06-19-2004, 05:12 PM
Hey Munkay,
I personally use either Debian or Gentoo, but neither is very good if you are just starting out. My advice -
-I didn't like Redhat, but have not used it in several years. It is supposed to be easier on a beginner now.
-I like Debian about the best of any disto I've tried. Hard place to start, the place to end, in my opinion.
-If you want to try Debian, but are intimidated by the normal installation, get Knoppix. It's Debain based, but has good hardware detection, let's you try it out on CD before you install to the hard drive, is easy to install if you do like it, and comes standard with KDE already set up for you. Many people claim they actually find KDE easier to use than XP desktops. If you have to go it alone, try this first. (Note - I don't use KDE normally. It has too much for me. But I've been told it's quite a nice place to start, and have had no problems with it during my various uses of Knoppix). If you install it to your hard drive, you essentially have a nice Debian installiation already set up for you.
-Use what your brother or other linux savvy friends use. That way, you can ask lots of questions. This may be your best option, especially if your brother already has some installiation disks and is willing to help.
-If you want a challenge, try gentoo or maybe Linux From Scratch (LFS). This will be a very hard place to start, but you will learn a huge amount. Once you get this set up exactly the way you think it should be, you will be a Linux god, which is always nice. Not recommended unless you enjoy banging your head agains brick walls and put pointy things in your eye for fun, but always an option.
-V-
I personally use either Debian or Gentoo, but neither is very good if you are just starting out. My advice -
-I didn't like Redhat, but have not used it in several years. It is supposed to be easier on a beginner now.
-I like Debian about the best of any disto I've tried. Hard place to start, the place to end, in my opinion.
-If you want to try Debian, but are intimidated by the normal installation, get Knoppix. It's Debain based, but has good hardware detection, let's you try it out on CD before you install to the hard drive, is easy to install if you do like it, and comes standard with KDE already set up for you. Many people claim they actually find KDE easier to use than XP desktops. If you have to go it alone, try this first. (Note - I don't use KDE normally. It has too much for me. But I've been told it's quite a nice place to start, and have had no problems with it during my various uses of Knoppix). If you install it to your hard drive, you essentially have a nice Debian installiation already set up for you.
-Use what your brother or other linux savvy friends use. That way, you can ask lots of questions. This may be your best option, especially if your brother already has some installiation disks and is willing to help.
-If you want a challenge, try gentoo or maybe Linux From Scratch (LFS). This will be a very hard place to start, but you will learn a huge amount. Once you get this set up exactly the way you think it should be, you will be a Linux god, which is always nice. Not recommended unless you enjoy banging your head agains brick walls and put pointy things in your eye for fun, but always an option.
-V-