I'm interested in Linux. Mainly curious. What is the best Linux to use ( i heard there are many versions, im not sure) for someone who wants to mess around and just want something new to play around with since i can't play with Vista yet.
Something that is almost as functional as Win XP.

Try Ubuntu.
And try it in a VM.

Kubuntu is also good. Depends on window manager you like better.

No, installing kde on Ubuntu is not same. Kubuntu has different packages, to run better and all that.

I would suggest running it for months. It takes while to really get idea how it will be like as dialy OS.

I'm stuck using Windows at work. But I do have 2 computers at home running Ubuntu 7.10, but I am thinking about going back to 6.06, it seems to run a bit more stable for me.

7.10 is nice and any variation of it is great. Ubuntu, Kubuntu (a bit more like windows GUI), Edubuntu (education bundle), Xubuntu (runs great on old hardware)

My reccomendation would be to try out a liveCD, but remember it will run slower as it is running from memory and the CD.

Also, dual booting is a nice option. If you do it that way, I would highly suggest using either a seperate hard drive or making a different partition.

--Derek
P.S. I have tried Redhat 8 or 9 years ago, Mandrake/Mandriva, Gentoo, Suse, and some smaller distrobutions. I have DSL installed to a thumb drive that I can boot most computers into which is fun.

Fedora is where it's at for me.
I run it 50/50 on my laptop, and my server is/was (since it's in a moving box now) running it 24/7

I ran Ubuntu (first Linux experience) for about 3 months. I actually just deleted it from my laptop and I'm already about to go back to Linux. Windows is nice since it's compatible with so many programs but I actually found some open programs that I love and I didn't really miss anything (plus it's all free). I'm going to let my laptop run some flavor of Linux and keep my desktop running XP. I get faster upload and download speeds when tethering my Pearl in Linux but then I'll have DM on my desktop. I have to burn a few CDs now so I can play.

I'm trying to figure Linux stuff out, too. I downloaded the iso of Ubunto to boot it off of a cd to try it without having to install it. But, when I boot with it and hit start ubunto or run ubunto with safe graphics (or something worded similar) the screen messes up. It loades for a while with an orange bar but then there are a lot of colored boxes and nothing seems right.

What's your graphic card?

256mb 6800gs oced from the manufacturer. I'm going to give Linux Mint a go and see what happens but it still seems like that should not have happened.

Doesn't seem right, but every once in a while you run into some of the strangest issues. There are plenty of places around that you can find information on specific distrobutions.

Link Mint is very similar to Ubuntu (I have been outta the loop lately, but I think it's a redone version of Ubuntu) and very nice as well from what I hear.

I would suggest Ubuntu. Its the easiest, the most popular and has a large support community. I dual boot with Win XP for the rare situations I need Windows for something. As stated by other posters, try the live CD first to see if you even like it.

Give Linux Mint a whirl..... Awesome and easier to use than Ubuntu.......

Linux Mint

My favorite is Mandriva. One of the easiest to install. Has both Gnome and KDE. Available in DVD and liveCD versions.

This is really showing my noobness, but I downloaded the linuxmint iso and burned it on a disk but my computer won't boot from it. I've made my cd drive to be priority in front of my hd in booting but it skips it like the cd has nothing on it to boot from. Then, i made a bootable cd with nero and it comes up asking me to type stuff. Well, i tried to run the iso i had burned but either I don't know what I'm doing (very obvious) or it just didn't work. I exptected it to just boot up anyways like with ubuntu.

*EDIT* I may have figured it out, I needed to burn it a different way. I'm going to give this a go and see what happens.

You need to burn the cd as a disk image or iso for it to boot. I made the same mistake the first time I tried.

Yeah, that worked, got it to boot just fine.

Just remember that the lag you see on Live CD's is not what you get when installed to the hard drive....

I just installed PCLinux and I am in love! Ubuntu gutsy pissed me off and Mint (even though niCe) was just a little too rough around the edges. This OS is the best fit for me.

I have Mint working well on my computer now. I have the cool desktop cube and everything but it doesn't play CS:S (that's what I've heard) well so I don't use it a whole lot.

It doesn't matter which distro you have as long as you meet all of the pre-reqs (libs, etc) for WINE. It's more a matter of device/driver support than distro selection.

--JamesT

Awesome! Glad you found a distro you like... PCLinux is a very nice distro and they recently released a new Gnome version as well!

I have found 7.04 more stable than 7.10.

For the op, I would try a live cd first, much less work involved and you can see if it will load properly on your pc.

That's what I downloaded. It downloaded kde when i updated, so I got to see what it's like on there, but I'm a gnome kinda guy.

I've played around with Sabayon and its' really cool. I am used to using Ubuntu but Sabayon is a pretty good distro. Sabayon Linux Project Website

Ditto!!!!! I have NEVER liked KDE.... Some love it, and thats fine by me, but I am a gnome kind-a-dude myself as well!

Kris

try suse

Thanks Jonabyte. I only used 7.04 for about 2 months and then Gutsy came out, did the immediate upgrade on Launch Day.

As far as saybayon (sp?) linux, some of the guys on one of the bigger Linux Podcasts were talking about that a couple months ago and had mostly good stuff to say about it.

I also checked out and bookmarked another distro last night, but it was bedtime and I was reading about it during an insomniac's night. Might give it a try tonight and post a review.

Also, GNOME is way better then KDE (IMO), but I cannot live without my Amarok. Songbird just doesn't do it for me.

I was a huge openSuSe fan / supporter... It was my favorite distro! I got tired of yaSt (it's still a joke) and really got a sour taste in my mouth when they signed their deal with the devil (microsoft).... I like many other openSuSe supporters bailed on them after the handshake.....

Yes...Amarok is the best!

I got Ubuntu 7.10 installed in VMware... now I have to figure out what do do next. A friend recommended getting the security squared away -- turning off unneeded services, running a port scan on my lan with nmap.

Try Exaile yet?

I feel fedora core 8 is good,but ubuntu also is good.I like fc beter than ubuntu

Ubuntu 8.04 is superb. Compatibility and usability is MUCH improved from 6.06 / 7.10 IMO. I am now running it 24/7 on my laptop!

choosing a linux distro is like choosing an icecream flavor. much like baskin robbins, there are many flavors to choose from, but you can't tell if you'll like it unless you try them. once you've tried them you'll know if it fits your taste buds or not. you'll have to choose within your linux knowledge and then choose a distro that has what you need. then move on from there.

i've tried xfce, kde, and gnome, but i find myself always going back to a debian based gnome distro (ubuntu).

zegenie Studios Linux Distribution Chooser
this is a link to a very basic test to help you choose a linux distro that is right for you.

DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD.
this is a link to the latest distro releases out there.

at the very least, you'll see just how much you can customize a linux desktop to whatever your imagination can think up.

Dreamlinux, pclinuxos and linux mint are just a few that works very well with linux beginners. ubuntu is more of a in-between transition from beginner to intermediate....imo.

have fun!!