Which Linux Distribution?

[Paddy]

I am after a version of Linux to play with on my P300 server. I just want to have a play really! I may use it as a http server eventually...

Anyway, there seem to be more linux distributions and variants out there than you can shake a sticky brown thing at.

Are there any major differences between them, or are they just cosmetic?

I am a complete linux virgin here! help!

[Admiral]

You're bound to get kicked to Alternative Lifestyle and from what I've read there Mandrake (with the Gnome 2 GUI) is supposed to be the thing for the newbie.
Not that I ever installed linux, but I also got an itch

[Paddy]

You know what, I didn't even think of Alt. Lifestyle!

How long have I been coming here

[Paddy]

No Matrox hardware in this box! :P

Discussion of Matrox hardware running outside of the MS world, on the likes of BeOS, Linux, OS/2 etc.

[Gurm]

GOOD GOD not Red Hat, that's all I have to say.

- Gurm

[Electric Amish]

Originally posted by Gurm
GOOD GOD not Red Hat, that's all I have to say.

- Gurm

Why?

I just installed RH8 and it's pretty sweet.

amish

[Slougi]

Gentoo!

[GT98]

Originally posted by Gurm
GOOD GOD not Red Hat, that's all I have to say.

- Gurm

Yeah why not? We're using at work for a Gateway, but then again the kernal was compiled by JPL

[Paddy]

What would you recommend then RH8 or Mandrake? Or perhaps another?

[dZeus]

I've heard many times that Debian and Gentoo offer great package management software (simplifies the installation of software).

[WyWyWyWy]

For complete newbie...

- Redhat (easy to get support)
- SuSE (easy management)
- Mandrake (most newbies seem to like it)
- Xandro (feels like Windows)
- Lycoris (feels like Windows, good package selection (i.e. selected for you))

Not in particular order.

[Gurm]

RedHat 7.3 (8 isn't official yet, right?) was a nightmare. None of the "included" software worked as intended, took me a week to get everything running that I needed, despite ALL of it supposedly being "installed" with the system.

Mandrake 9, on the other hand - everything worked, first time through.

[thop]

debian

[Marshmallowman]

mandrake 9

I am not newbie, but I have long since got severly pissed off with configuring everything from the console with vi.

Mandrake has a very nice set of configuaration tools that are all GUI based, I still use vi for the occasional bit of tweaking.

And it is always very up to date.. .eg The latest gcc 3.2, kernel 2.4.19, KDE 3.1 ....etc

And there kernel package is very nice, you can configure and make yourself a nice custom kernel in no time.

Networking and firwall configuration is also excellent.

I have been using mandrake since version 7.0 it keeps getting better with every release.

I am getting very tempted to buy the big DVD version...no more disk swapping, and all the extra Apps like star office 6..etc

and no I don't have shares in mandrake...... yet

[DGhost]

ewww, Mandrake... Redhat is a much better distro than Mandrake... that being said, Mandrake is easier to install and use...

of course, nothings perfect when it comes to linux and i usually recommend FreeBSD instead