What Linux OS with a graphical interface do you recommend?

I have Xubuntu on my laptop which I have had on there for about a month now but still have to learn about everything Linux has to offer, so really I am a noob to Linux.

Would Ubuntu be best to put on my desktop along side Vista or is there a better one out there?

Cheers

Ive only tried ubuntu, so i can only recommend ubuntu :/
Ive had fedora and yellowdog linux on my ps3 but thats not really the same as a pc linux.

If you download ubuntu you can use the cd as a live cd, so you can test out ubuntu before acctually installing it.

I have the Ubuntu live CD already Just wanting to know if anyone knows of another Linux OS better than Ubuntu.

How about Windoze, Sam?

Ubuntu makes an exellent choice for those who are new to / unexperienced with Linux. You can also check DistroWatch to find the Linux that suits you most. I'm using Fedora which always tries to use the newest available technologies. This makes Fedora exciting (for me), but the new stuff they include can sometimes cause troubles and headache.

For some reason I've always been fond of Fedora as well. It's quite poor though, so don't go with it however

Ubuntu no, because of Gnome. Plonk KDE in and it's bearable. However I don't like the way some of the features have been made to fit the "easy-to-use" philosophy. For a n00bcake it could be the one but I still don't understand why they have to hide some bits and pieces.

Mandriva - stay away. When have the French ever been good at anything else than cooking?

Then I can't remember any further funnily enough. I remember a good KDE interfaced one but it could be that it was a BSD so..

Ubuntu is really excellent for people just getting started with Linux. Its GUI configuration tools are great and most hardware is autodetected and set up for you, no extra drivers needed. If help is needed there are always the Ubuntu Forums (http://www.ubuntuforums.org/) where you can go for help regarding any trouble you may have with an Ubuntu (or Xubuntu/Kubuntu) installation.

PS: I'm typing this from an Ubuntu installation on my EeePC - works rather well even on something so slow

Quote from hyntty :

Mandriva - stay away. When have the French ever been good at anything else than cooking?

When have the French been good at anything lol

I will mostly go with Ubuntu then. I will go on DistroWatch to find out what Linux OS suits me though.

Quote :

Ubuntu is really excellent for people just getting started with Linux. Its GUI configuration tools are great and most hardware is autodetected and set up for you, no extra drivers needed. If help is needed there are always the Ubuntu Forums (http://www.ubuntuforums.org/) where you can go for help regarding any trouble you may have with an Ubuntu (or Xubuntu/Kubuntu) installation.

PS: I'm typing this from an Ubuntu installation on my EeePC - works rather well even on something so slow

Thats why I had to put Xubuntu on my Laptop(Evo N200) because it ran at snails pace with XP Pro on.

Quote from hyntty :

However I don't like the way some of the features have been made to fit the "easy-to-use" philosophy. For a n00bcake it could be the one but I still don't understand why they have to hide some bits and pieces.

Like what? Under the hood it's just Debian.

BTW, you don't need to install another distribution to get a different graphical interface. It's not a problem to install KDE on Ubuntu, or Gnome on Kubuntu etc. In case of *ubuntu, open the Synaptic package manager and search for Ubuntu-desktop/Kubuntu-desktop/Xubuntu-desktop/Edubuntu-desktop. You can then select the desktop you want at the login screen.
That's one reason why I would reccomend Ubuntu, as far as I know it's the only distro with an active support team for all the major Desktop Environments. Most graphical distributions rely on a single DE, so it's either fully supported Gnome or a generic KDE, or vice versa.

Only one I have used is Ubuntu.

All the *buntu distros are based on Debian, which is a stable well respected platform that only does releases every few years. Ubuntu does an update every 6 months with a long term support release every 3 years I believe but is considered less stable (Read more niggles).

Slackware is another popular distro you might want to try.

There are many others out there but is depends on how well supported you want. *buntu distros have a big pile of cash supporting them which makes them a good choice imho. Its the reason I picked them

If they stopped being supported I would move to Debian, but then I like Gnome as my desktop.

Quote from Woz :

Slackware is another popular distro you might want to try.

Slackware is NOT for Linux newbies whatsoever. You generally have to do all your own dependency checking and certainly all your own configuration of things like X. I say use Ubuntu and get used to the basics, then if you want to move on from that (like I did to Arch on my main PC) then do so at a later stage.

And Debian is nice, although again not for newbies. You choose what you want to install in terms of environments (yes, you can have GNOME, KDE or whatever) but the configuration is text files, not the pretty GUIs that Ubuntu provides. Also, Debian stable is pretty much guaranteed to have old software but is rock solid. The testing branch is much better for having up to date stuff, but you can expect breakage.

Quote from sam93 :

I have Xubuntu on my laptop which I have had on there for about a month now but still have to learn about everything Linux has to offer, so really I am a noob to Linux.

Good choice: XFce is a nice, light interface - though not as full featured as the big ones. You should be able to switch the desktop environment, would you like to try another, without having to install a different distro. Just use your favorite package manager.

KDE can be made very Windows-ish, OTOH I can't be bothered to try Gnome. As for lightweight UIs, I'd keep an eye on LXDE, too.

Wikipedia is another useful tool if you need directions in the distro world.

Quote from NightShift :

Good choice: XFce is a nice, light interface - though not as full featured as the big ones. You should be able to switch the desktop environment, would you like to try another, without having to install a different distro. Just use your favorite package manager.
.

xubuntu-desktop
kubuntu-desktop
ubuntu-desktop

Metapackages for Ubuntu that install the other window managers, however they are known to sometimes reak havoc on machines, so be careful.

Gentoo Linux
Sabayon Linux

Quote from ekze :

Gentoo Linux
Sabayon Linux

Gentoo's another not for newbies distro - Sabayon is based upon it but does all the config for you so is a bit more suitable. I've always seen it as a showcase than a full desktop distro though.

Quote :

Gentoo's another not for newbies distro

only if they can't be arsed to read the documentation.

-- your friendly gentoo forum moderator.

Quote from bunder9999 :

only if they can't be arsed to read the documentation.

-- your friendly gentoo forum moderator.

Which, no offense to the ones that do, most can't be - even though the documentation is rather excellent.

Quote from JohnUK89 :

even though the documentation is rather excellent.

it is... 90% of it.

Well I think I will try Ubuntu out.

Does anyone know of some good applications for Ubuntu? I have OpenOffice but need others.

Anyone tried Damn Small Linux? Is that any good or easy to use?

http://damnsmalllinux.org/
http://damnsmalllinux.org/dsl-n/

Quote from sam93 :

Well I think I will try Ubuntu out.

Does anyone know of some good applications for Ubuntu? I have OpenOffice but need others.

synaptic?

Quote from NotAnIllusion :

Anyone tried Damn Small Linux? Is that any good or easy to use?

I did. To fit a 128 Mb USB key for rescue missions (when Windoze failed at work we always had to rescue data with Linux)
Not usable as a desktop solution imho, at least not in its standard form. So far I only tried following distributions: (X/K)Ubuntu, Slackware, Debian, Fedora and DSL. Of all these I recommend Ubuntu for newcomers. I am not newcomer, but I still use it for desktop. When you get too old you can't be arsed to remember all the hacks you have to make in other distros . I liked slackware for its simplicity design though.

Quote from dawesdust_12 :

Metapackages for Ubuntu that install the other window managers, however they are known to sometimes reak havoc on machines, so be careful.

Really? How weird, I'm a Debian/lenny user and switched DE several times with no ill consequences.

It's the way the ubuntu ones are.. I've never encountered issues, but I've known friends to have reinstalls get forced.

I'm currently using Ubuntu. I recommend ubuntu to newcomers as well. I actually am fairly knowledgeable about linux, but I was just lazy.