So I'm going to get Linux soon and I was wondering what would be the best distrubution for a new user. I have looked into Ubuntu 14.04 LTS and was wondering if it would be the best. Thanks already and sorry for the bad grammar. Greetings from Finland
Don't waste your time on Ubuntu! It's full of bugs. If you want to use Ubuntu, use Xubuntu, Kubuntu or Lubuntu.
In my opinion, the best beginner's distro is Manjaro, it's Arch based, and has a lot of things preconfigured and some really nice easy to use tools to do advanced stuff in a jiffy.
Check out the older forum threads on this, and you'll read why most here are happy to use Arch and Manjaro on their machines.
In linux, it's normal to distrohop, as you'll evolve in Linux, you'll do that a lot, and in the end, you'll know what distro you'll like best at any given point in time. One of the many benefits in linux is that you can always switch distros without losing personal data or having to reinstall Steam games for instance, and a complete install takes just a few minutes, like about 5 minutes on most machines.
Just don't waste time on Canonical, go for community distros.
There is no "best" distribution. Try a bunch and decide which one you like for yourself. Lots of distributions have "Live" images that will let you try out the OS from a USB or CD without having to install anything.
I could not agree more, I personally prefer OpenSuse, but that's just me. If you do go with Ubuntu make sure to stear clear of 14.xx, instead use 12.04 LTS.
Why not Ubuntu 14.04 LTS
In my short experience with Linux (xubuntu), often in last version you have to wait a few months for everything that is not directly in distribution to be updated (i.e. drivers for my canon ip1900 printer or some other ppa etc.). There is a way to avoid this, but i would recommend using 12.04 for few months and then switching. Also, there is better support(forums, known problems, etc.). Upgrading Linux is seamless and almost everything will remain the same when you upgrade.
OK, could you tell me how t install it and why. Like I said I'm a total n00b at this
OK, could you or someone else tell me how t install it. Like I said I'm a total n00b at this. BTW I have a UEFI BIOS motherboard if this changes anything
My components that matters are ASUS M5A97 R2.0 UEFI, and 2 hard drives. On the first HDD there is Windows 7 wich I will keep for gaming. And on the second I want to install Majaro. I will also appreciate if someone told me what kind of Majaro should I use.
Go here and download the .iso file
http://manjaro.org/get-manjaro/
I would get the XFCE version, it looks better than openbox. After that download a software named Unetbootin to make a bootable USB thumb drive to install it on your computer. If this is your first time installing linux then I would suggest unplugging your primary hard disk drive so that even if you screw up with the partitioning and stuff your Windows drive and data are secure. Just look around in the forums for detailed instructions, and learn some command lines to get started.
OK, so I have decided to get Zorin. If someone could tell me how to install it detailed step bu step it would be greatly appriciated. And again soory for the grammar
If your experience with Linux is near 0 , try PC Linux Os (basically you don't have to install anything, movies work , music plays... ),
But, Elementary OS is nice, fast and good looking is based on Debian and it has a desktop interface called "Pantheon" 10/10 :D
Exactly.
i personally use linux mint cinammon. i like it. it is ubuntu based. but i am debating a switch to debian.
Is the dual-booting (with 2 HDD's) process same with Zorin and Ubuntu. Also how much space should I give to the partitions and what partitions should I use, I know there's the /boot, /home, /swap and /root
So I just read that Zorin doesn't work on UEFI BIOS. So I decided to look at Mint. It looks quite nice. Does it have the same installiation process as Ubuntu. Also wich version of Mint is the best and why. Does it work with UEFI BIOS without any programs. Wich is better Mint or Ubuntu.
I've used Mint and its very easy to install. If you can use and install Windows you can install Mint. My Linux box doesn't use UEFI so I couldn't tell you if its compatible but I would recommend it for beginners.
In regards to which version, Cinammon is a good place to start. This honestly is not what I would consider the "best linux" ever but for a basic beginner that wants to use it and learn as they go its a good start. Theres plenty of support and room to learn and grow.
Another vote for Linux Mint Cinamon. It has a very easy to use desktop interface, you already have flash, java, audio and video codecs installed. It's based on Ubuntu (minus the stupid UI and "spyware") so you've got a massive amount of Debian and Ubuntu software respositories to download stuff from. The open source display drivers on Linux nowadays are pretty good, so you don't have to struggle with getting 3D acceleration to work anymore.
I have also looked at OpenSUSE 13.1 as I heard it would work on UEFI BIOS. How does it compere to the others. Oh and also does Xubuntu use the same installiation process as Ubuntu. You can still recommend me other distros, but they would have to work on UEFI BIOS and would have to have easy installiation. Again sorry for the grammar
Suse is good but not for beginners :D Get VirtualBox and try some distros on your windows.