Gnome
iam a new ubuntu 8.04 user and i have to say that i wasnt lucky in installing ubuntu at all.
FIRST (xp) : after installing ubuntu with xp (dual boot) my xp become very slow and after a month i discovered that Grub causes hidden errors during booting which makes windows read my hard disk in something called Pio Only Mode and i read an article about fixing it in Registry…..

SECOND (ubuntu): ubuntu hangs most of the time and it was supposed to be the most stable os on earth!!!!
and i discovered that it was a kernel issue
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=765510&highlight=ubuntu+hardy+hangs

THIRD: in ubuntu there is a lack in gui Programs and using terminal is not that fun for me..

Any Way iam Sorry for the long message i just needed to say that every os has its own set of problems..

Ahmed: I’m sorry to hear that you had such problems with your ubuntu experience. I initially had feisy on my laptop and when gutsy came out, I upgraded. I had loads of problems with it so in the end I decided to go back to feisty. I do, however, have hardy on my desktop and have had very few problems. So maybe it’s just your hardware. I’ve found that different computers develop different problems with any linux distribution.

If you’re still looking to try Linux without dealing with grub, give wubi a try. It’s a different way of installing linux and much easier to uninstall. It allowed me to check that there wouldn’t be major problems with my hardware before I did any partitioning.

I disagree with you on your point of a lack of guis in Ubuntu. I only ever have to use my terminal to install stuff ( that’s because I find it faster than using the package manager) or compile stuff from source (which I’ve only had to do twice).

I have tried almost all of those distros and I do like Ubuntu the best. I actually tried Ubuntu several years ago and hated it. But then tried it again about a year ago now and loved it. However, there are things I like about Mandriva, openSUSE, and PCLinuxOS that I would like to see more of.

Ubuntu is the overall winner for me because there was always a few problems I could not get fixed in the other distros. This goes back to what Michael was saying about the community. I have had a few problems with Ubuntu but have been able to solve them because of the forums.

As far as desktop environment goes, I would have to say GNOME. I have tried KDE and I don’t like it at all. I think its too bloated and I just don’t like the overall look.

I did try XFCE and liked it a lot but there were a few things that are built into GNOME that I love. For example I could never figure out how to mount a network driver/folder in XFCE without using a separate program. I like that this feature is built into GNOME.

Let’s see. I use Mint. It’s not Ubuntu with addons, it really is different, having used both extensively. I’ve tried openSuse, Debian, Ubuntu, pclos, Fedora, and tried a LFS (didn’t work out), and I always end up with a Debian based system. Anyhow, I prefer Gnome, just because it’s what I got used to when I first tried linux (Ubuntu 5.04), and that’s all I ever stayed with. And, imho, it’s just fine, if you need a kde app, just install the dependencies and then you’re good.

I actually like a lot of distros.

Fedora is my main distro now. It’s polished, problem-free once set up, and has a nice theme and the newest, bleeding edge stuff. It’s a good distro for intermediate users or “old newbies” like me lol.

Mandriva: I have a special love for Mandriva because it was my first distro. Also very polished and probably the best boxed distro if you’re a new Linux user and need that all in one packaging (pre-installed codecs) and commercial support.

openSUSE: Another wonderfully polished one. Great user features like the SLAB menu and also another good choice for a boxed distro if you’re just starting out.

Ubuntu: I didn’t find Ubuntu any easier or harder than Fedora except for having the advantage of more active community support. I find that Ubuntu’s website and community is one of the few or only distros that gets Linux marketing to new users right; since instead of a technical wiki page you’re welcomed by a nice banner and a concise overview of the desktop features of the OS. Excellent distro but not really my cup of coffee ;)…

As for my favorite DE, I’d have to say GNOME because I like the default top and bottom panel layout and many gtk native programs (Pidgin, Abiword, etc.). However, if I’m using openSUSE or Mandriva I usually gdon’t mind going for KDE since it’s just as enjoyable to use in both those distros.

I use opensuse with kde3. I tried kde4.0 but was repulsed by the sheer number of the bugs. Opensuse is a really nice distro, with great hardware compatability and a wonderful community. Being sponsored by Novell doesnt hurt either ;)