Is Ubuntu the Best Linux Distribution Available?

I have become a creature of habit when it comes to Linux. I tried Lubuntu, hated it because it was so basic, so primitive then tried Ubuntu. I was running Ubuntu via Wubi for a minute and got by okay, realized that I was running a 64-bit version of Ubuntu kicked my swap file up to 6 GB then used swapspace and dphys but forgot to release the swap file I had. My computer turned on, then went to a black screen for several minutes, I assume attempting to create that swap on the fly, so I uninstalled Ubuntu and am now looking at using Ubuntu off of the Live CD just for kicks. I may eventually install it alongside Windows Vista.

But this is the thing I’ve noticed about Linux. Vista, for as much memory as it uses and all of the headache its given me, just works. Sure I’ve played with the swap file on and off but I never had an issue allowing Windows to adjust the swap file dynamically nor did I have to release a swap file and recreate one nor did I have to consider whether I wanted a swap partition, a swap file, or a RAM disk. In fact I’m using Google Chrome and typing this in Windows Vista right now without any problems.

But I like the fact that I don’t have to obsess over antivirus with Linux and feel that Linux is a lot more secure than Windows. Sure Vista tries to stop attacks with the UAC prompts; that actually happened to me on more than one occasion I was like I did not know what Vista was talking about so I politely prevented the action from occurring, but I do not care to be asked about security, just do it in the background.

I also like the fact that Linux does not require me to have some sophisticated graphics card with 512 MB of memory just to run some fancy animations or slick transitions. So now I am downloading yet another live CD of Ubuntu which should take 2 hours while I am syncing my SkyDrive to this computer, running a full scan on Microsoft Security Essentials, and running Google Music Manager in the background. Yeah, I’m that guy that will run 50 programs at once, just because the computer will allow me to. Feels like multitasking.

I did not get along with Ubuntu One though. Dropbox is a practical solution; Ubuntu One is a convoluted solution. Yet when I comb through the various Internet forums for information about what is the best Linux, what is the easiest Linux, what Linux just works, I keep coming back to Ubuntu. I like Unity, it works better than the search in Microsoft Windows. Unity allows me to search the web and the desktop at the same time. I don’t mind the Ubuntu Software Center, it is a nice touch.

If Ubuntu is a problem it could be that you don’t have enough memory to run it properly. I only have a GB of RAM myself, and Ubuntu is the type of distribution that works well enough on 1 GB of RAM but would not mind having 4 GB of RAM (especially if you’re running the 64-bit version like I was). Personally, considering the 600 plus distributions of Linux that are available Ubuntu just makes sense for most users. They’re not hard to find, at one time you could pick up a copy from Best Buy, and Canonical has developed name recognition with the Ubuntu brand that has not existed since the days of Red Hat and Mandrivia. Clearly, Ubuntu is the Linux communities best bet at mainstream acceptance, and Ubuntu for Android will go a long way towards accomplishing this on smartphones. For some the question might not be if Ubuntu is the best, but if it is the only distribution. Most newbies never get “past” Ubuntu, which for Canonical’s business model, is exactly the point …