Here are some criteria to consider:
· Some versions of Linux are considered easier for new users who want to get productive as soon as possible without having to master all the complexities. Said versions also tend to have more drivers, which means a greater likelihood that they will have whatever driver you need. However, these distributions are often considered bloated and slow. Ubuntu, PCLinuxOS and MEPIS Linux fall into this category.
· On the other end of the spectrum, Slackware Linux, Gentoo Linux and FreeBSD are more advanced distributions that require plenty of learning before they can be used effectively. They generally operate quicker and take a smaller footprint on your machine, but the learning curve can be steep.
· Fedora, openSUSE, Debian GNU/Linux and Mandriva Linux attempt to split the difference, with mixed results.
· Some are from companies that offer both free and pay-for versions of Linux. Red Hat / Fedora and SUSE Enterprise / openSUSE are examples of such pairs. The free version is often seen as a test bed for the pay version, and the controlling company is probably more interested in their pay sales than in support for the free version.
· Debian has versions of Linux for 11 different processor architectures, but unless you are using an odd architecture, this just means the release time for new versions of the operating system can be slow. Other versions with slow release times include PCLinuxOS, MEPIS Linux, and BSD versions.
· You also need to decide if you need a 64-bit version, assuming you have a 64-bit processor. My machine (HP DV9627CL using AMD X2 processor) does. However not every version of Linux offers 64-bit software. 32-bit may well work just fine, and drivers have a tendency to work better with the 32-bit versions, but the result will be slower than it would with a 64-bit version.
Suggestions:
· I think it’s a good idea to have the support of a company trying to make a profit off the version of Linux you want to use, but I’d prefer that there was only one version supported. I don’t want to feel like I’m just a beta test site for the version they are selling.
· I think it’s a good idea to choose a distribution with a regular release cycle, so you will get the advantages of other people writing software for your machine.
· Likewise I think it’s smart to choose a version with a lot of deployments. More people using your version means more people to write new software and fix bugs.
· I think it’s smart to choose a recent stable version. If you choose a distribution that is older than your hardware, your chances of getting it going without having to do a lot of searching on another computer for additional drivers are lower.
· The more work you want the computer to do for you, the more bloated and slow the resulting system will be. It’s a trade-off between how much you want to learn and how much bloat-ware you will accept. Fortunately there are ways to cut some of the bloat after you have the machine loaded and functional.
· Just because you pick a version of Linux doesn’t mean you can’t change later. For example, if you pick one of the larger, slower versions, you can later pick a smaller, faster one, once you are confident in your ability to get it running.
· Additional selection criteria may be seen at:
http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major.
· You may also want to check the Linux Hardware Compatibility List at
http://www.linuxquestions.org/hcl/index.php.
Based on my analysis above, I chose Ubuntu. YMMV.
Regards,
Toad