i believe to very pretty knowledgable with computers; i am very good with hardware, and Windows. i have lots of learning to do with Linux. i have been using RHL 7.3 for quite some time now, and i can't help but to feel that i am being decieved concerning the real "Linux," just as AOL users are decieved concerning the real "Internet." is there a very plain, stripped down version of Linux that i could use? one that dosen't already come with an office suite (i would just use OpenOffice.org), a browser (i would use the latest Mozilla build), and so on. i would probably need it to have a GUI built in (preferably GNOME), because i dont know much about those. if my whole concept of thinking is wrong, then please notify me, i want to learn Linux, not just have a working and free OS!

any tips would be great!

thank you,
Justin Brown

There's always slackware.

what version of Linux does evrybody recommend?

I went from Red Hat 8, to Slackware 8.1... upgraded to 9... and now i'm tooling with Linux From Scratch.

I would highly recommend Slackware, and only bother with installing Gnome stuff as needed by apps. Gnome is a bit too bloated and syrupy for my tastes.

I use Slackware with the WindowMaker window manager, phoenix web browser (stipped down version of mozilla), Sylpheed email client, Aterm for my terminal, just to name a few.... I find my setup to be elegant, relatively fast, light, and easy on the eyes.

Of course, if you were a masochist... er... i mean... "real linux user" you could always go command-line and dump x.

Yeah I guess you could say that Red Hat has some unneeded apps...but I don't think it is akin to the AOL anology you used.

However, having said that - I would suggest you do sniff around some other distros - If nothing else it will be fun.

Try gentoo if your up for a challenge or OpenBSD

Slack is definitely good for a stripped down version, but if you're up for a challenge go with Gentoo. I've tried just about every distro, lol no joke, and the best I've found are still Gentoo, Slack, RH (version 9 ONLY), Mandrake 8-9.1, SuSE 8.1, and most of the BSD's are pretty nice.

Slackware is my recommendation. Ive used the "big" distros and when I moved to Slack, I realized how much I had to learn, and im very quickly (when compared to using MDK) learning what makes linux "tick".

Dont be fooled by people saying slackware is hard because it has no "graphical" install. Remember a Text install is JUST AS EASY as a graphical one, its just doesnt have pretty buttons.

Personally, I recommend 2.4.18, but 2.4.20 is stable. I should really upgrade my computer...

You can find the kernel sources at kernel.org...

Remember Linux Version != Linux Distro

A Linux Distro is like Red Hat, Slackware, SuSe, or Debian. When you say Linux Version, it really means Linux Kernel Version. The kernel is what accually runs everything.

For stripped down, I guess Slackware, Debian, or Gentoo would be your best bet. Slackware probably is the best with getting the GUI up and running versus the others. I'm not sure how comfortable you are with the command line, so I couldn't answer it. I had a good install of Debian(No X) on under 250MB, so if that answeres your small question. Gentoo is a source distro that compiles everything. It might not be for you if you are not a very patient person...

I agree ( and good selection of programs! ), but also with Debian you can have a fast setup, not overbloated with "monsters" like gnome and kde.

And skipstone maybe is even faster than phoenix.

@ Justin: if you really like windows, try icewm that is a lot faster than both gnome and kde, and similar in the interface.

yes, definitely Slackware. if you have a lot of time (and patience) try LFS.

If you know a little about linux (how to get around on the console) I would really recommend trying deb, that way you only install what you actually need. I use Gentoo, 'cos I like the speed and wanted to play with XFS (shouldn't have put it as my root fs though )
The point is not to have too many services running. When I start up, I only have about 10 processes listed, and no open ports/network services unless I explicitly start them as needed (none start at boot, not even X)
LFS is a good idea, but it is quite hard to set up following their instructions. I have done it in the past, but with my own method and it worked, the only problem is nobody else has a distro laid out the same way so you can be pretty stuck if you get lost, but thats unlikely seeing as you did it all by hand and made notes
Slack or debian is probably the best bet unless you want to spend ages fetching and compiling source off the net.

Find yerself a good reference book or site.
Download the Debian floppy install disks and do a network install of the base system. No GUI. " i would probably need it to have a GUI built in" and " i can't help but to feel that i am being decieved concerning the real "Linux,"... is there a very plain, stripped down version of Linux that i could use?" are mutally exclusive.
Learn some Linux and apt-get whatever else you need.
Good Luck.

P.S. You can do "CTRL-ALT-F2" and see how you get along.
"CTRL-ALT-F7" to return.

I suggest Gentoo. Has a really good package management system and compiles everything for you