I want to run a home web server and with so many linux versions out there what's the best one. I have a older Dell 1ghz pentium, 1gb ram, 40GB HD computer for this. And linux is a new OS for me as well. Thanks for your inputs.

All the different major distributions are great at running the servers you or I would ever need to run. I think picking a distro is more a matter playing with them to see what fits you best and what your plans are. If you just want to run a web server that you "set it and forget it" I would recommend any of the majors like CentOS, OpenSuse, or Debian/Ubuntu. Just remember the more packages you install and the more cutting edge the OS, the more updating required in frequency and volume.

I like Redhat/CentOS because it is where most of my experience is. You will get 15 to 19 different recommendations from 20 people.

Or he might get 80 recommendations from 20 people. You recommended 5 alone!

I'd put my vote in for CentOS. I'd say stay away from OpenSuSE...just because I hate it and haven't met too many people who liked it long-term...although they do exist. Not to mention their Microsoft deal is enough to make me not even want to visit a site that has anything to do with Novell (maintainers of SuSE).

One man's preference. Good luck!

CentOS, Debian, or Slackware are all good choices

I don't like Ubuntu myself, but the install is a bit simpler than CentOS (my choice btw).

Since the OP hasn't mentioned a high level of "geekiness", and Linux is new, Slackware would be a pretty tough ask. Stick with something simple and easy to maintain (updates are important don't forget, and far from intuitive in Slackware).

I like OpenSuse - really good look - but looks are not too relevant for a server.

If you want to get your hands a tad dirtier, CentOS would be a good choice. Basically RedHat unbadged, it's nice and stable and has a long enough release cycle. Steer clear of Fedora perhaps (basically a development version of RedHat).

At the end of the day, which you choose doesn't matter too much. The same software is availabe for each (more or less), and any distro will have a learning curve.

Are you planning on running a GUI (ie graphical screen) or in text mode (as most servers are)?

I don't know about Slackware being 'difficult.' Yes, it has a slightly higher learning curve. I think, though, that it's simply different. I don't have a great deal of *nix experience, but after about two or three months, I found that I was easily able to configure Slackware, even down to installing and unselecting specific packages. Of course, that kind of advanced selection isn't necessary with Slackware- just select a Full or Newbie type installation and it's a piece of cake.

Like I said. I don't think it's difficult, just different. Does it have a higher learning curve? Yeah. Would I have been deterred if I had started with it? No.

That said, I would still personally recommend CentOS, which seems to be the general consensus anyway.

Exactly what he said. They're all stable and secure, the biggest differences being about the package management. I would probably choose Debian, because the only software updates they offer in the main repository are security updates, intended to make your system secure without really changing the software and risking something breaking.

I would have to use the GUI since I am new to Linux. I have redhat 9 up and running my home web server just having difficulty connecting a USB hard rive to the system. This is what has me looking at what the best OS for running the web server is.

You should not be running Red Hat 9, RH 9 passed its end of life in 2004, I believe, you open yourself to security risks using RH 9.

My web server is being worked over as of current, but I've always used Debian Etch on it, and Debian Lenny/Sid on my personal machine. Debian Etch is great and I highly recommend it for any use. I've tried Fedora, CentOS, OpenSuSE and havent had any luck with them.

I'm not through with my server yet that I'm trying to build, but so far for someone learning more, like me, I'd recomend one of these three:

* Mandriva Linux 2008
* SuSe Linux
* Fedora Core Linux

If you want to learn lots about distributions and the differences, maybe try the book Linux for Dummies, which even comes with about 5-6 different distributions to try. Maybe try picking the one that does most of your work for you? That's what I think I'm learning...

Want an OS for a web server ?

Can't go wrong with FreeBSD.

I would definitely not recommend Mandriva. I wouldn't particularly recommend SuSE, either. And definitely not Fedora Core, as it's 'bleeding edge,' not stable. The stable equivalent would be RHEL or CentOS.

I would not recommend RHEL no matter how stable it is. They send you to this website to figure out all the problems you encounter while trying to run it. Even if you try to find the answers on their web site it might not be very helpful since they build it with their proprietary command calls like "./configure" which is not recognized anymore and so you might not be able to resolve any installation issues.

me99, that is just plain bad advice.

First, ./configure is a shell script included with most source code packages. It is not a command, obsolete or proprietary.

Second, Redhat has some of the best documentation on the web, and is reputed to have amongst the best support of any distro - although I haven't used it myself.



Note - I've made a post under you mysql question that may help