help with choosing a linux distro

After looking for what your processor speed might be and getting tired of trying to find it, Xubuntu Alternate install cd, Ubuntu Hardy, Mandriva, or Open Suse Linux are some options to think about.

I have a Dell Latitude laptop, Im thinking about installing LinuxOs, processor speed is = Celeron 400 Mhz. Ram is 256 Mb. What I want to have is speed for programs, Better surfing capabilities, less Lag, and be able to use instant meseges, if possible.

i downloaded mandriva to my desktop, now it asks me what program to use to open it with where do i go from here?

[quote=catracho93]hi, im am new to linux, i heard about it recently and i was wondering if anybody could help me choose a distro. i have an HP pavillon 526x with 730mb RAM, i am currently running on Windows Media Center, but it is really slow and i am hoping to find a linux distro which will allow me to use all the programs i have and not run so slow. well i mostly use my computer for graphic editing and music programs [ex. photoshop, itunes, windows media player] i want a distro that allows me to use these programs, but most importantly, allows me to use fruity loops stuido, and plugins such as nexus, pro52, ravityS, without complications. does anybody have any suggestions?[/quote] With 730MB RAM you can run any distro you want, regardless of processor speed, but hard drive space is important. I'm sorry to tell you that you won't be able to use any of those programs you mention, as Linux is a different Opetating System, and Windows programs are not compatible with Linux. You'll have to use an equivalent program that does the same you want, like these: FL Stduio -> LMMS: [url]http://lmms.sourceforge.net/[/url] Photoshop - > The Gimp: [url]http://www.gimp.org/[/url] iTunes -> Amarok: [url]http://amarok.kde.org/[/url] As for distro choice, I would recommend Ubuntu or Kubuntu, the difference is the default Desktop Enviroment, which is Gnome or KDE respectively. [Modified by: Glock24 on October 06, 2008 07:52 AM]