Ubuntu with Gnome. Hate Unity.
Can’t get 7.1 from Pulseaudio 4.0, which is the latest version to work with Mint. 6.0 and 7.0 support 7.1, but last I checked they haven’t been backported to Mint/Ubuntu 14.4 yet. Once I can get 7.1 DTS-HD audio out of Mint I’m dropping Windows like the turd that it is. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
This is why Linux is not getting the market share it deserves.
For DECADES it has been too complex for the average non-geek to understand. Explain to Grandma which ‘distro’ she needs to install in order to email pictures of her grandchildren...
I use Linux Mint and LMDE. I have an older version of Ubuntu on an ancient laptop that I have for casual internet browsing. I tried OpenSUSE and really liked it but I had ongoing issues with the wifi and ethernet connections.
Using Unity is a similar experience to using Windows 8. And Gnome 3 is close to that in being frustrating. If you are a productive person, none of those will work worth a hoot for you. If you are the la-di-da, artsy-fartsy type, OK, maybe.
BFL
Slackware. The only linux I’ve used since 1995. Still an awesome distribution today.
I settled on Ubuntu Mate. Easy to install, easy to use.
I did test out Mint, using an Aspire One netbook. All worked beautifully...until I ran the update. WiFi issues after and no time to really dig-in/troubleshoot.
Really, it was to verify Steam worked as advertised, which it did. Thinking I might turn my main box from Windows and use a VM when/if I ever need.
I have to say, Fedora has gotten better.
One of the big gripe about Fedora was that you couldn’t keep up with the distributions easily, unless you were willing to uninstall the old and reinstall the new. The newer version of YUM, called DNF, promises to have a one-line distribution upgrade command.
And, I found Debian with XFCE very easy to get accustomed to last year.
Mint 17.3 w/Mate used here. No windows in my home, yet I can see for miles...
Mint with KDE or Mate. SuSE also does the best KDE distro going.
btt
It works flawlessly with all of my hardware, and runs much faster than when I ran Windows 7 or 10 on the same laptop.
The main point I would make is that it's trivial to install "Live" images on a USB thumbdrive, and try out various distributions. That's the best way to try out Linux and decide if it's for you.
My WinXP box takes up to 5 minutes while it sits with a "Windows is shutting down" message. But then, I have a huge registry.
Check out Distrowatch.com. They have links and reviews to hundreds of Linux distros. Also they rank the top 100 distros for popularity based on visitor views. Great Linux website.
I started using PCLinuxos - KDE in 2009 have it on a laptop, netbook and a 64bit quad core desktop... just works out of the box
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