Ubuntu, Fedora or SuSE? (Or any others!)

naidheachdair

I've been using Ubuntu for several years on a fairly decrepit old computer. The latest 8.10 release doesn't boot on my machine without me having to drop to a shell on the first boot and sudo apt-get remove compiz. It's gone from "just works" to "hmm, perhaps I should start looking elsewhere". I've stuck with 8.04 LTS which does Just Work, but the software collection included is starting to get a little elderly.

A couple of other distros have either just released new versions or are about to, namely Fedora 10 and OpenSuse 11.1 (I think that's the number!). What are the pros and cons of switching to either of these? I like Fedora's artwork and its commitment to providing the latest versions of software like OpenOffice--Ubuntu's insistence that we should all be happy with version 2.3 and horrible brown title bars is irritating. Meanwhile, SuSE is a bit of an unknown quantity but it seems quite polished and well-done; its customised GNOME is quite appealing. I've always been a GNOME user, but I do quite like the look of KDE4.1--having said that, whether it'll be any good on my machine* is anyone's guess.

I've a few years' experience using Linux and I've no qualms about dropping to a command line on occasion. I'm not using any hardware that's out of the ordinary, no wireless networks or obscure peripherals, just a PC, ethernet network and a Brother laser printer. However, I use my PC for working from home and do like things to Just Work when I need to get a document to someone quick! Windows isn't an option; when I have to use it at work, it seems awfully clunky and counterintuitive.

I know it's a bit of a woolly question, I'm just after opinions and a discussion rather than "you really must use this"! Also, if there are any I've missed, I'd love to know about them.

* Compaq Evo D510 - P4 1.9GHz, 1GB RAM, Intel onboard video 32MB

An Fear Aniar

Maybe Xubuntu would work better on your box?

You could have a go at setting up Arch. it begins with a minimal install, but if you follow the instructions in the Arch Wiki it can be done quite easily. Then when you've got the X environment set up you build up your system from there.

Everybody raves about Arch.

Another one I've tried in Virtualbox is Zenwalk. I quite liked it.

All of the major distros are listed here:

http://distrowatch.com/

There's a lot to choose from.


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Thomas_S_Hunterson

Debian is great.

eightcell

I also have a HP Evo with similar specs and have been using gentoo with fluxbox... works perfectly.

KAGY

naidheachdair wrote: »

I've been using Ubuntu for several years on a fairly decrepit old computer. The latest 8.10 release doesn't boot on my machine without me having to drop to a shell on the first boot and sudo apt-get remove compiz. It's gone from "just works" to "hmm, perhaps I should start looking elsewhere". I've stuck with 8.04 LTS which does Just Work, but the software collection included is starting to get a little elderly.

* Compaq Evo D510 - P4 1.9GHz, 1GB RAM, Intel onboard video 32MB

TBH you won't get the best performance out of any of the newer releases, and the higher graphics demands (plasma / compiz) from KDE4 would really stress your system.
I would second Xubuntu, or just stick with Feisty. If there is some program that you want you could alway download the deb or rpm and install it manually.

Tillotson

Started Linux about a year ago with ubuntu, was getting a bit bored of it. Installed Arch Linux over Christmas, wasn't really hard. Been using it since as my primary OS.

Pro's:
Bleeding edge
Fun install, if you like Lego
Good for learning more about Linux
Getting exactly what you want
Able to minimal OS which will be fine of 1GB of ram
Easy administration
Excellent beginners guide

Con's:
Bleeding edge
Time consuming install
Wiki isn't great, at least in comparison to ubuntu
Fan boys like myself

I haven't run into any problems myself but I haven't used it long enough to trust it. Gentoo looks kinda dead tbh. Slackware might be what you're looking for.

codecrunchers

I'm a Fedora person, I tried freeBSD for a while, but it wasn't quite ready for desktop usage I felt. One thing that kills me with regards distros is when you switch, the learning curve with regards configuration files is a nightmare - I've had Fedora running for 6 years now and no problems with it.

Alan

hobochris

Kubuntu I found great.