Linux

[kev7555]

So, tell me about Linux.

I have always been a Windows user, but I am interested. I have an old home-built computer With ASUS M-board, AMD K-6 family processor (500 Mhz) and only a 3 gig drive.

I have seven or eight other systems running in the shop and several running XP. These suit my needs for my LAN so I would have no problem dedicating this one to experimentation.


Where do I start? Do I have to buy an operating system? Are there downloads available? What are the requirements to run this system? Any tips to help me get the basics (always ready to benefit from someone else's experience).

Thanks in advance,

-Kev

[kev7555]

No answers, huh?

I've read as much here as I can about Linux, but it seems most of the articles are keyed to those who already have at least some general idea about what Linux is. I'm completely in the dark here...

Please excuse my ignorance on the subject, but I'm just curious about the possibility of something OTHER than Microsoft.


-Kev

[bigandy]

LinuxISO is the place to go to download the different distros. You may want to start with Knoppix first as it's fairly easy to use and runs off of the CD so you don't have to install anything to your drive. If you decide to move up from there, there are many alternatives, and it depends on how comforatble you feel with Linux. I also suggest you check out the "Linux Links" sticky at the top of this forum. There are tons of great resources there. You may also want to take a trip to your local library or bookstore and pick up a book on Linux, if you are really interested in learning about it.

Just a note, but I see that you are in Washington, and many of our members are in the Central or Eastern time zones, meaning that it's very late at night for many members here, and you won't get all that many responses right away if you post at 10:45 PST.

[kev7555]

Ah, yes! I do a lot of my surfing late at night and i often forget about the differences in time zones. I'll try to start getting on during the day a bit earlier when there are more folks available.

One of the things I like most about visiting here is the quick responses. I certainly can not state that help is hard to find here. It always seems readily available. I'll take your advise and go search the library for some reference material. That was a VERY helpful option when I first began learning about DOS. I was lucky enough to find a detailed book on the subject at a thrift store for $2.00

Thaks again Bigandy. You and many others here have been extremely valuable sources of help and info. I'll try not to ask too many redundant questions although (as mentioned before) between the active threads and the archives there is just a LOT of material to weed through when investigating any particular problem.

I'm certainly here to stay and I hope y'all will be patient with me as I progress.

-Kev

[RHLinuxGUY]

By looking at the specks of the computer u have (and how small, and more likely, slow ur harddrive is) u may want to use an older popular distro, SuSE 8.0, Mandrake 8.1, RedHat 7.x 8.0 and 9.0. Since ur using the computer for Network purposes (I think) then go with a RedHat product, such as the Fedora Core 1. But I sudgest going with an older one with ur computer, and because RedHat is not that open source anymore, for Liability purposes. (please)

[kev7555]

I'm running XP on my 40 gig drive. Is it possible to have both systems on the same drive and toggle between the two or do I need to dedicate a seperate drive (or partition) for the Linux system?

I tried downloading Knoppix and saved it to CD but windows does not recognise the file format and will not open it. I'm a bit sheepish about attempting to open the file on the same system as windows. I've got this system running extremely well and don't want to screw it up.

Help me here...

[RHLinuxGUY]

U need to burn it disk as and .ISO image, not save it directly, and dont worry about trying to open it in winodows, it wont even recognize it. I never burnt a disk before in .ISO format, in fact, I never burned one period. I dont have burner. But I do know u should use something like NERO and ask someone how to burn it in .ISO format.

[kev7555]

OK, good. I use Nero but I did not tell it to burn in ISO format. I'll try it again.

Aslo, any ideas about running it on the same computer that has windows on it? I know NOTHING of anything outside of windows-based programs so this is all new to me.

I read something earlier from someone who uses Windows as their main OS but takes advantage of Linux for basic tasks, so i assume with the proper configuration this can be done.

Anyone witha little experience want to chime in here?

Thanks again,

-Kev

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

You can partition the hard drive and use it for two operating systems, but I have never done this.

As for Knoppix, you need to open Nero, cancel out of the wizard, File, Open then choose the ISO file, then burn. That should make the disk, then you reboot, leaving the disk in the drive, make sure the cd-rom is higher than the harddrive in the BIOS and let it load.

Hope this helps.

[kev7555]

OK, great. You make that "perfectly clear" (as Richard Nixon used to say).

-Kev

[TrippinJedi]

http://members.home.nl/lsnoek/iso.htm#ezcd

this is a link that was on another thread, that helped me burn an ISO

[kev7555]

Hey thanks for all the responses, guys. I've been so darned busy building and repairing systems this week that I just haven't had time to try fooling around with Linux again (I got nowhere on the first try) though I do have a machine dedicated for that purpose now.

Information supplied here will certainly get me on the road.


-Kev

[i486]

My personal favorite is slackware 10. Red Hat, mandrake and college linux are good for beginners. although it is not free, solaris for the x86 architechture is good.