Which is a better version of Linux to install?

Question

I am using windows for a long time.. But now i want to switch to Linux for programming purpose..
I have come across various versions - Debian, Ubuntu,Mint,Fedora,OpenSuse etc.
Please suggest the following..

1. Which one of them should i install? ( I want to do server-side programming.. and am participating in GSoC.. So from that point of view )

2. What is the difference between KDE and GNOME.. which is better for me?

3.Should i install it side-by-side to windows or remove windows and use only linux?

Please explain in detail...

ThankYou

Answer 1

1. Personally I am in love with Debian based Distributions. The first three of the distributions in your list are based on Debian. They use APT as their package manager, and have very large communities from which to get support.

I would suggest Mint for a true beginner because it is very user oriented.



2. KDE is beautiful, and is really closer in design to windows than the other Desktop Environments. However, it uses a lot of graphical power in its latest versions.

GDM (Gnome Desktop Manager) is closer to the way that Mac OS works.

Personally I don't use a desktop manager on most of my machines, but in your case I would suggest Gnome because you don't need as much visual pretty if you MUST have a desktop environment.



3. YES!!! Install them side by side. Don't wipe out your windows partition. You will undoubtedly find something for which you need it at some point. You can always delete it later if you need the space for linux.

Answer 2

Linux is hard to explain to someone that is only used to Windows. I know I had a lot of trouble understanding the differences at first.



Linux is a very open framework. The kernel (Linux) is not terribly different between different distribution of Linux.



The graphic interface that is packaged in desktop distributions of Linux varies quite a bit, as do some of the tools that come with them, but those can be swapped out or added to at any time without a complete reinstallation.



Most of what you listed are Debian derived (Ubuntu, Mint, and a lot of others) as opposed to Redhat/Centos or the Suse brigade.



Coming from Windows, you'll want something easy to change graphically, and pretty enough that you don't feel blue desktop withdrawal. You want easy configuration and few changes when upgrading (less hassle in a dev environment) with a reasonable availability of precompiled drivers for desktop hardware.



I recommend Mint as your first.

Answer 3

Ubuntu is easily the most popular, so you'd get the most support for that.

The next best (in my opinion) is Linux Mint, after that it'd be Debian.



Which version of Linux you use probably depends on which you prefer personally.

Answer 4

Tushar,



I think Ubuntu is what you may end up using after you have tried them all.

I personally like to use KNOPPIX it is a little different from the ones you mentioned.

A detailed explanation of your question might take a hour of typing on my end and maybe more.

Answer 5

It's a matter of taste.



Ubuntu

Official technical support: http://www.ubuntu.com/support/community



Linux Mint

Installation and User Guide: http://www.linuxmint.com/documentation/user-guide/italian_13.0.pdf

Mint official technical support: http://forums.linuxmint.com



openSUSE

Installation: http://it.opensuse.org/Portal:Installazione

User guide: http://opensuse-guide.org/

Official technical support: http://it.opensuse.org/openSUSE:Communication_channels

Answer 6

All of them have a live cd version. Id try them out and see what you like best. I prefer mint but that's personal preference