My fav distro really depends on what I am trying to acheive. My firewall box and any Linux server I set up simply HAS to be Slackware. I previously used BSD and switched to Slackware for compatibility with some software I needed to run. I love the amount of control Slackware gives in terms of configuration (while staying within the "rules" of the distro) and it is very close in setup to a UNIX.

On desktops however I love the APT method of package management. I started using Debian with potato, and switched to Ubuntu with the release of Hoary.

Ubuntu is my top pick for a desktop Linux distro.

For me anything that uses the debian packaging system is good. I was in the past a SUSE user because I prefer kde and SUSE is more kde geared, but was never a fan of rpm packaging system, Kubuntu severs me well in both respects as it also allows me easy access to gnome apps where they are needed, and so its parent Ubuntu get my vote.

I would also like to make mention of DSL for specific purposes where a small footprint is required.

I voted SUSE, because out of all the other distributions, it was geared for both ease of use and bad-to-da-core development. I love YaST and it's unique way of managing hardware and software for Linux.

Ubuntu for ease of installation and friendliness of people on the forums.

It is true what they say: It is the lazy person's Linux... but I sure do love working with it.

I've used Mandriva (nee Mandrake) in more modern times, though I started life on Slackware many moons ago. Since I had a variety of PowerPC based machines, Mandriva distros served me well. It always seemed a very clean install, lots of device support, reasonable default application configurations and a good suite of admin tools.

Having said all that, I have just installed a Linux partition on my desktop XP system (partly so I can use all the Linux toys on the Midi soundcards, amplifiers and other hardware plugged into that machine) and I chose Fedora core 5 since I happened to have a DVD around the place (from a magazine) with the latest distribution on there. It did install, though the boot manager didn't work first time. There are a number of things that aren't installed by default, and Fedora seem to have an issue bundling some software, but since it is *so* popular there are a million sites out there to yum from. Quite impressed so far ..

I dislike all those Linux looks like windows. Something simple, fast, reliable. Life is too short to reboot.

I have been using slackware ever since I've doing my CS in university.

slackware is my favourite distro, simple, clean, stable, and nice.
If/when i have more time i make a LFS, but I dont have time for that nowadays