Newbie: Which distro to download? (New thread - not been asked for almost a year!)

[David_Jones]

Hi All,

I am in the process of downloading Red Hat 7.3 to try out for the first time (I have another thread on that going nearby).

However, it now occurs to me that perhaps I should ask for advice on which distribution is best for someone like me, rather than just going for one of the most famous.

I am also cognoscent of Statica's advice to ensure hardware compatibility, but I didn't want to make this discussion too specific.


My 'profile':

- Highly computer literate / intelligent as a USER.

- Not a contemporary programmer or sys admin.

- Gave up programming when I packed away my Sinclair ZX Spectrum around mid '80s, and Z80 assembly (machine) code ceased to be in much demand ;-)

- Used Unix at uni in early '90s as a user (no GUIs!)

- Was really confused when everyone started talking about the internet / web as if they were the same thing, when I only knew about email, ftp, and telnet in relation to the internet (found out what the web thing was mid '90s).

- Happy to play around (best way to learn), but would really like:

-+ - Step by step setup instructions
-+ - Easy access to comprehensive manuals that are focused on the distribution I am using.


I could be wrong, but I suspect that a lot of newcomers to Linux will fit that profile or be close (well, perhaps).

So, what are your thoughts? If you can offer pros and cons for your recommendations (of what to choose or avoid), then that is even better.

Explicit distribution names and version numbers would also be appreciated!

Thanks,

David.


PS: Apologies if it is bad form to re-start a thread that has been covered before (four times from my search of the forums), but since the most recent was almost a year ago, I felt it was not inappropriate. Please feel free to advise if I should really have resurrected one of the old threads, but I thought that it could be confusing with versions having changed over time.

[Computer Hobbyist]

There are some people who will tell that RedHat or Debian or Suse or Mandrake is best, but truthfully they are all pretty good and I wouldn't hesitate starting with any of them.

Each has a slightly different point of view. For example, RedHat is kind of aimed at the business server market. Mandrake is sort of aimed at the workstation user market. etc.

Since you are already downloading RedHat you might as well start with it.

If the downloading business becomes too tedious, you might try looking at purchasing CDs (at least for your first distro.)

At the very least you need to buy a good book on the subject. You should be able to find distro specific books at your local bookstore.

CH

[David_Jones]

Hi,

Is it really preferably to *buy* a good book?

I was guessing (hoping) that there were more than enough good references / tutorials / manuals on the net to download?

Thanks,

David.

[catch23]

redh00t is bad no matter your linux familiarity level...so is mandrake

I like SuSE for beginning...and something like Gentoo, Debian or Slackware for more advanced users

I'm by no means a linux guru...maybe a novice user...but I had no problems installing Gentoo and Slackware (I've yet to try Debian, will soon though)

[Computer Hobbyist]

A good book is easier to refer to when you are trying to learn Linux. Anyway you have to watch the online tutorials, not because they are bad, but because there are so many ways to use Linux, you feel like you are getting conflicting advice. Most of the online help files are not written by professional technical writers, but instead are written by really expert users. You might think that it is better to learn from a real expert, but a professional technical writer should know when to explain concepts that seem obvious to the expert but not so obvious to the newbie.

As to SuSE, Debian, Slackware or the others, they are a matter of personal preference. I personally have never had problems with either Redhat or Mandrake, but I know people who have. I, on the other hand, could never get the hang of Debian. I think it is just a matter of where you devote your effort. I have a one cd distro from a now bankrupt company called "Stormix." I am told Storm Linux is a Debian clone. Guys I know swear it is a wonderfully tight distro. I have never been able to get it load properly. Of course, it is a couple of years old now and hopelessly obsolete.

Place your bets and takes your chances.

CH

[OOPS!]

Hi,

I agree with Compter Hobbiest. All distros are pretty much the same when you come right down to it. The biggest differences come from the installer part. Some, such as RH, Mandy, SuSe are easy to install. Gui all the way and offer options for automagically install and detection ( with sometimes varying sucess ). Others, such as Debian, Slack, or Gentoo require CLI install, and a very good knowledge of your hardware and what you want your system to do.

I've used RH, Mandy (current and longest lasting for me), and Debian. All are good distros. The only differences that I see in them is the focus. RH leans to the server/comercial use. Mandy is more user oriented and tends to offer more bleeding edge software (which means broken stuff sometimes). Deb is meant to be as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar. And therefore is based on older software (tried and true).

Best advise is try a few, then you will know what you like best. And don't let anyone tell you that your distro of choice is junk.

OOPS!

[David_Jones]

The 'solid as the Rock of Gibraltar' comment regarding DEBIAN sounds promising.

I am thinking that, as a novice, I don't want it falling over, crashing etc when I know nothing about it.

Also, two 'votes' for SUSE as being easy to install, and a good beginners system sound useful.

What about if I throw in the thought that I don't really want to change from one distro to another after a few weeks or months. It is a personal thing, but I can see myself sticking with whichever choice I make up front.

Sounds like Red Hat is not the one to be aiming for, purely since it is focused on the server / commercial end of the 'market'.

Also, what is the availability of software like for the various distros? If I find a Linux app available free on the net somewhere, will it (probably) run on most distros, or would it be expected to be specific to one?

Thanks for all the comments!

David.

[OOPS!]

Hi David,

Don't worry about software. If it runs on one distro, it will work on them all. At the very worst case, you just compile from source. That is not as hard as it sounds.

Debian is generally not considered a newbie distro. The install can be a tough (though not impossible) for a newbie. Plus you WILL end up hand editing your config files. Hardware support isn't the best for newer stuff. As I said, Deb is based on software that is 1-2 years old. And Deb doesn't come with a lot of apps. So you have to go get them and install them yourself. Which can be time consuming without a broadband connection.

I was a little misleading about RH. It does just fine as a desktop distro. It just doesn't have the very latest versions of multi-media, office, or linux game apps included. Think 1 or 2 versions back. But it is also a very stable and usable distro. Plus, the Red-Carpet updater is a snap to use. I even installed it and use it on my Mandrake system.

If you want a definate recommendation, my choices are RH, Mandrake, and SuSe for newbies. They are easiest to install, can support and auto-detect the most hardware, plus they come bundled with more apps than you will possibly want right out of the box.

Oh, trust me, your first distro of choice will not be your last. Because Linux distros are so cheap and/or free (as in beer), you will experiment with various distros. If only because you can!

Hopefully things are as clear as mud for you now.

OOPS!

[David_Jones]

Hi OOPS!,

Thanks for your patience with me!

I checked out SUSE, and it seems to be a German distribution. Will that mean that the manuals / help will be in German or translated from German?

I mean no disrespect, and anyone who speaks German with English as a second language is light years ahead of me, but I'd prefer to have manuals written by a native English speaker to start with.

Am I concerned about something irrelevant here?

Thanks again.

David.

[OOPS!]

Hi David,

No don't worry about the manuals. They will be as clear as any. And yes, SuSe is a German company, And Mandy is French. I think the Europeans are ahead of us as far as using Linux for the desktop.

So get that copy of SuSe and start having fun!

OOPS!

[catch23]

SuSE is german...but there is an English distro

There is actually quite a large difference between linux distros....builds like Mandrake and Redh00t lack advanced features and stability

Even Slackware...the distro people say is extremely difficult to install/use...can be done just by reading what the directions on the screen tell you to do.

[TMAN]

slackware, hard to use? Crazy GUI kids :-) The key to linux is patience.

[catch23]

patience...no...it takes the skill of reading directions from a monitor...

[OOPS!]

Catch23,

I'm curious, just what advanced features are lacking in RH, Mandy, or SuSe? I have yet to see any real differences in any distro I've used. What one distro can do, I can make another do the same.

Mostly, it is a matter of how much eye-candy that you want. GUI's have their place, just as the CLI and vi do. GUI's are easier to start with when you are just learning. But you can still open your configs in vi and edit them if you like. The point is it's your choice. I use Mandrake not because I think it is the greatest distro (though I do like it), but because I have people using my system that want the eye-candy it comes with. Plus, it is for me, fast and easy to setup to use as a user And in the end, that is what I want. A system that I don't have to spend hours admin'ing to get what I want.

The issue of stability is some what moot in my opinion. Systems that are setup and configured simularly will tend to be as stable as each other.

You are right about reading. No matter what distro you choose, reading the tutorials and understanding them is the key. And the tutorials are getting easier for the average user to comprehend.

As I said before, never let anyone criticize your choice of distro. They are all good. Choice is good.

OOPS!

[Computer Hobbyist]

Good points OOPS.

CH

[TMAN]

actually mandy is slightly more top of the line... it's one of the only distros to support pentium instructions and it is moving to support the new 64bit instructions. I do agree that it does lack stability (it's the only linux I've used regularly that's crashed regularly). Never used SuSe but I've heard it's nice.

it takes patience to read

[catch23]

it's for linux newbs...no person who actually uses linux as an alternative to Windows for stability/features should use Mandrake...

[Computer Hobbyist]

Originally posted by catch23 it's for linux newbs...no person who actually uses linux as an alternative to Windows for stability/features should use Mandrake...

Such a strong opinion should be backed up with supporting evidence. Please tell us why "no person who actually uses linux as an alternative to Windows . . . should use Mandrake."

I suspect there are several Mandrake users on this forum who don't agree with your assessment that Mandrake is only for newbies.

CH

[catch23]

This is mandrake we're talking about...anyone in or familiar with the linux community laughs at the defense of Mandrake.

[Statica]

I laugh at the defense of any system that has been installed without the proper knowledge.

Please do tell me why I shouldnt be using Mandrake .. please dont just leave it at a simple "Mandrake's defenses are poor" .. please tell me where you found vulnerabilities .. which packages and which builds are insecure? I'd be very interested to know.
And I'd be also interested to know how you would find RedHat's or Slack's Linux distributions behave differently.

[David_Jones]

I've decided to go with the following for now:

Completely clean install of Win98SE on 10Gb HDD with four partitions (2.5GB each).

Then install RH 7.3 (since I now have about 1.8 of the 3 ISOs downloaded - chug, chug), and install to one of the other partitions using LILO, which I hope will be easy to find ;-)

I then have a third partition for data etc, and a fourth for backing up any of the other three using Ghost or something.

In the meantime, I will start downloading SUSE and perhaps try that in a month or so.

Hopefully that should work!

Thanks for your help,

David.

[Statica]

Good luck David.

I would suggest that you dont spend too much time "trying out new ISO's" and distributions. To be very honest, what you should be attempting at is learning the distribution you get installed. Not just use the GUI. There is a common "motif" if you will to the way Linux functions .. try to find what that is .. and you will figure out that your background in UNIX will come in handy. In spite of what the mouse can do for you, the command line still wields the most power. Of course, what you do with your distrib is your prerogative but this is just my suggestion .. dont just install new distributions .. but see if you can "break" the distribution you just installed and learn to put it back together.

[David_Jones]

Thanks Statica.

I'll go with that advice.

Perhaps one of the other advantages of going with RH 7.3 is that (I guess) the specific user base is greater so it will be easier to get advice if and when I do manage to "break" it!

Look out for my pleas for help in the coming months!

David.

[OOPS!]

Hi David,

Have fun with your new distro! It will be a fun ride. Plenty of ups and downs sometimes, but always fun!

Welcome to the Penguinistas'

OOPS!

[David_Jones]

Thanks All,

I now have two ISOs, and I am downloading the third so the fun begins next week by the looks of it!

Hopefully I will be 'waddling' and not falling flat on my face!!

David.

[TMAN]

good luck. If ya fall down you can just come here for help on getting back up. Also see the "Linux Links" post in this forum.