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As of the writing of this article, I have worked with the following Linux distros (ordered by length of use):
This
is certainly not the full extent of Linux distributions--there are hundreds! An excellent resource for the major Linux distributions is DistroWatch.
The majority of my experience has been with Red Hat and Gentoo (my current distro). My first dual boot session was with Windows 2000 and Red Hat 7. This first session took approximately 8 hours to work out, and I had reformatted the Linux partition within the first week. The comment was once made to me that during the course of learning Linux, many reformats were inevitable, and although this may sound repelling to most users, a similar comment has been made about new users beginning with Windows!
With an impeccable desire to toy with the varying features of Linux, I sought out both the X11 (now Xorg) windows system, which provides a GUI for Linux, and a web server for my first attempt. The apache server installed nicely, but my first reformat came as I corrupted my system in an attempt to get X11 working properly.
Though I did remain with Red Hat for some time, the number of reformats caused me to steer towards Mandrake: the distro boasting an easy install process. Mandrake held true to this title, but brought with it a Windows-esque manner of controlling the system. Furthermore, at the time that I chose Mandrake, I was not as skilled with installing applications via the Linux command line, and, therefore, my system remained quite limited.
After Mandrake, I moved on to Debian which is well known for it's package management system (a way of installing software). Though my initial thoughts were that Debian's packaging system would allow me to develop a fully functional workstation quickly and easily, I continued to encounter roadblocks with dependencies and structure. I do not condemn Debian, however, as I remained with Debian for a lengthy period of time. With Debian, I began to understand the manner of how Linux installs applications as far as dependencies were concerned. However, the Linux file system structure (and how applications existed in the structure) continued to puzzle me.
The distribution of choice for many hardcore Linux advocates is Slackware, which boasts neither a great package management system nor easy installation procedure. Slackware is for users who want to learn about Linux. And that's just what happened to me. The three prior distributions had laid the framework that allowed me to install Slackware and its workstation applications. By working out these tasks on a rugged distro such as Slackware, I not only became fluent in the Linux structure, but I developed numerous tips and tricks allowing a high level of control over my system typically only known to system administrators. I had finally arrived at a level where Linux began working for me.
Currently, I am using the Gentoo distribution. I no longer look to a distribution for its easy installation process or package management systems, but Gentoo has both. Alongside a well-written and developed online tutorial system, Gentoo has a highly-developed packaging system that, IMO, supercedes Debian's and BSD's. Gentoo was chosen in order to keep my applications and library files up-to-date (in order to circumvent vulnerabilities and security threats). I am quite pleased with Gentoo's performance, as unlike other distros such as Red Hat, Gentoo builds applications from source. This implies that the application is tuned (assuming the administrator has the system setup correctly) and optimized for the particular system on which the application will run. Contrast this to an application built with general optimizations in order to run on a variety of workstations with a variety of configurations. The result is a tightly-packed, efficient, and customized workstation or server.
I do intend to experiment with other distributions (including BSD, which is beyond the scope of this article), but I would recommend the prior five distributions to any new Linux user who is sincerely interested in understanding the power that lays before him.
My experience with Windows spans multiple versions, including some that future Windows user may never experience.
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Linux v. Windows