UNIX Desktop Questions & Answers

We are going to use Linux Desktop systems.

Code:

Which one will be the best option ?
I prefer CentOS , but in CentOS which one ?

I heard fedora will take more Ram space..!! is it ?


P.S
1. Users are developers , with eclipse , java , tomcat webserver etc.
2. System Configuration ~: 2GB , 80-250GB , Core 2 duo
3. Not permitted to use : Debian family(Ubundu,kubundu...)

These "best" questions can lead to problems. Can you please reformat it into what YOUR requirements are, e.g., smallest memory footprint, etc.

BTW you've already limited things by saying no Debian family. Limit it some more.
If this thread turns into what I'm afraid it will become, one of the mods will close the thread.

Simply put -- no such thing. That's the reason there's so many operating systems and distributions of operating systems. Everyone has different ideas and applications and needs.

Just about any run-of-the-mill desktop will run in those specs.

Oh no jim. It's not that. I like Ubundu. But here we are familiar with CentOS (as server) and no one is familiar with debian family. If it is for me alone , sure , i ll use ubundu.

And now onward we starting using it as Desktop box.

Now , The main requirement:
It should not make them to tell the admin that the system is slow..!!
and it will be better if it use less memory. [Actually I don't know how to set the linux box to make the system fast , which ever OS it is..]

Linux doesn't really have "fast" or "slow" settings. Why would anyone ever set it to anything but "fast"?

How long it takes to boot depends on what software it loads in the process, whether the system has sufficient memory, how fast the CPU is, and seek times on the disk it boots from.

The last is hard to change unless you start converting your machines over to solid-state drives; hard drives still seek slow; so a simple rule of thumb still holds: The bigger the system and the more services it loads on boot, the slower it loads. For this reason I tend to avoid large complicated GUI's.

I am not telling about the booting time. It can be even longest , i dont care.
But as a desktop it should be something easy to work. That's all i need.

I use Fedora (now 15kde) for 2 years. I like it. My question is , if we have another good option , i could use that.(my friends too.)

You want fast and easy? "Easy" usually means "windows-like for a minimal learning curve coming to it with previous windows experience", which translates into a big slow bloated UI with features that experienced users are guaranteed to hate. So what you're looking for isn't a "fast kind of linux" but a distribution that uses KDE. KDE's among the largest and slowest and biggest memory hogs IMHO but if it works for you...