distros.

I use SuSE 9.1 on my desktop, just because it's very complete and just does the job. On my laptop however (Pentium 2 / 192 MB ram) I use Ubuntu.
It's quite fast and easily recognized all my hardware!

I am still with Mepis 2004 but many upgrades done so I expect I am about at the 3.3 beta. stage. Had to make another pitch for todays favorite.

I use Fedora Core 3, but I have been disappointed. it's my first go at Linux (well, actually FC1 was, but it had some weird memory leak and kept my cpu and swap files at 100 percent!)

Multimedia is just really tricky. I can't get ANY program to play audio cd's and no one on the forums has been helpful. I also can't get mplayer to stream in web pages, despite having the correct plugin. And attemtps to use transgaming's Cedega program to play a supposedly very succesful port, Star Wars, Knights of the Old Republic, have met with nothing but a silent hard drive. I don't know how many of these issues are FC3, but that's an awful lot of issues.

I don't know what to try next and dread having to start over, but start over I think I will have to do. This thread has introduced me to some new choices. If anyone wants to answer the question, what distro works best out of the box for multimedia with little need for tweaking (WHY oh WHY did MPLAYER not have the most obvious codecs automatically included...but that's a side issue.) I'd be open to hearing your opinions.

I have used many different Linux distro's as my desktop OS. I'm currently running Debian Testing on my workstation and my notebook, with great results. My second favorite distro for a desktop is Slackware. I have a Slackware-based computer on my network as well.

I changed from running commercial Linux distro's to using Debian, mainly because of the Mandrake Linux bankrupcy filing. I had moved from Red Hat to Mandrake, and when they filed for bankrupcy, I determined that I would use a community-supported distro, and I found that Debian was everything I liked in Linux, all rolled-up into one good distro.

I happily use VectorLinux 4.3 on three computers. They are not junkers. The slowest one is 500 MHz with 192 megs of RAM. Vector is based on Slackware.

I've tried many distros. I prefer VectorLinux because it is lean and fast. I can make my system exactly what I want. I use XFce4 as my window manager. I do have KDE installed and I use KDE programs, but not the KDE desktop.

VL is not the easiest distro to use because it is not as automatic as some distros, but the user support board is friendly and helpful. One advantage of VL is that you actually learn *Linux*, not just a bunch of GUI tools to do everything for you. A tubby distro like Mandrake or SuSE seems like a lumbering brontosaurus compared with VectorLinux.

Summing up, I love it!

I've been using Linux for a couple of years now after being introduced to Knoppix. I've since used Fedora Core 1 & 2, Mandrake and a couple of other distros for fun. However I've come across Ubuntu (www.ubuntulinux.org) and I think its a great distribution. I now have two machines running Ubuntu and I've just set up my 79 year old father with his first computer running Ubuntu. If you want to run Linux on the desktop with a reasonable selection of applications then give it a go.

I have been unable to install Debian with a graphical environment on my computer. Knoppix 3.2 installs without fault and provides a great range of administration tools, so this is my distribution of choice.

I use mepis, it recognized all my hardware(including my winmodenm)
without any problems, debian packages to install galore(with care). It works, it does what I want it to do.

Ever notice how many different kinds of cars there are out there? That's because each fits a nitch. The same is true for Linux distros, each has a nitch that it serves very well. If I write games for a living I'm going to unimpressed with anything short of a full system - development software and all. However if I'm going to spend most of my time in personal email and web browsing then it doesn't really matter much which I use - - but the ease of install comes to the top in a hurry.

I've installed and used 16 different distros and each has something great to offer.

If I'm attempting to help a friend convert from Windows to Linux I will always give them the Linspire Live CD and let them play with it for a couple of weeks before we actually install anything. I've done the same with other live CDs but nobody has the tutorials and the ease of installation that Linspire has. And most of these people live in the same retirement resort as I do. Everyone has white hair and years of bad habits on Windows. So moving them to Linspire makes my life easy because Linspire has unequivically the best support on planet earth - for any product. So I don't get those late night calls when a virus eats their machine - and they seem to be able to install and run everything without me. I love Linspire.

I don't know much about Linux and don't have time to get into things. I just needed something that worked out of the box.
Linspire did this for me, and I completely rely on CNR (yes, I did ruin 2 systems abusing apt-get, but like I said, I'm not knowledgeable and have no interest to be).

If CNR would work on any linux distro, I would've tried some others (to check speed and hardware compatibility), but for now, this is the app that makes me stick to Linspire. I have it loaded on 2 laptops, and 4 desktop systems.

MEPIS is my first visit into Linux and has been fantastic - I'm hooked! The liveCD lets you test your hardware is all good before you make the transation - and it's one you'll not regret!

I have been using the Linspire product for just over a year now and I must say that I'm quite impressed with the product. Before trying Linspire, I knew very little about Linux, other than it was supposed to be a bear to operate.

I purchased a box that had Linspire (Lindows at the time) installed on it and decided to give it a try. What I found was very pleasantly surprising. Linspire is very easy to install and very easy to operate. After using Windows for so long, I just simply didn't want to learn a new OS. Linspire made their OS very intuitive and very easy to use. It was as if they knew which questions I'd be asking as user migrating from Windows, and answered them before I could ask.

I find CNR to be a great service for those like me who knew nothing about Linux or how to install programs. One click of the mouse and the application I wanted was installed on my computer. I have learned more about Linux and how it operates, and my comfort level has grown exponentially since my first time booting into Linux.

Now, while I'm out surfing the web, or opening e-mails, I no longer have to worry about all of those viruses that plague the Windows Operating System.

I have also tried SUSE and Xandros as well.

If you have ever thought about trying out a version of Linux but have never used Linux, I'd suggest you try Linspire, they make it easy.

Linspire is the best for newbs and power users. CNR rules. now that i dont have to install software the hard way, i can spend tons of time doing other things. and if i ever do run into something i want thats not i cnr, then i still have the option to install it the traditional way. there is nothing to loose. plus.

As you've probably noticed on the DistroWatch site, Mepis is very popular. And I've found it ideal for a person switching from Microsoft Windows.

Agula DeMuDi Linux which is a modified Gnu Debian Linux optimised
for audio work. It has a specialy tweeked Kernal and comes loaded
with some of the best audio software available for Linux, well worth
a look if you use linux for audio work or writing music
http://www.agnula.org/

Most of the "desktop" voters here have been using GNU/Linux for several years, and SuSE with KDE is the most popular distribution. Maybe my story will illustrate why.

I'm a suit---not a geek. I work full time as an estates lawyer writing planning documents for clients and working on their problems in court. I happened on to GNU/Linux at computer fair about 5 years ago when I went to take a class on MS Word and started talking to some guys at a table with a big penguin doll.

I was attracted to the ethics of free software, and I saw a chance to invest my time in learning something valuable instead of just being a MS customer. I knew nothing about computers, but started with RedHat 5.0 and KDE .9 and learned from books the basics of how to install and use GNU/Linux. It's been fun to see the fantastic development of free software since then. About 18 months ago, I went cold turkey and switched to free software for all my work and my website (that I write myself) at www.mywill.com.

I was able to switch only because I had the regular help of an excellent paid GNU/Linux consultation. Together we had my RedHat system running well enuf for me to work. But we never got the OS and all my applications working together to our satisfaction. December 2003, I got SuSE 9.0 for my Christmas present to myself, and I installed it on a spare harddrive just for fun. 3 hours later I found myself looking at a complete system with the OS, all my applications, internet, email, and printing working perfectly. I had been able to do something myself that I and my guru and not been able to achieve in 4 years with RedHat!

This is not to knock RedHat or any other of the distributions I had tried earlier. This is to praise the SuSE engineers for putting together a sophisticated and solid distribution (9.0) that a desktop user who isn't an expert can efficiently use in the real world.

Now those of you who love computers have been given, through the grace of God and the generosity of free software leaders, opportunities in computer science of unlimited potential. But as as subscriber to TUX magazine, I'm just trying to learn more about operating my GNU/Linux desktop system, with emphasis on SuSE and KDE when appropriate. (And let's hope Novell will continue to develop and support their recently-purchased distribution!)

It's blazing fast, nice desktop and very easy to manage.

Ioni's approach makes our data backup automatically and we don't have the issues with downtime and virus like we did with Windows.

I'm a new Linux user but Linux is great for financial analysts.

- Frank

Maybe a couple of months ago, I switched from Fedora Core 2/3 to Ubuntu. I generally liked Fedora, but it seemed to be getting bigger & slower in its evolution - and I'd never tried Debian or a derivative. I am definitely impressed - quick, responsive and a nice, clean desktop. For a first release, Ubuntu 4.10 is pretty incredible.