What is the best Linux Distro for the average home user?

[Aussie42]

I have several PC's I wish to sell but want a legal OS on them. Assuming that a buyer is new to computers or an average home user, can someone recommend a Linux Distro or other free OS. The specs are 2Gig Celeron, 512MB ram, 20GB Hard Disk. Thanks for any advise.

[Nick Rhodes]

IMHO Ubunto, simply due to it being user friendly and lots of support and has things like OEM install mode (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Ubuntu_OEM_Installer_Overview).

[Trespasser]

Ubuntu is a good choice but so is Mandriva One (free version). Ubuntu starts off with no Desktop icons at all (which can be a problem for someone just starting out in Linux) while Mandriva at least has a few. Better community support for Ubuntu of course. Ubuntu is my favorite of all the dozens of distros I've tried over the years. Anything other than Mandriva One for Mandriva and you're talking money. BTW, just some general information, ATI video cards and Linux don't go together very well.

Later...

[Scoobs]

PCLinuxOS is another good one.

I haven't tried Ubuntu but I'd probably go for that one to be honest. It has the biggest user-community and so you won't flounder when you need support.

[farmerlee]

Yeh its best to start off with one of the more popular distros, something like ubuntu, SUSE, mandriva or fedora. The standard installs of mandriva and SUSE use the KDE desktop which has a windows style look to it so new users might feel more at home with it.

You'll find that certain distros are easier to install on certain systems. You may find problems installing one distro where as another one installs just fine. Deciding which distro to use may depend upon which one installs the best on your particular systems.