Linux Help Needed!

[Ariak]

Okay, now that I have fooled you into reading this..

Say I have a new computer w/o an OS. I want to put a form of Linux on it.. I don't know which one to get..

Help, please!

Ariak yells for help.
a341c^2's corpse yells for help.

[madcoyote]

Red hat is pretty good. I looked at other ones, but I like red hat the best.

[Ariak]

Is Red Hat good?? Anyways, what is its site?

Thanks! :)

[_OZZY_]

RedHat is by far on of the easiest to set up and configure. I've been running it for quite some time now. The latest version, 7.3, can be downloaded from http://www.redhat.com/ I would recommend once you get it installed, use up2date to download and install the latest security patches. You got any questions about it, give me a buzz.

[Ariak]

Red Hat costs more than XP?

Color me baffled.. I..

Oh, well. Gates > Linux, still..

[Skullphoenix01]

I prefer SUSE, plus in the latest package is included (among other) a full version of Kylix ;)...
Since i dont have a fatass line to DL it , im gonna BUY it on cd, now thatll cost me like 60 bucks... oh well hehe

[_OZZY_]

No no no...linux itself is free. You CAN buy commercial CDs, if you want. But you do not have to. You can download RedHat 7.3 ISO images from
ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/redhat/linux/7.3/en/iso/i386/
If that happens to be busy, any site on this page should have it: http://www.redhat.com/download/mirror.html

[_OZZY_]

The main difference between the downloaded version and the commercial version is that you get a manual, documentation, better technical support, and priority access to patches. Plus you get some cool decals ;) But, functionally, they are exactly the same. Therefore, Gates << Linux and he knows it :D

[TheClaus]

The best way to get redhat or any other distrobution of linux that is available via download is to hit this site http://www.linuxiso.org. They carry the latest and greatest. You can either download it or buy it for the cost of shipping (around $2 - $3). I have found the fastest way to get it is to install FlashGet which is a multiple download manager and then download the iso. Flashget will download it from 5 seperate FTP sites and you get the iso faster. Be warned though Flashget is not to be used with Easynews or any other site that doesn't like you to log into them multiple times.

[Trumpcard]

1st linux distro, go with RedHat, easiest out of the box distro in my opinion (7.3 made me change distro's though). Debian is good if you want a good stable server. Gentoo is awesome if you want bleeding edge performance and have the linux skills to support a buggy box.

If you don't know anything about it, just go to redhat.com, or linuxiso and download the iso images and burn them to a cd. If you burn them right, the cd's will be bootable, and you wont even need to make a bootdisk...

[Ariak]

I can not do that, I am afraid; for I do not know how. LoL. :(

[Lurker_005]

Never be afraid to try new thing with your computer :) That is unles it is dealing with information you don't have backed up and need!

go to http://www.linuxiso.org./distro.php?distro=7 download the *.iso files for the 3 install disks under redhat 7.3 Don't worry about the SRPM images.

Open you favorite CD burning program and find the option to burn a cd image (or equivlant wording) and select the first iso file. Burn away.

Once the first one is done, you can test that it works by booting you new system with that CD in it's drive. You'll usually need to burn the other 2, depends on the options you select when installing. Follow the prompts ect on the screen. Linux usually needs to know some information about the hardware you have installed. It is easiest if you have this information written down just in case. (sysinfo report fom windows will usually suffice)

If the system won't boot of the first CD you made, double check that your bios is set to boot from a CD

[Ariak]

.iso ? wtf?

Downloading, now.

[Ariak]

21k a second.
1k a second.
122 k a second.

LoL.

[Lurker_005]

Well since you have some time to kill, read up on burning an ISO image with your CDR software. Or if find another program that will burn it. I personally use nero, almost any burning software will do.

The links on www.linuxiso.org can help getting you started.

Help with iso images:
- ISO Image FAQ
- How to Burn ISOs
- Verifying ISO Images

[flipper]

<editted>Removed head from ass and fixed my problem. Hopefully nobody read this post yet :)

[psten]

Okay - take this for what it is worth....

Currently on my system at home - RedHat Linux 7.3

Now - I have read many things and it seems that SuSE and Mandrake-linux are the top performers. However, SuSE is a pain in the arse to set up. Mandrake-linux is the easiest to set up (makes partitioning a breeze for setting up dual-boot enviornments). BUT - The newest version of Mandrake is slightly older than the rest. Therefore - it does not come with KDE 3.x and the newest version of XFree86. Not to mention the GNOME enviornment. Though, as of 8/7/02, Mandrake is releasing the Beta II version of their newest release. From what I had on Mandrake - I liked it better. It's config program had a lot more options that RedHat's doesn't offer and it just seemed to run faster and more stable. So if I like Mandrake better, why do I run RedHat? For the sole reason that RedHat comes with both KDE and XFree86 (both the newest versions) installed. And believe me, you do not want to go through installing XFree86.

Some tips:
- Use the KDE desktop enviornment - GNOME has a cool look... but the configuration options go down the drain, plus KDE is a lot more customizable

- When Mandrake comes out with their new version of Linux I am going to install it, I suggest anyone else does too (IMHO)

- INSTALL WINDOWS OR ANY OTHER OS BEFORE INSTALLING LINUX... If you are going to install Windows - make sure it is before installing Linux. Windows will overwrite your MBR and not recognize that Lnux is even anywhere near you system - plus GRUB and LILO look cooler than Windows' boot loader (if you ever get Windows' to work)

- Remember: You are dealing with open source software - which means there are going to be bugs. I don't care how stable anyone says Linux is - there are still bugs - such as the infamous disappearing system bar.

Hopefully this will help.
Good luck and have fun.

[donfi]

I have used Redhat in 3 different versions starting with 5.2. It is the second hardest to configure correctly.

I have used debian. This is the hardest.

I have used SUSE in at least two different releases. I will not complain it is a good distribution.

I have used Mandrake in 5? different releases. I am currently running with 8.0 and waiting for 9.0 to be released. This one fixes most of Redhats configurations problems.

I have used Turbo Linux. I like it too.

The moral here is any of the above distributions could be the right one for you. Or anyone else. What I regaurd as a problem you may reguard as a feature. That is one of the largest problems of working in linux. There is little in the way of "standardization" so personal opinion is what most people go by.

Go to linuxmall.com on the internet and order a variety pack. That is a set of at least 6 different distributions install cds. Install all of them till you find the one you like and then purchase the full release. The total cost is usually under $100 for a compleat installation including the route through the variety pack. That is 1/2 of the cost of a full install of XP or any other current windows product bought outside of a show. I suggest buying the varity pack because it can take 2 days to download each install disk and for six distributions it is easier to purchase. I suggest buying the full install because that way you get some extras that will not be in the downloads or in the variety pack.

Best wishes Don.