The Linux thread

With other sections of the forum having ongoing threads about assorted subjects, why not one for Linux? Let's kick this off with the classic questions, like how you got into it, your distribution(s) of choice, dual boot vs. exclusive system and what factored into these decisions?

Well, in my case, I'll spare you the litany of how Windows became more of a pest the more I wanted to do with it. About three and a half years ago a friend started getting decent results with his Linux desktop so I gave it a shot as well. At first I toyed around with SuSE, Red Hat and Mandrake (today's Mandriva) for a while, the latter being the RPM-based distro I used for the longest span of time. Hooked but not yet satisfied I started to mess with Debian's unstable branch. Back then, setup was still a royal pain, but the then fledgling Sarge installer showed promise and the very mature package manager coupled with a large software library made it all worth the trouble. Well, at least for something like two years. The way some issues were handled in Debian was still rather bothersome, such as mixed version KDE packages around every new release of the desktop and the eternal struggle with the proprietary Nvidia drivers.
Around that time, Ubuntu was getting loads of good press, supposedly "combining Debian flexibility with ease of use". Long story short, these bold claims weren't that far fetched at all, aforementioned key issues I had with Debian just don't exist in the (K)Ubuntu world and while waiting six months for each new version of the distro is a bit of drag, compared to real bleeding edge, the system just works and that's what I need now that I am a busy student. Windows is still there, but just for the occasional game.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Even as an Ubuntu user, I'd have to object to that assessment, well at least part of it: Gentoo, while (probably still) being a pain to set up in the first place, has a very competent package manager.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I recommend Xubuntu for low-end computers. Check the Wikipedia article for requirements and if you decide to use the alternate install disc, you might want to do the partitioning beforehand.

Most amazing jew boots

Xubuntu might still be a bit more responsive due to the Xfce desktop and the selection of applications, which are intended to run on older hardware. I wouldn't know the actual difference between Ubuntu and Xubuntu for sure, since I'm not very fond of GNOME's design philosophy, hence I don't use it and subsequently recommend either KDE (Kubuntu) or Xfce, depending on how beefy given computer is. That all being said, I probably wouldn't run today's KDE on anything below 1ghz and 512 gigs of RAM, in order to really have fun with it.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?