Distros distros...

[MeepZero]

Hello everyone, In a few days I am going to be attempting to install some distro of Linux. I have used Debian just a bit before, but I really don't know enough about working in the command prompt (shell...thing...you know what I mean) to find myself terribly useful in it. I know some of the basic commands, but navigating the file system is a mess for me. I have tried both KDE and Gnome as well.

My question is basically what distro would be best to try out? I have some experience with installing Debian, but I have heard Ubuntu was an "easier" distro to deal with. Also I am curious about Fedora and that Gentoo thing. What makes a distro exactly? What separates one from another? I am running a 7000 series nvidia card with this and Im looking to run compiz or beryl once I get things going.

[euskal]

Also I am curious about Fedora and that Gentoo thing. What makes a distro exactly? What separates one from another?

phew that's a tough one, in a simplistic explanation

1- How it handles the programs installation.
2- The method that uses to install programs.

and in addition, depending which method is used the distro can be "aimed" to a specific cpu (i.e 64bits, ppc, i686, etc), and depending how it handles programs, (aka packet manager), programs that have a bunch of tiny programs that depend each other can be a real pain to install.


Fedora uses the redhat packet manager, also does SuSe, Centos, mandriva.
Gentoo uses the portage (not a packet manager in the pure sense of the word)
Debian uses aptitude or apt-get (debian packet manager), also does Ubuntu, freespire.
And you have, other packet managers; conary, tgz, etc.

So as you supposse you cannot install a program that's intended for a debian system on Fedora, (a *.deb file), same goes with a rpm, you cannot install it on Debian.

(Exceptionally if there is something that you have no packet for a distro and ready for anther you can use a tool called alien packet converter, but is inconvinient specially cozz doing so every time you have to install a program, is kinda of odd
:cry: )

I hope you choose Gentoo, IMO, because is the most original distro. :D