Thank you for your answer.

Further question:

is an internet connection necessary for the package manager?

I would prefer some installation that does not require any internet connection.

Thank you again,

I used linux quite a lot ten years ago (distribution: Linux Red Hat)

Now, I would like to install linux on one PC no one is using here.
The PC it is about 6-7 years old.

What really matters to me is:

1) compiling programs in c, c++, f90
2) using emacs
3) using latex
4) using xfig
5) easily convert file formats (I was used to: unix2dos, dos2unix, pdf2ps ... )
6) using gnuplot
7) using xmgr / grace
8) using gimp

All other applications like musics, movies, etc are of no importance to me.

What kind of distribution is the most appropriate from this point of view?

Thank you in advance for your answers.