##POLL##Which version of Linux?

[BoomAM]

Pick from the list above.
If a distro isnt listed, ask and i`ll add it. Dont just pick "view results" cos you reccommend distro isnt listed.
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Hi.
I was wondering what version of Linux you would reccommend.
I need the following features in it;

1) Easy to set up
2) Supports USB ADSL modems
3) Can act as a router, with one other system (other system being WinXP)
4) Has a selection of built in software (decent browser, email program, basic paint, ect; )

The top 3 are the most importent.

Thanks in advance.

 

[xSauronx]

i choose knoppix because its a great distro and runs off a cd
id give a 2nd to mandrake though since im n00bish and its easy to start out with

 

[BoomAM]

I have the latest Knoppix on a CD on my desk at the moment.
I just wanted to see what other people opinions were.
I cant seem to get my ADSL USB modem working with it though.

 

[BoomAM]

Slightly off topic;
But ive just learned that BeOS is a free OS. Where can i get it, and how does it compare to Linux?
I remember using a very early version of BeOS, that came on a bootable CD (like knoppix), and was quite impressed at the time. Hows it "evolved".

 

[Nothinman]

Debian. Everything else is annoying after using Debian.

 

[InlineFive]

Mandrake Linux is free also, put that broadband connection to use on an overnight download. I had it working no problems with my network and it's software was pretty decent. The only problem is that I could not get it to install the drivers for my GeForce4 Ti 4200 correctly.

-Por

 

[BoomAM]

Do any of them support ADSL USB modems?

Ive checked the official website for my modem, and there are no linux drivers for it, so are there any generic usb adsl modem drivers around for linux?

 

[Nothinman]

Do any of them support ADSL USB modems?

Sorry, my cable modem is connected via a normal cat5 cable so I just need any NIC driver.

Can you be more specific about what type of modem it is?

 

[BoomAM]

Alcatel SpeedTouch330i
ADSL USB Modem.

 

[Nothinman]

I don't think anything supports it out of the box, but this might help.

http://www.tenshu.net/docs/Alcatel-Speedtouch-USB-mini-HOWTO/

 

[BoomAM]

A hell of a lot to do just to use my modem.
Would it be easyier to just buy a ADSL router and 2 nics?
1 nic in the WinXP machine, one in the Linux one.
If i was to do that, how would the bandwidth be handed out? Would it be 50/50?
Or if one machine wasnt using the net, would the other be able to get 100% of the bandwidth.

 

[drag]

Setting up a router is fairly easy with Linux. It's as good as any router you can find in a store. Hell the linksys routers actually run linux themselves. All a router is a small computer, modified with network dedicated hardware.

Look if you want something easy, check out clarkconnect. It's based off of redhat 9 and the home version is free. It's pretty much all set up and ready to go for your router, webserver, e-mail, virus scanner, etc etc needs.

Pretty good. Run down to wallmart, pick up a 300 buck computer, stick a big HD in it and you got a dedicated firewall and stuff. Allthough it is questionable if you should be running services on a firewall anyways.

There are a lot of dedicated firewall/router OSes for linux out their. Like the Leaf firewall appliance OS.

Never used it myself, but I would like to hear from somebody who wants to try it out.

As far as compatability, look in clark's website or forums and ask about it. Some USB ADSL modems do work, I did a search on google to confirm that, but I don't know. Here's a example of somebody trying to get one working

You may want to go to Redhat's website and find the Hardware compatability lists, and see if they have a reference for your modem.

If it's supported by one Linux distro, it's supported by all of them. Linux is Linux is Linux is Linux. Newer OSes = better. All that are different between each OS is pretty much packaging. How are they setup and what sort of expetations do they expect from the users.

 

[Nothinman]

If i was to do that, how would the bandwidth be handed out? Would it be 50/50?

There's no real balancing that I know of, it would be first come first serve.

Would it be easyier to just buy a ADSL router and 2 nics?

Much.

Or if one machine wasnt using the net, would the other be able to get 100% of the bandwidth.

Yes.

 

[rjain]

2.6

 

[rjain]

alcatel usb modems are supposedly supported, but I don't know about the quality of the drivers and which exact models they support

 

[drag]

I went here and downloaded the drivers. That link Nothinham gave was for a obsolete document (I beleive).

I downloaded the drivers and uncompressed them and they have a step by step html for howto set it up in a linux-doc directory. Doesn't look to hard. The first part about compiling the kernel can be ignored, since Redhat should have USB stuff and the pppd stuff enabled already. You must compile the driver and install it, then set up ppp to use it, much like a regular modem.

On a level of 1-10, were 10 being most difficult, I figure it's a 5 or so. Not easy for a newb, but doable.

A regular ADSL router will probably give you better results, though.


edit: actually I looked at Clarkconnect's forums and their was a short thread about a adsl speedtouch USB modem. The guy already had it working with Smoothwall

 

[Nothinman]

That link Nothinham gave was for a obsolete document (I beleive).

I woudn't doubt it, I don't have a Alcatel modem to test with =)

 

[BoomAM]

Thanks for all the help guys.
The seperate ADSL router seems to be the better option upto now.
The second machine was going to be for my parents to access the internet from, i was planning on using linux cos it also gave me a chance to test it out without the worry of it buggering up my highly tweaked main machine.
As long as i can get 100% bandwidth from the main machine when the second aint in use, then i will probably go down the router/2 nics route.

 

[rjain]

remember that USB is slower than ethernet (but you're probably more limited by your ISP)

a router with 2 NICs will probably work much better and easier, as the drivers will be more mature. as far as the setup of networking aspects and the behavior and performance of the networking part of the OS, both ways are identical.

 

[chsh1ca]

Umm, there is a problem with that list. FreeBSD is not linux based, it is BSD based..

That, and your third question is irrelevant since that is a feature of the operating system, and not the third-party software that comes with it.

 

[BoomAM]

Originally posted by: chsh1ca
Umm, there is a problem with that list. FreeBSD is not linux based, it is BSD based..

According to the Linux site that i got the list from, FreeBDS is classed as a Linux OS.

That, and your third question is irrelevant since that is a feature of the operating system, and not the third-party software that comes with it.

Some OS`s are better at acting as a router than others.

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

Wow, look at debian go

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

Originally posted by: BoomAM
According to the Linux site that i got the list from, FreeBDS is classed as a Linux OS.

It is in no way a "Linux OS," although it is somewhat typical to lump the two together. You really should read up on the history of Unix, BSD, and Linux, and how they relate to one another.

 

[sciencewhiz]

What site is providing misinformation about FreeBSD?

 

[civad]

originally posted by: nothinman
Debian. Everything else is annoying after using Debian.

Absolutely