Linux distribution?

Any preferences on choice of Linux distribution? I have Xandros (home, premium) in hand that I bought at Fry's, but haven't yet opened it. Meanwhile, I downloaded the free version of Linspire (aka Freespire), which also allowed me to create an iso disk. Used the disk to first run Freespire from CD on a Windows PC, then went ahead and installed Freespire in a partition on a new hard drive.

Wow, a PC without Windows or, for that matter, Microsoft applications.

I'm trying to decide if I should install Xandros or return it and buy Linspire.

Different, but related, question .....

That iso disk ran just fine on one PC, but not the other. I tried re-burning at the slowest speed (something they suggest), but the same results.

Any reason it shouldn't work? Makes me nervous about installing Linspire on that machine.

The current distro of choice for the Linux newbie seems to be Ubuntu, and Suse is also good.  Since you can get them all for a free download, try as many as you like before making a choice.  Most, if not all, have Live CD versions so you don't even need to install them to try them out.

I second SuSE, but I also typically carry around a Knoppix CD.  Knoppix was one of the original "Live" CDROM versions, and although it's not the only one anymore, it's still serving me well.

-Dave

http://distrowatch.com/ known or not, very good information.

Thanks for the link Bill.

Ned said:

Since you can get them all for a free download, try as many as you like before making a choice.

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Understood Ned. I really need to make a decision to keep or return Xandros by the time we pass Fry's Electronics on the way home in the morning. I'll probably return it and play with some of the free downloads before committing to a purchased distribution.

Xandros isn't one of the distros that is discussed in the places I read.  In any event, there is no reason to pay for a Linux distro unless you really want a thick manual

This review isn't very complimentary of the latest release of Ubuntu and concludes that ".... it's still nowhere near the quality of a commercial desktop operating system like Xandros or Mandriva." 

This review isn't very complimentary of openSuse and  concludes that ".... it just doesn't compete with commercial GNU/Linux distros like Xandros or Mandriva. It has a hard time competing even with the free-of-charge Ubuntu Linux."

Both reviews, by the same author, were linked from the DistroWatch.com site. Should I be reading somewhere else  ???

Tom, I've tried quite a number of them over the years. The difficulty isn't in finding a Linux Distribution, it is finding the right Distribution that suits what you want to do with it. If you believe in 100% open source free software then FreeSpire or Ubuntu is great. If you want another operating system and you don't care if the software is open source or some proprietary software then Mandriva, Xandros and Linspire will do fine for you.
After that decision then look at what you get with the distribution. Is it going to have the drivers to suit your system? My system has an nVidia chipset and it is only in the last year or so that the open source systems have had drivers to run on it. Now most will run on my system.
Look at the software that is integrated into the distro. Xandros has a large range included so does Mandriva. Linspire have free access to a large library and for a little extra you can have almost any kind of software you might expect to have. More money gives you software that lets you run Windows software applications.
Look at what it takes to get it running. Gentoo has a strong following but the constant updating and recompiling is just annoying to me, but once it is running it is a very well integrated distro. Linspire and Freespire have access to the Click-N-Run library and it literally is a one click shop. Select the program you want, it downloads and installs itself. Maybe that is what you are looking for in a distro.

I cant tell you anything about Xandros, never used it. You'll have to look around for more reviews to see if you should keep it or return it. If you like, drop by my good friends in the CompuServe Linux Forum, http://community.compuserve.com/linuxforum and they will be sure to help you make your choice.
And always feel free to yell out if you want any help.

I can understand why some *nix purists might not like Ubuntu or Suse, as those distros are trying to make the transition from Windows to Linux as easy as possible.  The true Linux geek would be happy with the command line and never run X, let alone KDE or Gnome   That's why you try as many as you can to find the one that you're comfortable with and, as Ian mentions, supports your hardware.  Remember, under the hood, they're all the same code for the most part.  The differences are mostly in the included applications and device support.

Thanks Ian & Ned. Looks like I have (much) more research & evaluation to do.

After posting my last message I read one report where a geek "threw everything he could at Xandros to break it". Seems it was solid and, except for the additional software on the second CD, effortless to install. OTOH he mentioned having to use some command line stuff to get some of the additional stuff off the CD, but I'm not totally against using the command-line in this situation.

I read quite a few comments about the video board incompatibility and it was one reason for some of the negative comments about Ubuntu.

Meanwhile, all this stuff is continually changing with new updates and releases.

Just a quick note about operating systems.  I have three computers: a 3.6 GHz Intel running MS XP, an old 1.0 GHz Intel running Linux, and an older G4 Mac.  My students often ask which I think is the best, and that's when I annoy them with my automotive analogy.  I own an F350 diesel and a 1986 Mustang GT convertible.  The fifthwheel hitch is in the F350, not the Mustang, and on a bright, sunny day in the Smokey Mountains, the truck just isn't the same as the convertible.  My background is embedded system design (writing code for things like security systems and such).  I do that on the Linux box.  My web development stuff is handled by the Mac.  And XP?  I spend the majority of my time on that in MS Office and writing my meaningless contributions to rvforum.net. 

-Dave

cougar3514v said:

...And XP?  I spend the majority of my time on that in MS Office and writing my meaningless contributions to rvforum.net. 

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Why not use Open Office on Mac or Linux, do away with XP.

Bill42 said:

Why not use Open Office on Mac or Linux, do away with XP.

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Don't think that hasn't occured to me.  The XP box really isn't mine though, it's the school's, and I'd be lynched by our IT staff if I installed Linux.  I now have an 80 Gig external drive, however, that I'm thinking of using to boot the school's machine on Linux with.

-Dave

cougar3514v said:

Don't think that hasn't occured to me.  The XP box really isn't mine though...

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Sure you know Open Office is free, better then forking out money for MS Office, the other part was a joke(not really a good one at that).

Today I returned the (unopened) Xandros to Fry's and got a full refund. As suggested, I'll do more research on this subject before deciding on a distribution.

Ned said:

I can understand why some *nix purists might not like Ubuntu or Suse, as those distros are trying to make the transition from Windows to Linux as easy as possible.

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Ned, that's partly why the *nix folks hate Linspire with a passion. It is so close to a Windows Desktop that I could put my Mother in front of a Linspire desktop and she wouldn't have any more trouble doing things than on her own XP desktop. And the training videos (in SWF) that Linspire comes with are just some of the best I have seen. I think there are about a dozen or so different help videos explaining how to use different features of the distro. These folks have tried very hard to be the choice when it comes to making the transition from Windows to Linux. Another thing that peeves the traditionalists is that their mostly open source components are repackaged into "super" components that are then charged for. Hey, they are trying to run a business, not a charity but that isn't good enough for the detractors.
They are also one of the very few distros that are commercial enough to be able to offer computers and laptops with their system already installed. A number of the larger distributors have Linspire systems available to buyers, installed and guaranteed to work out of the box.

I just dropped by the Linspire page to check what was happening and found this very interesting letter about the Technology Sharing agreement between Linspire and Ubuntu. http://www.linspire.com/linspire_letter.php  "There are two main components to this partnership: 1) Linspire will immediately transition from Debian to Ubuntu as the base for their Linspire and Freespire operating systems, and 2) Canonical will utilize Linspire's CNR technology for aspects of Ubuntu's software delivery system"
You might also find their OS Building block chart of interest showing how all this might relate. http://www.linspire.com/OSblocks

The old saw about different horses for courses never rang more true than when comparing Linux distros

Tom said:

Today I returned the (unopened) Xandros to Fry's and got a full refund. As suggested, I'll do more research on this subject before deciding on a distribution.

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Tom, I think that is a wise suggestion. MS offer one operating system that is supposed to suit 100% of the worlds users. Linux offers a real choice to people so they can have the distro that really suits their needs. The problem with this choice is that there are just so many of them it gets hard to define what it is that you really want.
Researching, asking in Forums, talking to users, trying out Live CD's, though all of this takes time it is really the only way to get closer to defining what it is you expect out of a distro. You have lots of folks willing to help you with your choices. Most distros will have a Live CD version you can download and test out. A good site for many of them is http://iso.linuxquestions.org/ or else http://www.tuxcds.com/

Thanks for the links Ian. Looks like I have lots more reading & evaluation to do.

I really didn't understand the wide range of Linux distributions or the wide range of capabilities and limitations, or the free vs paid issues. Glad I asked  ;D