Trying out Linux

[Nefrit]

I'm interested in Linux. Mainly curious. What is the best Linux to use ( i heard there are many versions, im not sure) for someone who wants to mess around and just want something new to play around with since i can't play with Vista yet.
Something that is almost as functional as Win XP.
[I]
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Whatever you are, be a good one. Abrahan Lincoln

[Dave44]

I'm interested in Linux. Mainly curious. What is the best Linux to use ( i heard there are many versions, im not sure) for someone who wants to mess around and just want something new to play around with since i can't play with Vista yet.
Something that is almost as functional as Win XP.
[I]
_______________ __
Whatever you are, be a good one. Abrahan Lincoln

well like you said there are tons of versions, take your pick really. Personally for just playing around i use fedora.

[sicarie]

Ubuntu is a flavor of Linux that is geared towards people who have used Windows and are considering making the change. They go through a lot of effort to include many drivers and programs through their package manager and have everything "just work". I personally don't like it due to several of their idiosyncrasies - such as not having a root user, and prefer Debian myself.

The thing is that you will never really learn it until you force yourself to use it as your primary machine for an extended period of time. I also personally prefer to start with the hardest first - that's why I attempted to learn Linux on Gentoo, but didn't make a good hardware choice with that one, and was forced to go to Debian, which I have been quite happy with ever since.

PS, please stop bolding the entirety of your posts. It makes them no more emphatic, but infinitely more annoying.

[Laharl]

Speaking from personal experience, check with Google (distro name + computer model) to see if whatever distro you decide to try will work on your hardware, especially if you're using a laptop. I just switched over to Ubuntu Gutsy (the latest version) and am really happy with it. Ubuntu's philosophy is 'Linux for human beings' and they do a good job of setting things up so that nearly everything can be accomplished through a GUI if you'd rather not work through the command line all the time.

For a more 'advanced' distro, Fedora or Debian are both popular choices, as is Gentoo, where you have control over literally every aspect of the OS, down to if you want to, say, support BMP but not PNG.

If you have another computer you can use for Google help while you install any distro, your life will be much easier. Ubuntu has a graphical installer, which others, particularly Gentoo, do not.

[sicarie]

If you have another computer you can use for Google help while you install any distro, your life will be much easier. Ubuntu has a graphical installer, which others, particularly Gentoo, do not.

Definitely good advice. The other thing I did my first few times was write down a list of all the devices (My Computer, Properties, Hardware Tab, Device Manager) and versions and Google the drivers for them, so you know if they are available or not.

[numberwhun]

In addition, if you are curious as to how many different distributions there are and "what" they are, then check out distrowatch.

Regards,

Jeff