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which linux?
I have a simple question to ask:
I have never used linux before, but have read several books on it. What would be the best linux to download to learn linux, and also which would be the best to use while keeping windows on my computer until I can make a final decision between the two.
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for beginners, i'd say Mandrake or Redhat...
if you really want to get down and dirty, go with FreeBSD (my fav)
http://www.linuxiso.org
http://www.freebsd.org
http://www.mandrake.org
http://www.redhat.com
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Bad question you are going to get all of the zealots out of the woodwork on that one. Basically most modern Linux versions are a personal preference issue, my suggestion is to check outlinux.org and see what they have marked as for beginners. A better option would be to find out if there is a LUG (Linux users group) near you and visit them. LUG's usually do install nights where they help beginners install and setup the distor of there choice. They will also usually have different distros on the members computers that they will let you see, if you can look at a number of different distros that would be great. Then just pick the one that has a look and feel that you are comfortable with.
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Try Knoppix, if it's just for a temporay install
Or go to Here
As for as which linux it's a matter of your own personal choice. My first Linux install was with
Slackware 6.0 and then Caldera which I didn't like. Go to the different distro sites and read about it's advantages and from there make a choice and want U plan on using it for. ppl say that Redhat, Mandrake, and Suse are best for beginners. But I never play with the other to
cause it's (I heard) was a easy install which I like a challenge. I hopes this helps U alot as I said in the beginning it's a matter of choice but I would suggest a BSD flavor or Slackeware;)
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I would defenitly say SuSe.
I'm a newbie myself, and I've tried Red Hat, Mandrake and now Suse....
I must say Suse makes to step from windoze to linux easier than the other two.
Just my thought,
Greetz,
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I'd go with phaza7 and try knoppix.
It requires no partitioning or installing, you just boot it from the cd.
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As of now my favorate is debian but I am partial to redhat or SuSE, both being one of my first because of ease of instalation.
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Heyas,
For beginers, who want a "windows" feeling I would suggest you use RedHat, SuSe or Mandrake. But if you want hardcore *ix action try Slackware or go to one of the BSDs, ie. FreeBSD. Note that Slackware and FreeBSD can both be a pain in the rear end when it comes to installation and configuration. One question you might want to ask yourself is 'how familar with a text-based enviroment am I?'.
http://www.slackware.com
http://www.freebsd.org
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Well, bballad said it best, it's all about personal preference. I personally started with Red Hat - I came up as a Windows user so I wanted to go with a distro that wasn't too drastic a change at first. Most people will tell you (as they already have in this thread) that Mandrake and Red Hat are usually pretty good starting points for those who are new to Linux. So if I were to make a recommendation, it would be between one of those. But quite honestly, try as many as you can - experiment with them and then make your own, informed decision. It is personal preference, and the more you have experience with, the better off you are...
EDIT: Just wanted to add this (forgot when I first posted) - tampabay420's link to www.linuxiso.org is a great resource. From this site you can download all kinds of flavors of Linux - they've got a ton of them, and their download speeds are pretty good (for those large distros...)
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I too go with others i.e go with Redhat. The issue of availability Redhat scores over others as well as for technical support. Redhat 8.0 has much of a feel needed for beginners moving from Windows. Try out KDE as most of the shortcuts of Windows work out there. And yes partitioning is still a problem for beginners but then u can take help of LUG's as mentioned or even the extensible help on the Redhat site .. so try it out