Linux Gurus: Need help figuring out LINUX distro to use...

[kitkit201]

hey everyone!

right now here is what i have in my computer.. i am going to an installfest this saturday at UCDavis, www.lugod.org , so i need to know which distro is best for my needs.. what i am planning to use linux for is programming, stability, playing some games, listening to music and so on.. here is my setup..

P2 300
320RAM
SB LIVE VALUE!
3DFX VOODOO 3500TV
3COM 509 ISA NIC
LUCENT WINMODEM <-- I know this won't work on linux will it??
ULTRA 66 PCI CARD
- 2 HARD DRIVES CONNECTED TO THE ULTRA 66
- 1 PLEXTOR 8X IDE
Toshiba 32x IDE CDrom
Pioneer 16x DVD rom

Can you help me out ? Thanks!

kitkit201

 

[nsafreak]

<<LUCENT WINMODEM <-- I know this won't work on linux will it??>>

A lot of the modems that use the Lucent chipsets will work, but you might want to check the list located here.

<<3DFX VOODOO 3500TV>>

Good luck getting it to work under Linux, don't know how much support it has.

<<ULTRA 66 PCI CARD>>

You MAY have to remove this card in order to install Linux initially and use it after the install, I'm not 100% sure however.

So far as what distribution, I highly recommend Mandrake 8.1. It's probably one of the easiest distributions to setup and maintain plus it does a good job of recognizing devices & loading the proper drivers. Red Hat is another good option as well, but I recommend Mandrake over it.

 

[Kell]

I'd say if you're an absolute beginner, go Mandrake or RedHat. Mandrake is easier, but IMHO Mandrake 8.1 is not quite as stable as Linux is supposed to be.

If you've got a bit of experience, I'd recommend SuSE.

If you're an expert, I'd recommend Slackware.

If you're an expert, and you want a "perfect distro," I'd recommend Linux from Scratch.

 

[Chatterjee]

red hat baby!

freshrpms.net rocks

-S

 

[asiagian]

Mandrake for newbies. If possible, get 8.0 rather than 8.1, because I read that the auto-mount is disabled in 8.1 by default due to problem with newer kernel. This auto-mount (for Floppy, HDD or CDR) is very valuable for newbies, such as myself.

 

[kitkit201]

soo what is a good 3d card i can use for both linux and windows?

 

[SinNisTeR]

feel free to take a look at the poll i just started. poll. i would recommend SuSE, they have a live eval that you can use and it runs off of cd only. if you want the real thing you have to buy it. other than that i recommend debian or caldera.

 

[ineedsleep]

<< feel free to take a look at the poll i just started. poll. i would recommend SuSE, they have a live eval that you can use and it runs off of cd only. if you want the real thing you have to buy it. other than that i recommend debian or caldera. >>



That is not true. You can install Suse by FTP... that's how I did mine... works okay, but it does take a while

Check this link to learn more Suse.com

... a quote from their site...


<< Otherwise there is no further difference between the commercial and the SuSE Linux FTP-Version respectively. >>



I believe they try to keep this hidden a bit, or not out in the open...

 

[NorthenLove]

I been using SuSe for awhile and I love it. Give it a try before trying Mandrake. Also get rid of that video card and get a Geforce 1 or 2 or ATi Raedon card!

 

[Platypus]

<< Mandrake for newbies. If possible, get 8.0 rather than 8.1, because I read that the auto-mount is disabled in 8.1 by default due to problem with newer kernel. This auto-mount (for Floppy, HDD or CDR) is very valuable for newbies, such as myself. >>



8.1 automounted my drives...
The CD had to be remounted, but the floppy worked.

 

[thornc]

Well, SuSe ftp install has a big problem.... it doesn't work behind a normal firewall/proxy!

I've tried with several different ones and nopes, only in an open line!!!

Has anyone tried installing an older version, and then upgrade it to a current version
by net ( ftp/wget/http ) ??


As for the original post, I'd say if you totally newbie who doesn't even know how a
computer works get mandrake, its simple and it does most of the job for you! RedHat
is also a good choice, but the current version doesn't have all of the latest goodies!!

If you are really planning to stay in linux, then buy a CD package! Help maintain
the companies that create the distros!!! In this case look at SuSe also......

 

[SinNisTeR]

ineedsleep
i didnt know that.. thanks a lot!!!