which linux is for me?
 

Im sure this question is asked a huindred times a day on here..but which is for me. ive read the distribution section and all my choices, and i have no clue. Im just starting linux, dunno even wwhy..but im looking for something to mess around with...make a dual boot with my xp (am i allowed to say that?) so any suggestions. and maybe reasons why, and there links to there info or something would be great

personally, i'd say that anyone who is at the stage of asking this question basically wants mandrake. i'd say it's the easiest REAL linux distro to install and use. there's lycoris and similar, but they are just plain insulting and pretend they're not linux and don't give you the feel of a proper linux distro. go mandrake.

I just bought SuSE 8.0 and it was an excellent distribution for me.

Hi,
At your level I would not worry about which distro is better. I'd just pick one you want to start with and go from there. Once you get a feel for Linux, then you can narrow it down to a more specific version of your flavor.

:study:

It took me less than an hour to get mandrake running. Its very easy to install and if you want to be able to use windows on the same machine, its easy to set up a dual boot system using LILO so you can choose if you want to load windows or linux each time you boot. If you plan to run both operating systems, I would recommend installing it on a second hard drive.

good, well mr abradakasdfwefasd has it down to a tee.... pick a popular one, and be picky when you know what to be picky about.

case closed!

i would recommend against joules's suggestion of using the second hard drive, and instead put windows on the second one... a touch more complicated, but safer in the long run.

hmm..sounds good but see here is i know absolutly nothing about linux...zero, so when you say pick a popular one..i have no idea, i mean ive been reading a heck of a lot in the past week about linux and mandrake does seem good..does anyone have a link for me to use? also i plan on putting XP on a 60gb hd and linux on a secondary 20gb Hd..for me now linux is just something to play around with....also if i download mandrake or any other type of linux..how do i install that file to a brand new hard drive?

1) get mandrake

2) don't cross bridges until you know that theres actaully something to cross. there's no point guessing at problems you might have.

"there's lycoris and similar"....
 

acid_kewpie...exactly what is the "feel of a proper Linux distro"? And about when did Mandrake start providing this "feel"? Did it feel like Linux with 5.0...or maybe 6.0...or 8.0, 8.1 or 8.2? I'm curious to know...How does one go about getting this "proper feel" eh? What elements within a specific distro provide for this? What is Lycoris missing that doesn't provide this? Does Red Hat? SuSE? How about these other distros...since your obviously the 'man in the know':


Sorcerer
Mandrake
Red Hat
Debian
SuSE
Lycoris
Gentoo
Lindows
Slackware
Beehive
Arch
CRUX
Linpus
ROOT
Caldera
Xandros
LinuxFromScratch
Libranet
Elx
Turbolinux
ASP
OEone
Peanut
Astaro
Thiz
Vine
Red Flag
Eridani
Blue
SmoothWall
Vector
Yellow Dog
Kondara
Conectiva
Icepack
ClarkConnect
LRs
WOW
ROCK
IPCop
BearOps
Murix
BYO
CLE
e-smith
SOT
Xteam
MSC.Linux
Cosix
KRUD
Madeinlinux
OpenNA
Gibraltar
JBLinux
Miracle
Openwall
Omoikane
Immunix
Definity
EnGarde
Holon
LASER5
Trustix
Hancom
Happy
PLD
MIZI
Plamo
Media Lab
Hispafuentes
Elysium
EvilEntity
Kaladix
Lunar
Neat
Probatus Spectra
Securepoint
SoL
Source Mage
UHU-Linux
Voodoo

You tell me which ones provide the proper feel of Linux and why...maybe then I'll stop posting replies to your trashing of other distros.

that is a hell of a lot of distros...but i think im going to go with mandrake 8.2 for now

Installation of Mandrake
 

First: To get Mandrake 8.2 on a new hard drive simple put in your new hard drive and through in the first Mandrake cd an boot up. Follow the installation directions on the screen (it's pretty straight forward).

Two: Go to the Mandrake website and find the link about mailing lists. I recommend joining this since it can be priceless when It comes to fixing any problems (that is if you come across any).

I installed Mandrake for fun since I have not ever used it since the 7.0 days.. then it was easy to install, the 8.2 was even easier to install than Windows.. it detected everything and installed everything the first time around. I haven't seen Windows even do that.. usually after the 10th reboot I have everything working in Windows after loading driver after driver for my devices.. :D

But Mandrake is a good choice for newbies.. too bad mine has to go though for slack or freebsd.. :D

Re: "there's lycoris and similar"....
 

no, i just mean things like lycroris permanently using root as the sole user that kind of stupid thing.

do i have to learn a lot of things..commands etc..to run even the simple tasks with linux? i have a friend with 8.1 and he said it was imposible..idiot or no? or will i be up in no time with a nice dual boot Xp/linux machine

normal use of linux using a fully featured desktop environment like gnome is VERY similar to windows realistically.

dual boot, you'll be fine, have some confidence and get on with i! :D