Linux. where should I start?

[dsa1971]

I am a total noob to linux. I have an old emachine lying around that is a couple years old and since it's not being used for anything I thought I would setup linux on it just for fun and to get my first taste of linux. where/how should I start? what variation of linux would be best to start with? debian? ubuntu? fedora? any recommended linux books?

 

[n0cmonkey]

Download Ubuntu, burn it, put it in the cdrom, boot from it, install.

 

[daniel49]

would have to say ubuntu is the most straight forward one I have seen.

 

[birdpup]

Your question has been answered very well so far even though it may not seem like it. Ubuntu is currently the best distribution for new people with its debian base. It is better to learn from a debian system than from an rpm system, such as Redhat, Mandriva, or Suse because the rpm system is awful for system upgrades and package installations and also because debian follows the Linux Filesystem Hierarchy Standard whereas Redhat does not.

For books, it may be good to go with O'Reilly's offerings and start with Running Linux.
linux.oreilly.com
linux tutorials

 

[ShaneDOTM]

From my own experience and from some of my friends, our favorite for beginners at the moment is kubuntu. the difference between kubuntu and ubuntu is the desktop. kubuntu comes with KDE which is usually a little easier for windows users to understand and use, while ubuntu comes with the gnome desktop which is the more traditional linux desktop. Either is a good start. Good luck and welcome to the linux family.

 

[Ahkorishaan]

Ubuntu seems to be the most popular, but I am and have been for some time a fan of SuSE. SuSE 9.3

It says it's an Evaluation version, but it's not, it's the whole shebang.

 

[drag]

Ya ubuntu is a good place to start.

It's not perfect, but it's the easiest thing I've found that you can use to get to a usable desktop and be able to try out all sorts of different types of hardware.

Be sure to read the docs aviable on Ubuntu's website about restricted media formats and whatnot. Read the FAQ and a few other things.

Ubuntu is debian based so often information about one is usefull in the other...

Familarity with a command line isn't required, but it's nice. It's actually increadably usefull irregardless what OS your using, but unlike MS were they stopped realy refining the command line as a user enviroment back in DOS days, with Linux it's been under constant developement and improvement. It's quite powerfull.

Then if get used to the unix shell and you want you can use Putty.exe to 'ssh' into your Linux box to get a secure remote shell access from your Windows machine.

Although the best way to learn linux is to dive in and use it exclusively for a while.

 

[dsa1971]

Originally posted by: drag
Ya ubuntu is a good place to start.

It's not perfect, but it's the easiest thing I've found that you can use to get to a usable desktop and be able to try out all sorts of different types of hardware.

Be sure to read the docs aviable on Ubuntu's website about restricted media formats and whatnot. Read the FAQ and a few other things.

Ubuntu is debian based so often information about one is usefull in the other...

Familarity with a command line isn't required, but it's nice. It's actually increadably usefull irregardless what OS your using, but unlike MS were they stopped realy refining the command line as a user enviroment back in DOS days, with Linux it's been under constant developement and improvement. It's quite powerfull.

Then if get used to the unix shell and you want you can use Putty.exe to 'ssh' into your Linux box to get a secure remote shell access from your Windows machine.

Although the best way to learn linux is to dive in and use it exclusively for a while.

I've actually preferred using the command prompt in windows for a lot of things because it's much easier for certain tasks. I work from home and have a KVM switch setup so I switch between my desktop and my notebook which is exclusively my work machine. I may, for awhile, use the linux machine that I am going to setup, as my home computer to get used to linux and explore it's features.