which distribution to use?
Hello,
I have tried several of the major distributions on my PC over the years. But I am by no means an expert at using UNIX/Linux. I want some advice on the pros and cons of the various distributions. Possibly any replies to this could be aimed at Redhat, Slackware, Debian, SUSE, Mandrake etc as many of the others are based on these.
Thanks,
Matthew Stapleton
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Well as a UNIX/linux systems admin. I am forced to work with just about every possible distribution out there, so I'll throw out a couple ideas. My first two suggestions would be for Red Hat or Mandrake. These distro's are almost to the point were'd I give them to my mom and tell her she could use them! =0). The RPM system makes updates and installs so easy, and these seem to be the most popular, and therefore you are more likely to find people with the same problems. However they are a bit "windows" like if you use gnome or KDE. I don't have any exp. with SuSe, come to think of it I probally should try that! Hope this helps. -Chris
Quoted 11 lines · Matthew Stapleton
Hello,
I have tried several of the major distributions on my PC over the years. But I am by no means an expert at using UNIX/Linux. I want some advice on the pros and cons of the various distributions. Possibly any replies to this could be aimed at Redhat, Slackware, Debian, SUSE, Mandrake etc as many of the others are based on these.
Thanks,
Quoted 9 lines
Matthew Stapleton
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Matt,
I have been a system admin for 9+ years now but that has been in an NT
environment. Although I do have one Linux server at work, it has a very small task. My work has not embraced Linux at all although over the last two years I find most of the "Major" new systems from the Corp. office being done on Solaris.
That said, I use Linux when I get home. I use it to learn and have a
refreshing change. I have been 'messing" with Linux for 3 or 4 years but I started using it last year as my only system for internet at home because of a virus problem on my Windows box and find it a joy. I have installed all the major distro's but someware down the road I found I liked SuSE and have stayed with it. Maybe it was because I broke a few things and with Lawson's help and others here on the list I got a few things fixed and learned a few of the extra tools SuSE gives you (each distro has there own it seems).
I guess what I am trying to say is that I have found that I really have
little interest of late to get into the guts of Linux. Did at one time, but that has faded. What I really want is to come home and do a little surfing and read my email and keep track of a news group or two. I fix stuff all day at work and just like to relax when I get home. Other than do a online update once in a while or maybe the Version 8.0 upgrade at the first of this week, all I have had to do with this distro is enjoy.
Your interest and mileage my vary....
Brett
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Quoted 7 lines · Matthew Stapleton
I have tried several of the major distributions on my PC over the years. But I am by no means an expert at using UNIX/Linux. I want some advice on the pros and cons of the various distributions. Possibly any replies to this could be aimed at Redhat, Slackware, Debian, SUSE, Mandrake etc as many of the others are based on these.
I landed on SuSE and really haven't been satisfied with the other distributions I've occasionally had to deal with. I have found it far and away the most stable, well put together distribution out there.
Red Hat, TurboLinux, and Caldera are really buggy.
My experience with Slackware was that it was simply too primitive. It probably has improved since, but when I tried it, you had to build too much software to get the system into a usable state. Some of the required builds had booby traps that made it even more difficult. I never did get Netscape running on that version.
Does Slackware use glibc yet?
Debian's package management system (and philosophy) make it a winner for many. However, I feel that every argument you can come up with in favor of Debian's package management is better answered with the FreeBSD ports collection. Debian's installation is notoriously difficult. Even Debian stable isn't reliable enough for my taste.
In a subsequent post, you say you want to learn the nuts and bolts. This is good, but is really not dependent on the distribution you choose. Most distributions install with a default to come up in GUI mode, but you can modify /etc/inittab, changing the default run level to come up in text mode. You can then use the startx command to bring up X whenever you need the GUI.
The final argument for SuSE, I believe, is that of all the major distributions, SuSE comes closest to the File Hierarchy Standard. All the distributions are moving in that direction, so for learning purposes, SuSE may offer you a bit of a head start.
Signature · 4 lines
David Benfell, LCP [email protected] --- Resume available at http://www.parts-unknown.org/resume.html
Quoted 1 line · David Benfell
Red Hat, TurboLinux, and Caldera are really buggy.
I certanly would not say that of redhat.
Quoted 6 lines
My experience with Slackware was that it was simply too primitive. It probably has improved since, but when I tried it, you had to build too much software to get the system into a usable state. Some of the required builds had booby traps that made it even more difficult. I never did get Netscape running on that version.
Slackware is NOT primative, its the nearest to "unix" one can get which is why it may seem primative to you.
Quoted 2 lines
Does Slackware use glibc yet?
Yes.
Quoted 6 lines
In a subsequent post, you say you want to learn the nuts and bolts. This is good, but is really not dependent on the distribution you choose. Most distributions install with a default to come up in GUI mode, but you can modify
/etc/inittab, changing the default run level to come up in text mode. You can then use the startx command to bring up X whenever you need the GUI.
Looks like you have never "installed" slackware yourself as there is one big differance, you start learning with the install of slackware, where as you dont with most others.
Quoted 5 lines
The final argument for SuSE, I believe, is that of all the major distributions, SuSE comes closest to the File Hierarchy Standard. All the distributions are moving in that direction, so for learning purposes, SuSE may offer you a bit of a head start.
Which is what makes "once again" slackware uniq.
I have said all of this many times here on this list, i have most distro's running on different systems here and at my workplace, from what i have seen here when the question is asked, which distro's is the best to learn linux, slackware pops up.
And BTW: 8.1 is out i see from www.slackware.com
Signature · 9 lines
Regards Richard [email protected] http://people.zeelandnet.nl/pa3gcu/ - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-newbie" in the body of a message to [email protected] More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.linux-learn.org/faqs
I usually ignore these threads, but this one is starting to get an unpleasant tone, so let me try to encourage the proponents of the various distros to moderate their insistance before we get to a flame war.
For the record, I like Debian. It is also, by now, the only full-size distro I feel totally familiar with. Were I to install Slackware, or Red Hat, or Mandrake, or SuSE, I feel sure I would encounter some of the same unpleasantness that an earlier poster found with everything except SuSE.
But this observation doesn't tell you much about those other distros, except that I am out of practice using them. For better or for worse, Linux has fragmented noticably at the distro level, leading most people to be familiar with the quirks of one of the distros, but few of us to be current on several of them.
For a newcomer, each of the major distros ... at least the ones still being maintained, which includes Slackware, Red Hat, SuSE, Debian, and others (but I'm not sure if Caldera is still actively maintained) ... has its advantages and disadvantages. It does help to describe the strengths (and weaknesses) of a distribution you have real familiarity with. But vague criticisms like "really buggy" and "installation is notoriously difficult" do not really help a beginner make an informed decision.
Oh, one factual correction -- Debian does not default to a GUI install; you have to select an X "task" package at install time to get a GUI install. Last time I checked (several releases back), neither did Slackware.
Quoted 38 lines · Richard Adams
Quoted 1 line · David Benfell
Red Hat, TurboLinux, and Caldera are really buggy.
I certanly would not say that of redhat.
Quoted 6 lines
My experience with Slackware was that it was simply too primitive. It probably has improved since, but when I tried it, you had to build too much software to get the system into a usable state. Some of the required builds had booby traps that made it even more difficult. I never did get Netscape running on that version.
Slackware is NOT primative, its the nearest to "unix" one can get which is why it may seem primative to you.
Quoted 2 lines
Does Slackware use glibc yet?
Yes.
Quoted 6 lines
In a subsequent post, you say you want to learn the nuts and bolts. This is good, but is really not dependent on the distribution you choose. Most distributions install with a default to come up in GUI mode, but you can modify
/etc/inittab, changing the default run level to come up in text mode. You can then use the startx command to bring up X whenever you need the GUI.Looks like you have never "installed" slackware yourself as there is one big differance, you start learning with the install of slackware, where as you dont with most others.
Quoted 5 lines
The final argument for SuSE, I believe, is that of all the major distributions, SuSE comes closest to the File Hierarchy Standard. All the distributions are moving in that direction, so for learning purposes, SuSE may offer you a bit of a head start.
Quoted 8 lines
Which is what makes "once again" slackware uniq.
I have said all of this many times here on this list, i have most distro's running on different systems here and at my workplace, from what i have seen here when the question is asked, which distro's is the best to learn linux, slackware pops up.
And BTW: 8.1 is out i see from www.slackware.com
--
-----------------------------------------------"Never tell me the odds!"--------------
Ray Olszewski -- Han Solo
Palo Alto, California, USA [email protected]
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Quoted 3 lines · Ray Olszewski
I usually ignore these threads, but this one is starting to get an unpleasant tone, so let me try to encourage the proponents of the various distros to moderate their insistance before we get to a flame war.
So do i, but the thread was which one "learns" you the most and as we all seem to agree in one way or another Slackware is best for that.
Signature · 9 lines
Regards Richard [email protected] http://people.zeelandnet.nl/pa3gcu/ - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-newbie" in the body of a message to [email protected] More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.linux-learn.org/faqs
Quoted 7 lines · Richard Adams
Quoted 3 lines · Ray Olszewski
I usually ignore these threads, but this one is starting to get an unpleasant tone, so let me try to encourage the proponents of the various distros to moderate their insistance before we get to a flame war.
So do i, but the thread was which one "learns" you the most and as we all seem to agree in one way or another Slackware is best for that.
Actually we don't all agree to this. I just see no benefit in extending the debate.
--
-----------------------------------------------"Never tell me the odds!"--------------
Ray Olszewski -- Han Solo
Palo Alto, California, USA [email protected]
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Quoted 7 lines · Ray Olszewski
Quoted 6 lines · Richard Adams
Quoted 4 lines · Ray Olszewski
I usually ignore these threads, but this one is starting to get an unpleasant tone, so let me try to encourage the proponents of the various distros to moderate their insistance before we get to a flame war.
Quoted 5 lines
Quoted 2 lines
So do i, but the thread was which one "learns" you the most and as we all seem to agree in one way or another Slackware is best for that.
Actually we don't all agree to this. I just see no benefit in extending the debate.
I did not say we agreed, i said most agree.
End of thread as far as i am concerned.
Signature · 9 lines
Regards Richard [email protected] http://people.zeelandnet.nl/pa3gcu/ - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-newbie" in the body of a message to [email protected] More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.linux-learn.org/faqs