Which Linux

[doc_bean]

I'm probably going to need to install Linux again pretty soon, so which version should I use ? A few years ago I used Red Hat, but there seem to be some new popular versions these days. What are the advantages/disadvantages of these ?

[Lemur]

I've been hearing a lot of positive geek buzz around Ubuntu Linux, but I have no personal experience, so don't go believing me.

Here's a comparison of several Linux distros. No idea if it's accurate.

I guess I should shut up now, since my only experience was a short fling with Fedora.

[_Martyr_]

I use SUSE and find it very very good. On the other hand, as Lemur pointed out Ubuntu is getting a lot of attention at the moment. Ive never actually installed this distro myself, ive only seen it used on a friend's machine, but it seemed like a highly recomendable choice as well. Depends a lot on personal preference, so it might be a good idea to try several distros out and use whichever you like best!

[Xiahou]

I use Mandrake (now Mandriva) and am perfectly happy with it. I installed it a couple years ago, when v10 came out and it still runs fine.... just passed 90days uptime again- I had to turn if off to clean out dust.

[tibilicus]

Ubuntu is your best bet for an easy to use Linux aswell as the most popular.

Tib

[Blodrast]

It depends what you're gonna use it for.
In my experience, updating has always been an issue, and while it's gotten better lately, not all distros work flawlessly in this respect.
If ease of updating is important to you, and you think you might need to update rather often, then you should prolly consider debian or ubuntu. Otherwise, a more user-friendly installation might be better for you. However, be aware that some of these user-friendly things are actually quite obnoxious, to outright stupid. I've had bad experiences while trying, out of curiosity, some redhat installing "features". While user-friendly, they don't offer you all the possibilities that the less user-friendly ones do.
Again, this is only important if you plan to (re)install your distro often enough - if you only do it once every 2-3 years, it's likely a non-issue.