Which linux distribution do you think is the best for home use?
- Wednesday, July 1, 2009, 19:11
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4 Comments on “Which linux distribution do you think is the best for home use?”
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I thoroughly recommend Linux Mint 6 Main Edition which is Ubuntu based. Its easy to install and easy to use plus it comes with much of the software you are likely to need preinstalled.
You would be best off RUNNING IT LIVE so you can get the feel of things.
Linux Mint 6 Release notes
http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_felicia.php
Linux Mint 6 Download
http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=31
Once you have got the feel of things you may wish to consider an installation
The Perfect Desktop – Linux Mint 6 (Felicia)
http://www.howtoforge.com/the-perfect-desktop-linux-mint-6-felicia
You download the ISO. image of Linux Mint 6 then you need to create a Bootable CD from the ISO. This can easily be done using Nero Burning ROM or similar software. Linux Mint can also be run straight from the LiveCD you have created without touching your Hard Drive.
Remember you can RUN IT LIVE !
LUg.
Ubuntu
http://www.ubuntu.com
I would generally say, most of the Debian distributions are best for your average computer user to use at home — in no small part because they are the most forgiving and cheapest in terms of hardware use. These include PCLinuxOS, *buntus, Linux Mint, gNewSense, Crunchbang Linux and Damn Small Linux. Some of those, especially gNewSense and DSL have technical elements which intimidate users at first –DSL was originally a technical stunt to fit a whole OS on no more than 80MB. That’s MB, not GB, Redmond. I’m not sure why but if you give EITHER of those two "technical" distros to a non-technical user, they sometimes adapt to the strange programs VERY well and find them easier to use than the *buntus or Linux mint. I’ve watched it about half a dozen times, and read about it more.
Slax is a good one. Slackware is built on the policy "Keep it simple stupid" and while it is for engineers, Slax and dyne:bolic are excellent at doing what they do — frugally.
I don’t recommend Dyne:bolic for home use. I do recommend it as a portable live cd "for media activists" which is its stated purpose, and I find it very useful that way, but it is so close to slackware if you want to install an OS you might as well just have a geek install slackware.
That leads to the final issue. While Fedora and Red Hat are really better for OFFICE use ANY Linux is SO customizable you have LOTS of people who use them at home, happily. Mandriva is good, but as demanding on the hardware as Fedora while not being quite as efficient, and Suse is Suse. I’d say go with a Debian distro. Probably not Debian, but one of its derivativex
I would go with Ubuntu 100%