Best Linux Distro ?

[minoukat]

What is the best linux distro ? I just downloaded Corel Linux, and want to know which linux is the best before installing it !

Thanks

[fireball****aka fireball_87]

mandrake 8.0 all the way!!!!

[David]

I think SuSE is the best distro. I couldn't live without YaST (1 and 2) or SaX. If there aren't enough programs on all 6CDs then you must be demanding. It has KDE, KDE2 and GNOME as well as various other Window Managers. SuSE 7 was easy to set up and has never creashed of its own accord (only when I have edited /etc/inittab or /etc/fstab...)

It is a bit overpriced, but I wouldn't use any other distro. It is THE most complete one.

[minoukat]

K, just to clarify, what's the best distro you can download, not the ones you buy ?

Thanks anyway !

[David]

If your a newbie, BUY one. You get more CDs, installation support and a lot of manuals. Downloading should only be considered if you are dead skint, or just cant be bothered

[ken257]

I also vote for SuSE. I have used most of the popular distros and SuSE is the best. I get the $30 version on 3 cd's it still is very complete and if there is an app missing that you want I just dl and install it no big deal, this saves about 50 bucks plus if you are a beginner you will get a very nice set of manuals.

[PhoenixMDM]

whooo... I'm a linux newb and DL'ed Red Hat 7.1. That was a mistake i'm guessing... Oh well, as I write this, red hat is installing happily on the 210... Red hat CAN run on a 210, right?!?! Arg, it better...

~Phoenix

[David]

downloaded versions aren't THAT bad, but the commercial ones are way better.

[rugby]

for goodness sakes buy a box set for your first purchase. Then subsequent upgrades can be downloaded. You get manuals, apps cd's and usually support with box sets.

[johns linux box]

listen to another linux newbie what ever linux distro you deside to get get the biggest one you can afford to buy
having tec support and preprinted manuals will far out way what you spend


printing out a 400+ page manual that dont tell you much sucks

[David]

SuSE 7.x distros come with a rainforests worth of manuals! They are really good.

[PhoenixMDM]

Right now my linux box is installing mandrake very happily! On the formating step right now, yawn. Mandrake's install is sooooooooooooo much easier than red hat's, or at least so far :D No clue what kinda docs it comes with, i just DL'ed it off the site. It'd better have good docs, i'm a newb to linux!

~Phoenix

[Superman53142]

I knew nothing about Linux so I DLed Mandrake 8. And relized that I still knew nothing about Linux. It all went uphill from there though. After a little while you get the hang of it. Just remember, Red Hat makes you type cd space dot dot to go down a directory. Mandrake lets you go just cd dot dot. Geez, took me forever to figure that one out. BTW, Mandrake 8 is better than Red Hat IMO.

[Mojoman]

Okay a straight answer from a post-newbie - mandrake distros are the way to go - downloaded or boxed - makes no difference (Cept manuals) - everything you get in the boxed set is available for d/l.

Why mandrake? Not much installation woes - can probe most hardware types, Lots of documentation (on cd), Easy to use - configuration is a hell of a lot more easier, most apps come with configurations already working (no more editing 'wine' files - it works straight off)

Look it probably is better to by a boxed set - i never have - but for the price of some of the systems i think i will just spend a couple of days on my 56k modem downloading - okay?

So stick with mandrake - when you've learned everything you possibly can - and know a lot mroe about your system and its hardware - consideri upgrade to one of the non-newbiezed distros (it will prolly be a while thou!) like redhat or (my personal favourite), Slackware..

Either way you will soon be a linux guru - as long as you ask for help - ask lots of qustions and read a lot of the documentation!

Hope it helps!



Oh and PenguinFreak - thought about removing the transparent colour in your avatar? It really wrecks it :(

[k_lined4lyf]

Is Mandrake really that good? I'm not knocking it at all.. just asking a question. What is that makes Mandrake so good... is the auto-detection of devices and ease of installation? If so, I really don't mind working to install things, beacuse devices can use a lil tweaking anyway. I haven't used 8 yet, but 7 burned me pretty bad. I have using Linux for a year, maybe less; and I have used RH 6, 6.2 (didn't like too much), and 7.1 (currently installed and working great) and Mdk 7, and I swear Mdk 7 was so incredibly slooooooow in installation, even when I tried to keep things trim. And when I got it installed operation was a bit slow too, but I blame the desktop manager for a bit of that. I guess that I pumped it up to be too much when some guy told me it was "RedHat on steroids" and also when I saw *i586.rpm instead of i386. At the time, 7 just didn't measure up.
I am willing to give 8 a try tho... anyone have any probs with 8?

K

[PhoenixMDM]

The only prob i'm having is to get the stupid X window system working. But then again, i've only had linux for a total of... 3 days. I tried installing red hat but it kept crashing. Also, mandrake is running really fast on the comp (a 166@210, 64mb RAM). Heh, although i know nothing about linux, i like more than windows already, i can't wait until i get graphics up and running :D

~Phoenix

[Vryce]

You might wanna try one that installs over dos..not a full linux..but enough to play with till you get the hang of it..then move on to a "real" linux/unix and not worry about it..

I've decided to run slackware as my first linux, but I'm gonna get some books, etc for it...Cause I don't want another GUI system that's a bit faster and says "linux" instead of "m$"..

Just my $.02

[David]

Use a command line first. Thats how I learned.

[mcrites]

Support OSS, download debian disks from ftp.debian.org. After installing the base stuff, use apt-get to install everything else, because it will install all the dependencies for you.

[David]

Originally posted by Mojoman
Oh and PenguinFreak - thought about removing the transparent colour in your avatar? It really wrecks it :(

Sure, any volunteers to help?

[PhoenixMDM]

Hmmm, i got mandrake running like a dream, just no graphics yet... I like better than windows though now! :D
Once i figure out how to fix the X thinger I might install mandrake on my other comps too, then i'll be able to go online with linux...

~Phoenix

[RedDeathDrinker]

Originally posted by penguinfreak


Sure, any volunteers to help?


there's a new one for you in general discussion.....

[minoukat]

Is RedHat 7 good ? Cuz I just bought a book that contained it so... (Linux for dummies)