For many years (Since RedHat 7.0) I have run my home PC on Linux. The last few years I have used Slackware. But, I finally have decided to cut the line with Slackware. The lack of dependency checking with its package manager is a huge negative in my experience. With the debut of KDE version 4, though, I have more reason to abandon Slackware.
I had always liked KDE in the past. It seems a genuine shame to see it become oversized and obnoxious now. I have read some reviews on the web of KDE 4. Most of the reviews are positive. I know from talking to people that most users judge an interface purely on how slick the graphics look. "The icons look like they pop out of the screen!" Sorry. That just doesn't do anything for me. It might be that KDE 4 is the slickest looking KDE yet. But, I hate it.
So, I have decided to go with the majority of Linux users and install Ubuntu. The install process is a piece of cake. Sound, printer, webcam, all work with no extra tinkering. The only thing I noticed was that my SansDisk mp3 player was not recognized. I had to remove all the entries for Sansa devices at /usr/shre/hal/fdi/preprobe/10osvendor/20-libgphoto2.fdi to correct this problem. I did have to install Flash and Java in my Firefox browser. But, that was very easy to do.
I was amazed to find that my printer was already set up to work. At first I thought that I might have zoned out and set my printer up early in the morning while I was still asleep. But, in fact, Ubuntu did this all on its own!
My biggest complaint about Ubuntu is with the install process. It should really give the user a clear prompt for how to install the boot loader. As it is, after partitioning one must click on the "Advanced" button and choose among a drop down menu of boot loader options. If I had not done some reading in advance I never would have found this. There is no good reason to hide the details about installing the boot loader during installation. The boot loader is not my idea of a trivial detail.
On my little EeePC I installed Eeebuntu. This is a brilliant disto. The hardest part is making a bootable usb drive from the .iso image. But, once this booted, the install process is perfectly seamless. I feel now like this little machine finally has the operating system it has always wanted.