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Hello everyone my name is Ronald and although I'm not a new linux user I don't have that much experience using Linux, but I do know my way around the command line and know how to tweak some of the configuration. I've tried Ubuntu and Debian and they're both good distros, but I didn't find them very appealing. I liked how stable Debian was and I liked how easy to use is Ubuntu, but I found it to be too easy. I don't know all the distros out there but I was hoping you could make some suggestions based on what I want on a distro and my background. I mainly use Windows XP cause of Visual Studio 2008, I'm in college and I have to program in it for some courses, but I'm done with that and I'm planning on moving to Linux. My computer isn't that powerful: 1 Gb RAM, 40 Gb HD, Pentium 4 2.4 Ghz, GeForce FX5200, and all the standard stuff. What I would like in a distro is something that's friendy to install/configure but that would still give me the option to tweak it how I see fit, cause I'm planning on learning the ins and outs of Linux. Mainly what I'm going to do is program in it and do some web development, but I would still like to have some of the latest software. Since I have a graphics card, not that powerful I know, I would like to get something out of it, like a Beryl/Compiz going on. And maybe Blender, since I use it on Windows to create some random 3D stuff. Media wise, I just like to listen to my tunes and I hardly watch videos on my PC, I mostly watch them online. Gaming, sometimes, but I'm finding myself going back to consoles more and more. So there you have it, my needs are very basic, I don't have fancy hardware nor do I plan to get some very soon, dirt poor saving for a new comp, but I would like my distro to be stable, very open to the communities suggestions, secure and with good documentation. So far a friend has recommended me Fedora 9, I borrowed a Live CD and it was nice, but I'm reading some reviews saying it's buggy and unstable sometimes, and that Fedora is sorta the testing ground for Red Hat. Some people have also recommended me OpenSUSE, but I haven't tried it. Thanks for your time and you answers, if all goes well I will return to the Linux world once more, for good.

I would second the Arch Linux recommendation. It's not exactly friendly to install, though I wouldn't say it's hard either. It's just...very involved. You get to tweak everything to your hearts content, which is both it's strength and weakness. There is no graphical environment to start, just a solid base to build from and a command line. You choose want you want and get pretty much nothing but what you choose. The documentation is generally extensive and great, but it can be frustrating sometimes to figure out just what tweak you're missing to get something or other to work right. You learn an awful lot along the way, however. Since I've started using linux (about a year ago), I've hopped through almost every mainstream distro and a few obscure ones, and I always seem to find my way back to Arch.