What type of Linux should I use?
 

Hey all. I'm trying to learn myself a thing or two about PC's, so I'm looking for a PC tower and I'm hoping to put some sort of Linux distro on it. Some things I hope to do with my PC would be to run some Windows apps with Wine, as well as compile some code (I have my heart set on C) I'm not terribly nimble with CLI, aside from what little navigating I've done on the Mac OS X Terminal. I've been told Mandrake is best for beginners like myself, while SuSE linux is better for running wine. (I've also heard some good things about FreeBSD and BeOS, but methinks it'd be better to start with something I'm a little more familiar with.)

So. Any recommendations for Linux distros for the things I have in mind? Also, what are some system specs I should keep in mind for recent versions of Linux OSes? (nothing terrible specific, just processor and RAM or HD size or something...)

Thanks much for any suggestions.

yeah...u can go with suse or mandrake...if i were you id stay away from anything red hat...a little too sluggish...

and after learning linux from either one of those distro's...format your drive and install Slackware .. ; )

i started with suse, and love it...it's easy to install and easy to learn with...plus using suse prepared me for the inevitable installation of slackware lol, which is a totally cool distro, with a rather steep learning curve, IMO anyways...if i had started with slackware instead of suse, i'd have given up a long time ago. thats how nice suse is.

*edit...

i forgot to also suggest you check out http://www.distrowatch.com

it's a great place with information on all the distros and what they offer...

Thats the best advice anybody could ever give you. Linux is all about making your own choices, not living with choices somebody else makes for you. Your best bet is to go to distrowatch (linked above) and do some rudamentry research, browsing for features that you desire, and avoiding those you do not. Most people (myself included) are going to be biased towards their favorite distro, and while this isn't a bad thing in and of itself, it doesn't make for the best advice. Whats right for them might not be right for you. Different strokes for different folks, as they say.

I do have to admit, as much as I hate blanket statements, I do advise you stay far, far away from Red Hat and Fedora. Far, far away. Sluggish, beta testbeds are all your going to get from Red Hat without forking over the cash.

Best of luck, and remember to stick with it; don't give up on it.

May I also suggest you to download or purchase a few distros from the web and try them out? I would try out redhat (cuz it seems to be the most well known) and suse for being user friendly. Suse is definitely the most polished of all distros in terms of being user friendly.

But also try out a couple other distros too, like slackware, debian, and gentoo. That way, you'll get a feel of what you prefer. All these distros have their own way of managing their packages, updates, etc. Each one of them has their own personality.

I think i should mention that linux is not like Windows. You should almost never have to reinstall linux. When you come across a problem, google and vim (or your favorite editor) is your best friend.

Finally, good luck in finding the distro that is best for you!

Try Mandrake 10 Official
 

Mandrake 10 Official is real user friendly for the "Newbie" I installed it first time without a hitch...If you want to know more, feel free to e-mail me direct... mikymik2000@yahoo.com

Okay... so far I'm thinking either SUSE or Mandrake. I assume I'll need a Pentium II or better to run these, yeah? I tried putting the CD's I burned Mandrake and SUSE on (from linuxisos.org) the computer, but here's what happened: Mandrake just opened a window with the mandrake logo, a button to install it, and a few other options, but when I clicked the install button, nothing happened. When I put the SUSE disc in, nothing happened period. (I used the i386 version of SUSE personal and the first link on the mandrake page at linuxisos.org.)

Anyway... the machine is pretty old, I was really just trying it out for the hell of it. (I think it has an older Pentium chip) is it just that that machine is too old to run these, or did I burn the discs at too fast a speed or what? It really only seemed to want to cooperate with Windows 95 (not that that was easy, but y'know.)

Also, something slightly off topic, but I get these weird blister-looking marks on the CDs after a while, it looks like there's fluid stuck under the surface or something. Any idea what that's about? I did write on the discs with a sharpie... might that have damaged them somehow?

I think your right...I believe that you'll need at least a pIII to run it properly, and as far as that blister thing goes...I have no idea..God luck, and I think you'll find that Mandrake is easier to use than Suse..have fun though which either way oy[[you go..Mike