What Linux Distro should I choose?

[highwizard]

Distro Choices

I really hate reposting slashdot articles here, but this one is an "ask slashdot" and not an article. It deals with learning linux and really sums up the debate over which distro to you. It often boils down to personal preference. The reason I am posting this here is so the new personages who wander into the forums won't ask the same question a thousand times. Plus, fettering them offsite to slashdot means they won't keep asking the question here, thus creating a flame war.


http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...&tid=163&tid=4

Hmmm.. Maybe it's time to bust out my FAQ skills and create a forums question FAQ with all the questions we have answered in one simply to find area. Yes, yes, I know people should have to work for finding info, but telling them that get tiresome too.

BTW: This articles main question deals with migration and classes to learn linux, but it's the responses to the question that are of value.

[Vitreal]

Heres a few i have asked then ended up kicking myself in the back of the head with a save my own ass post.

really should be an option to delete your own posts. Clean up after yourself so to speak.

Well.....

I worded my search wrong on compilers. so a list of compilers. Or better yet. Just list http://www.bloodshed.com for a good Win32 IDE. and pretty much every linux comes with an Awesome compiler.

a Location to find all the books you need. Like a suggested read list. a link to one at least.

A link to development Toolkits, SDKs, and maybe some other stuffs.

a Basics on Network Security (if not already available).

Heres an idea . A friggen Popup that says. We dont DO Illegal things for YOU! kinda thing. some kind of warning button. Something that is so Blatantly Obvious It takes a person with Mild to gross retardation to miss it or not understand it.

Hrm.... Maybe some locations on tutorials and how To on web languages like HTML, PHP, and ASP.

Or just some genearl need to know information. Like to Lurk is to Look. Read before you post. of course this stuff has been hit on a million times already and we are all guilty of busting the rules from time to time. (cheap shot at myself)

These are all purely suggestions. Take em with a grain of salt if you will

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You know. Just a general link resource list of the general stuff you really need would do just perfectly.

[Leech]

Well for people to afraid to install a distro but want to learn, I suggust a bootable cd like SuSe Live, it's a bit slow but a good way to get your bearings. For someone a little braver go ahead and install a distro, probable something like Redhat or Fedora good for beginners. If you know your way around and want something "leet" shoot for Slackware, that's some good snuff.

[kree]

To the newbie it may concern, if any?

Another little tid bit. Once you start learning linux dont stop (boy does this sound like the begining of a story).

I had Slackware installed on my laptop (after trying Debian , Redhat , and various others) and was starting to get famillar with it, then one night someone and I'm not going to mention any names* put's a humidifier right next to my laptop and presto the next fucking day the damn thing won't turn on. Geesh, I fucking wonder why!?

But anyway's the point of my story is (beside's don't put a humidifier next to a laptop) use the disto that you choose every day or as much as you can, I have been without linux for about eight months and prolly forgot more than I ever learned, so for now OS X is as close to linux as I get.




* for the sake of my wife's confidentiality I will not release her name, but she is the one who did it. So when you see her by me at DC13 don't tell her any thing about this post as she will probably slap me in the back of the head!

[ck3k]

I have just started into linux, but I run BSD and all that....I think if you learn the structor and how one *nix based system works., it is a great starting point. I dont think any distro is better then another, some suit peoples intrests better then others i.e. more gui less cli. I personally enjoy hearing when anyone has decided to take the step to linux no mater what disto it might be with at least it is linux (or bsd). I recently starting toying with osX and I must say, that below all that gui is acually a fairly nice *nix based machine, so I have ended my bad mouthing them, they are better then any windows based box by a long shot. I am also supprised at how well osX runs on slower hardware with all its GUIness, but overall I feel that a good start is any of the mandrake, redhat, and suse distros. I think for a business it is best to get a disto which has training associated with it, or a good basic linux course, but one tailored to the disto they are using is best.

[alklloyd]

Distro Choices
Hmmm.. Maybe it's time to bust out my FAQ skills and create a forums question FAQ with all the questions we have answered in one simply to find area. Yes, yes, I know people should have to work for finding info, but telling them that get tiresome too.
.

I'm sure you'd do a good job on that, Highwiz. But it kills me people don't do a
simple google search on "linux training" etc. There's a mountain of free stuff out
there.

Al

[alklloyd]

Well for people to afraid to install a distro but want to learn, I suggust a bootable cd like SuSe Live, it's a bit slow but a good way to get your bearings. For someone a little braver go ahead and install a distro, probable something like Redhat or Fedora good for beginners. If you know your way around and want something "leet" shoot for Slackware, that's some good snuff.

Don't forget Knoppix or Slax(slackware live). A gentle easy intro from windoze.

Al

[IcEbLAze]

Don't forget Knoppix or Slax(slackware live). A gentle easy intro from windoze.

Al

Why not just use zipslack if you wanna go there, so once the newbie runs scared from the command line OS, he at least doesnt have to restart his computer.

[Grifter]

+1 Slackware. That is all.

[xKelbax]

I would have to say Mandrake. Mandrake has the best hardware support, which is nice for your first distro.

www.mandrakelinux.com

Knoppix would work to.

[ck3k]

Mandrake, Fedora, and suse just have automatic hardware finders, but last I checked they still support the same hardware as all other distros. I think gentoo and openbsd are the combo i find the most useful.