Linked by Robert Gering on Tue 17th Sep 2002 18:11 UTC
First, a little background. I am a Windows user who has been using Windows since 3.1. I am not a programmer or a developer, I am a user. I process photos, use the internet, e-mail, write letters, play the ever important games and even use it to develop my comic strips. I am not computer illiterate and I use my computer with confidence and skill. Now with that said. I hate Windows.
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I also commend you for trying Linux. It is the way it is because it is open source software. When you use almost any distribution of Linux, these frequent updates are part of the whole experience. If you have not updated since Windows 95, it sounds like you really don't like updating - in fact, you said you just want a nice stable system you can count on. You can get that with Linux, but it is a different way of going about it. It sounds like you don't want the operating system to get in the way or, at least, that you don't want to have to fool around with it.
Having said that, depending on the age of your hardware and how much RAM you have, I can recommend Windows XP - even XP Home Edition, but Pro is best. It is very stable and is fun to use.
I can also recommend Macintosh. If you think of getting a Mac, the eMac is Apple's best deal - it hits the price point closer than anything else. It is a good, solid computer.
As for Linux, I think Lycoris is the best of the "easy" distributions. It is very inexpensive and offers a good user experience. They are expanding their online software download site and have a very friendly community website. One thing about Linux - there is all this updating that people like us here do, but you do not *have* to do that if you have a system set up the way you want it. You would have to watch out down the road - you might have to update because programs you want to install require a newer version of certain parts of Linux. But, that is also true of Windows and Mac in some cases. So, as things stand now, if you want something off the shelf that is the definitive version of an operating system, I would go with Windows XP or Mac (and get an eMac). From what you said, I don't think Linux may be for you t this point.