Forum: Geek Forum
Topic: Linux for lam0rs
started by: Der_Teufel
Posted by Der_Teufel on Sep. 15 2001,22:15
My dad just purchased a new computer and I now have an extra computer. I've been wanting to learn how to use Linux for awhile. This machine is an old AMD K6 233 w/ 48 MB RAM, 4.3 GB HD. My question is what distribution of Linux would be the easiest for me to learn and run the best on this old machine. I've heard many different things from people, the choice of most people seems to be Red Hat, but some have said Corel and some have said Mandrake.
Posted by Unexplained on Sep. 15 2001,22:25
Try Prophecy. Easy to use, the power of Debian.
It's somewhat harder to learn, but the best a man can get.This message has been edited by Unexplained on September 16, 2001 at 05:30 PM
Posted by beuges on Sep. 15 2001,22:28
from my personal experience, redhat is the easiest to install and use. get the lastest version (i think its 7.1) and go wild 
Posted by [liquid] meta on Sep. 15 2001,22:32
red hat is probably the easiest, but i still couldn't get it.
it's funny because i can easily use unix, telnet, etc, but no not linux.
i think i'm gonna get a small, cheap harddrive cheap ram and throw it in my other box.
Posted by RenegadeSnark on Sep. 15 2001,22:36
Use slakcware. It may not have a bunch of lame auto-configuration tools like linuxconf, but you'll thank me when you learn how GNU/Linux works from the inside out.
Posted by Vigilante on Sep. 15 2001,22:43
...plus, it's called "Slackware." I mean, c'mon; how can you resist that? 
Posted by Der_Teufel on Sep. 15 2001,23:18
Is it best to download the distribution from the retailer or just download the ISO? Are the bundled extras and the support needed?
Posted by demonk on Sep. 16 2001,04:57
Like all things about Linux, even the help and support can be found for free. Linux HowTo's are free < http://www.linux-howto.com > , and there are always mailing lists when you need to ask questions.For first time Linux users, I will always recommand RedHat or Mandrake. Slackware is good, but unless the newbie Linux users is very intelligent or just has a couple of weeks with nothing to do, they will have a bad experience with Linux. It's like AOL. I'll bet that most of us here have used AOL at some point. But then we learned, we grew up, and we moved on to better ISPs. Same thing with Linux. For your casual user, RedHat and Mandrake are good because you don't have to be hacking files every day to make your system work. Slackware, Debian, and others are better for learning how a Linux system works. But a LinuxFromScratch system will REALLY let you know how a Linux system works. Anyway, download the ISO's for RedHat and for Mandrake. I say this because you can try them for free and find the support for free as well. Then, once you find a distro you like, you can buy the retail to help support them. ------------------
10 PRINT "HOME"
20 PRINT "SWEET"
30 GOTO 10
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