Redhat versions
 

I have Dell inspiron 32 bit(pentium procssor). and i want to install linux os for my lap. and i want to install redhat:cool: is it suitable for me and if it is not suggest me which version is better for me:scratch: and i am a beginer in linux..


:newbie:

Ya why not.. redhat is excellent. There is nothing in redhat that a newbie can't operate it.
But if you find any difficulty in installation you can install CentOS (another Linux distro and a clone of redhat).

ok ... but i dont know how to install that.. and i want to install it using usb .. and i have the rhel 5.vmem and rhel 5.vmdk which one is better.. and suggest which rhel version is better for me..

I would advise against using Red Hat. Main reason: It is not a free product and there are free alternatives which are 99.9% identical.

Just in case:

RedHat products page: RedHat Products
RedHat download page: RedHat Downloads

- You do need an account to access the actual download url's.
- RedHat products are _not_ free, you need a paid subscription to use it.

Alternatives to RedHat EL (which are free and 99.9% compatible):
- CentOS
- Scientific Linux

If you want to install identical redhat, as druuna suggested you, using usb. You should have iso file of the OS.
Download OS iso according to druuna's suggestion and make pendrive bootable using unetbootin

Now you can install your OS using usb

I would recommend the CentOS version (Redhat Enterprise without comercial software) over the Redhat plain. At least i prefer it.

But to be honest, i would not recommend redhat for a new linux user. Of course it depends on what you are doing but ...

If you're a beginner, and just want a useable OS for your laptop, I would not suggest either Red Hat or CentOS. Load a distro that is meant for 'consumer' hardware, like Fedora or Mint. Fedora 19 has just been released, and uses the same RPM/yum based packages RHEL/CentOS does.

The biggest difference is that RHEL/CentOS are for SERVERS. That means, the latest versions of them don't even have a GUI by default. Support for 'consumer' hardware (like wifi, bluetooth, sound, etc.), is often lacking. You MIGHT be able to make things work...and might not. Fedora or Mint will probably 'just work' right out of the box, and if things don't work, you'll be more likely to find an easy solution. Use one of those to learn Linux first, and use CentOS later if you want.

You don't say exactly which Dell Inspirion model you have, but a 32-bit Pentium model is quite good for Linux, if not so new.

I'd suggest Linux Mint, which is reliable and easy. Get version 13 which came out last year, not version 14 or 15. Thirteen is a long-term-support version, with bug-fixes until 2017. The others are only supported to the beginning of next year, then you have to download a new version.

As has been said, Red Hat has to be paid for: all you can download is a demo. CentOS is not easy for beginners, as (like Red Hat) the software is mostly for business and there's not much of it.

Fedora is rather a testing distro for developing new ideas and it changes very frequently: it's fun for computer enthusiasts, but can be a problem.

Don't let anyone tell you to get Ubuntu: I don't think the installation disk will work on your computer.

WRONG, their product is absolutely 100% free, their services on the other hand are not.

please be careful when you make false blanket statements like that.

though i agree with "TB0ne" on a lot of things
fedora and NEW to linux users is not one of them
( with an exception )
If yo like to and want to "tinker" and fix things fedora might be a good os for a "new to linux " user
a car/automotive correlation

if you like to and want to keep a 1950's ford ( ford AKA: Fix Or Repair Daily ) on the road ,
you have to be able to work on it
-- and they require a LOT of work

with Fedora being a Research and development operating system it too needs a lot of time and work and fixing


OpenSUSE 12.3 might be a better choice over fedora for a "new " user

Their system is pay-to-use -- a subscription to updates (which is pretty much required to run an OS securely) costs from $49 a year. There is also nowhere obvious on their site from which to download a free instance of their OS. So, you do pay them for the OS when "doing it properly" even if it's possible to find and install it without paying for it.

Yes, RedHat EL is free to download.
Yes, it's free to install RedHat on your box.
Yes, you can now play(!) with it.

However:
- No security updates are available if you do not pay for this product.
- No newer versions of software are available if you do not pay.
- No new software will be available if you do not pay.

This, in essence, makes RedHat EL a paid for product, which will not be any good for normal usage if you don't.

And, there's the support you get from them when you pay.

I am careful about the statements I put down.

Telling the OP that RedHat is free is BS when:
a) there are free alternatives which are 99.9% compatible,
b) the fully functional RedHat version does cost money.

on a 32bit, 8+ years old hardware, running a big, slow and outdated OS such as RedHat ( 1.5 years behind on apps/kernel/etc ) with Gnome or KDE is not a best idea... The system will feel like installing windoz vista on P4 1.6 GHz with 256 MB RAM ( just imagine )
You and your laptop will be much happier running a less "heavy" distribution, such as Xubuntu with Xfce desktop- great for old, P4/Celeron systems, and even new quad cores, for people who prefer a clean, very responsive, lightweight desktop... there is many other choices ( Arch, etc ), and I am quite sure, most of them will be a better choice than RedHat or Fedup'ora.
The installation ISO is a CD image ( not DVD ) so, you should not have any issues with your old laptop....


Main site:
http://xubuntu.org/

installation ISO:
http://mirror.anl.gov/pub/ubuntu-iso...13.04/release/


on the other hand, try fedora, or redhat... if you or your laptop "overheats", find to this post and you will see what some of us mean when talking about the redhat family...

paziulek

the use of paid for and not paid for RHEL installs
can be a bit trollish at times
-- basically not NOT use it if you are not going to buy the support contract !

and the topic of it being FREE can be a bit technical
is it free ?
Answer : YES AND NO , it is rather complex
-- basically not NOT use it if you are not going to buy the support contract !

but for a new user the $49 self support might not do
-- if you have to ask then the normal 1 year $249 is likely what you would need, at least for the first year .

--- edit ---
not so
I had CentOS 5.6 installed on a Desktop from DELL bought in Jan 2001
512 meg ram (was 256 meg)
and it booted WAY faster than XP ( no service pack , SP1,SP2,or SP3 ) ever did
Gnome 2 was almost blindingly FAST
now large data sets with 512 meg , or firefox with only 512 ram . That was a bit slow .

but Gnome2 was fast

bottom line folks. RHEL is 100% free for the OS. that is their PRODUCT. that is NOT their service. Their SERVICE does cost a subscription fee. RedHat moved to 100% subscription fee based business when they moved from RedHat Linux to RedHat Enterprise Linux and their offshoot, at the time their desktop, Fedora Core Linux, now just Fedora Linux.

There are bit compliant forks of RHEL that are both 100% free for the PRODUCT and service, but their service is NOT having someone on the phone 24/7 or a technician at your physical site within 24hrs of your call for support, or even 2hrs depending on the level of SERVICE your purchase.

to state that RedHat is NOT free is to say it is like Microsoft or Apple. Neither offer their OS for free, nor offer service for free. RedHat is not like that. you can, if you look hard enough, download their Source RPMs and compile everything yourself. Or just be smart if you are unwilling to pay for the SERVICE download and install either of the above mentioned forks of RHEL, just be 100% aware there is ZERO real customer service for those forks. You get community forums and in most cases a well designed wiki and that is it for support.

Again support is what you are BUYING when you BUY a service contract from RedHat, you are NOT, I repeat NOT, buying the OS, their product.

as for the OP, Id not run RHEL on an older Laptop. Run CentOS, or Fedora if you wish to stick with the RPM based distros. If not avoid Mint and Ubuntu as they now have a 9mo life cycle and you will be constantly updating and being forced to fiddle with your older hardware just to keep things working. If you want to work with the DPKG line of distros go with the original Debian.

www.debian.org

The others have already been linked.