Preserved Topic: Linux for beginners (Page 1 of 1)

I'm thinking of putting Linux on my laptop to use in school, but I've got one problem - I've never used it before and now pretty much nothing about it aside from what I've read. I've got some UNIX experience (from what I've done at school) but I'm not too proficient. I'd like to be.

What I'd like to know is, what's the best version of Linux to use for a beginner like myself? I hear good things about Mandrake and RedHat, but I'd really appreciate some opinions from those inmates who use Linux.

I've never got to play with it full-on but as far as installation goes Red Hat was nicer than Mandrake and I really liked the KDE desktop environment.

I never really got past that point though, installed it maybe 5 times on machines at work to play with and got a request for said machines soon enough and had to reformat them to Windows.

Really oughta try again huh? eh, mebbe later

Jason

I've just recently put Mandrake 9 on a spare computer, and although I can't compare it to other distros (since I've never used any others), I haven't had any problems with it either.

Mandrake offered me my choice of KDE or GNOME or both; I chose KDE, although not for any solid reason.

I've been using Linux more at the command line than anything else. If you're accustomed to the Windows DOS-based command line, you'll find that Linux provides a mind-boggling amount of power in comparison. Easily equivalent to the power of a multi-tasking windowed GUI, although admittedly without the same ease of use.

As for Linux resources, why not try The Linux Documentation Project? There should be a little of everything there. Also, a little Googling around for "Linux basics" or "Linux primer" should serve you in good stead.

Don't expect Linux to replace your favorite mass-market OS immediately; it depends on your needs. For programming, for instance, Linux is an excellent choice; for graphic design, maybe not so much -- although the GIMP has many powers, it's not a complete replacement for Photoshop, for instance.

In general, if you approach Linux with a mindset of "what can this OS do that I couldn't do in Windows/Mac" instead of "how can I get this OS to do the same things I do in Windows/Mac," I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Just expect a sharp learning curve at first.

synax: I supect Jestah is your man on this one (or one of them) as he has just looked into this problem. I presume you've already looked but it would be remiss of me if I didn't point you towards this in the meantime:

:FAQ:

___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

two things...

1. I hear CorelLinux installs like a dream- but I perfer RedHat's...

2. Photoshop 5.5 runs on WINE...



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ICQ: 67751342

I've actually been meaning to update that FAQ for a while now. I've found much more information on the web since I started gathering links. Well first things first, the distros you should be checking out are Mandrake, RedHat, & SuSe. Theres no right answer on which is the best. Its more or less which works best on your computer. Check to make sure your hardware is supported by each. I'm pretty sure I posted information in the FAQ on downloading, burning (the ISO) & installing Linux. Thats all self explanatory. If you don't know almost all distros have ISOs available for free on there servers as well as various mirrors - SuSe, I believe, doesn't. If you have a broadband connection or access to one, download them and burn them. Theres plenty of How-To's on the net to do this. Mandrake 9.0 & RedHat 8.0 install like a dream. Much, much faster then Windows installs. One thing, during your information *don't* forget to create a user account. As a beginner you don't wanna be screwing around with root =)

After installation there literally hundreds of tutorials on the net. I suggest checking out LNO as well as the LDP thats already been mentioned right away. If you have questions, post them in LNO and they'll be answered usually within minutes.


The hardware compatability lists are as followed:

• Mandrake
• RedHat
• SuSe

Jestah



[This message has been edited by Jestah (edited 01-08-2003).]

I run a dual boot of Windows 98 and Mandrake Linux on my personal laptop. Mandrake's been my distro of choice for a while. I think it's the easiest and cleanest of the default setup's I have to admit though once I chose mandrake I haven't really used the others enought to make a decent comparison and honestly after you get comfortable with Linux the distro you choose isn't too important.

Just a couple of tips.

IF you are going dual boot always install Windows First. Most Linux distro's are setup to easily repartition your drive and configure your boot process without wiping out Windows etc. While windows will gleefully hose your HD boot info and partitions.

If you have the space install everything you can when you install Linux. Installing software can be a bear even with things like RPM's etc so it can be easiest just to get it all on there at once. Of course this can open up some security issues since you may be running a batch of servers without even knowing it. But go through your config and you should be able to easily turn off any processes you don't want starting on boot.

There's of course many other things but these are the kind of simple tips that can make things easier.



.:[ Never resist a perfect moment ]:.

To make things easier for you look to download and install apt-get. There should be How-To's all over the net. I don't have one off hand, but once you get your system up and running, search google for this.

Jestah

[This message has been edited by Jestah (edited 01-08-2003).]

bitdamaged is right on about installing everything. When I installed Linux, I had hard drive space issues (still do), since the computer is built of cast-off parts. Can you believe I didn't even know I'd need gcc (the Linux C/C++ compiler)?

In general, it's better to get everything ahead of time, even if you don't use all of it. Then again, you probably don't need seven different office suites, or four different personal planners.

I'll be using my laptop to mainly do programming and possibly word processing (and playing around with piddly things of course).

I appreciate all the comments you guys have left for me. I'll be reading the :FAQ: now as I didn't even think to look there (stupid me ). It looks like I'll be going with Mandrake to start my Linux experience I can't wait!

I don't think I'll be doing the dual boot thing, since I have a tendency to just do a factory restore on my laptop when things get messy. Plus, I have a seperate computer with WinXP on it to do whatever I need there.

Oh yes, one more question before I go and read some documents (hehe): Am I going to be able to network my home computers with my laptop once I put Linux on it? Or will it be a headache?

It shouldn't be a problem hooking the laptop up to the homenetwork if you use Mandrake or RedHat. They come with Samba (the program used for this kind of thing) preinstalled and there is only a couple adjustments you have to do to get it functional.


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"There are 10 kinds of people; those who know binary, those who don't and those who start counting at zero"

And confusion sets in

Ok, here's where I'm at:

I've done a fresh format and install of WinXP Pro on my laptop. I have a 20GB harddrive that is partitioned into one 15.88GB side (where all my crap goes) and one 2.73GB side (where my data is to do a factory restore). This is how my laptop came, and I'm scared to mess up that second partition.

Ok then. So I have Mandrake's first CD burned onto a CD and I'm ready for installation. I'd like to setup a dual boot and I've read a few guides on how to do this, but I'm pretty confused as to what to do... The guides I've read all slightly differ and sometimes assume I know things that I don't.

Do I need to setup a third and fourth partition for Linux and my swap drive, or will LILO or GRUB do that for me? Help?

You will need one partition for Linux, you should also make a swap partition (a couple of 100 megs should be enough). LILO and GRUB are only bootloaders and have nothing to do with this. The partitioning can be done during the installation of Mandrake without any problems. There are a couple of partitioning programs on the CD and the installer will ask to chose one so you make whatever changes you need. I think there is something like a default partition table that will make Mandrake partition everything the way it deems best.

To make sure nothing precious gets lost, I recommend splitting the big partition into two smaller ones. One for windows and one for linux before you start the Mandrake installation. This way you can then let the installer play with the linux partition as much as it wants to without any data getting lost.

Later on during the installation (or before, but I doubt that) you will be asked if you want to keep your current bootloader, install LILO or install GRUB. I recommend LILO since that one is most used (I think) and easy to configure, but both LILO and GRUB are easy to use. You shouldn't keep the windows loader since it will most likely have some problems with Linux.

[edit] damn typos...
_________________________
"There are 10 kinds of people; those who know binary, those who don't and those who start counting at zero"

[This message has been edited by Veneficuz (edited 01-10-2003).]

My installation will not go past

quote:

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in second stage install

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...