OT - Which Linux?

[Lutger]

Paul D.  Anderson wrote:

> I'm going to add Linux to my PC to get a dual-boot configuration. (I'm
> tired of sloooow start ups and want to tap into the great tools
> available.) The tutorial I'm looking at suggests Ubuntu. Is there a
> significant difference in Linux implementations? Is Ubuntu one of the
> better ones? Does it make a difference for running D2?
> 
> Thanks in advance for your hellp.
> 
> Paul

The gnome and kde desktops are quite different, and some distros focus more 
on one of these. There is also fluxbox window manager for example if you 
want a lightweight desktop.  

Some more differences are:
- how the distro deals with patented and closed source software. (mp3, dvd, 
flash, video drivers, etc)
- relation with upstream: whether the distro does a lot of modification or 
not to the software, more focus on stability or up to date packages 
- polish (gui tools for example) and how user friendly the distro is
- the community and documentation
- method of packaging and selection of packages available. Also: updates and 
security.

A great way to see for yourself what's available is to burn a couple of live 
cd's and take them for a spin. 

Here are some of my observations for what it's worth:

- Mandriva: hands down the most user friendly distro I have seen (more so 
than Ubuntu). Mandriva One comes with binary video drivers and media codecs 
out of the box and has a lot of tools to assist migration from windows. 
Sometimes buggy though.

- OpenSuse: very solid, lot's of polish and gui tools. The best installer 
ever. Does a lot of modification; don't step to far out of the box.

- Fedora: bleeding edge, focused on free software and innovation.   

- Ubuntu: I have tried this one but never cared much for gnome and at the 
time a lot of packages were buggy. Kubuntu is not as good for a kde distro 
as one of the above imho. I want to balance this thread a little ;)

- Linux Mint: this is based on ubuntu but more polished. For example: codecs  
out of the box, a nice start menu and a bunch of configuration tools. Almost 
as friendly as mandriva.

In conclusion: if you want, you can spend a lot of time finding something 
that suits your need and preferences...