Flavor of Linux my Dad could even use.

[Glow]

I've never used linux for more than 5minutes before but I'm looking for a really user friendly version. It's got to be very internet and java friendly. Anyone have any reccomendations? I am just freaking sick of WinXP.

[Andrew87]

I don't think it will matter which varient of Linux you use when it comes to the internet and java because Mozilla Firebird (my fav browser even used with Windows) works with all of them I think.

I used Redhat 8.0 once and it worked nicely but installing drivers is harder than with Windows and some less known hardware isn't very well documented, it took me ages to get my Zoom ADSL UK modem up and running and my sound sometimes worked and sometimes didn't.

[BillLeeLee]

It's called MacOS X (yeah I know I know, it's not Linux...).

Internet friendly and Java friendly are easy, Linux is the native home of Mozilla, and most flavors either come with Java installed already, or you have the option of installing java at install time.

Since you're very new, I'd probably say Red Hat or the Fedora Core, or maybe SuSE.

[Deadjasper]

Wow, "user friendly" and "Linux" in the same sentence. Now there's an oxymoron. :D

[Arkaine23]

If all you need is a browser, some plugins, and an email client, then Linux is plenty user-friendly...

[MTB2Live,Live4Comps]

Originally posted by Deadjasper
Wow, "user friendly" and "Linux" in the same sentence. Now there's an oxymoron. :D
THAT depends on your ability to read and use logic. and your ability to dump habits. if you had never touched windows or mac os before, and sat down and used kde/gnome, you'd find it VERY easy, i assure you.

but yeah, mandrake 9.2 was pretty easy for my mom and dad to use - my siblings caught on instantly. my views on linux right now is that if somebody can configure the hardware support, any windows user can use it fully without hitches. and if you read and talk to people online, still most people can install and configure it

[cloaked]

deadjasper, thanks for the trolling :rolleyes:
andrew87- its called x86 ;)
I would recommend the latest version of mandrake. It is very easy to use and has excellent hardware detection and autoconfiguration, you should have no problems if all you are doing is web browsing.
But if thats really all you want to do, any distro will be fine. The only difference is how easy it will be to set up. Once you get it working how you want, they are all pretty much the same (for these activities at least). But since you said you are new at this, you should stick with one of the simpler ones, fedora, mandrake or suse.
any unusual hardware you have so we can give some other tips?

[XOR != OR]

Originally posted by MTB2Live,Live4Comps
THAT depends on your ability to read and use logic. and your ability to dump habits. if you had never touched windows or mac os before, and sat down and used kde/gnome, you'd find it VERY easy, i assure you. Exactly.

Remember, however, that most people get scared by technology. And when people get scared, they stop thinking. Older men seem to suffer from this more than older women. The trick is to give the end user something pretty and professional that inspires confidence that this is a "Good Thing(tm)". The funny part about this is, most people are willing to admit they did something wrong, but at the merest suggestion that the OS did something wrong and they get panic-y, and this includes anything the OS did because that's what the user told them to do.

I would recommend Fedora Core 1. Very well built Gui, although it does suffer from the "clutter" most distros seem to suffer from. Pull open the Hat menu ( or Gnome menu, or K menu ), you'll see what I mean.

[GreNME]

I'll give you 25 bucks plus shipping for the XP CD and the key. Must be originals of both, though. Warez copies are just ghey.

Go with Lindows, Fedora, or even Lycoris for a friendly Linux.