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Choosing your distribution:
A distribution or distro is a specially configured copy Linux. Each distribution has a different mix of programmes, unique characteristics and styles.
You can think of distributions like ice-cream. Each distribution is a flavour and each flavour appeals differently to each person. Collectively, all of these different distributions are called Linux because they all share the same characteristic of the Linux kernel. FreeBSD is like sorbet, while related being free open source software, Linux distributions such as Ubuntu share a distinctly different kernel to FreeBSD, similar to the difference between sorbet and ice-cream, while both being cold desserts, sorbet is fruit based and ice-cream is milk based.
Ubuntu, Linux Mint and Fedora, like vanilla, strawberry and chocolate are the most common distributions of Linux. Each distribution is unique and user friendly, it's hard to go wrong with any of these major distributions, but it is not to say that it is the only flavour of Linux. Many other major distributions include Debian, Arch, OpenSUSE, PCLinuxOS, CentOS, Puppy and Mandriva,
There are literally
hundreds of different distributions for Linux.
Before you decide on what flavour ice-cream or sorbet you want to buy, a safe way to see what you like is through testing. Virtualisation software such as
Virtualbox can allow you to run virtual machines on top of your base operating system. This allows you to install, tweak, and even break various installations without doing any harm to your computer. If you break it, you can just start fresh!
Distrowatch is the best resource for updated news on distributions. For more information please click this link:
http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major
Stickies
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/236971-50-recommended...
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/236577-50-guide-choos...
Installation instructions are included on each distribution's website.
When picking a CD image, there are tags you should be aware of.
We recommend i686 Desktop iso images because they are the most compatible with Linux software and require the least tweaking.
Live - indicates that the image is capable to boot into Linux without installation
Desktop - the recommended version to install onto a desktop/laptop
Alternate - a text based installer - use if the normal one fails.
i386, i586, i686, x86 or 32bit - the 32bit installer, recommended for most desktops, most compatible.
AMD 64, IA64, x64 or 64bit - the 64bit install, can address more RAM (4GB+) but is harder to operate, may not operate on all computers
PPC - designed for Apple G-series computers eg. Powerbook G4.
IA 64 - only for Intel Itanium CPUs isn't compatible with any consumer level hardware from Intel or AMD or on any Intel Xeons or AMD Opterons. IA64 is not compatible with any consumer level hardware from Intel or AMD or on any Intel Xeons or AMD Opterons.
If you're running on older hardware, consider something with a lightweight desktop environment such as XFCE, LXDE, or Fluxbox.