[kwlug disc.] best distro for "out of the box" home system?

[Raul Suarez]

--- "Robert P. J. Day" <rpjday at crashcourse.ca> wrote:

> i'm frequently asked what's the best distro for home
> use that just plain works in terms of multimedia/
> browsing/plug-ins/etc.

I would say that they would be either the comercial
distributions (Mandriva, Linspire, SuSE, etc) which
include legaly licensed codecs or the fringe
distributions that are not affraid of being sued.

The other big distros are more careful on the gray
areas so the user has to "go get them". 

I don't think it's too diferent than DVD codecs in
Windows (they are not included), just that people does
not notice because usually the OEM installs them along
with some other package.

I would vote for Ubuntu too: Installing the extra
codecs is quite simple, many people use Ubuntu so it
is easier to get support or help.

I was surprised when, after installing FC8 and trying
to play a movie, it showed me a page indicating that
the codecs should be licensed and that I could license
them from ("somewhere that I don't remember") for 17
BP (pounds). At the Ohio Linux Fest I saw the Gnome
guys showing that and I think it will simplify life
for the non technical user.

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