Hello,

I am currently using mandrake 9.0 but instead of upgrading to 9.2 i have now decided that i would like to transfer to a different distro. I really didnt like the way mandrake handled file installation, through rpm's. I did try to avoid them but sometimes it wasn't possible.

I am relatively new to linux, i have been using it on and off for a year now. I would like to run linux 24/7 as a web server, so that is one important issue. But i will also be running it as desktop on another machine.

I have been told (probably baised) that slackware is quite good. I would also like a linux distro that is non-commercial and therefore free to download. Preferably onto one dvd+r disk.

Any suggestions are appreciated, especially unbiased ones.

Gary.

Hello, i wanted to know which linux distrubution to choose but when i went to the sticky thread about which one to choose the url it recommended didnt work.

Please can someone help me ?

I guess in my original thread LinuxJournal finally moved or removed their article it linked to. I'll have to find a replacement that was just like it.

But you can always go to this link for help choosing which one you think will be best for you: http://www.distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major

Threads merged as requested

Jamie...

" I have been told (probably baised) that slackware is quite good. I would also like a linux distro that is non-commercial and therefore free to download."

Just so you know, many commercial distros are free to download, Mandrake and Slackware being good examples. That said, Debian, Arch, and Gentoo are all non-commerical distros that are very solid and popular.

"I really didnt like the way mandrake handled file installation, through rpm's. I did try to avoid them but sometimes it wasn't possible. "

I'm not really sure what you want here. If you want a binary package system without any kind of dependency resolution so you can control everything, then Slackware is what you'd want.

If, on the other hand, you wanted a sophisitacted system of automated dependancy resolution then Debian would probably be the best choice, or possibly Arch Linux (not to be confused with Ark).

If you are saying you don't like using binary packages whatsoever and want to compile everything from source but still want automated dependancy resolution, then Gentoo would be the one to look at.