Testing out some new Linux Distros 19 different ones to try!

It was either last night, or early today I saw a post by twitter user about how Ubuntu 11.10 is coming along, and getting better. After reading his blog (unfortunately I don't have the link to it) I couldn't disagree more! I've been a Ubuntu user since early in it's development at least 2005. (I think they released the 1st issue of Ubuntu in 2004?). I've seen the distro change over the years, support for some things dropped, and new thing brought in. There have been some things I've not agreed with at 1st in the new versions, but over time they did grow on me. BUT I do not like the Unity desktop, at first I thought, ok, you know for a netbook this might not be so bad, but even on my netbooks, I've just gone, "What the H*ll are they thinking". I am currently still running Ubuntu 10.10 on my machines (well all of them but one) On the one I did install Ubuntu 11.04 willing to give it a try. And after a few days of just being plan frustrated about where my stuff what, or how to find programs that were very easy to find I did uninstall Unity from that machine. My understanding is there will be no way to remove Unity from 11.10, and from what I've seen of the daily builds, they are giving the end users less and less control over simple settings. In simple terms they are turning Ubuntu into a Windows Vista machine.

I've decided that I can no longer support, or use Ubuntu, it's sad really, Ubuntu has been a great product. With lots of nice features, fast security updates, and a great selection of additional programs.

I will continue to use 10.10 until such time that it's no longer going to be supported.
Today I even told one of my friends that 10.04 was still going to be one of the best distros to learn on. So I guess I haven't completely abandoned Ubuntu.

Today however, I downloaded about 25gbs of other Distros, all of which I installed in a VM (Virtual Machine) - specifically I am using Oracle VM VirtualBox v4.0.12

I went to http://distrowatch.com/ and kind of at random just downloaded some distro, there really was/is no rhyme or reason as to why I downloaded one and not another. I didn't read anything (for the most part) about the Distros I downloaded. I did skip over the ones that were clearly meant for system rescue or something like that. I just want linux, I already have nice "tools" dvd and rescue dvds.

I have a couple of requirements, (I do consider myself to be an advanced user, yet I want something simple to use as well).
1st requirement was a easy to use interface, something that wasn't going to take a lot of learning to figure out. (Yes, I do consider myself an advanced user, I like what I like thou) I've been a Gnome user for a long long time, I have a lot experience with shell. But I have used KDE desktop, XFC, Lxde. More about which desktops I've looked at and like later.

2nd requirement it should be easy to install. Not only am I looking for a new distro for myself, but I am looking for a distro that I can recommend to the new user.

3rd requirement the distro should be actively supported, either by the developers or the community

4th requirement the amount of software available, either in the repository or already installed

SO here is what I downloaded to try.

1) AriOS-3.0-INTL - AriOS is Ubuntu based, According to the website it is not just Ubuntu+extra programs, It has been carefully designed to help you get productive instantly in a pleasant environment. http://arioslinux.org/

2) Bodhi 1.2.0 - From the Bodhi website, Bodhi Linux is one of the few distros that use Enlightenment as it's default Desktop Manager, It is based on Ubuntu. They appear to have a tablet PC edition of this distro (I believe it's for ARM processors) http://www.bodhilinux.com/

3) Debian-6.0.2.1 - Debian is Debian, a lot of distros are based off Debian, Ubuntu is based from Debian. http://www.debian.org

4) DragonFly BSD (2.10.1) - Taken from the Dragonfly website: DragonFly belongs to the same class of operating systems as other BSD-derived systems and Linux. It is based on the same UNIX ideals and APIs and shares ancestor code with other BSD operating systems. DragonFly provides an opportunity for the BSD base to grow in an entirely different direction from the one taken in the FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD series. http://www.dragonflybsd.org/

5) DreamLinux 3.5 - From the DreamLinux (DL for short) website: Dreamlinux is a free, modern and modular GNU/Linux system. Based on Debian OS, currently comes with two different desktop versions, XFCE & Gnome http://www.dreamlinux.net/index.html

6) Fuduntu-14.10.1 - From the Fuduntu website: Fuduntu is a light hearted and fun Linux distribution that earns it's name by its design to fit somewwhere between Fedora and Ubuntu. http://www.fuduntu.org/

7) Knoppix v6.7.1 - From the Knoppix Website: KNOPPIX is a bootable Live system on CD or DVD, consisting of a representative collection of GNU/Linux software, automatic hardware detection, and support for many graphics cards, sound cards, SCSI and USB devices and other peripherals http://www.knoppix.com/

8) Linux-Gamers - live.linuX-gamers.net is a Linux live distribution: "boot 'n play". The idea is for you to be able to carry a decent amount of high-quality Linux games with you where ever you go for purposes of demonstration, gaming or parties. Your computer will remain completely unchanged as everything will run live. http://live.linux-gamers.net/

9) Linuxmint 11 - Based on Debian & Ubuntu, LinuxMint is the 4th largest OS according the LinuxMint website, comes with Gnome desktop, or lxde desktop http://www.linuxmint.com/about.php

10) Lunar 1.6.5 - Lunar isn't based on anything, it is it's own distro http://www.lunar-linux.org/

11) openSUSE 11.4 - From the openSUSE website: The openSUSE project is a worldwide effort that promotes the use of Linux everywhere. openSUSE creates one of the world's best Linux distributions, working together in an open, transparent and friendly manner as part of the worldwide Free and Open Source Software community. I beleive this is based on Ubuntu (??) Comes with either the Gnome Desktop or KDE desktop http://www.opensuse.org/en/

12) pcLinuxOS 2011.06 - PC Linux comes with many different desktops, KDE, LXDE, XFCE, openbox & "the full monty" I beleive it is based on Debian, it is a free and easy to use Linux-based OS for x86 computers http://www.pclinuxos.com/

13) Pinguy OS 11.04.1 - From the Pinguy OS website: Pinguy OS an out-of-the-box working operating system for everyone, not just geeks. This OS is for people that have never used Linux before or for people that just want an out-of-the-box working OS without doing all the tweaks and enhancements that everyone seems to do when installing a fresh copy of Ubuntu or other Linux based Distro's. Pinguy OS is based on Ubuntu http://www.pinguyos.com/

14) PureOS 20b2 - From the PureOS website: PureOS and PureOSlight are GNU/Linux liveCDs, they allow the user to discover and use a GNU/Linux operating system without modifying the contents of the hard-disk. I am not sure what it's based on, I believe it's Debian. http://pureos.org/

15) SalineOS 1.4 - based on Debian 6.0 from the SalineOS website: SalineOS is a lightweight and fast open source operating system built on the Debian GNU/Linux repositories and uses Xfce as the desktop environment. SalineOS is available completely free of charge direct from this web page under downloads. http://www.salineos.com/index.php

16) Salixlive 13.12 - from the SalixOS website: Salix is a linux distribution based on Slackware that is simple, fast and easy to use. Salix is also fully backwards compatible with Slackware, so Slackware users can benefit from Salix repositories, which they can use as an "extra" quality source of software for their favorite distribution. Like a bonsai, Salix is small, light & the product of infinite care. Believed it is based on Slackware http://www.salixos.org/wiki/index.php?title=Home

17) Ultimate-Edition 2.9 - This is Ubuntu based http://ultimateedition.info/

18) Zentyal 2.2 - from the Zentyal website: Zentyal can act as a Gateway, Infrastructure Manager, Unified Threat Manager, Office Server, Unified Communication Server or a combination of them. One single, easy-to-use platform to manage all your network services. Believe this is Ubuntu based. http://www.zentyal.org/

19) Zenwalk 7.0 - http://www.zenwalk.org/

Most of the distro websites have screenshots, so I am not going to post any here.

So here are my thoughts on finding a distro that is right for you: remember I had four things that needed to be in a distro for me to consider it as a replacement for Ubuntu.
I'm going to use a very simple scale of 1 to 5 (With 5 being very easy to use IE: 5 Stars, and 1 being completely unusable)

So lets start from the top:

1) AriOS 3.0 - INTL Over all this is a Ubuntu Distro, despite the fact that they say it's not just Ubuntu + extras, the very 1st thing I noticed is the "Ubuntu Software Center", The update manager is getting the updates from Ubuntu, is this a bad thing? Not really, we know that Ubuntu is updated when problems are found. Navigation is very easy, and very quick, I'm not sure what desktop this is using, BUT it is using a "dock" style interface, all of your apps/programs slide out or are on the dock. It does has some programs that don't come with a standard install of Ubuntu, the question is are they useful? Install was fairly painless, with no major hiccups. I think this deserves to be revisited in 6 to 8 months and see where this distro goes.
So my requirements: 1) easy to use: IT gets a 5, the interface is nice, and well organized
2) easy to install: I'll give it a 4 on this, but I think a new user could install this without too much problem.
3) actively supported: 5 from the website it appears to be very active.
4) software: 5, yes it looks like this version is using Ubuntus repository
it appears to come with some codecs & non-free software already installed

Overall I have to give this OS a 5, there was almost no learning curve to this, if you currently use Ubuntu you should have no problem using this OS, the interface is clean and very snappy.

2) Bodhi 1.2.0 - Based on Ubuntu, using the Enlightenment desktop, this is honestly an interesting Distro, easy to use? yes, but there isn't much to it. It does changes themes nicely, and it's pretty, but doesn't have much else going for it. IT maybe worth re-exploring in 6 to 8 months, but for now, it's not at all what I'm looking for.
Requirements: 1) easy to use: 3 got to give this one a 3, there isn't much here to "use", but
I don't see a way to "easily" install new software, The menus are organized well. & Enlightenment is a neat desktop.
2) easy to install: I'm going to give this a 4, it is using the Ubuntu installer, but looks like it is slightly different, maybe an older (maybe a newer) version of the installer, not hard to use, or install, but it is just enough different.
3) actively supported: 5 Looks like this is an active distro (last Modified date I see on the website 2011/09/08)
4) software available: IT does have Synaptic Package Manager, it looks like some of the "categories" have been removed. Synaptic is fine, if you are familiar with linux, but can be a bit confusing for the new user. I'm giving this one a 3.

Over all I Think I am giving this distro a 3, it's not bad, it's not good, it's just so-so. and should be given another look at in a few months. One of this distro's bonus points is it has an ARM processor installer, while I can't try that out, I just note it for future reference, and wonder if it will support the Raspberry PI single board computer.

3) Debian 6.0.2.1 - The 1st thing you'll notice when booting up the Debian CD is that it's not a LIVE CD, gives you two options for install, a graphic install & just an install. Both are the same, one is pretty. Every you need to do a basic install is on the 1st CD, the install is pretty quick, and easy to use. IF you are a new user, the graphic install will probably make more since to you, since you can use the mouse to move around the screen, and click "continue" The install will do a basic install, with a Gnome desktop, very easy to use! This is Gnome 2 I believe, so no Unity :-) The OS is not "pretty" as my wife would say, but is very functional.

Requirements: 1) easy to use: 5 nothing needs to be said, this is one of the easier to use Distros and is probably the most familiar to new users as well as advanced users.
2) easy to install: 5, installs quickly with a very user friendly installer
3) actively supported: 5 Debian is a very very active distro, there are many other Distros based on this one.
4) software/repository: 5 it has everything you'd need, software is easy to find, and easy to install, it does have Synaptic but has more categories.

Over all, this has to be a 5. I like checking in on this distro from time to time to see what they are up to, they have alway done a great job.

4) DragonFly BSD (2.10.1) - This distro is NOT for the new users, It is freeBSD based, I've only used BSD once or twice, it is a command line interface, and is not for the faint of heart.
I'm not going to rate this distro, as I don't believe I have the right experience to give this a fair shake. Even thou I've used the command line quite a lot I find this experience to be very clunky on BSD based systems. I think BSD is more unix based then linux based.

5) DreamLinux 3.5 - I downloaded the XFCE desktop edition of DreamLinux, DL is based on Debian,
The installer is a little different then other distros, and it's not clear where to find some of the programs needed to make the installer work. Dreamlinux has been around for awhile, and I've used it before, but I find it clunky and hard to use, I can only image that if I find it hard to use, then a new user would be lost.

Requirements: 1) Easy to use: 3 Sorry to all the Dreamlinux fans, but I just find this interface to be clunky, and have way to much on the desktop, it's not clear where some app/programs are for even some of the simplest tasks.
2) easy to install: 1 probably the worse installer I've seen, telling you it can't find a partition to install on, then not making it clear how to resolve that issue. The OEM installer is even worse looking like it works till the last few seconds and fails, but doesn't say way it failed.
3) distro actively supported: I'm going to give this a 4, while I think it's actively supported the last date I found on the website was 2010...The forums however seem to be very active.
4) software/repository: Unfortunately I've got to give this a low number, Synaptic package manager is included, but at least for me it's not showing any additional software, in fact it's given me a error a few times and exited. I'll give it a 3.

Overall...I'm not impressed with this distro, I'm thinking this would be a 2 or 3 at most. I know there are a lot of people who are using this distro, but they must be more advanced user then I am, or know a secret about it.

6) Fuduntu-14.10.1 - This is an interesting distro, a mix between Ubuntu and Fedora. It's a type of hybrid interface. With a dock at the bottom, some Google Chrome/Gmail/VLC media player/a music player. The top of the screen has a very familiar "task" bar, Which is very typical from Gnome 2, the menus are easy to use, and organized well. It does have some programs that are not in a typical distro. Including some backup tools, the "Office suite" is Google Docs. Synaptic is not
installed, however a "Add/remove" software is included which has a interface that might be nicer for the new user. "Apt-get" is also not included, so it looks like you are stuck with the "add/remove" style kind of like a market place for new software. While at first glance this looks a lot like Ubuntu 9.04/9.10 - It functions very differently, and is probably more closer related to Fedora. The Install process is fast and easy.

Requirements:
1) easy to use interface: I'm going to give this one a 4, it does have a very nice interface, programs are easy to find and seem to be organized in a way that makes since. There is somewhat of a learning curve going from a Debian based system to a Fedora based system, but it's not bad with this distro
2) easy to install: The installer is really a 2 part installer, the 1st part installs from the liveCD, the system reboots then asks you to setup a user account, this is different from some of the other distros, which ask to setup a user while you are install. The bonus part of this is if you are selling computers, you can install, let your customer finish when they get home. I give the installer a 5, it was different, but the same, and very easy to use.
3) actively supported: I'll give it a 5, the Forums are quite active
4) software/packages: While Synaptic is not installed by default, the "Add/Remove Software" has a lot of software in it, Synaptic was easy to find and install, and has a tone of more software. IT would appear this is RPM based, so it does appear that it's more closely related to Fedora I've got to give this a 4 however, since I'm not a big fan of having limited choices by a "market style" software packages.

Overall, this is an impressive easy to use, easy to install distro, that should be checked out.
I think this distro is a 4.5, quite easy to use even with the small learning curve going from Debian based system to Fedora based, and maybe that was the goal of this distro.

7) Knoppix v6.7.1 - Knoppix is based on Debian, and uses Kernal version 3.04, From 1st glance it's a slick interface, with easy to use menus. The menu system makes since. The installer is a bit different from other installers, but it's not hard to use, and gives plenty of warnings, and makes sure you understand that you are or could wipeout your hard drive. Unlike other distros, the installer was not on the desktop, but was easy to find in the Preferences menu, it has different installers for different types of systems, I only tried the installer for the hard drive. There is also an option for installing some free and none-free componets within the preferences menu. The installer did not ask for a user name, nor did it ask for a password, this could be a security issue. However looking at the preferences menu there is a setup for root password. It appears that Synaptic and APT-GET are preinstalled for additional software.

How does it stackup on my requirements:
1) easy to use interface: I'll give this a 5, while I'm not sure what desktop it uses, it's easy to use and get around with in the menus.
2) easy to install: 4, It is easy to install, it's different, and doesn't have you setup a default user or password at the time of install, nor does it have you change the root password.
3) actively supported: 4 I don't see a date on the Knoppix website, Knoppix has been around for a while now, and I have no reason the believe it's not being actively supported.
4) software/packages: 5 this is debian based, and it looks like the Debian repositories are available and it looks like there is more then enough software available for it.

Overall I'm going to give this distro a 4.5, it's worth checking out, Not knowing which desktop they are using a new user may want to try something else 1st.


8) Linux-Gamers - Linux-Gamers, isn't really a distro you'll want to try to install, or use an everyday OS, what this is, is a great addition to anyone's collection, and a great show case of some linux games. Yes some of the games are "cheesy" but many of them are well thought out, and well written games, 1st person shooters, and top down style games. RPGs and car racing. The big draw back to this distro is there are not any documentations for the games, so it could be a bit of trail and error to figure out which keys to hit, or if the game uses the mouse.
I'm not going to put up my requirements for this distro. it's not meant to be an everyday OS, thou it might make a nice arcade machine OS

9) Linuxmint 11 - I ended up downloading two different desktops for this distro, the more Familiar Gnome desktop and the LXDE desktop, let's talk about the Gnome desktop 1st:

the 1st thing you may notice is this a DVD iso not a CD iso, typical DVD will contain more information for installing and/or have more pre-installed programs. Linux Mint is no different here, it's does come with some "extra" programs.
The desktop is one of my favorites so far, the menu system is very easy to use, with a task bar at the bottom of the screen, and a menu system some what like Windows XP, this distro probably will be/should be one for new users or users switching from a Windows world. For the rest of use, the task bar can be moved from the bottom to the top, or even on either the left or right side.
It is clear that LinuxMint 11 is based on Ubuntu, and I'm thinking it is either 10.04 or 10.10 maybe 11.04. The installer is quick, and is easy to use. It does install some of the non-free codecs and software packages (Flash, Java, ect.) The office package included, is LibreOffice
So lets look at the requirements I have:
1) easy to use interface: A BIG 5, This has to be one of my favorite lay-outs so far, incredible easy to use, it's everything you'd think when you think of Gnome 2.
2) Easy to install: A very familiar installer, very quick, and easy to use, this get a 5 as well, after the install, and reboot a very nice "Welcome to Linux Mint" come up with lots of helpful information for the new user, There is a check box in the lower right conner that will disable this. IF you are a new user you might take time to look at the user guide IT is a very good guide!
3) actively supported: Another BIG 5 Linux Mint has been and will be around for a very long time, they are currently on a 6 month release cycle, follow that of Ubuntu.
4) software/repositories: Containing both Synaptic and a Software Manager, and being based Ubuntu & Debian there is plenty of software available. The software Manager says there are 33597 packages available, what is not clear is if those are all programs, or are also some of the dependences that the programs may need. At any rate, this is the only "manager" that I have seen that tells you that (at least on the front page)

The Linux Mint Gnome Desktop gets a BIG 5 over all, this is by far my favorite to this point.

Now let's look at the Linux Mint LXDE desktop: Unlike the Gnome desktop DVD this is a CD, it is almost 700mb, but what this tells me is LXDE is probably more light weight desktop. And after the system rebooted, and booted up to the desktop, my hunch is correct.
It also has a different "Office Suite installed" - AbiWord which I believe is just a word processor. It is also missing some of the other software that the Gnome Desktop has. It does have the full Software Manager, and Synaptic, and is still based off Ubuntu/Debian. The installer is the same as the Gnome desktop, with one exception it didn't ask if I want to auto-login. The menu system is still easy to use, but is a much more basic style of menu. (I compared the Gnome desktop menu to Windows XP, The LXDE desktop menu, is more like Window XP in classic mode) The LXDE desktop does have more of a "basic" feel to it as well.

So lets look at the requirements I have:
1) easy to use interface: 5, easy to use, not quite as nice as the Gnome desktop :-).
2) Easy to install: A very familiar installer, This installer is a little slower, It does download some packages on the fly, I am sure this is because they didn't include them on the CD for space limitations, It is still very easy to use, and gets a 5 as well. This also has the information for a new user.
3) actively supported: 5 Linux Mint has been and will be around for a very long time, they are currently on a 6 month release cycle, follow that of Ubuntu.
4) software/repositories: Containing both Synaptic and a Software Manager, and being based Ubuntu & Debian there is plenty of software available. The software Manager says there are 33700 packages available, what is not clear is if those are all programs, or are also some of the dependences that the programs may need. At any rate, this is the only "manager" that I have seen that tells you that (at least on the front page)

Overall I give this a 5 as well, thou I would really recommend the Gnome desktop, I think most new users will find it a much nicer desktop. LXDE is a light weight desktop, and maybe meant to run a older computers.

10) Lunar 1.6.5 - Lunar is it's own distro, what does that mean, it's not based on anything (well, it's based on linux), that being said, It is not for the new user, I consider myself an advance linux user, and I have stumbled my way around this distro (actually, the CD is just an installer, but the installer is so confusing, I've never got it install, and thought at one point it ruined the partition on the drive), I do think this is under heavy development. But at this point, it's my opion that it still needs a lot of work, for even the advance user to use this.
I'm not going to give an requirements for this, as I think this is a new distro, and I may be unfair in my assessment of this. Maybe in a year or two this will be worth another look. But not now.

11) openSUSE 11.4 - Open SUSE comes with many different flavors of desktops, and again I download two, The Open SUSE Gnome Desktop, and the Open SUSE KDE desktop, both of these are CDs, so other then the desktops being different should contain very similar software packages.

Let's look at the Gnome desktop. one thing I did want to note about this distro, with out any of the Virtual machine extenstions installed it will run in full screen mode, and be full screen.
This desktop, has the full menu setup very much like Linux Mint did (remember I compared that to Window XP), However it is not the same as what Linux Mint uses. And when clicking on "more applications" button, it brings up a window with a bunch of different things installed (not a menu at all), They do use LibreOffice for the "Office suite"
The installer is something called "YaST" (Yet another Setup Tool), it's also used for the configuration. YaST does have a small learning curve, but is much better then it was years ago. The install is fairly standard and straight forward. Overall OpenSUSE Gnome desktop is really easy to use, with most things in a logical location.
So Lets look at my requirements:
1) Easy to use: I like openSUSE Gnome, but there is a small learning curve to it,and YaST takes some getting use to, some of the "menus" are not menus at all. But I'm still going to give this a 4, I think a new user will not have much problem using this distro. And the learning curve is very small.
2) easy to install: again there is a small learning curve with YaST, it's not bad, and is getting better, the install is a 2 step install, the base system gets installed, a reboot and then a detection of hardware, Windows users should be very familiar with this style of setup. It should be noted that the CD should be left in the drive while hard ware configure is going on. the 2nd step seems to take longer then the install it's self. IT also reboots (Again I remember having Windows reboot on me many times while it installs). Over all thou the install is painless, I'll give it a 4.
3) actively supported: This gets a 5, openSUSE came about years ago after SUSE was sold and turned into a commercial product, openSUSE has a very large user group and following, and will be around for years to come.
4) software available: I'll give it a 5, it does look like there is a lot of software in the "Software Manager" The categories are what you'd expect to see, The software manager is also controlled by YaST, so there is a small learning curve here, but it's not bad. Software Manager also looks like it's the update manager.

Over all, openSUSE Gnome desktop is a 4.5, there is a small learning curve, but it should be familiar enough to most Windows users they shouldn't have a problem using.

So Let's look at openSUSE KDE, I think this is the 1st time I've looked at the KDE desktop in this blog. I've used KDE before, and it's a nice slick desktop. Looking at the desktop for openSUSE, it looks like they put more time in the KDE desktop, the live CD starts up with a "welcome" screen and some information about openSUSE, support, and development.
One of the things you'll notice right off, The KDE desktop uses "widgets" they seem to beable to be placed anywhere on the desktop. These "widgets" could be folders, clocks, battery monitors, ect. There are a number of "widgets" that are already installed and ready to use. The standard desktop comes with a "Desktop Folder" "widget". Apart from the widgets, the "taskbar" is across the bottom. I couldn't find a way to move it, or make it larger, thou I suspect there is a way to do both. The menu system is easy to use with only a slight learning curve, (I'll go a head a give you a clue) If the menu has sub-menus or items, there will be an arrow, click that and the old menu will slide away and a new menu will slide into it's place, to get back to the old menu click the large arrow on the left) The "office suite" is LibreOffice, and YaST is being used for the same things as on the Gnome desktop. The install seems to be the same as what is used on the Gnome desktop.
So let's look at the requirements:

1) Easy to use: There is a small learning curve to it,and YaST takes some getting use to, It is clear that the developers of openSUSE spent a lot more time on the KDE desktop. But I'm still going to give this a 4, I think a new user will not have much problem using this distro. And the learning curve is very small. (If you can get around in Windows Vista you'll have no problem getting around in the openSUSE KDE desktop)
2) easy to install: again there is a small learning curve with YaST, it's not bad, and is getting better, the install is a 2 step install, the base system gets installed, a reboot and then a detection of hardware, Windows users should be very familiar with this style of setup. the 2nd step seems to take longer then the install it's self. IT also reboots (Again I remember having Windows reboot on me many times while it installs). The 2nd stage is slightly different for KDE, but still over all thou the install is painless, I'll give it a 4.
3) actively supported: This gets a 5, openSUSE came about years ago after SUSE was sold and turned into a commercial product, openSUSE has a very large user group and following, and will be around for years to come.
4) software available: I'll give it a 5, it does look like there is a lot of software in the "Software Manager" The categories are what you'd expect to see, The software manager is also controlled by YaST, so there is a small learning curve here, but it's not bad. Software Manager also looks like it's the update manager.

Over all, openSUSE KDE desktop is a 4.5, there is a small learning curve, but it should be familiar enough to most Windows users they shouldn't have a problem using.

Between the two desktops, unlike Linux Mint Gnome, I have to say if you are going to truly appreciate openSUSE get the KDE desktop

12) pcLinuxOS 2011.06 - Again, I decided that I needed to try out at least 2 of the desktops that are avaiable for pcLinux, pcLinux comes with many different flavors of desktops, KDE, LXDE, XFCE, openbox, and "Full Monty" and I may have to revisit the others at a later time. The two desktops I downloaded are KDE and LXDE (The LXDE desktop comes as a "Full version" and a "Mini version") when it's time we will be looking at the full version.
Let's take a look at the pcLinuxOS KDE desktop.

The one think I notice right off is how it boots, and shows the devices it's initialized as it is booting (I remember an old powerpc Mac I had doing that, I think it was Mac OS9)
The next thing to note, is the menu system is much more like a Windows 98 system, maybe XP in classic mode. it is organized in a way that makes since, but it's not an overly attractive menu system. It is however very functional. Again the "taskbar" is on the bottom, and again I can't find a way to move it or resize it, thou I am sure there is a way to do both. It doesn't have a lot of "themes" but does have a lot of what they call "window Decorations", I know I haven't commented about themes before, but this OS is not the nicest looking, it's pretty dark, and I wanted to see if there wasn't a theme that was brighter/cheerier There isn't. The system uses Synaptic as it's package manager, I don't see any "software manager" or other installer.
The OS installer looks like a "Windows Wizard", it is fairly easy to use, and warns you a number of times before formating over your current OS. It also has a partitioner which looked like it was easy to use as well.

So let's look at my requirements:
1) easy to use interface: I have to give this a 4, there are differences and a small learning curve, the menu system looks like something from Windows 98, and it's hard to believe this is a KDE desktop. the learning curve is small, and both new users and more advanced users shouldn't have a problem with using this.
2) easy to install: I am giving this a 4 as well, While the "Wizard" is easy to use, there are a couple of points that aren't clear, thou they do become clear very quickly (a helpful - help box pops up) I'm thinking if they just put the "help" in the question they are asking I would give the installer a 5. :-) This is also a 2 stage install, these are really quite nice, if you are system builder, you can just let your end user finish up. the 2nd stage asked for password, and user accounts. and then allowed you to login the system
3) actively supported: I am giving this a 5, the version I am testing is 2011.6 which looks like a date to me, with 6 being June it's not that old of a distro.
4) software/repository: It looks like this is using Synaptic But is missing a lot if not all of the catagories normally found in Synaptic. It looks like synaptic is used for the updates of the OS, but not much else. I have to score this low. It uses RPM for the packages (Red Hat package manager) which means this is based on Red Hat Linux :-) RPM packages maybe able to be installed on this system, but I have not tried. I'm giving this a 1 sorry guys, that's the lowest yet!

Over all on the KDE desktop, I am thinking this a 3.5, it's not a bad OS, it's not even hard to use, it shows promise, but without more software available for it, I have issues with it that.

Let's go ahead and take a look at the LXDE desktop, remember LXDE is a lightweight desktop, and I am testing the full desktop.
From what I can tell this is very much like the other LXDE desktops I've already tested, and pretty much what I've said above for the pcLinux KDE desktop can also be for the LXDE desktop.
The menu system is more basic, and there is a lot of extra stuff on the desktop, this really does remind me of a Windows 98 system.
I will be honest here, and I know that there have been some small differences with the installer from desktop to desktop, but I did not try to install this, I did run the installer, it appears to be the same one for KDE. My rating for the KDE will be the same for the LXDE

Over all I will give this a 3.5, it's not a bad OS, it's not hard to use, but it needs some type of software to go along with it. What is installed will only last for so long before this OS becomes unusable for some things.

I don't think I can recommend either version of this OS, but I may have to revisit the site and get the "Full Monty" version, and give that a go.

13) Pinguy OS 11.04.1 - The Pinguy OS is based on Ubuntu, and based on the OS version number I would say it's current with Ubuntu 11.04, the 1st thing I notice about this OS even in the VM it loads up to full screen. I believe this is a Gnome desktop, using a program called Docky, which creates little screen docks for programs, it's a very slick look.
At the bottom of the screen you have programs that you'll probably "always" use, Firefox, Thunderbird, Bit Torrent clients, Rhythmbox, VLC media player and terminal. On the left, you have direct quick access to your folders and computer. The "taskbar" is on top of the screen. and the "main" menu is very much like the menu system of Linux Mint. on the right hand side of the screen you have all kind of information about your system, that is constantly being updated.
The "taskbar" has a desktop search function. With everything that is going on with this distro, it really uses very little of the system resources. under 512mb ram. The system uses Synaptic, and has a lot of categorizes. The "office suite" is Libre Office.
The installer is a fairly standard Ubuntu installer, there is a minor difference with it, but that's really not important.
Let's look at the requirements:
1) Easy to use: I have to give this one a BIG 5, not only is it easy to use, it's extra easy to use, the dockly docks make things very nice, and very convenient
2) easy to install: Again I have to give this a 5, I'm only speaking of easy of use at this point, but this installer does seem to be slower then some of the other distros.

*** AN interesting note: after booting into my hard drive from the install, I still have a Install PinguyOS "CD" icon on my screen, and it looks like I can install again *** This is probably a bug in the installer.
It was easy to get rid of the icon, by putting it in the "trash"

3) actively supported: 5 Looking at the forums there were posts and answers to questions from yesterday, I don't know how long this distro has been around, but if it continues producing like it is now it will be around for a long time to come.
4) software available/repositorys: again 5 this uses Synaptic, and apt-get, it's Ubuntu/Debian based, and has a wide range of software available to it.

The Over All, I don't really think I have to say, but It is a BIG 5, if you are looking for a nice easy to use free OS, you really need to look at this one.


14) PureOS 20b2 -The next OS I want to test out is PureOS, PureOS comes with two different desktops, the Gnome and XFCE desktop, I'll be testing the Gnome desktop. From the website the difference looks like the "Office Suite" is different, and some of the media players options are different.
The one thing that I am almost certain of is what I downloaded is not Gnome, it looks like and feels like a KDE desktop. So I went back to the website, It looks like I downloaded an old version, but, now looking at the site I'm not sure how I found that old version to download.
Moving on: I just downloaded PureOS_40 which should be the current version of the OS
And sure enough, it's different, and has the look and feel of Gnome with a Dockly dock.

The dock at the bottom of the screen contains: Terminator (a Terminal program), LibraOffice Writer, LibreOffice Calc, LibreOffice Draw, GNU Image Manipulation, Ice Dove, Ice Weasel, Songbird, VLC, and an Image Viewer
I didn't say this before, but Dockly is very easy to use, it took a small amount of trial and error (without reading anything about it) to add and remove programs from the dock. But it's very easy, and a drag and drop interface, drag the icon from the menu to the dock and it will appear, or drag an icon off the dock to the desktop and it will disappear.
The menu system is laid out well, and the menus make since. the "taskbar" is at the top of the screen. This is a basic OS with just enough apps/programs to get you started, it's kind of a blank slate, It has both a "software center" and Synaptic, there are more selections for software in the "center", it also has APT-GET software should be easy to find, and install for this distro.
The installer on the other hand, can be confusing to the new user, or to a Windows user who is not at all familiar with how a linux file system works. The first thing it tells you is that if your drive is not partitioned you need to exit and run Gparted (Gparted is easy to find, but only if you know where to look, it's under system-administration) Gparted is like (almost exactly like) Partition Magic. And can handle almost any partitioning/resizing task you can give it. BUT be aware, if you mess up a partition it could be the end of a Windows File system, or the windows restore partition. Gparted should really only be used by someone who knows what they are doing.
and in the end the install to my virtual hard drive failed! and put the system into a endless loop of waiting and trying again!
So, rather then give up, I decided I needed to try again, this time I formated the partition, using gparted. This time it worked, and I got to the desktop without any problems.
So, sometimes even knowing what to do doesn't always help :-)
Let's look at my requirements:
1) easy to use interface: I give this a 5, Gnome, and Dockly make for a very nice combination, and easy to use interface, the menu system is clear, and well organized, and makes since.
2) easy to install: I have to score this low, I am giving it a 2, using gparted can be dangerous if you don't know what you are doing (and sometimes even when you do know what you are doing), IF you are new to linux you'll probably not understand the file system, and may get frustrated and confused by having to use Gparted. Gparted it's self is a great system tool,but it really shouldn't be used by a new user. There are too many things that can just go wrong.
3) actively supported: I'll give this a 4, after I did get the new version the date on it is from August 2011. I have a bit of a problem with the website itself, not so much a support issue, but some how or another I ended up with a old version my 1st download attempt, I couldn't duplicate that today when I wrote the review. I think it wasn't clear at the time, and maybe they have fixed that.
4) Software/repositories: I am giving this a 4, mainly because it doesn't have a lot installed, this is both good and bad, the new user may want more to "play" with, but also has a chance to learn how to install software from the repositories. This is a basic OS with just enough apps/programs to get you started, it's kind of a blank slate, It has both a "software center" and Synaptic, there are more selections for software in the "center", it also has APT-GET software should be easy to find.

Over all, even thou I did give a few 4s for this system, I'm going to score it low, due mostly to the installer issue. Once/if they fix that I think this would be a good OS to try. for now. I'm giving it a 2.5 to 3. IF you are new, and want to try it, I say put it on a machine that you don't care what information is on it, if you lose what's on it at the point it's not a big deal. Of course you can always just use the LiveCD.

15) SalineOS 1.4 - I think this will be the 1st XFCE desktop I've reviewed, XFCE is a lightweight desktop that contains some punch to it. It has a "taskbar" at the top of the screen, and also a menu system if you right click on the desktop somewhere. There is a slight learning curve to this OS as the desktop environment is slightly different. The menu system is not organized in quite the same way as either Gnome or KDE. It's not bad, but things are not quite where you might expect to them at. The Desktop itself with nothing running is using 134mb of ram, not too bad really all in all. This distro has plenty of software to get you started, the "Office Suite" is OpenOffice. It appears to have Synaptic installed as the package manager, and is using the Debian repositories. The installer is fairly easy to use, there is a small learning curve to it. The biggest thing with it is READ what the question is asking. The installer it's self even says to carefully read the questions. The other thing to note this installer will either let you setup your partitions with gparted, or it will format the hard drive (wiping everything off it in the process) It warns you about this 2 or three times.
So let's look at my requirements:
1) easy to use: I'm giving this a 4,there is a small learning curve, but it's not bad, the after you learn it, the menu system will start to make more since to you.
2) easy to install: again a 4. This is easy to install, Just be sure to read the questions or the screen, a question it might ask you "normally" would be a NO answer, however in this OS the answer is YES: example:
Is the system using local time? Answering no would default to UTC (NO/YES)?
other installers would ask the same question but like this:
Use UTC for time and date? (Yes/NO)
so it is important to read what is being asked.
3) actively supported: I am giving this a 5, it looks like the date on the website is 2010, but the forums appear to be very active with questions being asked and answered yesterday.
4) software available/repositories: I've got to give this one a 5, it is using the Debian repositories, and there should be plenty of software for this system.

Over all I think I will give this OS a 4, It is really worth a look, quick and clean interface, and fairly easy to use, with only a small learning curve. The XFCE desktop is lightweight, making it a great OS for an older system, or a system with low ram.

16) Salixlive 13.12 - Based on Slackware. The website has a few different desktop editions that can be downloaded, XFCE, LXDE, Fluxbox and KDE. I downloaded the KDE edition to give it a try.
This is the 1st time I've used a distro based on Slackware, So I am pretty much a newbie here, so let's get started and see where it takes us:
The desktop is very much like that of openSUSE KDE, using widgets, and already has a "Desktop Folder" widget on it. The menu system is the same as openSUSE KDE. One thing I don't see is anyway to easily find new software to install, no "software manager", Synaptic, or YaST that I see. What I do see is a lot of internet software already installed. There is a big problem with this Distro that I see thou. There are a few items in the menus, including the installer that requires a root password....however a password isn't supplied, and I couldn't find it on the website! (BTW: after trail and error, the password for root is live)
The installer itself is a bit different, but fairly straight forward and easy to use. One thing you will need to use gparted to setup your partitions frist!

So let's look at the requirements:
1) easy to use: I'll give this a 5, the menu system and desktop and widget system are fairly straight forward and easy to under.
2) easy to install: I think I have to give this a 3, on a live CD a password that can't be found anywhere shouldn't be used. Having to use gparted again is just a bad idea for a new user. The installer itself is different, but not hard to understand, and appears to work very well. The LILO installer (boot loader) is a little harder to use, I think because the instructions go across the screen very quickly.
3) actively supported: I am going to give this a 5, it does look like it a large community of people in the forums, and date of the last "announcement" is 9/9/2011
4) software available/repository: I have to score this low, I give it a 3, I saw in the forums that it does use Slackware repositories, but didn't find any software store, or package manager in any of the menus.

Over all, I am giving this a 3, I think it has some issues that needs to worked out, it is easy to use, but the few issues I found don't make it a good choice for a new user. Looking at the forums and some of the other posts on the website, I think it is clear they did more work on the XFCE desktop, so it maybe worth checking out that, and I just downloaded something they were working on. (a work in progress so to speak).

17) Ultimate-Edition 2.9 - Ultimately I am not sure what this distro is trying to do. I downloaded two different editions of this OS, One is v 2.9 - it's 2.8gb file size is hugh, and upon booting it up, it turns out to be Kbuntu, I think this is a "hackers" edition of linux, and really don't see anything to justify the 2.8gb download size. There are some new themes, and lots of programs installed. BUT Ultimately this is Ubuntu in a fancy package. Nothing new here. I think this distro would appeal to the "wanna-be" or the kid. And truly not to someone who is serious about using linux. The other addition I download was the "gamers" edition, it's 4.0gb
and does have a lot of games installed on it.

OVER ALL IMPRESSIONS: The Ultimate-Edition is Ultimately a waste of time and download bandwidth.
The gamers edition might be nice if you are setting up an arcade machine. Otherwise, not worth it.

18) Zentyal 2.2 - Zentyal is an Enterprise class of linux small business server, It appears to be very good, but since we are looking for a replacement for a desktop version of Ubuntu, this distro just doesn't fit the bill, and it would be unfair the try and make it do so.
it looks like it can be used as a firewall, and router
** and as a side note, I am interested in how/or a Unified Communication server is **

So the last OS I downloaded and want to try is:

19) Zenwalk 7.0 - Zenwalk comes with a few different flavors of desktops, I am going to look at the Gnome Edition, and the Openbox Edition. There is also a "Standard Edition" a "Core Edition" and a "Live Edition", I'm not entirely clear on what the differences of these are, other then the "Core Edition" - which looks like it's a standard command-line (CLI) interface that you can build up from. Let's take a look at Zenwalk - Openbox edition: The Zenwalk CDs are not Live but are installers. So while Zenwalk Openbox installs, I'm downloading the Zenwalk Live CD.
Speaking of the installer, it's pretty straight forward, but looks like it would error if you don't have "Linux" partitions already setup.

Zenwalk Openbox, is small lightweight fast and flexible desktop, the desktop has a dock on the bottom, but it doesn't appear to be a Dockly dock, I don't see a package manager for it, either in the menu system or in the terminal.

Let's look at my requirements:
1) easy of use: I'll give this a 4, openbox is fairly easy to use, the dock makes it nice and the menu system makes since, there is a small learning curve. And there isn't much in the standard install to use.
2) easy to install: I'll give this a 3, it's not hard, but does kind of assume some things that may or may not be true for your system. It does seem to be more for the intermediate to advanced user, and not so much for the new user
3) actively supported: I'll give it a 5, it does appear to have a active community of people
4) software available/repository: I have to score this low, 1 - I didn't see a package manager, and it's not clear what/if any repository it is hooked up to.

Let's go ahead and look at Zenwalk Gnome:
Zenwalk Gnome Edition again is a installer not a liveCD, The installer is the same as the Openbox edition, honestly, this type of installer reminds me of an older installer from maybe 2005.
I pretty much have the same issues with this desktop as I did with the Openbox Edition
1) easy of use: I'll give this a 4, Gnome is fairly easy to use, there is no dock and the menu system makes since. And there isn't much in the standard install to use.
2) easy to install: I'll give this a 3, it's not hard, but does kind of assume some things that may or may not be true for your system. It does seem to be more for the intermediate to advanced user, and not so much for the new user
3) actively supported: I'll give it a 5, it does appear to have a active community of people
4) software available/repository: I have to score this low, 1 - I didn't see a package manager, and it's not clear what/if any repository it is hooked up to.

So I want to look at the Live Edition now, Live CD appears to be using XFCE, but pretty much has the same issues as the above Zenwalk Editions. It does not have an installer.

Overall, I'm think this maybe a good distro for a netbook or something with limited hard drive space, and limited power. With out having a repository I can see/find it does make me wonder if it was meant to be updated or just used as is.
I'm not that impressed with this Distro. and think I'll have to give it a overall score of 3.

OK, So what are my favorites, and my recommendations:
I have 5 out of the Distros I tried and I think I have a tie for 1st place here:

1st) Linuxmint 11 Gnome & Pinguy OS 11.04.1 These are both great OSes, I haven't picked a favorite yet! And that might be harder then trying to find a replacement.
2nd) AriOS 3.0 - another great OS that I would be happy to use, and recommend.
3rd) Debian 6.0.2.1 - I have to include Debian as one of my top picks, the OS is simple to use, yet it's a power OS with a lot of support, and lot other Distros based off it.
4th) openSUSE 11.4 - KDE Desktop - Even thou there was a slight learning curve to this OS, the OS it's self is clean and very easy to use.

SO Those are my recommendations for the new user as well as the advance user.

Windows users, if you are wanting to install/test from a thumb-drive/flash drive/usb stick
You'll need software called Unetbootin a good guide to the software can be found here:
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/linux/create-a-bootable-ubuntu-usb-flash-drive-the-easy-way/
It should work with any of my "top" 5. Just be careful when using it.
The software can be found here: http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

While a little slower to use, I would still recommend using a CD or DVD to test out the system. The 1 thing you need to remember is that CD seek time/load time can make it seem to be sluggish. Most of the modern computers have CDs/DVD drives that are fast thou.

You will need a way to burn a ISO file to the CD/DVD - nero burning rom comes to mind, but it's been a while since I used Windows :-)

I hope you find this helpful. These are just my opinions, and shouldn't be taken personal. This started out as a personal search for a new distro, and turned into somewhat of a guide for some of my friend who haven't used Linux before. As I said at the begin of the post, there really was no rhythm or reason as to what I downloaded and didn't download. and I know there are hundreds if not thousands of other distros that maybe even easier for a new user to use, or a better replacement for what I'm personally looking for.


Thanks for reading. and I hope you do find it useful.