As time draws on, I have come to appreciate community help over "cool" features. Having used MDK 10.0, 10.2 and now MDV2008, just wanted to thank all the regulars here, MandrivaClub and PCLOS forums who have allowed me to run my business using Linux and become Windows free for close to two years now.

Having futzed around with most of the other major distros (while remaining faithful to MDV), I have found that these forums have added immeasurable value to my MDV and PCLOS experience and when any prospective ex-Windows user asks me about which distro to try, my first recommendations (in order of importance ..at least to me) are to:

1. Determine which desktop they want (KDE, Gnome,etc.)
2. Check out the user forums to see which user base seems to provide the most comprehensive, courteous and responsive help
3. look for a balance in cutting edge / conservative approach to version releases and package selection


There are other things to look for such as Mandriva's great installer and hdwr detection, the MCC or great package availability, but even barring that, Mandriva and PCLOS seem to have the best combination of all the necessary ingredients for a robust and useful PC experience.

I intend to post this at the other two sites mentioned.

Thanks again.

That's wisdom