Ive just got into linux and i have 1000 questions, which ill try to avoid asking every one of them. First of all... Gnome or KDE? which is better and do i need both? Second, as far as i know, Enlightenment is another GUI, how do i use that? Is it good? Third, which is the better Linux operating system, I use RedHat, but i hear of Mandrake, FreeBSD, etc. What are all these? which is the best???
Fourth question: Why do i have to install python and C libraries etc. just to get linux on??? why is the install 1 gig? its only an OS for christ sake!

I hope you can answer some of my questions! thanks in advance!

Q1)KDE or GNOME

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...threadid=22520

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...threadid=21676

Q2) which is the better linux.

all linux are basically same, but it is heared that mandarake is easy to configure(i never used mandarake). redhat is also easy to use from my experience.

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...8377#post18377

you need not to install python or c libs if you don't need them. with only sufficient components(ie without many useful libs) redhat distributions is less than 250 mb( i tested it long back, so i don't remeber exactly)

FeeBSD is a free unix variant, a bit different than Linux. Enlightenment is a pretty nice windowmanager(GUI). do you boot into graphical mode or console mode? if you boot in to console mode, then after logging in edit your /home/.xinitrc file to read just two lines:
#!/bin/bash

exec enlightenment

or if you have an .xinitrc file which is really long and contains a huge shell script, then just type in(at the prompt, not in the .xinitrc file):
startx enlightenment

These options,however, will only work if enlightenment is installed.

peace out

Some people prefer Gnome, some like KDE, I don't like either, try them both. To use enlightenment, install it then put "exec enlightenment" in your startup script (~/.xinitrc or ~/.xsession usually). I find it bloated, unstable and slow.

Mandrake is a fork of Red Hat aimed at newbies. FreeBSD isn't Linux, its another free UNIX. "Best" very much depends on your needs, I rather like Debian.

You don't need Python to run Linux, but I expect one of the other programs you installed depends on it. The C libs I'm less sure about, probably the same reason.

You don't need to install 1 gig of stuff to get Linux, there are systems running quite happily from a single floppy disk, they just don't have very much in the way of tools.

Most Linux distros come with vast quantities of software, you don't have to install it all, but if you do it takes up a lot of space.