What is the best Linux Operating System for a newbie, is there one I install directly to my computer?

I am a relatively a newbie when it comes to Linux and would like to know the best Linux Operating System/Distribution for a Linux Virgin like myself. is there a version i can download and install directly on my computer and work alongside Windows? And a version that I do not have to burn on CD, because everytime I try to burn sometimes it does not work for me so a version that does not require a burn would be nice.

Replies are closed for this discussion.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Paul T on November 11, 2009 at 3:54am: You don't need to burn. Just use a mounting tool like Daemon Tools!

Permalink Reply by Matthew Palulis on November 11, 2009 at 7:50am: Use a program called PowerISO, burns just about any ISO,DAA,Bin files

Permalink Reply by Matthew Palulis on November 11, 2009 at 7:47am: Not all the time, you can install any Linux version from a Flash Drive, I've done it and works all the time, so there is no need to Burn a CD/DVD to install.

Permalink Reply by Matthew Palulis on November 11, 2009 at 7:43am: Well for me, I've tried just about all of them, and they all seem to be pretty kool.
so for my best Linux i have 3 I use, 1. PCLinuxOS on my NetBook, 2. SuSe on School Laptop 3. Ubuntu with KDE on Home Laptop, All 3 work great and at least 50-70% of all windows programs run in them, as long as you also use a Windows Emulator like "WINE" located here http://www.winehq.org, best part of Both above Linuxes, Both of them can be installed from a Flash Drive, so if you have one of those NetBooks that do not have a CDROM drive then you can take Linux with you. I have 3 Laptops, all 3 have a different Version of Linux on them, but all of them work Great.

Permalink Reply by RadioGeek on November 11, 2009 at 7:52am: I cut my teeth on Ubuntu and think it is great for beginners. It also allows you to learn what you need to learn to migrate to something like Debian, later on.

Permalink Reply by Orlowiz on November 11, 2009 at 9:00am: Ubuntu... shipit.ubuntu.com or just download...

Permalink Reply by medinamatt on November 11, 2009 at 1:17pm: Ok, if you don't want to burn a CD, use Wubi. Install it like another Windows app, and it will put Ubuntu into a dual boot with Windows, and you can choose between the two on startup. Also, if you decide Ubuntu isn't for you, you can uninstall it like another Windows app. Install normally takes a little bit, as it downloads and installs the files on the fly when you run the installer.

Oh, and it's free :) http://wubi-installer.org/

Permalink Reply by Jorge on November 11, 2009 at 2:46pm: I recommend either Ubuntu, or Linux Mint (based on Ubuntu).
If you want to run it in windows, download and install virtual box, and install it in a virtual machine before you take the full plunge.

Good luck!

Permalink Reply by michael on November 11, 2009 at 7:20pm: ubuntu first because it is easy to use, is the most popular and you can use wubi to install it so you don't have to partition your drive.

Permalink Reply by Billy Dunn on November 11, 2009 at 8:27pm: You can download a copy of gburner and it will burn the iso for you. It does a good job on burning CDs and DVDs