Hi Linux Experts,
I am planing to build a Linux server for hosting Java website applications and trying to find what RH OS is right for me.. and in that quest these are few qestions for you guys...These question are extermly basic and I am sure these are super easy for you guys to answer.. I wanna to thank you in advance for replying my questions.. It will be great help to me..

Questions:
1. What is Redhat Enterprise Linux?
2. What is Fedora?
3. How is Redhat Linux is different then Redhat Enterprise Linux and Fedora?
4. Is Redhat Linux 9.0 last version of Redhat Linux and they don't have any more Redhat Linux?
5. Is Fedora suitable for server for my purpose?
6. Is Redhat Enterprise Linux free?
7. I have seen Redhat Enterprise Linux download is available on ftp public domain of redhat.com? Can I download and install it? or they are betas? or they are there be'cos Redhat Enterprise Linux is free??
8. Can I download and burn it to CD so that I can install on my server without anything on it - from scratch... like bootable CD?

Thanks again and sorry if you find it too many question.. I could get answer of these questions anywhere so thought to try you guys..

Thanks,
Aj

Basically, after Red Hat 9, Red Hat split their product line into a community distribution called Fedora and a commercial distribution called Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Fedora is free and released at frequent intervals. RH uses it to test technology they're considering integrating into RHEL. You can find free RHEL CDs but you get to pay big bucks if you want access to their support infrastructure. I use a free clone of RHEL called CentOS (it is built from the same sources as RHEL, which is open source, after all) and it works quite well.

And yes, Linux is a complete operating system so so it can be installed on a bare PC with nothing else running.

Thanks btmiller, I really appricate your reply.. You answered most of my question however following ones are still unanswered.. Please reply if possible...

1. Is Fedora good for server purpose that may host java internet application?
2. How can I get RHEL free CD, do you know? I don't care for support.. I wonder why you not using RHEL and using instead its clone or copy (centOS)??
3. I have seen Redhat Enterprise Linux download is available on ftp public domain of redhat.com? Can I download and install it? or they are betas?


Thanks again,
Aj

You can but I'd use a RHEL clone like Centos for stability reasons, and because Fedora releases are only supported by updates for 18 months.

I don't know where you'd get 'free' RHEL CDs - to get them off Redhat you have to buy a support subscription at the same time. The reason you'd use Centos is that even if you were to get a free CD set of RHEL from somewhere its not much use having it on a server because you can't get any updates for it.

I think Redhat only releases the source RPMs on their public FTP site. Projects like Centos then take these source RPMs, rebuild them and arrange them into nice ISO images with the installer and all that stuff so that you essentially have a full distro just like RHEL. IOW just get centos (www.centos.org).

Thanks tkedwards and btmiller...you guys are golden.. thanks for such a nice and clear reply.. I really appricate it...
I will get CentOS..

Thanks,
Aj