Originally posted here by mandraketux
If your just getting into linux I recommend redhat. That's the first OS i saw and started using.
EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW>... Gore go slap him... NOW!...

Neg's got the best idea... you can do anything with it... "Where do you want to go today?"....

There are so many things you could do with it... so many things you could explore and discover.... I'd say throw on Ubuntu... start playing...

Possible Options:

Find older knowingly flaws distros and don't update them... See how many vulns you can find on your own... and then try and write code that will exploit them.. (might as well dive in).. After you've played until you're tired.. run a nessus scan and compare your results... Then install another distro and start over..

Run a full server.. If you've got high speed and can put it in the DMZ... do it.. secure it first.. and put it up with everything running... modify the logs to go to a remote box.. but shut off all other access to the rest of the network... see if it get's hacked.. how it's hacked.. record the results.. and monitor what they did..

Run a server.. secure it and lock it down... run all the services and offer accounts to people.. learn to successfully managed a used server... (mail, http, ssh, ircd... whatever ya want)..

Start programming... run python... build your own services using the programming language... I've got the code I started for a python webserver that would parse php... I never finished it.. but it was fun to play with while I was...

Spend a few hundred bucks... Register a business... Get a Microsoft Action Pack Subscrition.. they'll give you Server 2003, SBS 2003, XP, Office 2003, and every server they have.. SQL, ISA, IAS, Live Communication (or whatever it is) Sharepoint, etc.... play with those.. learn them.. lock them down.. it also includes Visual Studio 2005 now... play iwht programming it in... total cost.. here anyways it would be 470 Canadian (Business license + Action Pack)..

Just a few ideas for ya..

Peace,
HT