[PCfreak91]

what is the best version of linux out there?
can u give me the pros and cons of the version you re?comend

[horndude]

slackware
its simple
straightforward
no messy or buggy gui's to rely on for system configuration
has one of the best support bases around
it changes very gradually from version to version
no dependency checking
what worked in older versions works in newer ones too
the disksets are very very complete with lots of software

knoppix
easy to run,quick to setup
as live cd's go, its about as good as it gets

knoppix std
see above and add mad amounts of neat tools
put a copy in your tool box, it will come in handy

SuSe
stable, good collection of software
relies on debian pkgs I believe
not a complete distro compared to some others
has a good setup GUI for most things
good for newbies till something doesnt work quite right,then it can be a bear to deal with in some ways

Mandrake
very complete like slackware
also been around as long as slackware
probably the easiest and most automated install around
all that adds some complexity and takes up some more space though
good support

**** small linux
tried it a few times
if youve got an old pentium machine laying around, give it a shot
good for newbies to play with and anyone looking for a basic portable OS on a cd

basic linux
2 floppies
decent toolkit and basic system
no GUI, its all console mode
good networking tools
With some hacking and adding a few things and installing to hard drive you can have a pretty capable mini linux with X in under 100mb easily

fedora/redhat
been around awhile
good support
they are in it for the $$........not always a good thing
automated setup
a little bloated like Mandrake
rpm package management........dont care for it myself, but some swear by it

Debian
never used it, but ive heard there's a huge software base for it
tends to change alot between releases
debian packages are different than everyone elses
-----for eaxmple you can use rpm from redhat in slackware
good support, lots of forums for it


Underneath they are all essentially the same, mostly the differences are in how stuff is installed or uninstalled and how automated the OS install process is.I dont think any are hands down better than each other, but to me like anything else, simplicity is always better, so Ive stuck prettymuch with slackware.I like knoppix std alot though, its pretty flexible and has lots of tools.

[PCfreak91]

thanks, so far i'm thinking of getting slackware or knoppix std. b/c they seem the best to me even i never used them. i need more opinions b/c i would rather base my decision on 5-10 people than 1. ( not that yours is bad, it is very thorough)

[jnev_89]

i use suse, although i've tried mandrake and knoppix. suse was my favorite of the 3, it seemed the simplest to use, although mandrake was also pretty simple.

my vote goes for suse, although i will be trying slackware as soon as i get a chance.

[gabe]

*cough*freebsd*cough* - well, for knewbies slack seems good and bsd isnt linux.

Cheers!

[Iron_Cross]

**Cough**FreeBSD**Cough**

Check out distrowatch.org Out of linux though I'd have to say SuSE(For User friendliness), Debian (or anything debian based), or perhaps Slackware (which can be quite intimidating to new comers)

[Tuxthepenguin]

morphix is good. its based on knoppix and you can customise it easily because its module-based

[ZeroCool]

P.H.L.A.K

[Qiranworms]

Originally posted by horndude
**** small linux
tried it a few times
if youve got an old pentium machine laying around, give it a shot
good for newbies to play with and anyone looking for a basic portable OS on a cd

Sounds similar to Tiny Linux...how would you compare the two?

[Iron_Cross]

Or zipslack, it's very small as well.