Need a free linux OS.

[erhan28]

What is a good version of Linux that is free, easy to use but has abillity to do a lot.
I have a 250 GB HD all for test Linux and Vista.
I want to do a 40GB partition for Linux and the rest for Vista.
I wanted to load Linux first and then Vista. Is this smart or should I do Vista first and then Linux. I want to choose what to boot basiclly.
Any suggestions on what to get.
I hear SUSE is good but is it free, if not what should One expect to pay?

[ShuckyD]

All are pretty much free, unless you are paying for manuals, cd's, etc... Go to www.distrowatch.com and on their right hand side down a little ways, they have the Top Distrobutions, that people look at/download. I would recommend any in the Top 10.. Ive used all in the Top 5 Ubuntu seems to be a great all around distro and very popular, im running that now.. Any of the distros that you can search on that site should have a download link (free)

[GameManK]

Install windows first.

Linux installers will detect that you have windows and give you a choice at boot, but Windows has no respect for other operating systems and will overwrite the boot sector and won't give you a choice.

[zepper]

Ubuntu or Kubunto (one is primarily Gnome, the other KDE) and Mepis which is now ubuntu based are all free for the downloading. You can also get a download (or buy on CD cheap) Xandros (xandros.com) 3 OCE which is a nice version of Debian. And there is always Freespire (a free version of Linspire).

.bh.

[washe]

Also there is Open suse that its the free version of Suse...

Ubuntu/Kubuntu is a very nice distro for starters is easy to setup and easy to add programs...

Kubuntu comes as a live cd... great way to know if all your hardware is supported then you have an option to install it...

All the time Windows OS first --> the linux for install... that way your bootloader wont be messed up.

[GroundZero3]

My vote is Ubunutu

[Xeroid]

Mepis, Kubuntu, or Ubuntu would be the easiest to setup and learn. Mepis and Kubuntu use KDE and Ubuntu uses Gnome. All of these use apt to install and upgrade packages so adding software is no problem because dependencies are resolved automatically. There is also a nice GUI for apt called Synaptic. All 3 come as live CDs that allow you to try out the distro without having to install. All 3 offer a hard disk installation with just the click of a desktop icon.

I'm a big Mepis fan. Mepis allows you to install the official Nvidia or ATI drivers with one click. Mepis also has a sweet tool that allows you to reinstall the GRUB bootloader with one click (which is nice because if you ever have to reinstall windows, windows wipes out the Linux bootloader).

I've installed Kubuntu and it's pretty good too. Ubuntu is very popular but I don't care for Gnome.

Nearly all Linux distros can be downloaded for free so I'd try several until you find what's right for you. It's also much easier if you install windows first.

[drjekel_mrhyde]

Mepis, Kubuntu, or Ubuntu would be the easiest to setup and learn. Mepis and Kubuntu use KDE and Ubuntu uses Gnome. All of these use apt to install and upgrade packages so adding software is no problem because dependencies are resolved automatically. There is also a nice GUI for apt called Synaptic.

I'm a big Mepis fan. Mepis allows you to install the official Nvidia or ATI drivers with one click. Mepis also has a sweet tool that allows you to reinstall the GRUB bootloader with one click (which is nice because if you ever have to reinstall windows, windows wipes out the Linux bootloader).

I've installed Kubuntu and it's pretty good too. Ubuntu is very popular but I don't care for Gnome.

Nearly all Linux distros can be downloaded for free so I'd try several until you find what's right for you. It's also much easier if you install windows first.

not to highjack his thread but damn linux have a lot packages whats a good one for a newbie I got 5 copys of Ubuntu coming in the mail and plan on putting them on every pc build

[Xeroid]

not to highjack his thread but damn linux have a lot packages whats a good one for a newbie I got 5 copys of Ubuntu coming in the mail and plan on putting them on every pc build

I'm not sure I understand your question but . . .

Ubuntu is excellent for a newbie if you like the Gnome desktop. Also take a look at Kubuntu (which is basically Ubuntu with the KDE desktop environment). Kubuntu and Mepis share many repositories with Ubuntu. If you need a free install CD, take a look at the Kubuntu ShipIt site . . .

https://shipit.kubuntu.org/login

(requires that you create a free Launchpad account)

They shipped me 5 free Kubuntu CDs a while back.

Please note requests usually take from 4 to 6 weeks to deliver, depending on the country of shipping.

These are the requests you may choose from . . .

1 Kubuntu CD (1 PC Edition)
1 Kubuntu CD (1 64-bit PC Edition)
2 Kubuntu CDs (1 PC Edition, 1 64-bit PC Edition)
5 Kubuntu CDs (5 PC Edition)
5 Kubuntu CDs (5 64-bit PC Edition)
10 Kubuntu CDs (8 PC Edition, 2 64-bit PC Edition)

[Xeroid]

. . . for those of you who don't already know, Ubuntu CDs are also available for free.

https://shipit.ubuntu.com/login

[radio1_mike]

My vote is for Ubuntu.
You can run it off their LiveCD so you can see how you like it. (Other distros also do this too...)

If you have a USB drive (>64MB) you can put a small distro of Linux like DSL or Puppy Linux on it and just boot to that from whatever computer you do use.

I'd recommend Puppy Linux, for about ~70MB you get a JWM desktop, SeaMonkey Mozilla suite, games, office-type apps and etc... It's amazing how much they can stuff in that small a space.

http://www.puppyos.com/

[zepper]

Hey Drjekyl...,

I would suggest you look into Linspire's system builder program (if you are doing it as a business). They have very reasonable package pricing for unlimited installs. Plus Linspire is one of the easiest to use for those migrating from Windwoes to Linux and is one of the few that come with the ability to play DVD movies pre-installed.

.bh.

[Vyx]

I've tried Suse, Red Hat, Ubuntu and Knoppix. Of these, my favorite was Suse. Probably due to the fact that it was the only one I actually got everything working on. Lately Ubuntu seems to be the most popular but I just couldnt seem to get it to work well with all of my hardware. (I probably didn't give it a fifth of the time I did to Suse tho...)

All in all, Linux is free, like Xeroid said, grab a couple popular ones and give them a try. Find one that suits you.

[Xeroid]

Of these, my favorite was Suse.

I like Suse too. Guess you could tell from my signature. Suse is a very good distro, easy to setup, and good with many types of hardware. Suse uses RPMs for it's applications. OpenSUSE 10.1 was a little buggy when it first came out. They were moving away from YOU (yast online updater) in favor of the ZEN-Updater to feed app and security updates. The main problem was it didn't work very well.

Suse 10.1 has been remastered and the ISOs you download now are supposed to be fixed.

Another good distro for newbs that I forgot to mention is PCLinuxOS. It's also available as a live CD that can be installed to your hard disk. It's sorta like Mandriva with apt-get so it's supposed to resolve dependencies. I only tried it a short time on my test box but it appeared to be very polished.

[eeps24]

so many distros to pick from where do i begin ? ...... is there a certian distro that has the best networking tools? or are they are pretty standard?

[Vyx]

Pretty much with any distro you can get most any program. I know Knoppix STD has/had (do they even make this anymore?) alot of networking tools.