Linux Distro for Noob

[Podolak]

Hey all,

I was reading the tread about Ubuntu Linux and it got me to thinking. What is the best distro for a noob? I've worked with linux for many years now. But have done very little with it. I actually purchased Red Hat 5 in a box (i'm pretty sure it was 5, could have been 6). Anyhow, back then had trouble getting XWindows working and all that. Not the point. Point beeing is I've used versions since and the main problem is installing aps. Haven't had much time to devote to it. So, what would be the best distro for someone who has very little experience with it. I've used Linspire but it does not support the wireless card on my laptop. Intel 2200BG Mini-PCI.

Well, thank you for your consideration. Also, if you could pst why it would be a good choice that would be great.

Thanks,

 

[DnetMHZ]

Fedora or Mandrake.

 

[Zelmo3]

For installing apps, Gentoo and Debian are hard to beat. They both download and install the dependencies for any package you request.
For RPM packages, SUSE has a nice graphical installer that will tell you what dependencies you're missing, if any. But it's up to you to find and install them.

 

[uOpt]

Different newbies want different things. Some can cope with some installation irritations if they get the most comfortable desktop afterwards. Some throw up on the slightest installation or update hickup but don't really care whether their actual daily work involves a few more mouseclicks or less.

My recommendation is to download and install Fedora Core, which is super-agressive to get the newest and most advanced comfort packages into your desktop but sometimes rushes things and might have hickups with installation, e.g. on notebooks.

If you fail with Fedora Core, then I recommend buying the Mandrake package which is smoother in installation but doesn't have the latest bells and whistles in the workspace.

Since FC is free you don't lose anything from trying in this order.

 

[MBetz]

You know you're a Linux Noob (sic), when you ask any question similar to: "What is the best distro for a noob?"

I agree with Mr. Cracauer that Fedora Core should be one of your first experiments. However, I would say try Knoppix first. It has very good hardware auto-detection features. It's Debian based so you get the benefits of aptget, Debian's package management utility. Since the latest version on Knoppix (3.7) still uses the 2.4 kernel you don't have to worry about SELinux causing problems. OMG I just realized I'm ranting about a distro. Sorry. There are a few live cd distros that a noob could try. I like Fedora Core.
As for your wireless card issue. Check here: http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/