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Late 2008 Fav Distro

*BSD
2% (26 votes)
Fedora
4% (73 votes)
Debian
6% (105 votes)
Slackware
3% (57 votes)
Gentoo
3% (43 votes)
Mandriva
6% (99 votes)
PCLOS
10% (162 votes)
SimplyMepis
8% (134 votes)
openSUSE
19% (314 votes)
*Ubuntu
27% (444 votes)
Other
11% (183 votes)
Total votes: 1640

Should they be grouped?

I know it makes the list longer, but shouldn't Ubuntu and BSD not be grouped to give a more accurate view? Ubuntu may be the top slot but I think it would be valid enough to see if Kubuntu beats out openSUSE or if Xubuntu is more popular than Kubuntu.

I can understand not wanting to get too granular because the list will be way too big if you start adding Ubuntu Studio, Ubuntu CE, etc.

Also, shouldn't the title be a little more specific? I don't see CentOS / Red Hat so I assume these are selected more on the desktop usage than server.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-
Linux means Freedom,
the problem is most users don't know what it is,
or how to use it.

Arch Linux

One more vote for Arch Linux. The distro-hop-stopper Wink

Sidux all the way for me!

Sidux is super stable, got Compiz working too!

If I could, I would nominate several

I like to categorize my software. Let's face it, the core kernel and the primary utilities are rock solid, and the major applications are pretty solid, too, so it is usually packaging that differentiates the systems. Once they are installed and configured, they are more similar than different.

With that said, the MEPIS community has, not one, but two really outstanding desktop systems, SimplyMEPIS and AntiX, and they both are of consistent high quality, whether under development and lacking a few things, or in final form. Because of this, I gave MEPIS my vote.

I am a big Debian fan in general. I am not a particularly big fan of the Debian installer, but you really do not have to install Debian very often. I feel that it is the Debian software that makes so many of the distributions on this list great to begin with, including the leader in the poll, Ubuntu. However, if I were to nominate another distribution, it would be the sidux distribution, which leverages and tames the cutting edge software in the Debian project from the Sid repositories.

Still, because this is mostly about desktop favorites, I am sticking with MEPIS. I am really proud of the entire community there, and I really encourage people to take a fresh look at SimplyMEPIS and perhaps at the AntiX that you may not have seen or tried before. They are both worthy of attention and use, and that is why I have come back to write here a second time in this thread.

Brian Masinick

I also voted for other

Arch is my distro, followed by gentoo and slack. *BSD is solid but the performance is a little questionable.

wish I had two votes

I gave my vote for *BSD . I love my Anti-x and Mepis installs - they work perfect right off the bat , are fast , and rock solid . Even with a few annoyances setting up PC-BSD and compiling Gnome from ports, it gives me much better audio than any Linux distro I've tried ( especially with Steam games ). Both PC-BSD and Mepis have excellent , multiple software options and great stability . It's a shame to choose one over the other .

Mepis has regained #1 status...

SimplyMEPIS is once again the best Linux desktop distro, and especially
for 'newbies'. [I was gonna add, in my opinion. But, now that I think
of it, it is also the opinion of most everyone who tries it!]

As a real 'distro-junkie', I've tried alot of them...most all the ones
that publish a LiveCD. Mepis's LiveCD is just one thing that sets it
apart...since they pre-install 'ndiswrapper' and about a dozen Win-drivers,
not to mention all the latest NATIVE wifi drivers, it has the BEST chance
of getting online out-of-the-box via wifi of any distro...bar none! [On a few of the
more troublesome ones, it may need a tweak or a prod while under the LiveCD,
so if yours doesn't work, post a quick note in MepisLovers forum, and
the talented crew of users will talk you thru it.]

Some find it hard to believe that this distro is the work of a single
individual (well the kernel and kitting...the repository, artwork, etc,
comes from the whole team of MepisLovers). Version 8 is in late-beta
stage (RC1 as I speak). Take it for a spin and see for yourself.

[My 2nd fav is 'sidux'...like many of the other MepisLovers. Oh, if you
have a 'resource-challenged' older machine, try the lighter-weight
brother of Mepis, called antiX.]

Cheers...

Dave

MEPIS for me

I am a big Debian-based distro fan. I really love three distros: sidux, antiX, and SimplyMEPIS. Because MEPIS is listed and because antiX is part of the MEPIS family, that gives MEPIS two votes from me. Since I only have one vote, I pick MEPIS rather than Debian (a great choice too), or other, which would obscure my interests.

MEPIS it is with two (unofficial) votes.

Brian Masinick
masinick .AT yahoo .DOT com

Arch Linux

I also voted other. Arch Linux is miles ahead of the distros on this list in my opinion.

Other Distro . . .

Guess I should have cast my vote for Debian (Sid). Sidux is my favorite distro at the turn of the new year.

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