1 yr of testing EVERY copy of Linix and the best one is....

[problemchild]

Mint Petra 16 cinnamon <------ Everything works and I dont have any lock ups and didnt need to fix anything either. Awesome GUI!

The Linux fanboys WILL have another ranting opinion but I actually installed and ran every copy of linux and I say this one is the best for my usage needs. Others will have different needs. It is a great running OS and needs notyhing from the getgo. I did turn on the firewall and change the desktop. All hardware is working correctly and no crashes or freezing.
You can "Try" the OS by downloading the live iso and burning to a cd/dvd/usb and runnning it by booting to it.



Download a LIVE DVD here-----> http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php

Burn the live ISO to a DVD or USB drive and run it. Do not install! You want to "try" the OS and see how you like it. It will run slow as its running from the CD or usb.

New features........... http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_petra_c...n_whatsnew.php

Small review.... http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.com/2...-and-mate.html

Different flavors..........

• Cinnamon

• MATE

• KDE

• Xfce

[stilly]

The Linux fanboys WILL have another opinion but I actually installed and ran every copy of linux and I say this one is the best for my usage needs. Others will have different needs.

Mint Petra 16, (cinnamon and kde) <------ Everything works and I dont have any locks ups and didnt need to fix anything either. Awesome GUI!

Since there are over 1k different versions, how long did that take you to do?

Well, I believe anyways ther are well over 1k distros based on the 300+ list at distro watch and then then like 600+ WAITING to get evaluated, and then the remaining loose ends out there that did not get to distrowatch yet... :\

Where is yer link to the winner of the shootout?

[yellowsulphur]

[problemchild]

Ahh a fanboy chimes in. Here in lies the problem with Linux. Instead of focusing the coding power to 3-4 top running versions you have the fanboys fighting over "1000+" (fanboy ranting) 16+ (real number) group versions and No One version can ever be agreed upon. Just plain --->stupid!!!

The above nonsense was the thing that kept me from switching to linux for over 10 years. The fanboys fight amongst themselves disagreeing on everything. Its near impossible to find a good review of any linux version because the fanboyz will always bash whatever you post in a positive light as witnessed in the above post. You can never have a good opinion about any linux version without getting flamed.

In reality you actually have the following 16+ " group based" linux versions to choose from. I installed and ran the best/top 2-3 from each group. No point installing every single copy of each group when some are not even maintained anymore and run like chit.

Arch Linux based

Debian-based

Knoppix-based

Ubuntu-based

Other Debian-based

Gentoo-basedMandriva-based

openSUSE-based

Red Hat Linux

Fedora-based

Slackware-based

Other (Linux-based)

Mac OS X-based

Microsoft Windows-based

OpenSolaris-based

Other operating systems-based

Since there are over 1k different versions, how long did that take you to do?

Well, I believe anyways ther are well over 1k distros based on the 300+ list at distro watch and then then like 600+ WAITING to get evaluated, and then the remaining loose ends out there that did not get to distrowatch yet... :\

Where is yer link to the winner of the shootout?

[ocabj]

I tried all the Linux distributions and I still use Mac OS X if I need *nix with a "window manager".

Otherwise, I just use Centos for servers.

[pitbull30]

I'm a fan of mint. I'm not on cinnamon though. I went to mint after the Ubuntu version I was running got all hosed up. I didn't like the GUI on Ubuntu either.

[bruss01]

I tried Ubuntu based on the recommendation of a friend.

I did not find it to be "blazing fast" nor "super-intuitive" and I am a computer user (Windows) and technical professional with 2 decades of experience.

In my opinion it was not "ready for prime time".

The most basic function of an OS is to recognize all the hardware and make it work efficiently together, followed closely by allowing the user to get productive work done instead of constant fiddling with settings or having to research how to get the most basic things done. I was spending way too much time looking up how to load tar files or find drivers. If the OS doesn't do those things itself, it's not truly production-ready IMHO.

[meaty-btz]

I tried Ubuntu based on the recommendation of a friend.

I did not find it to be "blazing fast" nor "super-intuitive" and I am a computer user (Windows) and technical professional with 2 decades of experience.

In my opinion it was not "ready for prime time".

The most basic function of an OS is to recognize all the hardware and make it work efficiently together, followed closely by allowing the user to get productive work done instead of constant fiddling with settings or having to research how to get the most basic things done. I was spending way too much time looking up how to load tar files or find drivers. If the OS doesn't do those things itself, it's not truly production-ready IMHO.

technical professional? What is that? I am a decade and a half in on information services experience. Linux works just fine for standard hardware. I take it you have not done a lot with windows except out of the box from a retailer. In my time, recently in fact, I have had to battle with horrific wi-fi device drivers that just don't work or misbehave or require me to go on an internet hunt to make operational brand new "generic" hardware on windows 7.

As with linux the most common problems are with non-standard wireless devices in windows and trust me, windows is just as bad when it comes to these inexpensive and strange animals. Anything non-WHQL is a crap shoot on windows as to how well it will work.

Try getting an older creative labs sound card to operate under windows 7. In linux it is plug in play, under windows it is a nightmare of epic proportions.

From anything your commentary is more: I know windows, why should I have to re-learn a "new" os. If you don't want to learn new things, stick with windows.. oh wait windows 8 is an all new nightmare. Still new things suck.

Linux is not only production environment ready, it has been used in production environments for more than a decade. Prior to that it was Unix in said production environments.

Though I will say, Windows Server has a lot to recommend itself.

As with anything technology related or tool related. Use the right tool for the job and stop trying to use a spanner wrench as a hammer or a smart phone as a domain controller.

[the86d]

I still run Slackware if it is a machine that is just for storage (NAS-ish), no GUI needed to be running. Slackware is the most stable distro that I have ever used, running months w/out a reboot as a storage server, ssh server, and a few other things.

Pear is still my choice 8, in the 64bit variety still testing, but was able to support 1800 Windows users on Pear 7x64 BETA for 6 months...

[stix213]

Glad you like it.

I generally run Ubuntu (using it now), but there is room for everyone.

[Artema]

I tried Ubuntu based on the recommendation of a friend.

I did not find it to be "blazing fast" nor "super-intuitive" and I am a computer user (Windows) and technical professional with 2 decades of experience.

In my opinion it was not "ready for prime time".

That's how I felt about Linux 20 years ago, 15 years ago, 10 years ago. Good to hear it is better, but sad to hear it isn't there yet. I think Windows 8 isn't ready for prime time either.

[meaty-btz]

I pray to God every day that Linux remains non "super-intuitive".

[yellowsulphur]

Hard to tell what someone's idea of prime time is, but I've been using Fedora 20 beta and I like it. You of course need to install certain libraries and such to gain full functionality but that is easy. These are either "non-free"or "dirty"and can't legally be included in the distribution.

[bruss01]

meaty-btz said:

technical professional? What is that? I am a decade and a half in on information services experience. Linux works just fine for standard hardware. I take it you have not done a lot with windows except out of the box from a retailer.

Microsoft Certified Professional since 2003, ten years SQL Server DBA, experience with relational databases going back to dBase III (1987), DOS for crying out loud, and cut my programming teeth on an Apple II which predated any kind of disk storage system (we used audio cassette tapes) in the late '70's. So that answers your question as to what kind of technical professional I am. I'm not some desktop support chimp with a superiority complex or someone who spends all their time fiddling with experimental setups. I'm someone who relies on computers to enable me to get serious work done on a daily basis.

If you like Linux, good for you. People who have spent a lifetime developing solid computer work skills will not go back and totally re-engineer the way they work because someone thinks a new way is "better". This is why Dvorak keyboards don't sell. It's as if you took someone who had been driving for 20 years, and ask them to try out a new car you designed... and get all offended when they look at you like you're crazy... "you want me to use a joystick to steer, or foot pedals, instead of a steering wheel? Oh, and the rear wheels steer instead of the front? And the driver sits in the back seat, watching the road through a periscope? Sorry, I'm gonna pass." Any product that does not leverage an existing base of user skills is not going to flourish in the market.

I would like to switch over to Linux because I think it COULD someday deliver on the promise of a better system. But in my opinion, based on what I have experienced, is that it requires too big of a change in work processes for the average computer user to find it worthwhile. Ubuntu was not as it was hyped to me, that is my experience, and your superior attitude does not change my experience. It simply appears to be not ready yet for the mainstream market.

Now you can get all upset about someone saying the emperor isn't wearing any clothes while you insist they're some mighty cool threads.... or you can acknowledge the fact that there are a lot of user experience issues to be addressed before it will be considered a viable alternative for the workplace by the mainstream who have real jobs and serious work to get done, and who can't afford to spend half the day tinkering to figure out how to get something done on a funky system that plays by it's own rules.

[Gutz]

technical professional? What is that? I am a decade and a half in on information services experience. Linux works just fine for standard hardware. I take it you have not done a lot with windows except out of the box from a retailer. In my time, recently in fact, I have had to battle with horrific wi-fi device drivers that just don't work or misbehave or require me to go on an internet hunt to make operational brand new "generic" hardware on windows 7.

As with linux the most common problems are with non-standard wireless devices in windows and trust me, windows is just as bad when it comes to these inexpensive and strange animals. Anything non-WHQL is a crap shoot on windows as to how well it will work.

Try getting an older creative labs sound card to operate under windows 7. In linux it is plug in play, under windows it is a nightmare of epic proportions.

From anything your commentary is more: I know windows, why should I have to re-learn a "new" os. If you don't want to learn new things, stick with windows.. oh wait windows 8 is an all new nightmare. Still new things suck.

Linux is not only production environment ready, it has been used in production environments for more than a decade. Prior to that it was Unix in said production environments.

Though I will say, Windows Server has a lot to recommend itself.

As with anything technology related or tool related. Use the right tool for the job and stop trying to use a spanner wrench as a hammer or a smart phone as a domain controller.

That's the exact same vibe I got. They will one day learn the ways!!!