I think I'll choose Dabian, Slackware or Gentoo. I was working on RedHat 6.1 a few years ago cause I was doing some PHP things. Now I've installed Mandake 9.1 cause I had it on CD's. But I don't like it... I don't think that using Gntoo/Debian/Slackwere would be hard since I know C and I worked on RedHat which was easy. Running it only under console thaught me many things. If you want to learn something run your Linux without X and it try to configure everything without this stupid wizards (this mandrake druids and wizards are reeeeaaaallllllyyyyy useless).
Drogomir

Slackware for its simplicity, RedHat and Mandrake for their easiness to install and configure, Debian for its solidness.

Gentoo sound interesting.. I should try it soon...

I like Gento... 'cause I learned so much just by trying to install it...

Is very flexible, but I spended over 5 days installing it... so is not for everybody...

I also tried RedHat, Mandrake, SuSE and Debian and I recommend Mandrake and RedHat for newbies, but If you want power and customization go for Gentoo (if you don't wanna spend 5 days installing it so use pre-compiled packages)

Hope it helps someone to try Gentoo...

Or even better hope it helps someone to Drop Windows...

I have used a number of linuces, but spend most of my time in SuSE. I have SuSE 9.1 on one computer, 10.1 on a second and 10.2 on a third. I find its ability to recognize a wide variety of hardware, and install itself on a multiboot system very well-developed.

There is a caveat. I bought earlier versions (7.1, 8.1, 9.1) for $50 to $70 each. Each came with around 1,000 pages of manuals. Starting with 10.1, since Novell bought SuSE, the manuals are much smaller, and the free version OpenSuSE has only online manuals, so a new user may be at a loss to find adequate documentation.

If you just want to see what Linux is like, try Knoppix, or another of the increasing number of "live CD" distributions. They run from a CD, and don't touch your hard drive. You can test them (and verify that they can recognize your hardware), without installing anything on your computer.

openSUSE 11 + kde4 = orgasm

My favourite distro is the UBUNTU....

Ubuntu is a community developed, Linux-based operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. It contains all the applications you need - a web browser, presentation, document and spreadsheet software, instant messaging and much more.


Ubuntu is a community developed operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. Whether you use it at home, at school or at work Ubuntu contains all the applications you'll ever need, from word processing and email applications, to web server software and programming tools.

Ubuntu is and always will be free of charge. You do not pay any licensing fees. You can download, use and share Ubuntu with your friends, family, school or business for absolutely nothing.

We issue a new desktop and server release every six months. That means you'll always have the the latest and greatest applications that the open source world has to offer.

Ubuntu is designed with security in mind. You get free security updates for at least 18 months on the desktop and server. With the Long Term Support (LTS) version you get three years support on the desktop, and five years on the server. There is no extra fee for the LTS version, we make our very best work available to everyone on the same free terms. Upgrades to new versions of Ubuntu are and always will be free of charge.

Everything you need on one CD, which provides a complete working environment. Additional software is available online.

The graphical installer enables you to get up and running quickly and easily. A standard installation should take less than 25 minutes.

Once installed your system is immediately ready-to-use. On the desktop you have a full set of productivity, internet, drawing and graphics applications, and games.

On the server you get just what you need to get up and running and nothing you don't.



it comes in other flavours like Kubuntu/ Xubuntu, Edubuntu as well

Kubuntu:

Kubuntu is an official derivative of Ubuntu using the KDE environment instead of GNOME. It is part of the Ubuntu project and uses the same underlying system. It is an exciting distribution that showcases the full potential of the KDE desktop. Kubuntu shares the same repositories as Ubuntu, and relies on the same underlying architecture.

The K Desktop Environment

A powerful graphical desktop environment, combines the ease of use, contemporary functionality, and outstanding graphical design with the technological superiority of the Kubuntu operating system. KDE version 3.5.5 is the current stable release and Kubuntu 6.10 is the first distribution to include it.

Photo Management
Digikam

Digikam is now included by default. This advanced digital photo management application provides you with the tools necessary to view, manage, edit, enhance, organise, tag and share photographs. Organising both photos and photo albums is a snap with Digikam as it allows you to sort chronologically, by directory layout, or by custom collections.
Power Management

Kubuntu received a new power management overhaul with the latest release. Guidance, the power management system, allows users to select various functions to control the power of their portable computing system, whether it is controlling the brightness of the display during low battery, locking the system upon closing the lid or controlling access to multiple batteries.
zeroconf services in Kubuntu



Easy Networking and Printer Sharing

Zeroconf and print sharing let you browse the local network for available services. Both are now simple to setup and maintain requiring nothing more than ticking a box to enable the feature.
Accessibility Profiles

Kubuntu now offers users the ability to use a preconfigured accessibility profile depending on the type of disability right from the initial point of setup. This provides users the accessibility features they need in order to not only install the Kubuntu 6.10 operating system but to use the system on a daily basis for all of their computing needs. Press F5 at the CD boot screen to choose a profile.

You can download Kubuntu, or request a free CD from Canonical.

Visit the Kubuntu website to find out more.



System Requirements:

Kubuntu is available for PC, 64-Bit and Mac architectures.

CDs require 700MB media. Desktop install requires at least 256MB of RAM and 3GB of available hard drive space.


Xubuntu:

Xubuntu is an official derivative of Ubuntu using the Xfce desktop environment. It is intended for users with less-powerful computers, or those that require a highly efficient desktop environment on faster systems. Xubuntu features primarily GNOME applications.
Xubuntu Desktop

When you start your system for the first time you'll see a desktop that is clean and tidy, no desktop icons and a default theme that is easy on the eye.
Ready-to-use

As soon as it's installed Xubuntu is ready for you to use. It comes with all the basic applications you need, including Abiword for documents, Gnumeric for spreadsheets, Firefox for web browsing and Mozilla Thunderbird for email.


You can download Xubuntu, visit the Xubuntu website to find out more.


System Requirements

Xubuntu is available for PC, 64-Bit PC.

CDs require 128MB RAM to run, or 192MB RAM to install. Desktop install requires at least 1.5GB of free space on your hard disk.


Edubuntu:

Ubuntu is used in primary and secondary schools around the world. It is an excellent education tool. Edubuntu is a officially supported derivative of Ubuntu that is customised for Education use. Detailed information about the Edubuntu project can be found here.

Edubuntu contains a large number of educational applications including GCompris, KDE Edutainment Suite, and Schooltool Calendar. Edubuntu is developed to enable teachers/lecturers with limited technical knowledge and skills to set-up a computer lab, or establish an online learning environment, in an hour or less, and then administer that environment.
GNOME Desktop

A default desktop environment on Edubuntu. It provides file managers, network browsers, menus, and system tools. Edubuntu also provides three different theme set-ups, 'young', for younger users, 'plain' for a clean desktop set-up, and 'default', which is a general purpose theme set-up.

OpenOffice 2.0

OpenOffice includes word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, simple vector drawing and web authoring applications. Plus many enhancements and new features, including Base, a powerful database front-end.

KDE Edutainment Suite

A collection of fun educational software that makes use of the KDE framework. Its primary focus is on schoolchildren aged 3 to 18, and the specialised user interface needs of young users. However, there are also programmes to aid teachers in planning lessons, and others that are of interest to university students, and anyone else with a desire to learn.

Gcompris

GCompris offers a huge collection of activities for the children in nursery/kindergarden, gently introducing them to basic computer use, then expanding to basic maths, reading activities, and more.

You can download Edubuntu, or request a free CD from Canonical.

Visit the Edubuntu website to find out more.


System Requirements:

Edubuntu is available for PC architectures.

Installation requires at least 2.5 GB of disk space, a CPU of at least 1 GHz, and 256 MB of RAM plus an additional 128 MB of RAM per thin client (e.g. a server driving two clients should have at least 512 MB RAM).

I'd have to say my vote goes for Ubuntu simply because of it's compatibility with my hardware. I'd been trying Mandrake, Redhat.. I'd always have some sort of error recognizing my sound card... or ethernet, or graphics card... something would screw up during the installation process. (I'm talking around the year 1999 or so here).

Ubuntu came out, and the great thing about it was that I could burn it to a CD, and boot from the CD to see exactly what it would look like before I installed it. Worked without a hitch, and I installed it and never looked back

I currently have a dual boot on my computer with Win XP on one partition and Ubuntu on the other. If it weren't for the fact that all my games needed Windows, I would have left it ages ago.

I, for one, am rather fond of Slackware. It is certainly not "out of the box" friendly or easy for beginners. It does offer a very high level of customabilty and complete control for the knowledgeable user. Nor does Slackware have an easy package manager like Debian. However, when an application is installed yiou know where your dependencies are and the sytem always remains extra stable.

I myself have to choose ubuntu. Whilst I am capable of setting up more complex distros, like Red Hat, with my hardware, Ubuntu has a huge win in that respect, as when I installed it, it simply wagged it's tail and all my hardware was automatically set up, except my wireless card. Unlike when I had to use ndiswrapper on other distros, I was able to follow a tutorial with my Windows partition, download a few files, put them on a partition which I can look at with linux, then simply selected the file, set up my wireless network WPA Passkey and so on, and I was online.

I rate ubuntu 8.5 out of 10.

Hehehe.... this thread is old...

Now there is UBUNTU!

It's statistically the most downloaded Linux OS in the planet! Actually their site is visited twice than that of the second most popular (based on distrowatch).

And the community has grown really big so any question you got regarding the distro will likely be in the forums because of the huge number of users!