NEW LINUX USER

Actually there are three, you forgot the oldest branch : Slackware - whose most famous members are Slackware itself and openSUSE/SUSE (The latter uses RPM-packages but is a derivative of Slackware).

The Redhat family also has a newer member called MeeGo (Derivative of Moblin)

Linux divided into 2 family: Redhat based and Debian based, Redhat based same as : Fedora, Suse and Debian Based same as : Ubuntu, maemo They differ between : (inetd,xinet)-(apt,yum)-(hotplug,kudzu) and etc, Of course at first yo need start with which of them same of debian or fedora.after that switch to next.

my suggestion s that UBUNTU always tha best one to chose for a beginner

the equipment you are using is to be considered: for older slower equipment, puppy linux will give speed and usefullness; on newer equipment it will be very fast. it also has the live cd.

Asking which distribution of Linux to use will always get you a multitude of difference answers with very little explanation WHY to use one distro over another, but this is because to do a complete write-up on each distro is simply just not time effective.

Ultimately, Linux is Linux. It's all the same. What lies in the differences is the fundamental philosophy of design and the implementation thereof. Ego and Politics drives a lot of the FOSS community, so keep that in mind.

If you want stable and don't mind tweaking, go Debian. If you want to have less tweaking, but want a Debian-based distro, go Ubuntu If you want to have even less tweaking, but want a Debian-based distro, go Linux Mint If you want stable and don't mind tweaking, and you want a 100% free distro, go GNewSense.

Ultimately, everyone here, myself included, can advise you, but you will have to make your own choice. Most modern Linux distros run off of live cd or even off of USB via unetbootin, so try a few, see what works with you and what doesn't.

I would advice openSUSE

It wasn't my first experience with Linux - Slackware was - but ever since SuSE Linux 6.4 it has been a part of my life. It might not be the fastest or cutting edge, but it is rock solid and very easy to work with ....... oh-oh-oh and with Tubleweed a rolling release now is available.

http://opensuse.org

And Martin Schlanders wonderfull guide:

http://opensuse-guide.org/

Live long and prosper...

Yeah definitely Ubuntu for the new user. Ubuntu is 9 times out of 10 the distribution that got the avid, hard core, Linux user started with Linux at all.

Ubuntu was my first distro, and it was the one that guided me through learning all the basics of a *nix environment. Once I got this down, I remember I wiped Windows off my hard drive. Since then I have become restless and curious and have done my share of distro-hopping.

There have only been 2 other distributions that I've stuck with for a long amount of time: Fedora and Arch Linux. So naturally I recommend both. I love Fedora and would never go back to Ubuntu now. Try Arch Linux or Gentoo when you want to really learn about the core of a Linux desktop and how it works.

For the neophyte Linux user, Linux Mint.
For the neophyte Linux user who still wants the Windows 7 or Windows XP interface, Zorin Core 4
For the Linux user who wants to tweak their system, but wants an easier time doing it, Ubuntu
For the Linux user who has some experience and wants stability: Debian or CentOS
For the Linux user who wants bleeding edge: Ubuntu non-LTS versions like 10.10, 11.04, Fedora
For the advanced Linux user: LFS (Linux From Scratch), Gentoo

Your first OS is always your initial OS because without a doubt after you get used to the interface you will be curious to try another. Start with something not so heavy-weight like Ubuntu, Kubuntu or lighter still, Mint. All have easy to follow interfaces. As you gain more confidence you may be tempted (or not) to try some of the others. The secret is to start "simple", that way you don't become frustrated and disillusioned and move back to becoming another Windows sheep :) I have been using Ubuntu for about 3 years and I love it. It is easy to use, stable and fast. Yes, I've tried other OS's during that period, some I like ... some I didn't, but I've always stuck with Ubuntu because it suits my needs. Give Ubuntu a go, and then take it from there.

gael.

Without any doubt, I suggest you to use Kubuntu (Ubuntu with KDE interface)