YADQ - Yet Another Distro Question
 

Hello, everyone!
Ok, now this is the case. In october I tried SuSE 9.1 Professional, but i messed it up real bad and gave up. Then, after filling up my XP with updates AGAIN, i got sick of it, and installed 9.2 Professional over FTP. Now I'm almost happy.

After posting a thread about multi-booting distros, and being asked my some of my friends that are sick of windows too, to try out some distros, i made a plan in calc (yeah!) of my partition table and found out that i can actually install about: one freakin XP (dunno why, but since i have, let it stay!) and six other distros on my 60GB hard drive. actually, i can get even more, but that's THE LEAST, i can redo the partition table to get more, but that will mean less than 6GB per distro. If that's ok, i can do it. Just don't think i need that many to start...

My question to you, everybody, is to make a list of five distros you would suggest (i'll still use SuSE, cuz its my first linux). My criteria are:
- Learn the basics of linux in text-mode (well, maybe shell)
- An easy to use, ready for even a lazy person (not for me :-)) - its an option, maybe just one :)
- A good hardware support
- I want to learn to configure linux in any way (with the use of books of course)
- And optionally an easy installation. If its hard - that's ok, i like challenges. I mean, challenges as in those that can be solved, not the one's in winXP.

Ok, i understand, that probably every linux meets at least one of that criteria, but i need user-and-newb-friendly distros. Oh, and preferably, i want to install over FTP and only a few packages i really use. But it doesn't have to be, just an option.
I'm not asking you to pick one best, i'm asking you to pick 5! I'm thinking of Slackware, and heard good stuff about Gentoo, except that i don't think i can handle a text-based installation right now. Also, i really liked Knoppix 3.7, and i think of installing it too (its amazing that you can!!! Look at this HOWTO! I like its awesome hardware support and recognition. I'm also thinking of trying a russian distro of linux called ASPLinux, since my relatives (yea, i'm russian) asked me to, and its the only fully russian linux.

I will accept any advice, since i'm a newbie (well, not a total newb, but still need a lot to learn)
What about the super distro package that linuxcd.org offers? Ok, i'll leave the rest to you, just suggest a couple of distros and i'll be happy! :D

thanks in advance, svinka.

I was thinking of saying slackware and gentoo . . .and then you took the words outta my mouth.

If you want to learn more about how linux works then slackware would be the best one. Slackware has a bunch of tweaking to it. Just like gentoo.

If you decide that pure slackware is too difficult then I suggest Vector Linux. Its emphasis is on being super fast and small. You can install slackware packages onto it with no problems.

Gentoo would be great if you wanted to have a desktop tweaked to be the absolute best. There is no distro out there that really makes it specifically for your computer. Gentoo will allow you to build it from the ground up.

Debian is a classic. You can choose this one if you need an easy start but not a complete rollover distro. Debian's startup scripts are easier than all the above but still have a sysv feel to it. I would suggest at least the sarge variant of debian, perhaps the unstable version.

The last distro I suggest would be ASPLinux since you are russian. It's good to support distros that aren't as mainstream. Thats mainly why I support vectorlinux. It was my first distro and I still find a use for it on my old pc.


In closing, let me add one last comment. Be sure to save yourself a nice shared home directory (or perhaps a ~/My_Files directory to save you from .config file problems). Anyhow, gl.

Hmm, that's interesting...
 

Whoa, can you tell me about that in details? Do you mean like a home directory, that all the distros would use? I read that it's not a really good idea, because the packages might be different. I just don't get what .config are you talking about (yeah, i'm a newbie).

If so, then, perhaps i should rearrange while its not too late. I can make a partition for each distro about 2-4 GB.

Yeah, i already have seen ASPLinux and you know, it's not that bad. It recognizes and installs drivers for ATI 9800XT card (like mine) which i thought was pretty awesome. I'm sure that vectorlinux is nice too, so i'm gonna try it. There's nothing to lose! I'm gonna try the free versions, and those that i'll like, i'll buy on cd's for my friends, family.

So i only have one question about the /home directory you said about, and i hope you will be so kind to answer it :)

thanks in advance

say that /dev/hda2 is your my files partition

in /etc/fstab you would put this in all your distros

/dev/hda2 /home/MyUser/My_Files auto users,defaults 0 0

If that causes any problem just post here.

Ok, i think i'll have:

1. SuSE
2. ASPLinux
3. Knoppix
4. Slackware
5. Debian
6. Gentoo
7. Vectorlinux

Possibly even more, but that's the main list.
Ok, i'll install them and do exactly what barryman_5000 posted. Just one question, do i write that in the shell? The "/dev/hda2 /home/MyUser/My_Files auto users,defaults 0 0" part? If not, then what exactly do i have to do with /etc/fstab?

thanks

You have to open /etc/fstab in a text editor(such as nedit, kedit, nano) as root and add that line onto the end. Just be sure to replace MyUser with the username you want to use (like mine is dbn so I would have /home/dbn/MyFiles). This will keep you from having config problems.

Anyway, I hope that all works out for ya. If you try the gentoo be sure to give it a bit more time than the others . . . b/c people tend to have a few problems with it :-D

A question to you, Slack'ers. Can I install Slack over FTP? Or I have to have all the CD's?

thanks