If this might help...
Here's a comparison of distributions from 32bitsonline.com
http://www.32bitsonline.com/article.php3?file=issues/199902/distributions/pa
rt&page=1
seeya
Chuck
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> Sent: Monday, February 15, 1999 7:35 AM
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: Best Linux??
>
> >
> > Jeff Mandrell wrote:
> > >
> > > I am currently running winblows95/S.U.S.E. 5.3, but will soon be
> setting up
> > > a second pc with Linux only. I would like to hear from people on the
> list
> > > as to which Linux distribution they prefer. I am extremely new to
> Linux
> > > (less than a month) and have RedHat 5.1, S.U.S.E. 5.3, and Caldera
> Open
> > > Lite. Any opinions as to which distribution would be greatly
> appreciated.
> >
> > Hi Jeff,
> >
> > I put the same question on many lists and I tried till now Slackware and
> > RedHat. Now I am downloading Debian to try it also. I did so because I
> > want to find out which is the best for a home PC user. Why Microsoft
> > would be the biggest on the mass market ? On this point of view I
> > searched also for applications with the most interest for the free ones.
> > As a matter of fact I am not working anything on Linux, I am only trying
> > which is the best for an intelligent home user who also wants to put his
> > mind at work not only to click the mouse.
> >
> > So, that is what I find out:
> >
> > Slackware is very reliable because its owner, Patrick Volkerdink, is
> > testing himself everything he is putting in the distribution. And now he
> > made also his own web site. It was simple to install but you have to
> > configure yourself, it is less automatic.
> >
> > RedHat seems to be very good for home-PC users because it has GUI tools
> > and peple are used to this from Windows. As a matter of fact configuring
> > the modem, printer, mouse must not be a filosofy. This distribution is
> > encouraging the newbies. The RPM GUI tool is also a good thing for
> > installing applications.
> >
> > The DEBIAN, I didn't try it yet but I was on the list. They said the
> > Debian is the most stable Linux but is not very user-friendly. They said
> > it is better to begin with RedHat and then to come to Debian Because
> > "you
> > don't learn to drive on a Ferrari". The Debian is very dinamic, if you
> > want to make a name in the programmers world there is the best place.
> >
> > I found applications for all the distributions: Netscape Com, The GIMP
> > (an ADOBE Photoshop for Linux), Email, Text Editors, Midnight Commander
> > (kind of Norton), Corel's Wordperfect8 is now free for personal use,
> > StarOffice and KDEOffice are now free. KDE is now distributed packages
> > for RedHat and Debian and in bin.tgz, the Qt tool which served for
> > building KDE is now free. It seems also the game makers began to make
> > Linux versions of their games.
> >
> > The distribution you choose depends only of your taste an of you want to
> > work on linux.
> >
> > For myself I choosed a Mandrake distribution which is a RedHat with the
> > KDE allready installed, with Netscape, GIMP (I am a photography fan),
> > Midnight Commander (I press mc and my usual Norton Commander appears),
> > the filter for my printer was in the distribution, and now I have the
> > best home-PC, and all for free.
> >
> > Contrary to all advices I use the Netscape Composer as a text editor
> > because so I have the compatibility with Microsoft. I am working now to
> > install Wordperfect8 to see if it has a feature to turn the files in
> > .doc files for MS Word.
> >
> > All above was only a personal opinion as a home-PC user.
> >
> > Cristian Carnutu
> >
>
>
> Suse 5.3 also has some nice features, also really big in europe. Alot of
> scripts that came with suse where developed by Patrick Volkerdink, the
> creator of slackware, so it does have a slackware tint. Also very easy to
> install it has 'yast' that will walk one though the install progress, and
> when the system is up and running it can also be used to configure a few
> settings of the system. It does come with rpm as it's default package
> manajer, which alot of users find easy to use, a couple other dist use
> this packing system (red hat, caldera) and alot of programs are being put
> into this format. Another good fearture about suse 5.3 and up is that is
> comes with in a four cd set and has alot of program avaible on the cd, I
> find this usefully since there is a slow internet connection here. But
> the bad thing is, the programs on the cd are 'outdated' after a month of
> getting the cd's, due to the rapid devolpment of most linux software. The
> default windows manager is KDE, alot of user find this to be a
> user-freindly desktop envoriment. It the 'ussually suspects' as far as
> windows mangers goes, not the cd's.
>
> Any good things is that suse 5.3 suports the delvopment of xfree86, if I
> understand it right, the hired people to work full time on the project.
> Suse has devlopmented a couple x servers to help support more video cards
> under X. They as devloped SAX for helping setting up the X servers, it is
> a very nice tool. The first time I used it, it detected and configued my
> video card with no information for the user, your results will vary on
> this thought.
>
> Caldera open linux lite is another good distrubation, it comes with rpm as
> it's native package manager and includes some gui conif ultilies. I only
> used it breifly, but it was very enjoyable.
>
> As pointed out above though, there is no best linux dist, it is more or
> less a matter or personal taste.
>
> One thing that you could do, is to try most of the major one, at
> cheapbytes.com they seem cd for about 2-3 a piece, with $10 US you could
> grab a handful of dist and see which would be the best for your current
> system.
>
> Hope that helps
>
