Tried Out a Linux Distro Recently? You should!

Though I am far from being aware of the latest news from the world of Linux, I have decided to update some of my distros that I had running:

Xandros [3]
Linspire [4]
Mandrake (aka Mandriva [5])
Red Hat [6]
Ubuntu [7]

While trying to priortize the one I was going to update first, I read an interesting article about the recent adoption of Ubuntu and its various flavors around the world. So, I decided to move out of Virtual Machines and into an old DELL laptop I had laying around.

Downloaded the Desktop version 6.10 from:
[8] http://www.ubuntu.com/ [7]

Checked out the web for some info on Ubuntu and DELL Laptops, only to find this excellent wiki about all the various models:
[8] https://iki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupportMachinesLaptopsDell [9]

Overall impression thus far:

Installer as easy (if not easier) than Microsoft due to the live CD concept of trying before installing, and using before committing
Drivers successfully discovered and installed for all the devices in this very old Laptop running a PIII w/ 128 MB RAM
Updates downloaded and installed with less errors and validation required than from the latest MS WindowsUpdate sites which is now prompting you to access it via Help and Support,....
Footprint, very small compared to the latest version of the MS OS VISTA which runs anywhere from 2.5 GB to above 6 GB depending on your version
Performance, simply amazing. This is to say on the oldest machine in the house, something I was about to throw away. This is now a workable usable computer.

This is to say, that this is not even Xubuntu [10] which is meant to be even lighter and better for older machine.

Check out those other flavors:

[8] http://www.kubuntu.org/ [11]

[8] http://www.edubuntu.org/ [12]

[8] http://www.xubuntu.org/ [10]