Linux distros. Which is right for me?

[jason5723]

I have been asking this question of everbody for the past week and have gotten a hundred different answers. Here we go again.
I am a relative newbie to computers although I do have a couple entry level vendor certs and am studying for my MCSE (I know, I know).
Needless to say, I am quite bored and uninspired so have decided to check out the penguin. My only problem is which version?
Many people have been telling me that Red Hat or Mandrake are the ways to go for someone with only windoze experience. Others say that to really learn Linux you should dive into the deep end with something like Slackware. I have checked many websites that offer comparisons of the various distros (although I have yet to find a side by side comparison). These have also left me wondering. My reasons for wanting to learn Linux are as follows.
1. With all the sugar coated crap windows offers I feel learning Linux could teach me more about OS's and computers in general.
2. I want to learn C programming. I have been told that Linux is the way to go since they come with compilers and are built with the C language.
3. The ability to customize the Os really appeals to me.
4. Playing around at the command line is fun (I know I'm a geek but what can I say. It makes me feel like I'm really computing)
Keeping all of this in mind, which distros do you suggest. Also, some have suggested that since I have 10 gigs of unused space on my drive I should install a few and play around. I have heard that this can lead to problems. Any help on this topic would also be appreciated.

P.S. I will be dual booting with win2k (again I know, I know) Any advice here would be great

Thanks in advance

[Derango]

I would reccomend one of the less GUI-ified Distros towards Debian or Slackware, mainly because you said you have fun at the command line. If you realy want to feel like you are computing, you would probably love trying setting up your hardware by hand, without the GUI support wizzards. Mandrake provides these, while debian dosent.

All in all, however, it is best to try as many distros as you can to see which ones you like the best.

[Wheaty]

I would say Slackware (I've never tried Debian so I can't vouch for it :D). I recently converted over from RedHat 7.1 to Slackware 8.0 and am loving every minute of it. It's fast, stable, and I learnt a lot of stuff by just installing it :cool:

[ille_pugil42]

at linuxiso.com (http://www.linuxiso.com) they have a side by side of the "out of box" experience...

as far as it's worth:
the distro nhf (http://www.linuxnewbie.org/nhf/intel/distros/distronhf.html)
has a pretty fair explanation of all of them.


personal experience:
I started waaay back when with dos, before windows - so to say I'm comfy with the CLI is an understatement. My first experience with the penguin was with slack - and I've loved it ever since. Lot's of effort needed - but lots of stuff learned. Just installed redhat 7.1 to check it out... it installed everything for me, set up all the devices for me... no fun. I get lost in the menus :) Anyway, that's my $.02

[inkedmn]

take it from a fellow MCSE :D

try Mandrake 8.0. you'll get a feel for how the OS installs and functions, and it gives you a ton of things to play with and get used to.

i plan upgrading to slackware or debian in the next couple of weeks, i hope i'm ready :eek:

[Droo]

:cool: Debian :cool:
:cool: Debian :cool:
:cool: Debian :cool:
:cool: Debian :cool:

[manual_overide]

Use debian. It is is relatively easy to install if you have computer experience. apt-get is a great tool for managing software. It lets you decide exactly what you want on you system. Debian can have a nice GUI if you want one. Mandrake and RedHat aren't the only ones that can run GNOME or KDE. (any linux can. don't buy that crap that the distros are incompatible) Besides, using debian will make you 1337 amongst your friends, rich and powerful, and it turns girls into stone :) Who could ask for anything more.

[MandK_10]

My $.02:

I have tried installing slack 7.1, Debian 2.2, Peanut 8.4, Mandrake 8.0, and RH 7.1. The only one that I could get everything working within 2 hours (my personal attention span limit) was RedHat7.1.
I admit that I have not given the other distros much of a chance yet and RH is the first distro I have used, so this is a little biased. Also, like anything else each individual is going to have good experiences and bad experiences with the different options available.

Other reasons I like RH:

There is a good amount of software available. Maybe not as much as Debian, but still a lot of software. It seems to be geared toward the technical side too. There are plenty of goodies for programming.
RH puts out 4 ebooks. These books can be downloaded and printed and have really good information for the newbie.
Finally, RH can do anything any other Linux distro can do. Some people are recommending certain distros that are less GUI oriented. You don't need to use the GUI in RH. There are several shells available to you with RH.

RH is probably not the best distro for many reasons, but for the reasons listed (and some not listed) it is the best distro for me.


Mike

[Space-Cadet]

I'm very happy with RedHat 7.1... its the first distro that everything worked on, for me. Many of Mandrake's programs wouldn't open, let alone function properly, and Slackware 7.1 wouldn't work with my vidcard without a kernel recompile... which I'm not really up to :p

I hear a lot of complaints about RedHat's releases being terribly buggy. 7.0 was, but 7.1 hasn't given me a single problem... I suggest using that. And if you say you're relatively new, then RedHat shuoldn't be too difficult for you, while Debian/Slack might be...

[GovernerofTibet]

Originally posted by MandK_10:
<STRONG>. . . I have tried installing slack 7.1, Debian 2.2, Peanut 8.4, Mandrake 8.0, and RH 7.1. The only one that I could get everything working within 2 hours (my personal attention span limit) was RedHat7.1. . . .</STRONG>

:eek: I had Mandrake up and running within about 20 minutes, and it set everything up perfectly.

[MandK_10]

I had Mandrake up and running within about 20 minutes, and it set everything up perfectly.

Not having detailed my experience, my original statement was a little misleading. Mandrake 8.0 seemed to set up OK but I had trouble finding certain apps among the menu. Plus it seemed a little too 'newbie'ish with the silly little penquin icons for the users and the menu section that is mandrake specific. Mandrake just is not for me. Like I stated before I am sure that everyone has different experiences with the different distros.

But I definately had issues with setting up Slack, Debian, and Peanut. All of which I am sure had to do with me being a newbie and I am sure that given the time and patients I could have worked through.

[ 03 July 2001: Message edited by: MandK_10 ]

[j.harrison]

As a newbie, I've been real pleased with the entry-level ease with which Drake 8 installs and auto detects. Once I added Star Office 5.2 and got online, it was goodbye to Windows!

Mandrake makes the transition to Linux smooth, if that's what you're looking for.

Also, because my experience with the Drake has been such a positive one, I'm looking forward to stepping up soon to more hardcore distros. I'm even looking at putting FreeBSD on an older box that I've got running Win95 right now.

If you're new to Linux, I say start with Drake 8 & go from there.

;)

[GnarlyDog]

I am also a newbie (2 weeks :)), I went with Mandake Linux 8.0 Powerpack edition and I thinks it's excellent. I have initially set it up with all the bells and whistles so the transition from windows will be easier. As I get more profocoent and knowledable I will remove some of the "fluff" until I end up with a more lean and mean OS, I like the options. It also auto detected all my hardware, cable modem, and 2 PC Lan at home no problem. I do need a Linux Driver for my Lexmarl Z12 printer however and I'm still having trouble with the new NVIDA Drivers, but I like the challange :).

Best of luck in your decision
:D