best linux distro for me?

[katarxis]

hi,

i'm wanting to migrate from ubuntu and currently seeking the best distro (linux or bds or anything that's free) which should:
- not have rapid release policy like ubuntu (1 or 2 years for a major release)
- have a large amount of apps available, if possible, codecs from famous to obscure ones
- have a wide range supported hardware, not drain battery faster than any modern os
- use as minimum resources as possible
- not likely be sued (or forming an alliance with) by microsoft or apple or google or any govment agency or any patent trolls in the near or distant future

i'm gonna use it mainly for scientific purposes, sometimes gaming, sometimes multimeeja, sometimes web development, and a web/db server.

i'm considering freebsd or fedora.

tyia.