[martin_fierro]

Ubuntu: Easy to install, rock solid, using it now.

Linux Mint: a derivative of Ubuntu with the most Windows-like interface

[martin_fierro]

Linux Distro Chart

[krogers58]

For my two cents worth, I’d install Ubuntu for ease of installation as the root operating system, then use “VirtualBox” for the vm program. It blows vmware out of the water and is free. Then you can run anything you want in your virtual machines. I have 3 flavors of windows, 2 versions of linux and an old unix os. You wouldn’t believe how easy it is to set up ubuntu for your root os, and then virtualbox is also easy to install.

[JerseyHighlander]

Ubuntu Ultimate Gamers Edition 2.
http://ultimateedition.info/ultimate-edition/ultimate-edition-gamers/#download

Cause really, it’s awesome. Productivity is overrated.

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Ubuntu Studio
Ubuntu Studio 10.04 (Lucid) DVD Images
http://ubuntustudio.org/downloads
Let Your Creativity Fly...
Ubuntu Studio. A multimedia creation flavor of Ubuntu.

Ubuntu Studio is aimed at the GNU/Linux audio, video and graphic enthusiast as well as professional.

We provide a suite of the best open-source applications available for multimedia creation. Completely free to use, modify and redistribute. Your only limitation is your imagination.

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The big list of VMWare linux images you can download from the VMWare community....
http://www.vmware.com/appliances/directory/cat/508?k=linux&sort=relevance

[dfwgator]

I like Linux Mint a lot.

[krb]

Real Men use LFS:

http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/

[JerseyHighlander]

http://www.menuetos.net/download.htm

Not linux. Written in Assembly language. Full OS fits on a floppy disk.

Also... find the VMXBuilder here....

http://powerwf.com/product_list/vmx-builder/

Then find the tutorial on how to build an empty virtual disk which you can boot into... easiest and most customizable way to build your own images...

Virtual CloneDrive http://www.slysoft.com/en/virtual-clonedrive.html is another piece of useful software.

Also might want to download software that allows converting a directory into a virtual drive. For example: http://home.datacomm.ch/t.bigler/vsubst.zip

Note... DaemonTools is now considered spyware... too much junk has been added to the underlying utilities...

[ShadowAce]

[perfect_rovian_storm]

IMHO, Mint is hands down the best to begin with. It’s based on Ubuntu and installs things like Flash and Java automatically, so you don’t have to do as much to set it up.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

So you have VMWare running?

[rdb3]

Cool and creative.

Runaway Slave

Apostle Claver tells the world how the real party of racism is the Democrats

[2111USMC]

My vote: Linux Mint

[Big Giant Head]

Mint if you MUST use Ubuntu. PCLinuxOS if you don’t ever want to open a command line thingy. The best GPU from start to finish in my opinion. I do not do coding whatsoever.

The latest PCLinuxOS is so good, I seriously do not miss Windows for anything. 15 or so minutes from installation to cruising the net, all video codecs, flash, all that jazz done. Sound works, wireless internet drop dead simple to set up, NO CODING. Also has Synaptic for a full library of stuff complete with all dependencies set up.

Truly the idiot’s Linux. For guys like me.

[goldstategop]

PCLinuxOS 2010.

Comes in several different desktop versions.

The KDE version is cool.

I’ve installed e17 on my netbook and like it.