A lot of people say to learn how to use Linux as a newbie its best to get Red Hat Mandrake or Suse (or some other GUI based distro). However as somebody who used RH 7.2 and Mandrake 8.2 before jumping to Slack 8.1 I think that if you really want to learn more about Linux/Unix Slack is your best choice, as you tend to learn a lot more about where config files are stored and you become more accustomed to editiing files at the Command Line while also having a good idea of the directory structures etc. However for super-newbies who have no real interest in the command line then I suppose rpm/gui tool based distro's are a good starting point.

I learnt more in 1 week of running slack than I did in 2 - 3 months running Red Hat and Mandrake.

Wow, 22 votes for slack, and then follows Mandy with 8....
I didn't believe that Slack is so popular here. I am a slacker as well and as soon I have ADSL, i'm going to throw out my SuSE 8....
Well, I gave my vote for Slack, because it is the most Linux-like distro

Mandrake it was the first distor I used. I install RH on a server for a client and found out the they don't offer support for under $1200. So dump RH and went back to Mandrake. Though I want to try Slack out. All you slack guy are talking me into it.

huh huh, Come towards the light, you know you wanna. It may be hard at first, but once you get your grip on it, you can do anything. And then Linux all together will make more sense.

I keep being tempted by Not-Slack distros, install it, fiddle with it for a while, install something else, fiddle with that for a bit.

All the while my main desktop box and all the servers are running Slackware. The learning curve steepens for a little while, but its well worth the time.

Cheers,

Finegan

Slack 8.1 is great:

As long as your system will boot the CD

As long as you don't mind configuring things like Xfree86 yourself, which I usually have to do anyway because those *other* installers usually do it wrong anyway.

As long as you are happy with the smaller than normal list of apps in the distribution. (otherwise do Debian!)

As long as don't mind a package installer that is ignorant of dependancies. RPM use to give me fits, but Debian's system seems to work great

I've always had an easier time getting things to work in Slackware. Once I *learn* Debian, I think I might like it better. I've outgrown the need for the fancy installers that RH, Mandy, Caldera, and SuSe have, especially when they mess up half the time. Gentoo look insteresting, but too much like work.


PS: I think this is a very biased group of slackers! Which I am one.

As wartstew says if you dont mind configuring everything by hand Slack is the best available.

I personally believe that everybody in the unixverse should try slack, especially newb's who are interested in learning how to do things the proper way

Well I personally voted for Slackware although I'm using it only about 3 weeks or something. I've tried Mandrake 8.0, but had a lot of problems because it was long ago and I didn't know as much about computers as I do now. Then I bought a new PC and had a problem with hard drive and none of the distributions could find it.(The installers always prompted out errors like:"There are no valid devices on which to install new filesystems") But when I fixed my drive I had only Red Hat by my hand so I tried it. It was pretty cool I everything was fine until it got a little boaring. And also there was quite a problem with Red Hat 7.2. When I tried not to do a full install gcc never worked! And then I heard about Slack! I downloaded the ISO,burned the CD and installed Slack. Now that's a system I can tell you! Although I had a couple of problems but with the help of the good people in this and other forums I finely configured it like I wanted and now everything's just fine. I can tell you that Slack is the system I've always dreamed of! I have full control of the system, I know whats happening with it and it takes only 2GB of space with all the software I want installed. Slacks the best and like Dai said:
"Once you go Slack, you'll never go back"

If you feel happier using it than other distro's then the time for which youve used it is irrelevant.

Ive used Slack fully for about 2-3 weeks and Ive learnt a fair bit (but definitley not everything)

DISTRIBUTIONS SECTION

Agreed, but how does one move this thread there?

One dosn't move this thread....only the forum mods can.

Just found out the motel I'm at is using linux for their router


Awesome, linux is taking over the planet.

What distro?

http://comfortsuites-rtr.mylinuxisp.com/


http://mylinuxisp.com/

Slackware is the best and nothing could bet 'em...

Cool!!!

I started with SuSe. So, it was my favorite distro then. I loved it.
it was a great feeling to use anything other that Windbloze. But
as I started experimenting with other distros, namely RH, I was
really impressed and liked it.
Of late, I tried to isntall slackware, turbolinux but both of 'em
didn't go well. Their installations are not as good as RH ones's are
However, I wil try mandrake and slack again just to see if they
install this time.