Linux/BSD distros Options

[pebkac]

I was looking for a linux distro to mess around with on my G5.

It has to be:

1) easy to use
2) reliable
3) able to read HFS+ partitions
4) able to non-destructively resize partitions
5) able to work on PPC architecture
6) small in hard disk space

I know Ubuntu does most of those things, but I've used it to some extent and was looking for something else to use? Any suggestions?

Also, what exactly is the difference between Linux and BSD?

[pebkac]

Lance nailed the BSD difference on the head. I personally like FreeBSD but I'm not sure it will work on the PPC architecture (there is a port: http://www.freebsd.org/platforms/ppc.html) but it is my favorite BSD distro.

Don't forget that OS X came from BSD in a way.

Unfortunately, FreeBSD hasn't quite finished development of the PPC version. And what they DO have doesn't yet work on the G5.

You would figure they would have the best support considering that it's what Darwin was based off of.

If you're just trying them all out to get a feel for them I'd recommend trying the following (in this order):

Linux:
Yellowdog (probably has the best PPC support, you should have no probs)
Fedora
Debian
VidaLinux (Gentoo based with easy install)
Gentoo (hardest for beginners but most customizable)

BSD:
FreeBSD
OpenBSD
NetBSD
OS X

Also remember that just because one distro may have an ugly interface it doesn't necessarily mean it's worse than the one with a pretty interface. There are are a number of window managers you can install and make your desktop look like whatever the hell you want.

Awesomeness.... I didn't really want anything as large as Fedora or YellowDog, but I'm going to try YellowDog out as it appears to be the best Linux Distro for macs.