Linux which one?

[johneva]

Aup all

I am looking to get a Linux OS to have bit of a play around with on my new rig but need some advise on which one to go for.

I have 64 bit ability and plenty of space for a sperate partition for a dual boot, which would you recommend and where should I get it from.

Thanx John

 

[Kaed]

Depends I guess on your level of linux knowledge and what you want to achieve.

Ubuntu is good for a start - best place to start might be a website like www.distrowatch.com perhaps ? - they list quite a few distros and explain what each one is about complete with links

 

[johneva]

Ah I forgot to say although it does say in my sig I am running sata HDDs in Raid0 so I need one that will be ok with this.

Edit
Ah right cheers, yeah I have no experiance with Linux at al which is why I dont even know where to start with it, as it will be on a dual boot and I will keep windows and run that partition most of the time I have no real needs I simply want to learn about Linux and get some experiance with it.

But I do lots of work with websites and lots of work on the internet, media playerand image editor is always good other than that I play games on my comp which Linux is no good for anyways, like I say the main thing is just to gain some experiance in using Linux.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

I recommend Ubuntu. It is a great binary distro that has a ton of enthusiast support. It's easy enough for the novice but good enough to meet the needs of even the most demanding kernel hack.

Linux is great for working with the Internet and in web development. Most every distro will ship with the GIMP, a serviceable image editor. It's not quite as feature-rich as Photoshop but the price is right.

As for media playing it can get a bit dodgy due to proprietary codecs. For playing video I don't think you can go wrong with using VLC Player. It's very nice in my experience. I've been less lucky with playing audio, especially mp3 files. Perhaps someone will come along and explain how to best play mp3s in a Linux environment.

 

[wsurfa]

I'd second unbuntu - I'm a linux noob and it was very easy to setup - apart from a usb wireless connection. I gave in to the driver problems and moved the pc to a wired connection, which mace more sense anyway as it'll be used as a fileserver in due course.

 

[AJUK]

Ubuntu, definately. For noobs (like me ), it is esier to get a working system using the default installation and then use the Easy Ubuntu scripts to install codecs, java and rar support etc.

When you have a working system then you can fiddle to your hearts content and learn to use Linux properly.

 

[johneva]

Well guys I am so glad you have all said the same one it makes my choice so simple.

I did ask the same question of a diffrent forum but they all came out with diffrent one so did not have a clue what to do for the best till I see the results of this thread.

Cheers guys

 

[Una]

Linux from scratch or slackware.

 

[daven1986]

ubuntu is so easy to set up and also the help on the forums is really good

daven

 

[Hades]

Ubuntu

 

[aix0]

My first Linux distro was Gentoo, took me ages to get the install right and get a proper install... learnt a lot doing it though! Always an option and very good for learning.

 

[28ten]

My first Linux distro was Gentoo, took me ages to get the install right and get a proper install... learnt a lot doing it though! Always an option and very good for learning.

I would second gentoo, but it depends how patient you are, it took me 3 attempts at my first install. I have found the gentoo forums and documentation second to none.
If you want to be up and running quickly ubuntu is your bet

 

[derfderfley]

Well guys I am so glad you have all said the same one it makes my choice so simple.

I did ask the same question of a diffrent forum but they all came out with diffrent one so did not have a clue what to do for the best till I see the results of this thread.

Cheers guys

Just to be different I'll recommend suse. I would however recommend downloading a few live CD's and seeing which distro suites you best

Btw, you sig is way oversize for here FAQ