If you work with git, mysql etc. having a proper shell - once you learned how to use it - should make your work easier. Installing software should also be easie

If you work with git, mysql etc. having a proper shell - once you learned how to use it - should make your work easier. Installing software should also be easier with the packages. I suggest you to try the latest Linux Mint distribution, which is a Linux based on Ubuntu 10.4 and compatible with it. See: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1375033 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1375033 It's a bit more user-friendly that Ubuntu, which is also a good choice, and comes with Flash, mp3 support etc. out of the box.