How to Choose a Linux Distribution to Suit Your Needs

Thinking about making the switch to Linux? Good idea! Running Linux on your home computer will give you access to all sorts of well-written, stable open source software, all free of charge. When you have everything figured out, you will have an extremely stable and well equipped computer, free of charge. Only question is, where to begin?

To begin with you will need to choose which version, or "distribution" of Linux you want to use. There are dozens to choose from. "Oh no," you say. "This is going to be more complicated than I thought. Why are there so many of them? Which one do I want?"

Don't worry. Read on and you will find the right one for you. As I said before, Linux is open source software, meaning not only that is free, but also that anyone can modify it any way they see fit, and do with it what they want. And many people have done just that. Starting with the same original Unix base, many different groups of programmers have developed their own versions of Linux, designing them for every imaginable use. Out of these there's bound to be one that will work well for you. Here are brief descriptions of three of the most popular distributions of Linux for home use.

Ubuntu
Unknown until a few years ago, but by now far and away the most popular version of Linux for home use. Ubuntu, which takes its name from an African word meaning "humanity to others," is a stable, Debian based Linux distribution, complete with a snazzy graphical interface, a full complement of software, frequent updates, and good support. It is easy to install, and comes with most of the programs you will need on the CD. Others are easily installed using the package manager. Although knowledge of the Linux command line interface is always useful, it is possible to use Ubuntu without ever touching it.

Ubuntu Linux is available at www.ubuntulinux.org, either for download or on a CD. In fact, Ubuntu will even send you a free installation CD if you want. Just fill out the form.

I should point out that although Linux is open source, (a fact which it certainly flaunts) it is a project lead by Canonical, Inc. Although this means that high quality paid customer support is available, ($30 per incident or $100 for ten) open source purists might have qualms with Ubuntu.

Fedora Core
Red Hat was originally, and still, the best known company in the Linux world. For a long time, it distributed a commercial version of the Linux operating system for home use, (known as Red Hat Linux) but in 2003 the company decided to scrap this project in favor of various business software products. Rather than completely getting rid of Red Hat Linux, however, the Red Hat people redesigned it into Fedora Core, an ongoing free software project.

Like Ubuntu, Fedora has an easy installer, a nice graphical interface, and a lot of software. It is easy to use, and is in wide enough use for support to be easily available. Although I may be splitting hairs, I would say that Fedora is slightly harder to use than Ubuntu. Some minimal knowledge of command line interface may be helpful if you want to run Fedora, but really there is not much difference. Try both, and see which one has a better feel.

SuSE
Historically one of the more widely used Linux distros for desktop use. Known for its easy installer and K desktop environment. Perhaps not as well tailored to the home user as Ubuntu or Fedora.