What version of Linux is best

[jman2050]

Yes I, the J-Man, have decided to install Linux on my (well actually, my brother's) PC. I tried it out using Knoppix, the CDbootable version of Linux, and I must say I like the way it works, and the KDE window manager is pretty good. So I need to know:

1) The best distro of Linux to use that isn't overly complex, works with KDE, and can be dual-booted on a seperate hard drive with Windows without many problems

2) What programs can I use to take care of normal everyday tasks like listening to music, editing documents, browsing the internet, etc.

3) I can probably figure this out myself, but what programmming tools and compilers would I need with Linux?

4) Should I spend time porting Metroid Revival to linux upon completion? Thanks in advance for all your help, I'm looking forward to using a stable opertating system for once.

[Verman]

Slackware if you want all the fun of setting it up and getting it working....

If not get mandrake its prolly the easiest to set up and get working.

[Ich]

We have a computer with Red Hat 8.0, and although I don't use it personally, we don't have any problems with it.

[LordMagus]

In my opinion, Mandrake is the best. I recommend getting Mandrake 9.0. To my knowledge, it is only distro to have KDE 3 and Gnome 2 in its installation.

[vegeta1215]

Originally posted by LordMagus
In my opinion, Mandrake is the best. I recommend getting Mandrake 9.0. To my knowledge, it is only distro to have KDE 3 and Gnome 2 in its installation.

Ditto. I've tried the 3 majpr distros: Redhat 8.0, SuSe 8.1, and Mandrake 9.0, and Mandrake blows the others out of the water.

To answer you're questions.
1. Many Linux distros are very easy to install and can be dual-booted. They pretty much all have KDE and GNOME.

2. XMMS is a great multimedia player, Evolution is a very Outlook-like email program, Mozilla is the best browser on earth, Open Office is a free MS Office compatible Office suite, etc...but, there's not just one program for each thing, there's more like 4 or more for each. That's what I love about Linux, you have so many good programs.

3. gcc and g++ come with Linux, as do perl and probably python, maybe java. If not, everything is downloadable online. Plus with KDE and GNOME you get devo kits to make apps for those environments.

4. Depends what you're writing Metroid Revivial in. If you're doing it in allegro or OpenGL or SDL, porting should be a piece of cake for any system.

If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask! Or im me! (btw, were you watching TechTV recently? Someone called in on the Screensavers cause he wanted to switch and they recommended Knoppix :)

[jman2050]

Yeah, vegeta, it was that screen savers that gave me the idea to try out Linux. I did it for a bit, worked with it, and liked it. I was considering Mandrake, and its obvious that that would be the best choice for me. On a side note, are their any good development IDEs for Linux (besides what may be included in installation)?

[vegeta1215]

There are a few of those "run from a CD" Linux distros in case you want to try it out, I wasn't sure which was a good one, but I trust Leo and Patrick from TechTV.

I'm not really sure about development IDEs. I haven't done much programming with Linux, just command line stuff and system call stuff with gcc and g++. I'm sure there's someone else around here that knows though. But whatever is available, its likely to be completly free :D

[AlexMax]

I suggest Mandrake 9.0 if you are new to Linux.

[gdorf]

Yea, for what you want, Mandrake is definately your best option. For programming, I usually gedit (a simple text editor) to write the code and gcc to compile it. However, alot of people use emacs, I just haven't taken the time to learn it, as it has a fairly steep learning curve.

Let us know if you need any help setting up the graphics at first, etc. And welcome to linux. :)

* If you have linux questions, the programming forum is where you'll often get the most responses.

[jman2050]

Hello again, I am now speaking to you through my nice fresh install of Mozilla on Mandrake Linux. It's really nice, there are so many programs and stuff that comes with it (I guess downloading all those ISOs was worth it). I
ll still use Windows for my recreational stuff, but Linux will be really nice to work with.

Oh yeahy, and it hasn't crashed on me once yet :D .

[vegeta1215]

:clap: Yay jman!

Once you get used to it, you may not want to switch back and forth! :D

[jman2050]

I may not want to, but I have a project to do in both OSes (eventually) so I'll have to use Windows. That, and this is the family computer as well, and my parents are completely computer illiterate. Linux would just confuse them to kingdom come, since they have a hard enough time with Windows.

[Raichu86]

I say just stick with the Knoppix. It was based on Debian, which we use here. :D