[choicefresh]

I heard great things about Ubuntu, so I decided to dual-boot it next to Windows XP Pro. After a week or so, I installed it succesfully and it has been doing fine. However, I tend to use Windows more, because I feel more comfortable. I want the freeness and security of Ubuntu, but I like the feel of Windows better. Ubuntu Hardy Heron reminds me a little bit of Mac, which I hate -- the interface is too simple. Does anyone know of a good distro that would fit my needs?

I've heard that the following are pretty good; any reviews?:
gOS
Elive
Xubuntu
PuppyLinux

[TerryNet]

Sorry, but I don't understand what you're asking for. I think that Ubuntu has a lot of the look and feel of XP and I don't know MAC, although I have seen what it looks like.

What about the OSes make you feel more comfortable with XP than Ubuntu?

What do you mean by "the interface is too simple"? Too easy to use? Not enough features?

I'm trying to figure out if you want something more powerful (maybe Vector Linux Deluxe, Mandriva or Kubuntu) or something simpler (such as Xubuntu, Puppy, DSL).

[choicefresh]

What about the OSes make you feel more comfortable with XP than Ubuntu?

It might be that I've used XP longer, but some things that come to mind are:

• Start menu
• Things have a more solid color

Hmm...it's sort of hard to think of exactly what makes me feel more comfortable. *shrug*

What do you mean by "the interface is too simple"? Too easy to use? Not enough features?

I guess too easy to use. :P I always thought that Mac had an interface that was targeted more towards beginners -- it's a little too user-friendly for me at times. Ubuntu has a similar interface, with the bars at the top and bottom.

I'm trying to figure out if you want something more powerful (maybe Vector Linux Deluxe, Mandriva or Kubuntu) or something simpler (such as Xubuntu, Puppy, DSL).

I think more powerful. People suggested Ubuntu for me because I was a beginner to Linux. However, I'm sure using something else with a graphical interface like Debian/Puppy wouldn't be too hard for me.

I also feel like Windows is actually faster at times than Ubuntu.

[TerryNet]

Try Live CDs of Puppy Linux and DSL because their downloads are only about 90 and 50 MB, respectively, to see what you think.

There are others here that know a lot more than I do and your reactions to those two distributions should help them steer you towards what might be more to your liking.

[choicefresh]

Great. That will give me a chance to use MobaLiveCD, which will save a lot of time.

I'll let you know what I think after I try them a bit.

[choicefresh]

Puppy definitely seems like a possibility, although it seems a little slow (that might just be the emulator).

How's the software compatibility in PuppyLinux? Same as Ubuntu?

[namenotfound]

Originally Posted by choicefresh

I heard great things about Ubuntu, so I decided to dual-boot it next to Windows XP Pro. After a week or so, I installed it succesfully and it has been doing fine. However, I tend to use Windows more, because I feel more comfortable. I want the freeness and security of Ubuntu, but I like the feel of Windows better. Ubuntu Hardy Heron reminds me a little bit of Mac, which I hate -- the interface is too simple. Does anyone know of a good distro that would fit my needs?

I've heard that the following are pretty good; any reviews?:
gOS
Elive
Xubuntu
PuppyLinux

If you want it to look and feel like Windows, go with a distro that uses KDE instead of GNOME. Try Kubuntu

[AD johnson]

I started out with Dapper Drake 6.06, Ubuntu. Finally something caught my attention while searching for wireless drivers. It's called Linux Mint 5 , Elyssa. This team has done a good job. http://www.linuxmint.com/ Check it out , at first it look's alot like Ubuntu. Thats because it's based one the same package,but you can change it to suit your taste.

[choicefresh]

I'll experiment with Puppy, Mandriva, Freespire, Linux Mint, and FreeBSD, but it looks like I'll stay with Windows for the time being.

[RuB3N]

with any linux os you can customize it to your liking. ubuntu is a great one to start out with and get to know your way around.... you can make any linux os look like ANYTHING mac, windows, so on....... but i think ubuntu is more complex than xp will ever be.