Which distribution?

[Wyvern]

Hi, I'm new to Linux and over the past few days I've been wondering which version of Linux I should get, and researching it quite a lot. I'm getting a brand new computer for my room, probably 1-2GB of RAM and a 79 GB Raptor hard drive - not sure about everything else, but basically I'm getting a computer that will be good enough for gaming but not so incredible it can afford to waste its power on things other than the game being played (+online).

The computer I'd be getting would only have Linux on it, unless I started having problems with compatibility (BT Homehub, hardware upgrades etc) in which case I'd buy XP & partition etc. My question is, from an objective point of view, which is probably the best distribution for me? I've considered Ubuntu, Xubuntu, and Debian - I went onto a Ubuntu IRC and asked about whether Ubuntu or Xubuntu would be better for gaming - someone suggested I try Debian instead so here I am. They said I'd be better off with Sid or Etch (I think) rather than Sarge, although I didn't get a chance to ask why.

Anyway, from an objective point of view, which of those three (or another, for that matter) would be best for a medium specs computer run by a Linux newbie that plays online games and browses the intarwebs a lot? Primarily gaming PC but would also use aMSN, Firefox + addons, OO and the Gimp (which I already have on this XP computer, except aMSN).

Homework utilities a plus

[Grifter]

It doesn't really matter which distro you choose, you'll be a newbie in any distro, and the biggest hurdle you'll face is learning how to use and control your new operating system, if you fail to learn, or lose patience and expect to have the knowledge uploaded to you like in the matrix, you'll be very disappointed and go back to windows anyhoo

that said, i'd go with debian etch (:

but of course i'm me (:

[Fluenza]

I don't have a suggestion and probably shouldn't even be replying to this thread, but I will anyway. I use Debian and I'm quite happy with it. I use Etch on this machine and I have Sarge on two others. I've tried Ubuntu and was not happy with it. It was a little too "dumbed" down for my liking.

I don't play games so I can't speak to that. I'm also a relative newbie so my recommendations shouldn't account for much anyway. But I'd say to just grab a couple of live CDs and play with them until you find one that you're comfortable with. The odds of somebody here (or anywhere) having the same distro tastes as you is remote. And it's not likely that what others think is best for you, actually will be best for you.

If you want a simplistic but telling glimpse into how people's Linux tastes vary, take a look at the What's your desktop look like thread in the Offtopic area. If you don't see a desktop there that you like, you probably won't be happy with their distro suggestions either. And that's really the joy of using Linux: The freedom to have your system the way YOU want it.

[Blyiss]

I tried Fedora-Core 4, Fedora-Core 5 and Debian Sarge. So I found Debian Etch is the most convenient distro.

[rickh]

If Windows gaming is your main priority, you may be making a major mistake. At least check the games you are interested in to see if they have a native Linux port. You can, of course run many Windows games via Wine or Cedega, but you will most likely take a hit on performance.

I always tell people that if their primary need is running Windows software, they should forget Linux and stick with Windows.

[craigevil]

Debian Etch is just fine as starter distro. Just be patient and READ the installer docs.

Ubuntu is fine if you like things spoon-fed to you., however if you really want to learn how to use Linux then Debian is definitely the way to go.

How to Learn Linux, Using Linux

A little tip: learning to really use the power of Linux involves reading, trial and error. Keep at it until you get things to work they way you want them to.
Linux is not Windows. Please get that part firmly embedded in your mind right away.
Once you come to accept that simple fact it becomes much easier to learn how to use Linux.
Google is your friend. There are some very good books available for learning, although anything you need to learn can be found on the net.
Some things to think about before jumping into Linux:

* Why do you want to try Linux?
* What experience do you have with computers?
* Do you like to tinker with your system and its OS or do you just want it to work?
* What access do you have to the internet : dialup or broadband
* Does the thought of using the Command Line intimidate you?

Debian is nowhere as difficult as some people make it out to be, plus the Debian forums and irc have tons of helpful knowledgeable people to help.

Before you get frustrated, please take the time to READ the following:
Debian GNU/Linux Installation Guide
http://www.debian.org/releases/testing/ ... ex.html.en

APT HOWTO
http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/apt-h ... l#contents

I would download and install the kde cd if you find that you do not like kde you can always install gnoome , xfce or another window manager.
http://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/weekl ... e-CD-1.iso

[Wyvern]

Well, Etch would seem to be the most popular choice A couple of other forums seem to be praising Etch, as well. So when I buy my computer I'll try that.

Also, I've been reading my way through the "Learn Linux Using Linux" + a bit of the installation guide in a moment. I like the style of writing I shouldn't have too many problems with reading beforehand, my friends evn get annoyed with me when I insist on reading the instruction manuals of games when I go to their houses. Well, I don't always, but if there's time while it's being set up...

Loving the car to motorbike analogy, and also thanks for all these replies so quickly

EDIT: Oh yeah, and I'd be partitioning so that I could run any games that won't run on Linux in Windows XP.

EDIT 2: Oh yeah, and if anybody could spare a little of their time to tell me if one 10k rpm SATA hard drive would be faster, or two 7.2k rpm ATA linked with a raid? Am "building" a PC on pcspecialist.co.uk and so far have kep costs low with fairly good specs just wondering which is the more spritely of the two possibilities. The SATA has a 16MB cache, and the two ATAs have 8MB each, if that might sway your views on hich is better.

[michael7]

I suggest Debian or a Debian-based distro because of APT, Debian's great package management tool. I've tried everything except Gentoo and IMHO, Debian is the best.

Debian Etch will be something of a challenge for a Linux newbie, but if you have some computer smarts, you'll pick it up in short order.

Please understand that Linux is not Windows. Linux is based on UNIX and UNIX was around long before Windows. Things are done differently, so be prepared. Give yourself about 3 months with Linux. That should be long enough for the light bulb to switch on and when it does, your days of using Windows regularly will be over. Perhaps you'll need to dual boot from time to time, but Linux will become your regular, day-to-day operating system. It's that much better.

[Grifter]

There is one thing I could add Wyvern; there are a lot of games (both commerical and open source, but frankly it's the commercial ones that are interesting except for a select few small well-designed open source games) for linux, it's just that most people don't know about them because they don't bother to research it, I personally play a lot of games - but only linux native games, so I can personally testify to the fact that gaming works quite well on debian (:

Infact I've just now been replaying the classic game "Homeworld" which was ported to linux by ted shaolinman when relic released the source, and has since progressed over at homeworldsdl.org (you'll need to check the forums for the more recent releases however)

[Wyvern]

Thanks I've been fine tuning my choices for hardware and for about £570 I'll be getting 2GB of RAM, 2.0GHz dual core processor, a SATA (10,000rpm) Hard Disk and I've left about £70 factored in wich I will use to shop around using quidco, etc, to get a good enough graphics card. So any slowdown Linux might have playing Windows games should hopefully be negated.

Oh yes, and I knewabout Linux having decent games although I didn't know there were so many Thanks! I remember buying Savage (for Windows) years ago, I know now that it's actually a mostly Linux game

Well, Etch it is. I don't exactly have massive 'computer smarts' but I'd say I have enough to get by on, so I should be able to just about get used to Etch without giving up.

Just gotta hope Windows is like riding a bike and I don't end up unable to use windows well, otherwise school may be a bit hard. Likelyhood of me using the wrong shortcuts a lot? Surprisingly enough I'm finding that this is actually going to be a factor as the A-levels I want to do mostly revolve around computers, and 2 of my GCSEs + an A level I'm doing now are computers.

[Grifter]

Savage is awesome fun, s2games had linux support from the start, and now Savage 2 is coming out soon, and it too will have a linux client, and introversion just announced a multiplayer version for their rts game darwinia to come out in a year, and the client for defcon just came out, and so did northlands