Linux Distro Discussion

[ruler501]

Since we started this in the Avatar thread I thought it might be good to make it here.(Not completely sure this is right place though, please move it if its not)

Basically this is a thread to discuss the various linux distributions.

I have used
Linux Mint 10-12 All gnome 32 and 64 bit
Linux Mint LMDE all xfce 32 and 64 bit
Arch 64 bit
Sabayon 8 xfce 64 bit which is my current primary OS on my laptop(my primary computer)
Ubuntu(for a very short time because i prefered mint) 11.04 beta and 10.10 both 32 bit with the standard DE
OpenSUSE(for just a while since it didnt recognize my wireless card on my desktop and I never tried it on my laptop)

I have found my favorite to be Sabayon XFCE so far. It allows me to get stuff from gentoo if I want really up to date and the binaries it has are also extremely up to date though it does not have a good gui package manager currently imo

[Juju]

I used Ubuntu from 2007-08 to 2010-11 (first in VM, then on an actual HD to replace a WinXP I got tired of) until I moved to Arch Linux.

[ruler501]

how is arch if you get it set up well? I have never been able to get it fully set up though I hear its much easier to use once its fully set up

[Juju]

Arch is pretty nice to use and easy to install, exotic configurations (especially networking) can be a PITA though. You have to build your config brick by brick. which is kinda nice for me.

[linuxgeek96]

Fedora, Gentoo, Arch, Tiny Core, Ubuntu (in order of usage/appreciation by me)

[renatose]

I've tryed mandriva, ubuntu, open suse and several other distros no so known and I stick with ubuntu, because it's plain easy and has got the biggest userbased community which provides an excelent support.

[aeTIos]

I have only used ubuntu, but the problem now is that I got too used to unity so any other distros are a nogo for me

[Sorunome]

I use Linux Mint 12 KDE
Linux Mint as there is a lot pre-installed and I kind of like KDE

[Jim Bauwens]

I started with Ubuntu years ago and I still use it. It always was the most stable for me and supported most hardware.

I have used these distro's: Fedora, Open Suse, Linux Mint, Linux Mint Debian, Debian, Watt OS, Xubuntu, Kubuntu, some others I forgot the name of.

[TheNlightenedOne]

I used Ubuntu a year or two ago, but it half-bricked my laptop after a failed GRUB update. I had a dual-boot with Vista alongside it. I ended up having to install a second Vista OS... so I had a tri-boot at one point. It worked after that. Not Ubuntu, I deleted that, but Vista worked. I've since wiped my laptop. (2/5)
I have a LiveCD of the latest Ubuntu, but I don't like it too much. I don't trust it enough. (3.5/5)
I have a LiveCD of Debian, it's pretty good. It's my friend's favorite, so I burned one for him. (4/5)
I have a LiveCD and a LiveUSB of Fedora. It's by far my favorite. It looks great, it's easy to use, it's fast, and it's fun to use altogether. It's awesome on a 32 GB flash drive. (5/5)

While I've never tried ArchLinux, it sounds cool, so I'll give it a try sometime. (On a LiveCD)

Of the ones I have LiveCDs of, I burned LiveCDs of all of them for my teacher. He should be trying them over break...

Another one of my teachers used to use Red Hat, before it split into Fedora and RHEL.

[Eeems]

I have only used ubuntu, but the problem now is that I got too used to unity so any other distros are a nogo for me

You can install unity on other distro's

While I've never tried ArchLinux, it sounds cool, so I'll give it a try sometime. (On a LiveCD)

It's hard to get the full experience of Arch on a liveCD since all their liveCS's are for are repair or installation. The liveCD gives you the bare minimum needed to install and do some repair work, you don't get to really experience setting up the perfect system etc with it because you don't have any permanent storage. I'd say if you want to try it out but not permanently, and you still want to experience what I mentioned before, a virtual machine would be the best option for you.

[FinaleTI]

I just got around to dual-booting Ubuntu 11.10 on my laptop, and I've got most all of my drivers setup, albeit a few glitches. For example, my wireless headset's volume is a little low, and my printer will only print after I've opened and closed the ink tray.

Other than that, it's working great! I've actually been using an Ubuntu theme on my Windows 7 install since forever, so it's nice to finally use the real thing.

[FinaleTI]

I'm thinking of adding an ArchBang install to my laptop, and I was wondering if anyone else has tried it/has any thoughts on it.
I gave the LiveCD a try, and it seems quite nice. I'm not sure if I'll stick with the default Openbox or switch to fluxbox, though. I certainly love my fluxbox...

I do plan on trying Arch eventually, and ArchBang seemed like a good stepping stone to it, since it's built off Arch and is fairly minimal, but has enough stuff installed to be usable right off the bat.