neo158 Posted May 13, 2003 Share Posted May 13, 2003 I would like to try Linux but as I am a long time user of windows I am unsure :blink: which distro is the easiest to install and use. I would appreciate any help you can give? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjordan2001 Posted May 13, 2003 Share Posted May 13, 2003 Mandrake or Redhat or the easiest to install and use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolvereen Posted May 13, 2003 Share Posted May 13, 2003 I just installed Linux for the first time 2 days ago and found Mandrake to be pretty straight forward. I am using it through VMWare to just get used to it and figure things out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sengork Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 Yeah mandrake would probably be better for new users than redhat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schmoove Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 Red Hat 9.0 is very easy... on my first try with Linux it was almost as easy as Windows. I'm running it in VMWare, because I can't make the switch to linux, but Red Hat 9.0 looks and feels like a good OS. My advice is run VMWare and try some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K3EnU Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 Double boot !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mallow Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 I highly recommend Red Hat 9. Mandrake is nice, but has a few USB problems in the most recent version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daem0hn Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 i would recommend redhat 9, i found a few really annoying bugs in mandrake 9 that would be hard to solve for new users Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lj300 Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 redhat 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKer Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 I would reccomend SuSE personally as it's got excellent config tools for a beginner, which gives you pretty much full control over your server. You can also get editions meant specifically for the desktop user (I think it was called SuSE Linux Office or summin??, not tried it myself). On the other hand you have to buy SuSE (or install via your network connection) and RedHat/Mandrake is free to download as ISOs. Of the free ones I found RedHat more stable, but have only used it as a server so can't comment on its effectiveness as a desktop system. Mandrake seemed to have lots of bleeding edge software and features, and as a result needed some technical knowhow to get around problems, although the graphical tools are excellent (although I dont use them as configuring a system with them only allows you to set a very small selection of options). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dduardo Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 Go to your local apple store and try out Jaguar :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo158 Posted May 15, 2003 Author Share Posted May 15, 2003 dduardo, I work in a computer store and have tried out Jaguar in store, and while I like the look I have never been a big apple fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuarterSwede Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 Try the Knoppix distro. It's on CD and it never touches your harddrive. Great for getting your feet wet in Linux. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mAcOdIn Veteran Posted May 15, 2003 Veteran Share Posted May 15, 2003 Try Knoppix. It's on CD and it never touches your harddrive. Great for getting your feet wet in Linux. Seconded. It's not the best for learning because you can't install programs while using it from the CD, but it's a great way to get an idea of the GUI, and what kind of programs are out there. And you can still learn the console commands and file structure as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacey Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 Yea I'm trying to decide between RH 9, Mandrake 9.1 or SuSE 8.2 as well. I am not really trying anything else because of my GeForce Go card, I really don't wanna mess around with compiling my own drivers, so I'd rather use the premade nVidia ones that only work with those versions above. I'm kinda a linux newb. I have RH 8.1 right now... its fine... Its not like I'd use it a lot, I just want a linux install to mess around with a little bit and get familiar with the environment. Think I should go RH9? I've never tried or even seen SuSE before tho, so that sort of intrigues me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prelude76 Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 I tried SuSE 8.2 recently and I love it. It's easy enough to follow without going to Console (DOS style) commands. If you want, try the SuSE 8.2 Live Eval. Its like the Knoppix CD distro, just runs from CD, but copies 100mb config data to any drive so your settings are remember for the next time. And once you're happy with it, get the 5 CD version and load it. the installation was a breeze. dual-boot setup was perfect too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuarterSwede Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 You can save your config in Knoppix to a floppy or harddrive also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hashcake Posted May 16, 2003 Share Posted May 16, 2003 I just did the FTP install of SuSE 8.2 last night, and it's absolutely marvellous. SuSE is definately my favourite distribution for every day use, I've been using it since version 6, and I'd recommend it to anyone. YaST2 is the best configuration utility i've ever seen, and SuSE Firewall is great too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prelude76 Posted May 16, 2003 Share Posted May 16, 2003 I agree on SuSE 8.2. It's YAST2 config tool is unique to SuSE and makes tricky things like partitioning, checking dependencies of programs and configuring hardware damn easy. Never yet had to drop down to root mode and key in bash commands. :shifty: if you're a newbie and have lots of free time, i'd suggest try out SuSE, Mandrake and RedHat and see which works best on your hardware and go from there. good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smitjel Posted May 16, 2003 Share Posted May 16, 2003 Where can you download Red Hat 9 from? Or do you have to pay for a subscription? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schmoove Posted May 16, 2003 Share Posted May 16, 2003 ftp://ftp.quicknet.nl/pub/Linux/ftp.redha.../9/en/iso/i386/ That is where I downloaded Red Hat 9.0, very fast too (+350kb/s). Well I tried Red Hat 9.0 for the first time about a month ago, and I have to admit it is extremely easy. It's just like installing Windows XP or something, that easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techquilla Posted May 16, 2003 Share Posted May 16, 2003 i think some of you guys are missing the point..... , i'm learning linux for the past few weeks and one thing i noticed is that useing those gui configuration tools wont get u anywhere (you don/'t learn anything;, and when you get into problems, you won't know how to solve.)..., the right now, i just realize how powerfull are commands and text mode operations..., and i think that's what linux is all about..... if you want easy operating system, then why not just use windows..? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schmoove Posted May 16, 2003 Share Posted May 16, 2003 i think some of you guys are missing the point..... , i'm learning linux for the past few weeks and one thing i noticed is that useing those gui configuration tools wont get u anywhere (you don/'t learn anything;, and when you get into problems, you won't know how to solve.)..., the right now, i just realize how powerfull are commands and text mode operations..., and i think that's what linux is all about.....if you want easy operating system, then why not just use windows..? Lol that is why I use Windows (XP) :D Linux was just something to play with... I never even thought about switching to Linux at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hashcake Posted May 16, 2003 Share Posted May 16, 2003 i think some of you guys are missing the point..... , i'm learning linux for the past few weeks and one thing i noticed is that useing those gui configuration tools wont get u anywhere (you don/'t learn anything;, and when you get into problems, you won't know how to solve.)..., the right now, i just realize how powerfull are commands and text mode operations..., and i think that's what linux is all about.....if you want easy operating system, then why not just use windows..? I started on Redhat many years ago, and it taught me lots of bad habits, but it also taught me the basics, then i moved onto SuSE, then Slackware. People go on about how Slackware is the best, and i don't disagree with them, but SuSE is more comfortable for everyday use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smitjel Posted May 16, 2003 Share Posted May 16, 2003 So is Red Hat not good for everyday use? And thanks for the link Schmoove...that thing is smokin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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