Obession over which OS to use

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Over the last few days I have given my hard drive a good bashing because I cannot make my mind up which os to use, I know I can dual boot, but I like to give my allegiance to one OS.

Now it is down to windows, freebsd and arch linux, even ubuntu.

Anyone else going through this obsession or any good tips.

Gentoo is a good choice for an obsession , it offers you a lot of control. All depends on what do you want from your OS.

Depends what you're doing. There are still a few things I do where I need Windows, so I just put up with a dual boot (but I use Linux for almost everything). So Windows might be necessary for you. I think you can download some files to set up a USB stick with multiple versions of Linux and use it like a Live CD. That would let you try some out fairly painlessly, without having to commit to one. I can't comment much on FreeBSD. As for Linux distros: you'll get as many different recommendations as people you ask. I've found that asking which particular one to use isn't particularly helpful.

There is another thread which i did not see that loads on here is using linux over windows.

I am loading ubuntu 11.10 as i tried arch and freebsd and found it too heavy.

FreeBSD can be problematic on some hardware from I understand. Ubuntu, OTOH isn't exactly a lightweight distro. If you want something a bit more lightweight, try either Crunch Bang, or Debian. FWIW, Debian loaded with the GNOME Desktop consumes about 200 MB Ram, because unlike Ubuntu, it's doesn't link CompositingWM dependancies like CompizFusion or Mutter to GNOME. --All of the eye candy that compositing gives you comes at the cost of major memory overhead.

I'd take CentOS over Debian or Ubuntu based on some recently occurring (and very annoying) problems with managing a mdadm RAID5 array..

I'm with this person.

Gentoo became an obsession for me that drew on for years. genkernel = the best thing since sliced bread.

If you have very specific and unchanging needs, then look at what tools are available to address those needs and let that drive your OS decision.

But, if you're looking for an OS to address any concievable need for the next 2-3 years, (I can't beleive that I'm going to say this) I'd probably recommend Windows (7 - 64-bit).

It's bloated, inefficient and expensive, but the library of available software is just too big to ignore.

Linux is fast, efficient and so insanely tweakable and tunable that it's a techie wet dream. If I had to pick one Linux, it would probably be Ubuntu. However, I would absolutely have to dual-boot or at least have a Windows VM to run the occassional tool or utility that wasn't available in Linux. I can't say that I've ever found myself booting into Linux to run something that I couldn't find ported to Windows.

Would I like a Ferarri (Linux)? Yes, of course. Better engineering, better performance, faster. But, would a beige mini-van be a better choice to haul groceries and the kids to soccer practice? Well...where do you want to go today?

Arch Linux is a pretty good distro it lets you configure your system quite a bit, maybe not to the same extent as Gentoo. FreeBSD is rather cool, it can keep you occupied for ages and it has a really good ports system.

I agree.

I agree ubuntu on my system was heavy and windows ran a lot better on it.

I suppose i got to consider my computer and what it feels happy, it does enjoy windows xp.

I did find freebsd had failures when installing xorg and gnome, this really put me off. I did portsnap updates.

Arch linux was cool, I got kde running ok, but firefox did not want to play ball, so I presume it prefers gnome. It just did not want to start.

Let me say I have gone in a cycle of installing os's on my machine around 50 times as it is hard to make my mind up

I think you have a rather backward analogy there.

Would you like a Ferarri (pointlessly expensive Microsoft Windows 3.0, now stealing a few ideas from Linux, and sold as Windows 7, as if it was somehow different), or would a choice of one or more of a whole range of up-to-date vehicles (free Linux) provide a solution to whatever particular life situation you find yourself in.

Where do I want to go today? Well, anywhere that doesn't have Windows 7 getting in my way.

I had to set up a W7 machine today, and the simplest things have been made ridiculously complicated. Getting to "Folder Options" was a nightmare.

I definitely wouldn't disagree. Windows 7 is the most unfriendly version yet if you know anything about computers and want to configure anything without using some braindead wizard.

I honestly despise windows and I love *nix. Unfortunately, developers still tend to build for Windows and treat Linux as an afterthought (if at all). For basic office tasks, a considerable amount of development and a couple of games, I can and do use Ubuntu. But when I have clients that need Visual Studio packages or I have to proof Photoshop files or I need to put together a Camtasia presentation, I have to boot up windows and grit my teeth. While I'd like to take the moral high ground and just abandon Windows, I just can't ignore the fact that the market is still Windows-centric. While I could beat my head against a wall and find workarounds or try to convert my clients, it's just too much of an uphill fight. (for now. The day of the revolution is coming, but it's not quite here yet IMO)

I wouldn't put my parents on Ubuntu or recommend it to neighbours unless I could preload every app that they'd need for the life of the machine and leave them to it. However, if I knew that they'd only need email and office apps, I'd put them on in a heartbeat.

I still stand behind Linux as the Ferrari. If you're going to drive a Linux machine, you'd better be prepared to get under the hood and learn how it works or pay someone to do it for you. It's better engineered, better performing and can run circles around the other OSes, but it needs someone who knows how to drive it and take care of it. Windows, on the other hand, is the car that stalls out in the rain, leaks around the windows and that you replace every three years for another peice of crap that can just barely get you from point a to point b.

I tried using arch linux, it is nice and quick, i got kde working ok with sound, but it is a b***h to get firefox to work with it, I know it needs gtk and other dependencies, but getting gnome up and running is a total nightmare.

I agree Linux is something that will grow in time and maybe pop its head into the mainstream, on my p4 I find that windows xp runs better than windows 7, the trouble is my head is getting rather painful from banging my head against the wall.

My attention span is terrible and I just have no patience anymore, coding and configuring scripts. 10 years ago I would handle things a whole lot easier.

There is one consideration that could tip the scales hugely in favor of Linux....

Are you an IT person or someone interested in actually understanding computers? If so, Windows doesn't have a whole lot to offer (except how to get around Windows) and Linux will lead you down paths that you probably didn't even know existed. I've been seriously considering a purge of my son's machine and a reload with Ubuntu just to force him to learn something. (But I'm only comfortable with that idea because he has full-time, on-site tech support

Yeah I like linux as you actually get to know how to use an operating system, one good thing about linux is you can customise and compile the kernel so you can take out things your system does not need, also adding packages I find is so much easier, my only problem is that I play world of warcraft. I have used wine and sometimes the sound drops.