Operating System: *nix

[Zen]

I'm currently a user of Microsoft Windows XP Professional: I know that this name will make some you out there shiver... and recently it has done the same to me.

After reading what distros of Linux people like best, it really inspired me to change my operating system, but then I began asking myself, which one?

I dont know if I want to change to Linux or FreeBSD, so What I'm actually asking is , which one shoudl I change to? The REASON I'm changing isn't because "everyone else is changing," it's because I want to challenge myself. This operating system change will be a challenge and a learning experience.

So heres my question: Which operating system would be the best to change to (and its distro) for a user who has been on Windows all of his life and wants to change to LEARN and for the CHALLENGE?

[mikeL]

zen,
If you haven't been exposed to linux, I would dual boot XP and linux until you get used to it. As for which distro Mandrake is good to start with, Knoppix seems to get mentioned alot, although I've never used it. I use SuSE 9.0

HTH

[HNPFL]

Try RedHat Linux if your going to do it. Its my personal favorite because of its command line that gives you experience and because it also has an interface so you dont get lost in all the text. Here's a tip for RedHat if you decide to use it. When you are in the command line and you want to get to the UI type in startx I remember not knowing how when I first started using linux. Anyways good luck.

[natebo]

Linux is not hard, but don't expect it to do everything that windows does. Not right off the bat. Keep windows on a machine and experiment with linux, as a dual boot scenario. Once you've gotten used to the installs and the different distros, you'll know what suites you the best. The spectrum of linux is wide, from distros that specialize in movies and p2p sharing to just office app's. In my opinion to experience the revolution you need a second machine to enjoy the differences in distros, if you expect linux to be the magic pill your not grounded in reality, half the fun is the fact that it's just a hobby for alot of people, There are the die hard slackware guys that are fantastic for advice, but usually over the average user's head. Try something basic like red hat or SUSE, Mandrake is french, we know what the french did?!!!!!!!