Which distro of linux...

[Cognizant]

Is most similar to windows, other than ubuntu?

Which would you recommend?
I might install a distro of linux on my old computer.

[Axw_JD]

why do you even want to install linux in the first place?

I'd say anything KDE-based is meant to be similar to Windows... but if you are going for similar to Windows, you might as well just stick to Windows (again, depending on what you are trying to do).

[Cognizant]

why do you even want to install linux in the first place?

I'd say anything KDE-based is meant to be similar to Windows... but if you are going for similar to Windows, you might as well just stick to Windows (again, depending on what you are trying to do).

Because windows frustrates me, but I want an environment i'm still semi-familiar with...

And thanks

[Silicate Wielder]

This is why ubuntu, and all linux is better than windows

O8-bv0z_pWI

and if you want a mac look you can get the macbuntu theme. however it sometimes requires you to change your theme settings or downloading docky after it installs.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/66928589/Screenshot%20from%202012-08-28%2001%3A21%3A35.png
http://208.80.52.90/WMMEFMAAC?streamtheworld_user=1&nobuf=1336495360958

[Skyhawk]

Ylmf. It's hard to get but it's well worth it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StartOS

[Axw_JD]

This is why ubuntu, and all linux is better than windows[/URL]

Save all the MS-hate train BS to yourself.

BTW, OP is asking for distros other than Ubuntu... so Ubuntu-based and Ubuntu itself is not what he is asking for.

Toy Trains: I favor Fedora over most other distros, specially for new users. Plasma is a KDE-based Fedora spin you could take a look into: http://spins.fedoraproject.org/kde/

(when it comes to my Open Source I am a bit of a snob. I do look down on newbs who claim to love Open Source and use nothing but Ubuntu and Firefox and hate on Windows all day with little to no clue of why it works the way it does -good or bad- to them).

[Skyhawk]

This is Ylmf 3.0:
http://localhostr.com/file/dHQGYpNUXMZL/ylmf1.png

Comes with Wine preinstalled. This is the closest distro to Windows out there.

If you want it then I can upload the ISO to Localhostr.

Edit: It's based on Ubuntu 10.04.

[Mirage]

This is Ylmf 3.0:
image (http://localhostr.com/file/dHQGYpNUXMZL/ylmf1.png)

Comes with Wine preinstalled. This is the closest distro to Windows out there.

If you want it then I can upload the ISO to Localhostr.

Edit: It's based on Ubuntu 10.04.

I'd like the link if you don't mind, if you could PM it to me that would be wonderful :)

[TheMatrix]

I use openSUSE 12.1(that version gives me many problems on my ever-aging machine, but that's a different story), with Xfce and XDM for display manager(none of the others work on 12.1).
You'll get used to it eventually, and most window managers provide plenty of customisation options. I'm not sure about Gnome3, though, it doesn't seem to like my computer much.
I liked openSUSE 11.4 the best, and it's pretty much the last openSUSE distro(IMO) to support older hardware. I'd downgrade, but support ends this November.
Fedora 14 wasn't too bad, but alas it doesn't have a good software repository like openSUSE has.

Whatever you do, stay away from Ubuntu. That dreadful crap gave me nothing but trouble even since I installed it.

[TigerBoy]

Fedora 14 wasn't too bad, but alas it doesn't have a good software repository like openSUSE has.

I don't know about OpenSuse, but since Fedora is closely tied to RHEL development (and RedHat is the linux companies will choose to run on mission critical kit because of the pedigree and support) you should have a very good experience with decent drivers and hardware, and software stability. There are a huge amount of fedora and fedora-compatible easy to install rpms out there. I've used Ubuntu and Fedora but stick with fedora for learning and programming. (I use Windows as my main OS though).

Personally I think trying to avoid irritations by going to any linux is doomed, fwiw.

[TheMatrix]

I don't know about OpenSuse, but since Fedora is closely tied to RHEL development (and RedHat is the linux companies will choose to run on mission critical kit because of the pedigree and support) you should have a very good experience with decent drivers and hardware, and software stability. There are a huge amount of fedora and fedora-compatible easy to install rpms out there.
I know there's lots of RPMs you can install. But I'm talking about software that has been specially packaged for that particular distro, and besides, it's much easier to use YaST or Zypper to install something as opposed to going to the project's page. Plus, if you don't have a web browser, things become difficult. This is especially true for servers, which shouldn't have a graphical installation.

[TigerBoy]

I know there's lots of RPMs you can install. But I'm talking about software that has been specially packaged for that particular distro, and besides, it's much easier to use YaST or Zypper to install something as opposed to going to the project's page. Plus, if you don't have a web browser, things become difficult. This is especially true for servers, which shouldn't have a graphical installation.

You say that like those things don't exist for Fedora, which isn't my experience. The default repositories aren't always so exciting but there are others you can add in. I've never really found anything I needed I couldn't get (and if you are really experimenting, since Fedora is always using a very current kernel so even compiling stuff specially is pretty straightforward compared to even something like Centos). And obviously for my 'play machine' I'm doing most of my updates through the provided UI tools (not the web browser) or sometimes I do use Yum from the commandline, but thats not usual.

For companies running RHEL servers without GUIs updates will be pushed out centrally from a local update server. In a RHEL server enviroment the individual server builds are usually streamed out from a build server, and any new functionality is normally configured from there (whcih means they can easily rebuild or clone a given server). So its not comparable to a home user struggling with an unfamiliar command prompt to try to get a new word processor to install or something. So I'm not too sure what your point about 'no browser' was but I'm guessing none of this applies to the OP.

[TheMatrix]

You say that like those things don't exist for Fedora, which isn't my experience. The default repositories aren't always so exciting but there are others you can add in.
Granted. But eventually it becomes a large collection of repositories from many different sources. Yeah, you can add some RHEL ones, and maybe perhaps it will work. I guess I just prefer the openSUSE central repositories with everything in them. It's more personal preference.

I've never really found anything I needed I couldn't get (and if you are really experimenting, since Fedora is always using a very current kernel so even compiling stuff specially is pretty straightforward compared to even something like Centos). And obviously for my 'play machine' I'm doing most of my updates through the provided UI tools (not the web browser) or sometimes I do use Yum from the commandline, but thats not usual.
For most standard applications, yeah, you can get them in the repository. That is pretty solid on almost any desktop distro.

The problem comes when you want, say, a certain library, and your distro doesn't offer that library and/or the dependencies for that. Then, you, equipped with only GCC and the other pre-installed libraries, go downloading each individual library: untarring, configuring, installing more prerequisites, untarring, confguring, making, etc etc. Then, several hours and lots of frustration later, you finally have it installed.
Yes, you can go on rpmfind or links2linux, but that's not really a good repository.

For companies running RHEL servers without GUIs updates will be pushed out centrally from a local update server. In a RHEL server enviroment the individual server builds are usually streamed out from a build server, and any new functionality is normally configured from there (whcih means they can easily rebuild or clone a given server). So its not comparable to a home user struggling with an unfamiliar command prompt to try to get a new word processor to install or something. So I'm not too sure what your point about 'no browser' was but I'm guessing none of this applies to the OP.
It's like VMS and the IBM mainframes, yes yes, but a simple comment on the software repositories of Fedora is going a little over the top.

[TigerBoy]

The problem comes when you want, say, a certain library, and your distro doesn't offer that library and/or the dependencies for that. Then, you, equipped with only GCC and the other pre-installed libraries, go downloading each individual library: untarring, configuring, installing more prerequisites, untarring, confguring, making, etc etc. Then, several hours and lots of frustration later, you finally have it installed.
.
Yep fully experienced the pain, got the dents in my wall to prove it ... but only when I was trying to do stuff on Centos with the RHEL equivalent versions. Go to Fedora and you get RedHats latest released versions, which are well up there against any distro and you'll have more chance of less pain in my experience. I haven't got lots of experience of openSUSE to compare it in any great detail.

[azorne]

Gentoo. The best way to learn to swim is to just dive in.

[Silicate Wielder]

I use openSUSE 12.1(that version gives me many problems on my ever-aging machine, but that's a different story), with Xfce and XDM for display manager(none of the others work on 12.1).
You'll get used to it eventually, and most window managers provide plenty of customisation options. I'm not sure about Gnome3, though, it doesn't seem to like my computer much.
I liked openSUSE 11.4 the best, and it's pretty much the last openSUSE distro(IMO) to support older hardware. I'd downgrade, but support ends this November.
Fedora 14 wasn't too bad, but alas it doesn't have a good software repository like openSUSE has.

Whatever you do, stay away from Ubuntu. That dreadful crap gave me nothing but trouble even since I installed it.

Some hardware will cause ubuntu to wreak havoc on you. It runs perfectly on my moms laptop and on my own but ubuntu hates my sisters laptop and just screws with you in every possible aspect, and yeah even on a compatible machine it still has its fair share of bugs. mainly with Unity. the newer versions are getting better though and are starting to become more widely compatible with computers.

Edit: Whats going on with these posts doubling when I edit them?