Free & Easy Linux Distributions

[finalist]

I need some Free & Easy Linux Distributions for:
1. Skype;
2. Lazarus Free Pascal + Firebird;
3. Some Linux Application to work using Autocad files .dwg;

Is it possible to install them on a USB HDD 320 Gb ?
How many independent Linux Distributions can I istall on USB HDD 320 Gb ?
Thanks !

[n_e]

3. Some Linux Application to work using Autocad files .dwg;

Have a look here .

Is it possible to install them on a USB HDD 320 Gb ?

Yes.How many independent Linux Distributions can I istall on USB HDD 320 Gb ?
Thanks !

Depends on which distro's you want. Suse, Ubuntu etc are quite big. "Damn small linux and puppy are very small.

[colweb]

Let the flame war start.

I use Slackware (for over 10 years) and if you really want to learn Linux you should install Slackware. Even a full install will cost you only 4 GB. Debian, Ubuntu, Suse and a lot of others start direct in a windows like environment and use too many wizards to get things done. But hey, that's my opinion.

[mooreted]

I would not recommend Gentoo, Slackware or Archlinux as they require Linux proficiency to operate. They don't fall in the category of "Easy".

I have been using Linux since about 2002. I have tried every major distro out there. I really need to try Fedora though.

Ubuntu has some nice features. It will detect hardware that requires 3rd party drivers like your video card and prompt you to install the drivers. With a couple of clicks your drivers are installed and working. The Ubuntu Software Center is a nice feature that allows you to pick applications to install with just a couple of clicks. Ubuntu is very easy to use.

Ubuntu uses Gnome, I prefer KDE. I am still not a fan of PulseAudio which Ubuntu uses. I don't like how they do not update software until the next version which they put out every six months.

openSuse has the Yast control center which makes system administration easy. It doesn't have the Ubuntu Software Center, you have to use Synaptic, but they do have 1-click install on their website. There is a new package search wich will find a package for you and add the needed repository automatically; I really like that. It has been very stable and problem free, but then Ubuntu is pretty stable as well.

Bottom line, I would try Ubuntu and openSuse and pick the one you like.

Fedora tends to be bleeding edge and a bit unstable so I wouldn't recommend it for a newcomer.

[mooreted]

Let the flame war start.

I use Slackware (for over 10 years) and if you really want to learn Linux you should install Slackware. Even a full install will cost you only 4 GB. Debian, Ubuntu, Suse and a lot of others start direct in a windows like environment and use too many wizards to get things done. But hey, that's my opinion.

I don't think anyone can flame Slack and get away with it. But a regular computer user would not be able to even install it. Like Gentoo and Arch, it requires Linux knowledge beforehand.

I don't think most regular users really want to "learn Linux", they just want an alternative to Windows and OSX which tend to be expensive and/or virus prone.

I have gotten away from Slack and Arch because I work six days a week and I don't have time to setup everything by hand. It's nice to have a distro like openSuse or Ubuntu because I can quickly use a GUI tool to setup my printer, mp3 player or camera without spending an hour on the wiki learning how to enable hal, fam, gamin, etc. It's all done for me.