recommend me a linux / Unix Distro

[NoddY]

Har har idealist view. Ports suck - especially when you get a broken one as a dependency that won't build (happens quite regularly). Not only that have you tried to build open office from ports? There is not enough time in the world. Oh and the recent "lets bump the version number up randomly with no major feature changes".

....
http://www.debian-administration.org/articles/366

Do you really sit though a compile of Openoffice?

Ports are only half of the application management story. For things like Openoffice you would use packages instead. Dependancies can be fixed easily with pkgdb or (more likely) updating your ports tree.

[NoddY]

The only civilised free operating system is FreeBSD.

Clear delimitation between the kernel, the base functions of the operating system (the 'world') and applications (ports/packages).

Continuously upgradable via CVS, and rebuilt to the latest and greatest version via a few command lines.

You can optimise your kernel, compile binaries against specific architecture.

Runs X just like any linux does, runs a linux app with emulation (but why bother, everything is ported to it anyway).

Ports system means no fannying around with dependancies.

It really is free in the wider sense - you can add to it and commercialise it, unlike Linux, in which GNU stipulates anything spawned from a GPL must be under the GPL itself.

Kiss goodbye to How-Tos: Documentation top notch and centralised : http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO...ooks/handbook/

Support fora and mailing lists attitude free and not a spotty American/German teenager in sight "whatever ...sucks man.."

I could go on....

[cojak]

I'm writing this on my laptop with Mepis 3.4-3 installed. You can get it free from http://www.mepis.com/

Mandrake was a pig, ignoring a lot of drivers and and failing my eth0. Installing Mepis was completely pain free and encouraged me to 'get under the bonnet' as it's so easy to reinstall if I cack it up.

Linux Format magazine has Mepis and OpenSolaris on it's May cover DVD.

[Jabberwocky]

puppy linux - that way you can throw it away after seeing the sorry mess that is linux.

[Addanc]

SuSE no brainer installation, excellent hardware support. Download community version for nowt.

[Joe Black]

Mac OS/X.

would agree - but its not legal to run on non-apple hardware - i had it running on my laptop - was fantastic, and slightly surreal to see the apple logo on a HP lappy!

And why not?...isn't this somehow covered by the legal concept of reasonable use?

[Statistician]

SuSE Pro 9.3 is my weapon of choice (haven't got round to upgrading to 10 yet). If you're going to run it on a laptop then this is the distro to have as it was the only one that detected and installed the wireless networking in my IBM Thinkpad out of the box.

YaST (the installer/software management utility) is pretty sweet too. Been Billyware free for a number of years now - though I use VMWare for the inevitable Internet Explorer testing.

SuSe 10 or Ubuntu if you want it really free.

[DimPrawn]

Microsoft Vista is good I've heard.

Takes cover behind desk.

[threaded]

Ubuntu: http://www.ubuntu.com/

Seconded.

Ubuntu is an ancient african word meaning "Can't install Gentoo".

[Cowboy Bob]

SuSE Pro 9.3 is my weapon of choice (haven't got round to upgrading to 10 yet). If you're going to run it on a laptop then this is the distro to have as it was the only one that detected and installed the wireless networking in my IBM Thinkpad out of the box.

YaST (the installer/software management utility) is pretty sweet too. Been Billyware free for a number of years now - though I use VMWare for the inevitable Internet Explorer testing.

[MrsGoof]

If you really want to learn as well the Gentoo is the one that'll teach you.

Everything is sourcebased and configuration is by hand. It'll take a while to get your system up but you WILL LEARN

Otherwise SUSE OSS. DOwnload ISO burn boot voila !

[Chappo]

Mac OS/X.

would agree - but its not legal to run on non-apple hardware - i had it running on my laptop - was fantastic, and slightly surreal to see the apple logo on a HP lappy!

[DaveB]

If you like poking around in the guts then Slackware is a fun one.

[OrangeHopper]

Mac OS/X.

[Chappo]

Hi all,

im looking at installing Linux on my machine - to mess about with and was wondering if some of u linux / unix bods can point me in the direction of a distro which is:

1. easy to install as a dual boot with Windows xp
2. can boot with SATA hard disks
3. has got lots of bells and whistles etc to play with
4. is free and downloadable (well i have got an 8mb line to play with

cheers