Linux Distribution |
Ubuntu quickly became the most popular Linux distribution for several reasons: they adopted a six month release schedule, they focus on ease of use and installation without sacrificing freedom, and they built their own custom tools to make managing and upgrading the system very easy. They will even send you a completely free CD in the mail without any shipping cost. |
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Linux Mint is good if you have never tried Linux before and you have enough knowledge about computers that you feel comfortable experimenting, you should try Linux Mint. It is based off of Ubuntu (which is based off of Debian) and uses it's own custom program installer called mintInstall. One of the nice things about Linux Mint is that it includes many things in the default install such as Java, media codecs, DVD playback, and browser plugins like Flash. |
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Debian is the basis for many popular Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Mepis, Damn Small Linux, Knoppix, Xandros, Linspire, etc. I think that if so many others see Debian and a solid foundation to build from that it must be good, and indeed it is. |
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PCLinuxOS is a liveCD that uses dpkg and APT for package management which comes from Debian, but is itself based off of Mandrake (now called Mandriva). I think this is an excellent combination, as my main complaint with Mandrake was the fact that it would become unstable over time due to the installation and upgrading of software. PCLinuxOS aims to be easy and simple for new users, much like Linux Mint. |
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Arch Linux is optimized for i686 computers. Arch is a distribution for experienced Linux users and does not attempt to hide you from the command line or common Linux utilities. For example, it does not ask you to set up users and passwords during or after the install. You will log on as root with no password after installing. You can change the password by typing the command "passwd" and add users by typing "adduser". |
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