What should I get?
Red Hat Pro 7.3 or wait for Mandrake Linux 9.0 pro? I'm a total n00b and I'm attempting to do what many have done in the past and present... converting to Linux

But I'm looking to learn on a faster pace then I did with Windows. People are saying Mandrake is the way to go.

What's your opinion

If you REALLY want to learn, build one from scratch.... www.linuxfromscratch.org .

Welcome to LQ, Pakmon.

Firstly, may I suggest that if you're a complete newbie, you'd probably be best going for Mandrake...

Secondly, and this is going to sound very rude, but believe me when I say that I don't mean it to be... you could have found that out by searching the boards.

thank you all!

Adam, just noticed your post there... if this is Pakmon's first attempt at Linux, then perhaps an LFS is not an option, since you need a working Linux setup in order to do one!

Pakmon - LFS (LinuxFromScratch) is actually a 'book' and resources on how to install a basic Linux system completely from scratch, as the name suggests. I started out with Mandrake and found it to be the most newbie friendly... that said, there's not really much to choose between any of them these days - they're all pretty easy! I've read that SuSE is also quite newbie friendly, but I've never tried it, so I couldn't possibly comment.

As I mentioned above, searching should be able to answer most of your questions... and there has been an abundance of threads on 'which is best for a newb'... just searching within the newbie forum itself would yield much.

Good luck, and don't forget to come back here!

if you are thinking about buying these distros, dont but 7.3 - the next release (a major 8.0 release) would most likely be available in the folloiwng week or two.

Mandrake 9.0 is out - get it. If you have a fast conxion, you can just download the ISOs for the two distos and make the installation CDs instead.

If you really want to learn on a faster pace and get your hands dirty, I wouldn't recommend Mandrake nor Redhat. Go with Slackware or maybe even Debian. Not so many GUI tools and lots of hand editing to help you learn more about the OS.

And I agree with Thymox with the LFS. You would have to get a working Linux install before you can start an LFS.

i also got this "Linux Cookbook" that gives me some helpful hints on how to use the O/S. it's just that i've saw my co-worker doing an "installation" or extracting .tar files (sp?) and what not to get this one flash website working... heh...

it was interesting and i do.. trust me, want to learn

they're right... I should have mentioned the requirement of a base distro for the LFS. However, installing a distribution isn't too difficult at all, and if you know how to follow instructions, LFS isn't either. I guess it's just something to keep in mind if you ever want to get a little deeper in the linux pool. Whichever one you end up using... Good Luck

*seconds Tricky ...

Slack is the way to go ;)
You learn the most where the effort is highest!

Cheers,
Tink

Debian is the way to go

Did I hear chanting? Go Slack go

If you have time, patience, and bandwidth, get a few, maybe: RH, mandrake, Suse, Slack, and Debian. Give em each a try, maybe a month per, and see what one you like. You won't be learning as much with RH or Mandrake as you would by using Slack or debian, as you are forced to before some things will work. But to do it at your own pace, you might have a little better luck with RH Mandy or SuSe.

Obviously going to be user choice, so make an educated one, that's why I say try em all and find your favorite.

Cool

I agree with what some of the others have said. If you want a working system ASAP, RH or Mandrake would be good choices, but if you want to LEARN Linux, Slackware's the best choice for now, and maybe LFS after you have more experience under your belt.