Hi all, I am new to this forum and would like to know what the differences (if any) are between Redhat Linux ES4 and WS4.

Thanks in advance for your help

marketing would be my guess.

They likely include more installable packages in the ES (Server) version than the WS (Workstation) version. However at the core the kernel is going to be the same and you'd be able to install the other packages from other sources. For example in the ES you'll have options for NFS server, NIS server, Samba server etc... and those probably don't come with the WS distribution. Since the ES/WS are commercial versions you presumably are looking at them for an organization rather than personal use.

If you want personal use just get Fedora Core of the same version level. It's essentially just the non-commercial distribution of the equivalent RedHat version. If you're doing it for commercial purposes and intend to do it as a server you can do this as well - you just won't have a "supported" version from RedHat. If support is important then you should buy based on the purpose. If its just for someone's desktop to replace Windoze go with WS. If its for use by multiple users or for a common application used by multiple users go with the ES.

P.S. You can get evaluation copies from RedHat for WS at least - probably for ES as well.