Linux wannbe

[TEEB]

I am considering learning Linux. Keep in mind that I have never even seen a linux O/S working. Before I muddle my way thru all the posts in this forum I would like to ask a few questions.

First I have a small home network behind a Linksys 4 port router.
I'm thinking of installing Linux in one of my three computers. So, the first thing I would like to know is what version of Linux should I install and learn? I will not be dual booting.
Second does linux have a Personal Web server that is easily configured?

Once I decide what version I will install I can just research that version and ask some more stupid questions

[Evil-Lab-Monkey]

Hey Teeb! I'm just doing the same thing. I'm starting of with Mandrake rather than something more difficult like Gentoo. I'm having a heck of a time getting my onboard sound to work but it definetly interesting! I say go for it but give yourself plenty of time because it can be very frustrating at times.

Oh and before I forget, did you ever get that new Radeon 8500? The GF4's working great for me

[Statica]

If you are considering Linux and have never seen Linux / UNIX run, then please take heed to my advice and get yourself a book, either from a discount bin or from a library before you begin. You will prolong your interest in this operating system only if you know whats going on.

As for whats a good version, well that depends on the h/w you own. if you have a powerful enuff machine then any of the latest of slackware, redhat or mandrake will do.

Linux does not come with what Windows would like to call a Personal Web server The *nix are core networking operating systems, means that you will be the proud owner of Apache right from the start; which is the world's statistically #1 web server.

[TEEB]

Evil-Lab-Monkey:
Yes I did get the Radeon 8500LE caught a break and puchased the OEM version for CAD$138.00 . It turned out to be a "bulit by ATI" card, so all the ATI drivers work just fine.
There was no doubt that the GF4 card would work just fine. Glad your happy.

[TEEB]

Statica: Been thinking over your advice. What kind of book do you suggest I read? A tutorial? Could you recommend a particular book?

[Evil-Lab-Monkey]

Maybe I should invest in one of those too...

[Floppyman]

Saw a book today, I think it was called the Red Hat Linux 7.3 Bible, or something like it. It was pretty big but looked pretty good and convered a lot of different areas. Also check into O'reilly books.

[TEEB]

Before I go out and get a book, Shouldn't I make a decision on what version I'm going to learn? Seems like the logical thing to me.
But nobodyhas ever accused me of being overly logical

[Statica]

The beauty of Linux is that the concepts remain virtually the same. Sure there are new features and new tools out there, but the basic concepts dont change .. that is what makes it a wonderful environment. Heck you could pick up a UNIX book and you could pretty much learn enough to start learning on your own.

Mind you I suggest a book because it is very important to start learning right, it doesnt matter what your intuitive skills in a Windows environment has been; this is a different set of rules altogether. You have retrain yourself to think along these lines. As a basic example, retraining yourself to identify partitions differently from the Windows way of life etc etc.

Yes it helps to get a book that deals with the latest version of whatever distribution you are going to choose. But there are 3 issues with that; most linux distribs develop at a rather healthy pace, so no matter what the book you see on print, there are going to be newer versions out there; secondly, these books are expensive and it just isnt worth it because - thirdly; the concepts are the same. As a rule of thumb, try to look for a good cheap book that deals with one of the kernel versions out there. For example the latest stable kernel is 2.4.19; pick up a distribution that deals with any 2.4.xx and u should be fine. Of course there is no problem with learning linux that deals with a distribution containing kernel 2.2.xx either, but a newer kernel usually means a more refined way of doing things, along with tons of improvements.

Regards to what distribution to use; in general of the popular "household" ones; the differences arent all that earth shattering .. they usually are minor or those that deal with what it comes with. You first need to find your way around it.

If you blink a couple of times when you hear kernel versions, then you really do need a book to help you get started. I for one get disappointed when people I speak to, start on a Monday with a "Oh yeah gonna use some Linux" and then by evening are seen running a "format" command because it wasnt "user" friendly. This isnt designed to be idiot proofed as Windows is; this is what computers were meant to do .

[TEEB]

Statica:
Thank you for the detailed response. I now know that I have to put more thought in to this before I proceed. I have heard much talk about this alternative Operating System. As I can't seem to get enough of computers and all that goes with them, this looked like a good area to peruse.
However your response has provided a outlook that I had not considered. For example, I recently tried learning Dream Weaver. I quit because the learning curve was very high. I was only going to make one web page and decided that I was better off going with FrontPage 2002.
Now I must decide if the same thing will apply with Linux. Wiill I spend a lot of time learning something I won't use?
Thanx again. I appreciate you taking the time to explain this to me. I can now make an informed decision!

[mairving]

Keep in mind that most books that you buy about Linux will have some flavor of Linux packaged with the book. As Statica says, it doesn't matter as much what version. The major differences are what they do with the GUI and where they put certain files and some of the installation methods are different. But if you learn one, you can quickly move to another flavor.

[keifir]

ahh... u forgot the 2 most important things for learning linux /unix: one is a mug with the favorite flavour of tea/coffee/what have you, and the other one is a comfortable armchair.

u simply can't work in linux without those two

As for a dist - i'd go with Gentoo. I personally think that i learned more from it than from Mandrake/RedHat - simply because almost nothing is setup for u in Gentoo, so u have to learn how to do it. And the long compilation times on my p2-350 made me very aware of all of the changes i do to my system(better know what u're doing than wait another 8 hours for Kde to recompile ). And the Gentoo community is simply amazing - their forums are very helpful(but be sure you search them bfor posting).

that's just my biased opinion tho,
gluck

[kroneko]

I became interested in using Linux as an alternative operating system last year. I'm like a lot of the newbies out there who at first find it too complicated and don't buy the books. I struggled through using it at first, having little to no idea as to what the heck a gnome or kde gui was, and which one I wanted. I can say that now through some time, I've come to rely on linux solely for my needs. I'm writing this using Mandrake 8.2 using Netscape. I have used 8.0-8.2 Mandrake and 7.1-7.2 Red Hat. I will say that both Mandrake and Red Hat are pretty similar and are good for newbies. But in general in choosing to switch from Windows, be aware that as mentioned, there is a learning curve, and things are different. You may consider yourself a computer expert, but it does take a while to get used to linux. The end result is great though, if you can get through the first few monthes, you'll really be glad you decided to stick. I've found that linux is ten times better than windows in terms of how customizable your desktop is. I use KDE as my GUI, and I love it. I am not an expert at Linux right now, but I can get most of my needs fulfilled with little or no help. Linux Users are also great people to go to in terms of help. If you ever have a problem, linux users for the most part are great people, because they're intelligent, and friendly. Anyway, good luck in choosing which OS is right for you, and remember that Linux does take patience, and some reading. Believe me, the reading will help more than you can imagine, unless you want to just mess around with things for a few minutes and become frustrated. hehehe