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:) Hi all i'm thinking of trying Linux on a redundant PC i've got i'll be using a new HD and rather than put a windows OS on it i thought i'd have a dabble with one of the linux operating systems. Which one of the distro's is the best for a Beginer ?? and where can i obtain it from ??, and would there be any problem if i wanted to Install windows over it if i dont like it ??. Any info would be most appreciated thanks in advance.
I havent tried Linux before so im not the best person to ask, but Mandrake Linux looks pretty friendly and is free :) Just hope uve got a fast connection to download the 3 cds at 650mb+ each :D
Well directhex will recommend you get MEPIS - which is a live CD, meaning it boots from CD and modifies nothing on the computer. So it's safe and lets you test Linux out. He'll then recommend that if you like it you get stuck in with Debian. (Am I right there hex?)
I would recommend Fedora, but me and Fedora have since fallen out, lol, so I won't.
;)
I am finding Fedora good so far. What do you not like about it Kez?
I don't like the fact that it doesn't support mp3's "out of the box" or NTFS, or most stuff.
Now that's not something I'd expect from a RedHat release, but the new Fedora project is very license conscious. I'm going to go with debian next time, and it may be the same scenario, but it's something I'd expect with it, not with RH though.
actually, the stock debian kernels support ntfs reading & many many mp3 playback systems
http://packages.debian.org/cgi-bin/s...le&release=all
I'm sure the Fedora I have supports mp3s with the XMMS player which came with it.
I'd recoemnd Mandrake to start too, or even College linux if u want a very basic distro. My personal favorite though is Gentoo (Once you get past the huge install its good =P)
Well cool about debian, and perhaps they sorted out the mp3 licensing on Fedora :confused:
certainly when i installed deadrat 9 i was greeted with wonderful messages such as '**** off' when i tried to play an mp3, so you're not going completeley mad
If you're a beginner I strongly recommend Mandrake. It's very easy to install and use. And if you don't like it you just can put in a XP-cd and install XP over it.Quote:
Originally Posted by marko
If you have any questions I would be glad to help you :)
Good Luck!
Heya! If you're a beginner Mandrake it's easy to administrate and installing/updating! :) But RedHat it's also good, when I first used Linux it was RedHat on, and it's not that difficult. But Mandrake it's nice.
And when you've learned Linux more..then I'd use Slackware, which I think is the best dist. :D I'm going to run linux soon again ;) *hopefully* As soon as I get a Hd.
Well, Good Luck mate! And if you have any question at all! :D
your gonna struggle to beat Suse for beginner or an advanced user.
Its an excellent desktop os as well as a superb server OS,
Slackware has an excellent reputation, and mandrake is supposed to be very desktop focused these days, although they appear to have gone off the track latley.
Redhat (or Fedora now) may be easy for newbies but I would advise staying clear of it, it will only teach you bad habbits. The fact that all redhat releases including the Fedora releases have propritary code within their apps, means a.) out of the box stuff may not work if its not "redhat tuned" b.) you are tied into using redhat approved software or stuggle at your own risk c.) redhat do a lot of things different from other distros, so you may alienate yourself. - same goes for the enterprise server kit
If you fancy a more challanging disto look at gentoo if you can handle the annoying(to me) init system, look at sourceror or LFS, or the soon to be released peel distro.
:rockon: Thanks for all the advice plenty for me to think about cheer's all :) .