Linux Mint Or Opensuse?

Hello,

As of now I'm trying to reformat a friend's laptop. It's an old one. Sony VAIO, with a 512 MB of RAM, Intel Pentium 4 3 Ghz with an 80 GB of hard drive. ATI video card I think.

The user is just someone who access Facebook, Yahoo! Messenger and a bit of Skype.

Most of the time, the user plays a game called Slot Machine from Slot Plus Casino. It's

a free game that simulates a Slot Machine game with virtual betting stuff.

Now, I hate Ubuntu because of the Unity thing. I did some research. Linux Mint and OpenSUSE.

Apparently, I'm confused. Linux Mint has KDE and GNOME as well as OpenSUSE.

Which of the two (Linux Mint vs. OpenSUSE) will I install and will I use KDE or GNOME?

What's the default Desktop Environment that comes with Linux Mint and OpenSUSE?

Which is better KDE or GNOME?

The user is really used to Windows XP. I can't use Windows 7 because the DVD drive isn't working properly.

It can't read DVDs but CDs are okay. I also can't install Windows 7 via Network Installation.

I don't know how to do a Network Installation of Windows 7. I only have 2 laptops (mine) with Windows 7 installed.

Anyway I'm waiting for everyone's reply. As of now, I'm burning Windows XP into a CD-R.

I would suggest Linux Mint. The amount of software, applications and ease of use. Linux Mint being Ubuntu based OS using debian package manager. Configuration as well, setting up certain drivers and codecs for graphics cards and multimedia applications such as VLC that can run LAME, xvid, ffmpeg and countless others could be found easily. Where as OpenSuse you'd have to locate sources or have your wallet ready for such capabilities.As far as Desktop Environments KDE would be preferred for the new user. Gnome just has that authentic DE feel to it. If any reason to go with Linux Mint it is #1 on the distrowatch list. I always find using Debian package manager over Redhat package manager. You're more likely to constantly run into depenedncy issues when using RPM's.

Wow, apparently I'm not the only one who feels that way about Ubuntu because of the unity thing... I was having a hard time convincing my brother to stop using it. And yes, once I decided to look into what's the better alternative, I came down to the same type of choice (don't remember what my alternatives were). In the end, Mint ended up better because, unlike the other acceptable alternatives, it was actively developed. And for the other question, I also would agree that KDE is better for the beginning user.