This is a good discussion, and I hope you are getting the message to dive in. If you want to start dipping your toes in, do this:

• Download the latest ubuntu and burn it onto a cd.
• Put the cd in your computer and reboot from the cd (you might have to find out how to get your particular computer to boot to CD)

That's it...you are now in linux.

As for what to do next: try to do the things you normally do. Surf the web, play a few games, write a grocery list. If you save files use a usb drive because with a live cd you won't necessarily have a persistent place to save stuff.

You can install to an extra drive (internal or external) or create a dual boot system (though I find windows partitions impossible to resize to create room, so try wubi in Ubuntu if you like).

But dive in...you'll like it.

Honestly, if even CD burning is too much, go ahead and google "wubi 10.10" which allows you to install the Ubuntu as an application under Windows. If you decide you don't like it, boot into Windows and uninstall via Control Panel. Quick and easy and runs waay faster (and saves changes) without using a LiveCD.
If you decide you like that, I do recommend going to other more "geeky" distros like Debian or OpenSuse or the like.
Not sure if anyone mentioned it either but www.distrowatch.com is a great place to find out about the various distros of Linux.

Distrowatch IS the only place to see and compare the top linux distros in the field right now.
This question depends on how deep the user wants to go into linux. If you just want a taste, then Mint, PCLinuxOS, Ubuntu variants are the way to go.
If you want to work a bit, then try some of the quote unquote harder ones, Arch, Gentoo, Slackware.
I would start out with straight up Debian. It's done for you but you still cater to it.

Gentoo install is easy. Boot from a live CD, partition and format as you wish, untar the gentoo stage3, chroot into it, edit a couple config files, update package database, run genkernel, install grub, reboot, ???, profit

Now, Linux From Scratch, I've heard that installing that will earn your tru3 l1nux badge

Thanks for posting this, I just took that questionnaire and it suggested Slackware, which I do use and like best.

If you are new there is no point in giving you a lot of options on programs you have no clue what they do anyway. And if you do synaptic or apt-get will do the work as good as anything.

Better if you choose what you want then to have a lot of bloat. This is why i like Gnome over KDE. When i first tried a linux dist.. it was with KDE as it was more similar to Windows. After when i discovered Gnome.. i haven't looked back.

Gentoo is nothing for a noob.. although i can agree that more problems will teach you more.

openSUSE is good. But Ubuntu and Debian got a much larger user base.. which in turn is good for a noob that need help.

I tried different linux dists a long time before i settled with Ubuntu. Think it was -95 with RedHat. I even had a dust with Gentoo.. but i was to noobish back then and it took for ever to install. Had some fun with LightStep.. Tried Mandrake/Mandriva but had big problems finding RPMs and something always went wrong when i tried source packages.

When i found Ubuntu.. it was still in it's infancy but i knew this was it. Ubuntu pretty much made me make the switch and uninstall Windows for good eventually. Everything worked as it should. I had everything that i needed. The community was awesome. It also thought me the shell (the right way). Instead of getting mad over something that didn't work i could do productive things. I also have gotten both my father and brother on the Ubuntu train.

It feels so nice not have to bother with sharewares, cracking, viruses, anti-virus, no ability to customize, a format takes just 30-60 minutes instead of 5-8 hours.. and so on.

Yes, it does have an uncanny ability to correctly predict the distro you're using. BTW, I have a lot of respect to the guys who use Slackware. I did try it once but found it was a little over my head
Just like the saying that goes - "If you use Ubuntu, you'll learn Ubuntu. If you use Slackware, you'll learn Linux!"

Hi everyone. Thank you all for the time and effort you are putting into helping me, I appreciate all your support.

The questionnaire says the following are 100% matches:
-Mandriva
-Linux Mint
-open suse
-ubuntu
-kubuntu

90% fedora...

typing very basic scripts into my n900 xterm has been my motivation, so as odd as it sounds, I do want the option to do things with command line, I feel like regular tasks can be faster by typing, instead of point and click... all these distros give me teh chance to use command line, correct?

All distros are basically the same linux with different apps installed on top. Out-of-the box hardware support might vary, but if some device works with one distro it can sure be made to work in another. Linux is Linux. Larger practical difference between distros - that the end user is pretty much tied to - is their package manager of choice.

I think the best way to go on is to try as many distros as you can and choose what you like best. Try with live-CDs and it's good to have a spare machine to install the ones you like best (running from CD is slow and doesn't show real responsiveness). I think in few days you've made your mind and know what you want to install.This is also what I did some 6 years ago when i was new to Linux.

I started with Gentoo (stage 1 install for anyone who remembers that time) since I figured out it was good to get my hands dirty to learn. Gentoo had great documentation at time (and probably still has) so it was easy to follow even if i had no clue what i'm doing. In retrospect I think I learned more during this first day than most of Linux newbies learn in their first year using their new OS. Arch Linux might give this experience today. Hands on, nothing hidden.

Few days after installing gentoo i tried Ubuntu 4.10 live-CD and liked what I saw so I went on and installed it. Install was easy, but it didn't give the user anywhere near that control that gentoo did, nor it was supposed to. I ended up using Ubuntu for little over a year learning which linux apps I liked and so on.

End result with Ubuntu was that my install was so heavily customized. I knew what software I needed and got rid of all excess bloat, but that made me always run into problems when upgrading from release to another. I figured out I would need a distro with a rolling release (which means continuous software updates, not one big upgrade every 6 months like Ubuntu does).

With Ubuntu I grew very fond of apt-get and dpkg so Debian 'testing' (due to rolling software updates) was obivious distro of choice for me. Now I've been happy user of debian for good 4 years.

What I want to say is that you have to try different distros before deciding what fits you best. No one can tell it to you.


Some major distros worth checking out:

Fedora
Debian
Arch Linux
Ubuntu
Slackware
Gentoo
openSUSE


Or if you couldn't care less about looking for alternatives and wan't to go into using your computer NOW. Then by all means listen what others say and install Ubuntu. It's certainly the most newbie friendly distro out there.

Yes. Pretty much all 'normal' linux desktops will give you full access to the wonderfulness of the command line