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...
