hi folks,

i've recently migrated to the linux world after deciding that i wanted more excitement compared to m$ land ;-) i want to learn stuff about linux, use it for my day-to-day work, add new packages using the good ole command line interface, and basically get to know the internal workings of linux better :-)

i wanted to know which distro might suit my needs....i definitely want to have access to all the source code, and i want x-windows too when i just want to listen to music or relax. most important, i want a distro that will enable me to compile and run new programs (the good ole tarred gzipped files), compile and install a newer kernel (when i get better at linux ;-), and learn all about the kernel from bottom-up. to be brief, i want to delve deep into linux, and get to know all about its workings, and one day become a linux guru ;-)

i'd greatly appreciate it if any of you could give me some pointers, so i can get hold of a distro thats best for me. btw, is it possible for me to download just the latest stable kernel, and start from there? without installing any specific distro? so i get just the vanilla kernel for me to start from? guess doing that would require more expertise?!

and suppose i install a distro, is it possible for me to download the latest kernel and install it, so my distro is updated? but in that case, would all my other apps work, or wuld i need to recompile all of them?!

forgive my ignorance, but i'm a total noob !

thanx in advance,
guy24x

How are we supposed to know? Just try a couple of distributions and keep the one you like.

I suggest paying a visit to distrowatch, take a look at a few distros from the detailed information provided on that site then choose one to install. You may also wish to try otheers in the future and then eventually settle on the one that fullfils your needs or one that you are comfortable using.

From what you discribed I'd say give slackware, gentoo and arch linux a try and settle on one. My preference is slackware, but gentoo is source based (so everything would be compiled) and better fits your discription.

~predator.hawk (predatorfreak)