+1 Puppy Linux
+1 Crunchbang

But, then, I really dislike Gnome. So these two distros are very user friendly ways to learn about alternative window managers. Puppy Linux runs JWM. Crunchbang (Ubuntu based) runs Openbox.

If you'd like a KDE distro, I've heard that the most recent OpenSuse is pretty slick.

I myself use Arch Linux and won't turn back. It's very modular so it's great if you want to learn how all the pieces of a Linux distribution fit together or to get a really fast and minimalistic system. But there's a bit of a learning curve.

Welcome to the world of Linux. Not only do you have dozens of distros to choose, but you also have countless Window Managers, Desktop Environments, and Package Management systems to try out.

So I suppose I've answered your question negatively. If you don't want a bunch of choices up front, then go with a user-friendly distro like Ubuntu or OpenSuse and just use the defaults. Better yet, use a live CD or live USB stick to test it out.

I don't know why! It found it to be really good and easy to use for a first timer. Guess your right though, depends on exactly what you want, that's the beauty of Linux!

I would have a look at what they are doing for GNOME 3.0 before making a decision!

http://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/Screenshots

Consider Linux Mint. It's not what I use, but IMHO probably the best distro available right now for Windoze converts because:

1. It's Debian-based like Ubuntu and Maemo are (Mint is actually a variaton of Ubuntu), but even more n00bie-friendly than Ubuntu. Less likely you'll need the command line for any setup chores with Linux Mint than almost any other distro.

2. Mint is one of the most popular and fastest-growing distros, with very good community support. And since it's based on Debian/Ubuntu, most tips, tricks, etc. you find for those also applies to Linux Mint.

3. Mint is especially good with multimedia and has more stuff enabled out-of-the-box than Ubuntu. All the usual Linux software is available, just like for Ubuntu, Mandriva, Fedora etc.

Also, you can have Word, Powerpoint etc with Linux. Just install Open Office.

You're right. My dislike of Gnome is purely a personal preference. I don't mean to start a flameware here. That's the beauty of Linux. You have so many options. I do almost all of my computing in Emacs and on the command line, so I prefer minimalistic Window Managers.

About Gnome 3.0: I can't yet see how Gnome Shell is a UI improvement. I myself do not want to see multiple desktops and animations and application windows every time look for a file or open an application. And they need to hire some good graphic designers. But I hope it turns out well. Personally, I wish they had spent more time improving the look and feel of GTK.

It depends on what kind of person you are. I'd say there are two best choices:

- Either you go for Ubuntu, as all the others were saying, as it *should* run out of the box with almost everything working and doesn't require much if any knowledge. If you have any questions or problems with it, I recommend checking http://ubuntuguide.org which features a lot of useful info on one page. Though I personally dislike Ubuntu a lot: It's slow, it's bloated, it comes with heaps of useless stuff. It *needs* to come with all that stuff or else not everything would work out of the box. But if you're not too interested in Linux internals, or don't have a lot of time for it, then Ubuntu is probably the best choice.

- Or you go for Gentoo. I personally *also* dislike Gentoo a lot, as it's based on the completely inane concept of compiling all applications for your machine. There are not binary packages (already compiled sources ready to install). This means for example if you want to "install" firefox that'll take 2 hours of compiling. But all this doesn't really matter, as the reason I'm suggesting Gentoo is for it's totally awesome installation manual: http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handboo...ok_part1_chap1 It's a lot to read, but believe me if you are interested in how stuff works, I strongly recommend you following that guide and installing gentoo.
After 3 days of hard work, your system should be up and running, and you will have learned all the linux basics you need like:
- What is fstab? What does "mounting" mean?
- How do I edit a file on the command line?
- How do I fromat a drive?
- How do I compile my own kernel?
- How do I search for a file or in a file?
- What is "X"?
- What are kernel modules?
- What's a window manager?
- How do I connect to the internet? Do I need a firewall?
Then, when you've installed Gentoo. You can erase it and start over with a more sane distro. Even ubuntu if you want.

So, pick Ubuntu if you don't have time, and if you don't really care about linux and just want a system up and running fast, or pick Gentoo if you want a crashcourse in linux - you'll have gathered quite a bit of knowledge after you've installed it.

Personally I use Archlinux: www.archlinux.org - It's simply totally awesome and requires no further comment. On a server I'd use ubuntu-server or arch, depending on how much time I want to spend on it.

Thank you all for great suggestions!

I have a follow up question related to the N900:

Knowing what you know about Linux, what will that enable you to do (or at least you believe it will enable you to do) with the N900 that you could not do otherwise?

I'm not referring to the built in features of the N900, such as the great browser, and the multi-tasking, but rather how the skill and knowledge you have with/about Linux will enable you to really benefit from the N900 in a way someone unskilled couldn't.

Well, at the most basic level, it would be getting used to the 'idea' of software repositories and Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). That's actually a big deal coming from a Windows, download, install, and pay for environment. FOSS software really is different, better really. At the risk of gross over-simplification, FOSS is generally a little less visually polished but more capable. It makes sense when you think about it. If you're trying to sell something, you put effort into the appearance; if you're trying to make something work for you, the effort goes into function. Getting your head around the idea that FOSS software exists for different reasons than commercial software will really help with the transition. Just be careful. Once you make that mental switch, and realise just how amazing and powerful the FOSS concept is, it's really easy to become a blathering anti-Windows zealot, wasting hours of your time on forums telling everyone how great FOSS is

At the next level, getting used to the command line will translate directly into using Maemo devices. The underlying file structure is there, the terms are the same, and so is the support. One of the really great things about Linux is that most things can still be done easily from the command line. This may not seem great to a regular Windows user, but you'll realise how powerful it is once you start asking for help with things. In a GUI environment, describing how someone should do something is a nightmare... "Go Start, then programs, then accessories, then click on ..., then click the box next to ..., then hit okay, and when it comes back, ..." But, on the command line, all you need to do is say "cut and paste this line into a terminal session and hit enter..." That's what a really good command line system gives you, and that's what you get with Linux. This is why it's SOOO much easier to get help with LInux. It's easy to help people because really complicated processes can be condensed down to one or more lines of code that can be cut-and-paste.

So, start using something like Ubuntu, get stuck, figure out how to ask for help, and in no time you'll be doing "sudo apt-get install ..." without even blinking. And, guess what? It works the same in Maemo too.

David...

If you can get it set up correctly, Ubuntu is as easy to use as Windows or OS X, so anyone who currently uses those could definitely switch to Ubuntu if they wanted. Ubuntu is definitely not a geek's product, it's a realistic mainstream option for ordinary users.

The slight snag is getting Ubuntu installed, which in theory is very easy but there are sometimes complications. Once it's installed this isn't a problem of course.

first of all: do you know what the guys are talking about when they start telling you to use kubuntu mint ubuntu KDE gnome and so on? when I started to use it I didnt know (some of those didnt exist...)
Distribution= is a collection of Gnu/Linux software, stacks of programs config files and so on, different distributions handle stuff different, like there are differnet programs to manage your software your network management but this means also they use different versions of software. for windows its like distro A is using firefox1.0 distor B is using iExplorer2 and distro C is using firefox2.6 in their base installation, but you are still free to install all three as long as there is no limitation because of versioning.
free distributions and what I suggest where to used:
debian stable: 24/7 server environment, not up to date but stable as hell
debian testing: advanced user computer, you need some linux skills
[k,u,x]buntu: entry level linux system; k, u and x are indicators for the used window manager
LinuxMint: very fast very entry level system, my first choice for linux starters
I stop the list here as this is a standard set of known as good distributions and I installed for others so I know how easy they are.
a complete list would hit >160 entries and is not what you want

windowmanagers (the thing that draws windows on your screen, some come with a huge control center interface, some with a small):
KDE - (kubuntu) Qt based, mouse friendly, very windows like
Gnome - (ubuntu) gtk based, mouse friendly, windows like but not as feature rich as KDE at least for starters
xfce - (xubuntu) the most basic windows like manager, powerful and fast
I'd recommend kde or gnome for starters but it depends on how used to it you are I started with kde and changed to xfce after a week or so

choosing your distro and windowmanager depends on your needs it
depends also on how much time you like to spend with setting up your system instead of using it. If you have a spare machine and want to know the hard stuff, you might try to install a more basic system and start learning Gnu/Linux from scratch, there is a lot of help in communities and a lot of how-tos for most distributions.

what I expect? I expect sharing a network file system, as windows shares are not enabled yet, software ported to maemo might be available for my desktop system or better I already use it for years. some stuff we (geeks) do within their terminal is just a lot of hard work to enable within windows but just a line of text in our shell. More advanced is stuff like recognition of a device in my network to trigger backup and other things like syncing my music playlist to the maemo device without further action, this is something I just dont know how to do with a windows OS.

True of Gutsy and Hardy, not really the case anymore. Video playback with Compiz now works properly on first boot

XFCE is starting to become bloated these days, hence Lubuntu (LXDE). Check this memory usage:

Lubuntu: 57,908 KB
Xubuntu: 156,852 KB
Ubuntu: 153,840 KB

http://www.linux-mag.com/cache/7520/1.html