easiest linux distro to learn for a linux noob??

[hungrygoose]

red hat?suse?mandrake?.....there are so many i don't know which to try........i've tried red hat 7.0 a little but wasn't crazy about it.....which is the easiest to use for someone that is just wanting to get started learning linux?.....i'm sure this topic has been posted on several times, but i couldn't really find the answer i was looking for.

 

[Tiger]

Easiest to install probably Mandrake 8.2. Easiest distro for a newb to use is probably a toss up between RH, Mandy, and SuSE as long as you use the KDE window manager. None of them are easy to "learn" compared to windows. You have to have some patience and time to invest.

 

[hungrygoose]

yea.....i know it won't be easy, i'm just looking for the easiest one to get my feet wet.....i don't want to jump in over my head

 

[aceO07]

I'm not sure what's the answer you're looking for.. I'm new to linux too (used off and on for a while) and I use Slackware 8.1.

It's not as hard as people think. Here's what I do.
1. Boot from Slackware CD, 'setup' installation (straight forward), reboot
2. login, run 'mc' (file manager), navigate to 'etc/rc.d' (edit 'rc.modules', uncomment the line for your soundcard, save), reboot
3. login, run 'xf86config' to configure startx, run 'startx'
4. have fun learning, cleaning up the extra stuff you don't need.

So far in the last couple of days, I've installed Slackware and almost have it set (with software) to replace win2k. I just need to get the tv tuner software working with audio. 😛

 

[TheOmegaCode]

Debian, with BlackBox?

 

[Tripleshot]

Learn redhat. It is easier now than before,and everything you learn is applicable on other distros. mandrake is ok too, but Redhat is recognized and more widely used than any other distro,therefor much support.

 

[cleverhandle]

Red Hat or Mandrake. Red Hat has a wider user base, so it's easier to find rpm's compiled against their config and easier to find other people that have the same problems you do. Those are good things if you like experimenting with the various Open Source software packages. If you mostly want to stick with the basics (internet, KDE, office stuff), Mandrake has (according to most) a slightly friendlier install and user tools. Those are very small differences, though - the two distros are much more alike than they are different.

I say just pick whichever one strikes your fancy - in a month, you'll decide you want to change everything, which will give you an opportunity to switch distros if you want to.

 

[knappster]

Even though I am a seasoned FreeBSD user, i would suggest going with something along the lines of mandrake or redhat.

One interesting option might be OpenBSD if you really want to learn what you are doing. It starts out with a minimalistic OS and allows you to tailor it to your needs. A little bit of a jump, but it helps you learn real fast.

 

[TheOmegaCode]

I had Mandrake installed, but didn't learn much from it... I installed FreeBSD and I continue to learn new things...

If you really want to learn a flavor of Linux then I'd say get ready to do a lot of reading, and try a 'harder' variant...

 

[cleverhandle]

Originally posted by: TheOmegaCode
I had Mandrake installed, but didn't learn much from it... I installed FreeBSD and I continue to learn new things...

But I think you have to come to that conclusion yourself before moving on to something more challenging. I love Slackware to death, but I don't think I would have been as enthusiastic about it without trying RedHat first and realizing that it wasn't enough. It's hard to make yourself do the reading and tinkering without understanding, personally, why it's necessary.

 

[knappster]

i agree with cleverhandle...

you can't substitute just reading for actual experience. try, try, try...that's all you can do to figure out what you need and what you want from a linux/bsd distro.

 

[TheOmegaCode]

That's kinda my point.. Someone comes to a BBS and askes everyone for an easy distro, and gets nothing but Mandrake and RH as an answer. When the truth of the matter is, you need to learn for yourself. If you are serious about learning something, then it doesn't matter which distro you use...

 

[Kai4Linux]

I tried both RedHat and Mandrake, and I can say honestly urpmi will save a linux newbie a TON of headaches. Nothing like on teh first day.. you need blah blah dependenceis. huh?? Try to install those, they need more bleh bleh bleh etc etc.

I like mandrake, and i think you learn from it, its just you choose if you want to learn. You don't have to, but whenever i do sys configs, i do it from console. Then again, limbo (RH Beta) has a urpmi like tool which solves deps so thats good.

 

[pac1085]

I would start off with a slackware or bsd-like setup. When I was learning linux, I started when RH 5.2 came out, and for the next few years using linux on and off, I stuck to RedHat and and Mandrake. I wish I didnt. Last year I started to use slackware. Its laid out alot more simply than the other distros, no fancy package(apt/emerge) tool or half assed package tool(rpm) but one that gets the job done. That made it so much easier for me. The only con is the installation system sucks as compared to redhat. It doesnt configure X or anything so you need to do that on your own after its done. It's not as bad as many people say though. Slackware 8.1 is great, I've been using it as my primary OS since its beta stages. I've learned alot using it too, shell scripting, how the init files work, recompiling without the headaches of trying it in redhat/mandrake(or waiting for the distributor to release their own version of it). Its nice because it gives you a feel of control over the system, I didnt feel that way with redhat/mandrake.

Just my opinion though, so take it FWIW.

 

[hungrygoose]

what about suse?....it seems fairly easy to use and a sinch to install....pros and cons?....please tell more pros and cons whenever recommended a distro....that would help me actually decide which to try

 

[knappster]

I'll take the BSD side of things...

On FreeBSD and OpenBSD (any *BSD for that matter), the one thing that really drew me to it was the ports collection. It's just a bunch (7000+) of applications that have been specifically ported to the *BSD you are running. All you have to do is run "make install" in the directory of the app that you want, and it goes and downloads the newest source, compiles it with whatever options you specify, and installs it. It makes things easily upgradeable too.

I would say it's probably the easiet application management system I've found...and the great thing about it is that they aren't packages! it's all from source, so it's easily customizable...

just my two cents... 🙂

 

[SUOrangeman]

Although I am now a Debian convert, I cannot suggest that Debian is a good distribution for a first-time Linux user. You have to get the hang of Linux to really appreciate what Debian has to offer.

-SUO

 

[manly]

Originally posted by: hungrygoose
what about suse?....it seems fairly easy to use and a sinch to install....pros and cons?....please tell more pros and cons whenever recommended a distro....that would help me actually decide which to try

I really like SuSE's overall desktop usability, which in my opinion trumps Red Hat Linux. The installer is very slick (better than Mandrake's; easily better than Red Hat's). I generally "test-drive" the installers for each of these Linux flavors upon new release (but unfortunately I haven't tried Debian or any of the bit players lately). The main downside is you can't downside installable ISOs for SuSE. You *can* install by FTP, or you can buy the retail box. Of the 3 major commercial distros that I've mentioned, SuSE should be your top pick if you want a KDE3 desktop. For GNOME, SuSE is not the ideal choice.

There are various other good things about SuSE, but rest assured it's a good choice for newbies.

I don't understand why people say you can't learn nuts and bolts from Red Hat, Mandrake, SuSE (insert other commercial distro). You can dig as deep as you want (in fact Red Hat is known for being a relatively good server distro). But fortunately, part of the growing appeal of Linux is value-added scripts and other administration programs that save your time. Now if you want to blow away your well-tested Red Hat installation by manual tweaking, that's your choice.

I run SuSE because it works well, is stable, and gives me little fuss. To be comprehensive, here are some CONS:

1. Red Hat is the de facto standard; most 3rd party RPMs out there aren't specifically compiled for SuSE (but oftentimes will work fine).
2. YaST Online Update (analog of Red Hat up2date or Winblows Update) is quite weak.
3. SuSE 8.0 won't run VMware 3.1.1 out of the box (reputedly because of their custom Linux kernel)
4. User base isn't big enough to have a thriving community of online supporters (don't get me wrong, SuSE is a popular distro and you can get online advice)

If you run SuSE and need help, feel free to send me a PM.