Debian GNU/Linux 2.1
It may be a bit behind the times, but Debian is one of the best distributions on the market.
IN BRIEF
One of the grandparents of Linux distros, first released in 1993 by the sadly deceased Ian Murdock. Its name is a portmanteau of Ian and Debra, and it uses Toy Story characters for release code names.
SPECS
Released: March 1999 CPU: i386 Mem: 12MB HDD: 64MB Builds: x86, Alpha, Sparc, 68k, ARM
Unlike commercial distributions, Debian is produced by a non-profit organisation called Software in the Public Interest. Volunteers all over the world help to maintain the system, and the distribution has acquired considerable respect from experienced users in the community. The text-mode installer is available in mono or colour, so Debian can be installed on very old systems that don’t have colour displays. This is a good idea and a refreshing change from the new, jazzy installers we’re seeing everywhere else.