[lzgwhy]

As we all know, there are many versions of Linux, every of which has their own features such as good stability, high efficiency. I am a jackaroo of using Linux, and have no experience in it. And I want compile OpenFoam and use it on Linux plateform, so I wonder which version of Linux is more suitable for me?

[Benzaa]

All the linux distributions will offer you the same basic experience. If you are new to the linux word, try ubuntu. It is easy to install and it has a very good community. They even explain how to install openFOAM (process that is not difficult at all) in your brand new box.

Once you feel more confident with linux, try something more interesting, like Arch. But, this is not a linux forum, so, have a look at other sites, you can get more educated reasons for using a specific distribution.

[andy_]

If you only want to compile one program and then go back to Windows then the distribution does not matter. Use whatever your neighbour is using since this is likely to be the quickest way to get going.

The version will matter if you want to use Linux as a platform for your future work because this will require you to invest your time learning how to get things done. In this respect the versions of Linux differ signficiantly but things are reasonably clear if you are an educated user (i.e. one that has invested time to understand how the main parts of the system work and looks things up in manuals) looking for a stable platform to run the programs that are important to you. This describes most CFD developers although not necessarily most CFD users.

[harishg]

I have successfully compiled OpenFOAM on Ubutunu, Fedora, and LinuxMint. The version of linux you use does not really matter for OpenFOAM. If you are also interested in using GUI for regular work, I would suggested using Ubuntu or Suse.

[andy_]

I seem to have deleted naming the choice of Linux platform for CFD work which went when I abandoned my summary of the 3 main flavours. The most widely used and most stable Linux platform for scientific computing is RHEL/Centos/ScientificLinux (all effectively the same code base but with differing support). It is the stability, type of support and dominance in the commercial and scientific fields which makes it the default choice rather than anything related to technical ability.

Of course, there may be good reasons for adopting another distribution (e.g. your department uses Debian/Ubuntu and it is the distribution the computer administrator knows) but for someone on their own looking for a stable platform for CFD it is the conservative choice.

[Ford Prefect]

My suggestion is that you go to http://distrowatch.com/ and pick the most used distro (which will be Ubuntu). Why? Well if you are new to linux it is always nice to have a large community to help you through all problems that you will encounter. As you learn a bit more you can change distro and still use the same community support.

[mystic_cfd]

OpenFoam is traditionally built on Suse platforms. There are many people using it on Ubuntu as well.

If you have any Linux distros and people with experience around you, pick what they are using.

You can also try the caelinux distro. This is a Linux version with many opensource CAE packages allready built into the distro. on the web at http://www.caelinux.com

[Ahmed]

Originally Posted by lzgwhy

As we all know, there are many versions of Linux, every of which has their own features such as good stability, high efficiency. I am a jackaroo of using Linux, and have no experience in it. And I want compile OpenFoam and use it on Linux plateform, so I wonder which version of Linux is more suitable for me?

Easy to ask this question, but no so easy to answer. To begin, Are you looking for a maintenance paid distro or Free distro, examples such as Red Hat (Fedora), Solaris (Open Solaris) Suse (Open Suse) ...............
The difference between the free and paid is simple, the free is the testing ground for the paid.
It has been mentioned before that OpenFoam can be installed on different distros, personally I have the free Open Foam 32 bits installed on Debian Lenny and Open Suse and based on my own experience, I prefer the debian installation over the Open Suse OK, so you have to be more specific and clear when asking this question
First decide what are you lookin for ?
1- Free Open Foam or Paid Open Foam
then
2- Free Linux or paid Linux
Google for mor e information and good luck