Over the past few articles, we have spoken about Linux, taken a brief look at Mepis Linux, and checked out the state of gaming on Linux. Today's article is all about picking the right desktop distribution that fits your needs. Therefore, we will be looking at four mature distributions.

This is not exactly a comparative review, but rather a combination of four. We will look at all four and try to determine which distribution suits which type of user.

The criteria for picking the four are as follows. The first and most important consideration was that the installation procedure had to be simple and easy to understand. The distributions should have good hardware detection and multimedia support. They should be easy to update and installing new software should not be a chore. Another criteria were the level of support and help available around the Internet. In the end, this became a major criterion, since the chosen four distributions have a lot of resources available – on their own websites as well as on other websites.

Keeping these criterions in mind, let's meet the four candidates:

1. Xandros Open Circulation Edition Version 3
2. SuSE 9.2
3. Mandrake 10.1 Official
4. Fedora Core 3

Brief Look at the Features:

1. Xandros OCE version 3: In the past year and a half, Xandros has become a very good distribution for people moving from Windows to Linux, or even people using a computer for the first time. It has a very clean interface and configuration and administration is effortless. OCE version 3 has the following new features (from the website):

- New! Speedy, stable, standards-compliant browsing with the Firefox Web Browser
- New! Automatically filter out spam in an easy-to-use Thunderbird Mail reader
- Turn off annoying pop-up ads and banners
- Surf multiple Web sites in one tabbed window
- New! Make phone calls over the Internet with Skype Internet Calling
- Chat with others on MSN, Yahoo, AOL, ICQ, and IRC in a single instant messenger

OCE is completely free. Xandros also has commercial versions, which comes with some commercial software and more support.

2. SuSE 9.2 is a distribution with a long history behind it. It has been around for years, and the latest version is typical of SuSE. Loads of software, impressive administration tools, easy to use, and a clean interface. SuSE does not offer a free ISO download of the full version, though it is possible to do an FTP install for free.

3. Mandrakesoft is a company that has been around for a while, like SuSE. Mandrake has always been known for making distributions that provide a good mix of features and ease of use. The latest version carries on the Mandrake tradition with the deliverable free ISO downloads.

4. Fedora Core 3: Fedora is a Red Hat sponsored and community-supported open-source project. It is also a proving ground for new technology that may eventually make its way into Red Hat products. It is not a supported product of Red Hat, Inc. This statement from the website belies the power and popularity of Fedora. Since it is extremely similar to Red Hat, and there are many Red Hat resources available, Fedora is used a lot. It does have some drawbacks, but then again, nothing is perfect. Fedora is also completely free.

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