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The five best desktop Linuxes you haven't tried
You might want to try them
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Now, one of the constant pains of desktop Linux is that so many media codexes aren't available in open-source versions. Mint, which is a child of Ubuntu, acknowledges this and then includes the proprietary programs needed to play Microsoft media formats and the like.
The result is, in my experience, a very pleasing desktop experience. While it can't run everything -- Apple's FairPlay DRM (digital rights management) encrypted tunes from the iTunes Store is beyond its powers - it does pretty darn well with everything else. If, on the other hand, you want to try life without any proprietary software, the distribution for you is gNewSense.
Another Linux that's worth a look is PCLinuxOS, which is based on Mandriva Linux. This is a solid desktop distribution that uses a KDE interface to good effect. If I could use one word to describe PCLinuxOS it would be 'sturdy.' Like MEPIS, it works well and with a large variety of hardware components.
I'm not the only one who thinks well of PCLinuxOS. While it doesn't get much press attention, it's long been one of the most popular distributions, according to DistroWatch's listing. Go ahead and give it a run and you'll see why PCLinuxOS has quietly gained many fans.
Of course you can also use straight Mandriva Linux, and perhaps you should. At one time, Mandriva was a well-regarded and well-known Linux distribution but over the years it's dropped out of sight. It's time to check into it again.
The newest Mandriva, Mandriva Linux 2008 Spring, comes in several versions. Besides a choice between the KDE 3.5.9 and GNOME 2.12.9, it also comes in a version without any proprietary software and another, the Powerpack edition that includes many useful proprietary programs. All versions also include a handy Windows migration tool that can bring over not just documents but Windows fonts. It can also read and write to Windows' native NTFS hard drives. Mandriva does a pretty darn good job at bringing over Windows files and the like and for that reason alone I think you should give it a try.
So, did I miss any of your favorites? Let me know. In the meantime, give these a try, your usage may vary, but I'm sure you'll find at least one of the less common distributions to be worth your time.
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Comments
Check out Wolvix: You should
Check out Wolvix:
You should have a look at Wolvix
http://www.wolvix.org/
Slack based: the oldest and maybe still the greatest.
But as we know Slack can -ahem- lag a bit in user friendliness: Wolvix takes Slack and makes it accessible.
Live, HD Install, USB install.
GUI mediated
Control panel a la PCLOS. ( possibly better !!)
Never mind the Distrowatch rating
( Another great Slack based Distro btw: Vector Linux.)
Wolvix close to release of v2.0
Here is a compendium of reviews;
( never seen a bad review of Wolvix.)
Check the forum post for a list of reviews:
http://forums.wolvix.org/index.php/topic,1000.msg4425.html#msg4425
Run with the Helpless Heffalumps or be part of the Wolf pack :) :)
I've been testing Distros for 12 months to move my personal computing off MS; and in principle I agree with much of your assessment.
For me, Wolvix has been the best I've found for a fully functional desktop out of the box with access to all that Slack goodness.
Regards..
Linux Distros
Good choices.
I have taken a stab at recommending a distro for new users which includes some of these you mention:
http://linuxlatitude.blogspot.com/2008/03/which-linux.html
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