Distributions
which linux distribution is best for starters like if you want to be a linux system and server administrator?
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Arch -- you have to learn how your system works to use it.
Slackware & Debian are also very good in this respect. |
BEST ???
that is relative to needs and skills there is NO answer to your question as stated please restate it RHEL SUSE Debian Slackware Arch BSD pick one |
If you are looking to get a job administering Linux servers in the enterprise, CentOS is your best bet, as RHEL and CentOS dominate in the enterprise.
For learning how Linux works, you can't beat Slackware. Once you understand Slackware, no other distro will every intimidate you. Just my two cents. |
In general you will want to experiment with a Linux distribution that is easily installed, has great hardware recognition, is stable, and has a helpful community. Another requirement is how software is installed and if the package manager is simple to administer. I do not recommend trying out a niche distribution of Linux because they tend to follow conventions that are specific to only that distribution of Linux. Unconventionality makes switching between distributions confusing for new Linux users. Ultimately new Linux users should stick to convention and keep things simple.
With that in mind I will mention a few distributions that follow common conventions, are widely used, have been around for some deal of time, and will continue to be around for a great deal more time.
With package management in mind you will need to consider each of the four independently, as they are each different.
For a list of distributions for download, visit: |
Debian or RedHat (CentOS is the free version) will be used the most on servers.
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Another vote for Slackware.
You can't beat the simplicity. As Patrick and the team don't actually add "customization", and sticking to the SBo (SlackBuilds.org) software, you can maintain the original integrity of the programs you are installing, by building your own packages from source. This ensures no added "features" create bugs the developer didn't intend or include in the original software. While CentOS and RedHat are good for servers, as can be Debian (personally I wouldn't advise it, but mo), they are so setup for that kind of application that you lose the experience and knowledge of the manual server setup and creation and therefore lack the skills/knowledge needed to truly "administer" the computer. Use Slackware or Gentoo (if you have time for a long install) first. Know Linux before you know it's distributions. |
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May I ask you why do you need that? starting and administrating are not the same level I think.
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The OP says that they want to learn Linux, they wish to become a system administrator, and they are a beginner.
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Bottom line is that a new Linux user needs to pick a distribution that is friendly enough to foster a learning environment that will allow a skill set to flourish. The choice should be left up to the person picking the distribution. Providing feedback that is largely dependent on opinion and opinion alone, is counter intuitive. Advice should help the decision making process, not make the decision for the receiver. The finer points of managing a Linux operating system are kept under the hood in a distribution like RHEL. That is what the large enterprise companies are paying for when they subscribe to RHEL. If you ever plan to get to the point where an enterprise company hires you as a system administrator, you first need to learn how Linux works. With that said, the CompTIA Linux+ Certification is an excellent way to learn Linux. Information about it can be found here. |
adding to the said above: stay on command line, no matter what else is offered. Using GUI tools (even the TUI tools) keeps you away from the real thing and narrows down your possibilities. Gnome, KDE etc are nice playgrounds for users and definitely have their use cases, but administration can (IMHO) only be done properly from CLI.
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Every year some-one does a survey of the distros used on web servers. The common ones are always Debian Stable and CentOS. CentOS is the free version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux: if you have enough in-house expertise to run your own web servers 24/7, you probably don't need to pay for RHEL support.
No-one is going to use Arch in a production environment because it's not stable enough: it's a hobbyist's distro. No-one is going to use Arch or Slackware because they don't have tools for automated installation: imagine the poor administrator with 50 computers to install on and every single one has to be done manually! Also Slackware does so many things differently to other Linuxes and its repository lacks most of the things that businesses need. Don't get me wrong: these are both very good products, but they're not for business use. So, my advice would normally be to get Debian Stable or CentOS. But you already have Ubuntu, which is built on Debian. If you learn that, concentrating on working with the command line, it will be a very good start, as what you learn will also apply to Debian. And a lot of companies and organisations actually use Ubuntu: Google, Wikipedia, the French parliament, the Dutch police... There's a lot ot silly snobery in Linux: "My distro is better than your distro!" -- ignore it. |
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My distro is better than your distro - he said. And bamm - he found one!
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