The other day I got into a somewhat heated discussion about why Linux is a viable alternative desktop OS. Despite my best efforts, I was unable to move the other side past the rhetoric and myths that seem to surround Linux. It is because of this discussion that I am writing this…as a way to give accurate information. Let’s start by looking at some of the most common myths.

Myth 1: “Linux is hard to install”

This could not be further from the truth. Many Linux distributions are as easy, if not easier. to install as Windows. Ubuntu, Linux Mint and PCLinuxOS are but three of the most popular. The install is nothing more than a few mouse clicks and basic options like timezone, language and name. All these are explained well and you need to provide the same information when installing ANY operating system. Continued

There are times in the live chat were I’m asked what Linux distribution is used most. While that particular question can’t be readily answered, the site www.DistroWatch.com will to a degree indicate what distributions are being downloaded most.

On that site, scroll down and look to the right. You will see a “Page Hit Ranking” which by default will show hits in the last 6 months. This isn’t an end-all/be-all listing of what’s used most but it’s a good indicator.

At present, the top 5 are:

1. Ubuntu
2. PCLinuxOS
3. openSUSE
4. Fedora
5. Mint

If you were looking for somewhere that lists all the distros and how they’re faring out, DistroWatch is the place to be.