new to linux -> what distro (probably tons of these)

[cheeseman]

Ok guys, I'm sorry because you probably have tons of these posts but with all the resources online I can't find a clear cut answer for what I want.

 

I am by no means an advanced computer user but I would say I am comfortable on one. I am looking to put linux on my computer as a duel boot so that way while I'm learning linux, I can still do all the other stuff I like to do (and know how to do) from Microsuck. I would like to learn linux because I want to become more advanced with computer skills. I was looking into Ubuntu but I am worried that it is too "user friendly." (if I'm wrong let me know) I would like something that isn't TOO difficult and will run right off the bat and doesn't take a lot of tweaking to get working. Also something, that if I want, I can do a lot of tweaking when I'm more comfortable.

 

any other distro suggestions would be much appreciated. an explanation into why you would suggest it for me would be great too.

 

thank you,

cheeseman

[anyweb]

ubuntu, suse, fedora, mandriva or pclinuxos are good for getting introduced to Linux, but it all depends on what you want to do further down the line, eg: if you are planning on managing linux servers then you have to think of what distro those linux servers will likely be running,

 

and in most cases when it comes to server farms they'll be running either Red Hat Entreprise or Centos, (linux-noob.com runs on Centos)

 

both of those distros are from the red hat family (one paid for one free, via the open source community), and both have in one way or another evolved from Fedora (free distro created by developers for free and with the help and support of Red Hat,

 

my point is, if you try PClinuxos 2009, or Ubuntu 9.04 then you will be going down a path that will teach you different things about managing your linux boxes,

 

I chose the fedora patch because it's new, exciting and free and everything i learn on my fedora distro can be pretty much mirrored on my 'business' linux server which runs Centos

 

I use Fedora 12 at home on my laptop.

 

ultimately, the choice is yours, so good luck, we'll try and help you whatever you choose,

 

cheers

niall

[cheeseman]

thanks for the suggestions. last night I tried to set up a dual boot with Ubuntu but it didn't work. so I went a got Wubi and that is working great for me so far. the nice thing about Wubi is it gives me the option for easily taking it off if I want to try a different distro. I still need more time to mess around with it but so far so good.

 

 

is fadora gnome, kde or xfce?

 

thank you,

cheeseman

[anyweb]

fedora can come with gnome or kde or xfce or all if you want, all you have to do is download a spin

 

i havn't tried wubi, please post some screenshots of it :)

[hybrid]

As anyweb says, you can install whichever desktop environment you like by choosing a specific Fedora Spin. The default, however, and the one you'll get with the 'normal' Desktop Edition download of Fedora 12, is GNOME.

[cheeseman]

I'm sorry, I didn't make it clear. wubi is used to install Ubuntu onto windows, this way you don't have to partition your hard drive. It makes it easy to test drive Ubuntu without using a live CD/DVD (don't get to see some of its options) or need to partition the hard drive (which could damage existing information on previous OS)... from what I read (I would suggest it to anyone looking into Ubuntu who currently uses a M$ windoze [i promise I don't work for Ubuntu :)])...

 

I was taking with the guy who got me to look into Linux and he was telling me Ubuntu will not adequately prepare me for more advanced distros in the future. agree? disagree?

 

I was too general before in my post, let me get more specific. What is a good distro for a new user to Linux with workstation features but will give me the foundation I will need if I want to move my way to servers?

 

thank you,

cheeseman

[cheeseman]

I forgot to add that I am running a laptop. 2008 so its not that old. specs: 2GHz CPU 2GB RAM and 250GB HD. SLAX? based on slackware but for laptops. maybe?

[hybrid]

I don't agree that Ubuntu will make it difficult for you to move towards more advanced distributions of Linux in the future. There are some elements of Ubuntu that are made more friendly -- there are graphical tools for lots of management tasks that in other distributions might need to be done via the command line, the fact that there is no 'root' user and you have to use sudo, for example, but they are not insurmountable differences in my opinion.

 

If you just play with Ubuntu as much as you can, become familiar with it, you can easily decide to move 'up' the chain of distros in terms of complexity and flexibility later. There are some things you might need to find your way around in a different distro, but experience of any Linux distro is valuable!

[cheeseman]

thanks for the advice. I'll let you guys know what i end up going with.

[cheeseman]

so i think I want to go with fedora but I want 64 studio. does anyone know if these are compatible?

 

thanks,

cheeseman