Best Versions of Linux

Hobart · 13-11-2002 10:43am #1

I am just embarking on a "Teach yourself Linux in 60 easy steps" self taught course. I want to get off to a good start so can somebody reccomened the best/easiest/most user friendly version of Linux to download and install.

Cheers.

Typedef · 13-11-2002 10:47am

If you are a Newbie, best get yourself Mandrake I'd say.

If you are not such a Newbie, get Slackware or Gentoo.
Slackware!

Hobart · 13-11-2002 10:49am

Thanks Typedef.

I am very new to Linux, did some Unix back in '92 but am really starting afresh. Does mandrake have a nice user interface/GUI??

Typedef · 13-11-2002 10:58am

I'd say Mandrake, Red Hat or SuSE would be the most painless for you to install first time out.

Perhaps leave off on stuff like Linux from stratch and Gentoo unless you are really comfortable with something like FreeBSD or have copious amounts of time to get up to speed.

My first was Mandrake 7.1 back in the day and I'd have to say it was pretty Newbieised and most likely still is, so I'd use that or the distro it is cloned from Red Hat. SuSE as far as I know (and no offence to SuSE fans out there) is no longer 'free as in beer' to download, you can get some ftp version of it I think, but for you I'd say Mandrake or Red Hat, flip a coin.

Typedef.

Jorinn · 14-11-2002 11:09pm

Originally posted by Typedef
If you are a Newbie, best get yourself Mandrake I'd say.

If you are not such a Newbie, get Slackware or Gentoo.
Slackware!

As a "newbie" slackware 8.1 was the first distro I installed, nice learning experience, the newbie orientated distros such as mandrake tend to take the Windows route to compouting of " forget about how it works,we're just gonna try and stop you breaking it" which is just well annoying, I fyou want to learn about Linux rather than just use it go for slackware or similar.

dahamsta · 14-11-2002 11:45pm

For once I'm with Typie, I recommend Mandrake. If it's been a while since you worked with Unix, dumping yourself in at the deep end can be a pain in the butt -- I started working with Irix on the server-side about four years ago, and Linux shortly afterwards, and I still can't get into Linux in the GUI, even though I'd really like too. Mandrake will probably ease you in slowly, and let's be honest, if you want to start tinkering, a console is only seconds away. Hell, open four of 'em. We all do.

You should try Red Hat too though, just to have a look at Bluecurve. Like I said in another thread, I'm pissed off that it's more Gnome than KDE, but it really is amazing to see such a professional look and feel on a Linux desktop. I say try 'em both, see what you think. If Mandrake or Red Hat are too Tonka, I'm sure Typedef will send you Slack or Gentoo.

I have Red Hat 8.0 if you're stuck for connectivity by the way, and I'll have Mandrake on Monday.

adam

Cake Fiend · 15-11-2002 2:50pm

Start off with Mandrake for a nice gentle introduction, but I'd switch over to something a bit more hands-on as soon as you feel fairly comfortable and confident in your linux skillz if you're hoping to learn a daecent bit about linux.

Chaos-Engine · 17-11-2002 6:02am

I was a mandrake head person till my HDD fire bombed and I had none to spare. In the mean time while awaiting my new HDD(a month) a friend gave me a CD with a bootable version of Linux(and a might good one too)... KNOPPIX. its Debian based and now that i have my PC back up i'm in the process of DLing the latest version of Debian... I would recommand it if you want to learn about Linux and use it right away

Mandrake is good but really should be used everywhere instead of windows. Its pretty much that GUIish...

Typedef · 18-11-2002 12:07pm

What I didn't like about Debian is I told it to apt-get dist upgrade once and it broke man.

*Typedef notes he is a forgiving person.

leeroybrown · 18-11-2002 1:01pm

Breaking stuff is always fun

Debian ... I wholeheartedly endorse this product and/or service!

If you have a nice fast net connection apt allows direct upgrading of packages from mirrors (esat have one)

If you don't have the nice fat pipe though it is 8 ISO's including the non-us one.

theciscokid · 19-11-2002 2:12am

i like red hat 8 it's nice and floaty like.. "they say" they being the higher powers, that debian is for the experienced

so start off easy and work your way up!!

tuxy · 19-11-2002 2:47am

Originally posted by leeroybrown

If you have a nice fast net connection apt allows direct upgrading of packages from mirrors (esat have one)

[/B]

ftp.esat.net doesnt work i think thats what it used to be iv also noticed that the esat.net tucows mirror is gone

theciscokid · 19-11-2002 4:05am

www.linuxiso.org

Typedef · 19-11-2002 9:21am

http://ftp.esat.net
*bonk

DiscoStu · 19-11-2002 9:44am

my first experience with loonix was mandrake 8. woo did it end in disaster. there was a bug with xfree86 and the voodoo3 where any fullscreen opengl rendering would throw you out of kde and back to the login screen. there were 2 options to fix it. new version of xfree or change the default login from kde to gnome. unfortunatly i didnt see the second easy option for a good while after.
so the newest xfree was dled and i got to work. a green noob trying to install anything in linux is a recipe for disaster and it was. RAMDAC? aghh why dosent it have a 3dfx anywhere there.

of course xfree wouldnt start. so back to windows looks through the mandrake forums looking for help. the easy gnome logon trick was discovered. a reinstall was in order. thats when it all went tits up. i accidentally changed the partition table and bootsector and screamed nooooooo my mp3, power off. but it was too late. on the next reboot expecting a nice little LILO.... appearing all i got was LI. linux didnt want to know nor did windows. twas a right royally fux0r3d hard drive. a mad quest was then set upon to finds a win98 boot disk to get her back. of courcse that didnt want to recognise the hard drive. it took an ancient red hat 6's setup to completely erease the partition table and boot sector. then it was back to windows2000 and mandrake was consigned to the bin of failed os experiments with QNX(bloody fast that one), win98 winME and BeOS.

so the moral of the story is grow some facial hair before even toutching linux.

tuxy · 19-11-2002 9:56am

Originally posted by Typedef
http://ftp.esat.net
*bonk

it must of been down last night

Typedef · 19-11-2002 10:00am

nah ftp://ftp.esat.net doesn't exist http://ftp.esat.net does
just typing ftp.esat.net into MSIE par example will make MSIE try to connect to ftp://ftp.esat.net.

longword · 19-11-2002 10:44am

You might like to add ftp.heanet.ie to your list of favourite mirrors. It'll do FTP, HTTP, and rsync protocols. It also has an IPv6 address if you're into that sort of thing.

Hobart · 19-11-2002 5:05pm

First of All thanks to everyboady who posted thier help. I went with an install of Debian (Direct from a Bootable CD). Installed it on a 1998 AST 6200 pro. Install was a piece of P**s.

I'm just getting into the bones of it and it looks pretty user friendly. I have yet to install any meaningful apps, but the network and disk configs were simple enuf!

Thanks again

Hobart

Typedef · 19-11-2002 5:06pm

Debian as your first distro?
Go you.

leeroybrown · 19-11-2002 5:25pm

Debian as your first distro will require that you build a new kernel yourself.

Debian's default install kernel is 2.2.20 (great for compatability, but ancient now)

Aptitude (debians GUI package management tool) will allow you to browse all the packages, read info and install/remove.

tuxy · 19-11-2002 7:14pm

Originally posted by Typedef
nah ftp://ftp.esat.net doesn't exist http://ftp.esat.net does
just typing ftp.esat.net into MSIE par example will make MSIE try to connect to ftp://ftp.esat.net.

ftp://ftp.esat.net/ works now
btw slackware was my first distro im just after trying rh8 but im going back to slack as soon as i dl 8.1

Typedef · 20-11-2002 11:03am

Hmm. If you really want a challenge get Solaris x86 up and running on your desktop. You will most likely have to install XF86, window managers, etc.
Still it's good for whittering away the hours, that one could otherwise spend trying to score with women.*
*Note: Chicks dig Solaris 8 x86

leeroybrown · 20-11-2002 3:52pm

Linux from Scratch

Typedef · 20-11-2002 4:07pm

Running Gentoo on my k6 233
*rasp

Gavin · 21-11-2002 10:47am

Originally posted by leeroybrown
Debian as your first distro will require that you build a new kernel yourself.

Debian's default install kernel is 2.2.20 (great for compatability, but ancient now)

Aptitude (debians GUI package management tool) will allow you to browse all the packages, read info and install/remove.

put your langers away lads. Installing linux is easy.

As regards the older kernel on debian, simply using bf24, i think it is, will install debian with a 2.4 kernel. There isn't any real need to recompile the kernel anyway, that is of course, unless you need some feature that the newer kernel has.

Gav

Something · 21-11-2002 2:55pm

In you wan't a quick debian install get knoppix ( www.knoppix.net ) and use its hard disk install script ( http://www.freenet.org.nz/misc/knoppix-install.html )

Chaos-Engine · 22-11-2002 2:41am

If you want a copy of Linux for free contact the Computer Science Society(DUCSS) in Trinity. They hand them out to the general public on request. You can even pick your distro... nav the tcd.ie site to get to it.... I'm too lazy and its late to go look for the link myself.
nite

quozl · 22-11-2002 4:19pm

Gav's right. typing bf24 at the woody boot prompt will install a 2.4.18(maybe 19?) kernel instead of the 2.2.x.
And you wouldn't have to compile your own even if it didnt support that, you can just apt-get a kernel for your hardware.
Greg

RicardoSmith · 22-11-2002 6:57pm

Actually I've been planning setting up a spare machine to setup as a apache web server/unix server just to get familar with using it and all the networking issues etc . I even got a little ASUS terminator to use for it. At the moment I'm working with ASP and MSSQL but I want to get to grips with PHP and MySQL. Now I got a DVD with Mandrake 9.0 (home) on it. But would I better getting my hands on Red Hat as it more used in the web development site of things.

Is there anything to look out for it I want to connect my Mac which has on board ethernet to the Linux box? I'll have to pick up a hub somewhere too.

leeroybrown · 22-11-2002 9:55pm

I prefer to do things the Hard way

Typedef · 22-11-2002 11:07pm

If you have Mandrake 9.0, don't waste your time getting Red Hat as Mandrake is a Red Hat clone, except it is more 'bleeding edge' or perhaps Red Hat is just less so.... [*].

Given the choice I'd use Slackware, Gentoo, FreeBSD or Debian in that order or perhaps IPCop or smoothwall for a quick firewall install. In any case if I were you I wouldn't bother getting Red Hat over Mandrake, because the distros are so similar (right down do the fiddly bootup screens giving the same green coloured [OK] for started services), that I reckon for all intents etc, you won't notice a real difference between the two.

Just tonight in fact I bought a Slackware T-Shirt and a T-Shirt from theregister.co.uk entitled Windows NT User obliteration, this coupled with George Bush having his finger on 10,000 nukes will help me sleep easy tonight, if the 6 computers lurking in my room does not.[1]

[*]cough
[1] If you use the software professionally, you should support it's development. So far I have installed Slackware numerous times and found it extremely useful..... quid pro quo, one can't just expect to take the software ad infiniteum and still expect the software to be available in years to come without 'some form' of support going back to the people who donate time and money to keeping the thing going.
</public service announcement>

Something · 23-11-2002 7:58pm

Mandrakes 9 is a clone of Red Hat? *giggles*

Mandrake was originally based on a RedHat version, since then they have both gone there separate ways. If you want a clean sleek desktop go for RedHat 8, if you want a cluttered mess for a desktop (still an excellent distro) go for Mandrake 9.

[edit] Gonna have to start typing my posts up in word first ;p[/edit]

Arithon · 01-12-2002 1:53pm

If I was to get a system for a relative newbie to use, I would give serious attention to Xandros.
It comes with Crossover Office, Crossover Plugin (Windows application compatibility), and is still based on Debian, so you can get all the "woody" applications for it. You should also be able to upgrade to sarge (the next version of Debian) when you feel ready for that. It will cost you though... $99 without discounts.

Discounts?
ILUG Discount

Reviews
Linuxworld Review
Newsforge review plus comments

Best Versions of Linux

Comments