Linux Community Magazine

There are over three hundred Linux distributions that you can choose from. The choices can be overwhelming. There is no agreement as to what is the best linux distro. We know that Linux Ubuntu is the most popular on the desktop and Red Hat Enterprise Linux is the most popular in enterprise settings. But popularity does not equal best fit.

1. For newbies: If you are new to Linux, I suggest you use Linux Mint or PCLinux. These are the most user friendly distributions.

2. Everyday Linux If you are looking for a distribution that is going to be around a while and is relatively easy to use, then I suggest Fedora or Ubuntu. Fedora is based by Red Hat and Ubuntu is backed by Canonical. Some would also suggest OpenSUSE, which is based by Novell. I don't recommend OpenSUSE because I don't like Novell and their close dealings with Microsoft

3. Light and fast If you have an older system Puppy Linux is the choice for you. It is an amazing distribution for older machine. Puppy Linux enables you to save money while doing more work, even allowing you to do magic by recovering data from destroyed PCs or by removing malware from Windows

4. Server CentOS is simply an unbranded and free version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Debian is also an excellent choice, being well known for its stability

5. Music Production Ubuntu Studio is the most popular music and recording solution out there.Ubuntu Studio is aimed at the GNU/Linux audio, video and graphic enthusiast as well as professional.

6. Multimedia If you are interested in turning your computer into a multimedia station, Mythbuntu is the distro for you. Mythbuntu is focused upon setting up a standalone MythTV based PVR system. It can be used to prepare a standalone system or for integration with an existing MythTV network. The learning curve is a little high, but worth it.

7. Power User: If you really want to learn Linux, then Gentoo or Slackware is the way to go. Slackware just happens to be the oldest Linux distribution still in active development

8. Netbooks If you are think of using Linux on a netbook, EasyPeasy or Jolicloud are both good choices

9. KDE Desktop For those who like the KDE desktop enviroment OpenSUSE or Kubuntu are probably the best.

So what is the best linux distro? It depends on your needs and what you are looking for.

Full article: Best Linux Distro for You