Putting Linux on my computer for the first time

[joe360]

Okay I hear alot of people talking about Linux, and I've finally decided to put it on my old computer. First of all, in simple words, what is Linux and what does it do?, Also there are multiple verisions of Linux, which one do I use? Also, will it even run on my old Pentium Mobile MMX @ 266 Mhz with 64mb of RAM ?.. Lastly is there any good step-by-step guides that can get me started?

 

[Hyperblaze]

Linux by definition is a kernel. Kind of like DOS. But what most people download is a distribution of linux. Which is really GNU/Linux. With GNU/Linux you get linux and a whole bunch of free programs that come with it. For those new to Linux, I would recommend something like Mandrake to get their feet wet. Very VERY easy to install. By the time you are more comfortable with Linux, if you wish to learn more about it, then I suggest you actually install another distro.

www.mandrake.com is the mandrake website.

what folks typically do is download files with the extension of "iso" and in their burning software application click on "burn as image".

I'm not quite what what I'd recommend for the specs you just described. You could always try Mandrake 10.1 If that doesn't work, try something else.

Different Linux Distribution sites...
www.redhat.com
www.gentoo.org
www.debian.org
www.mandrake.com
www.archlinux.org
www.slackware.com


ps: there are a lot more distros, but that's all the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

I've used mandrake, slackware, arch linux, redhat, gentoo, and soon debian.

 

[joe360]

Am I suppose to install with my os (win98) or should I reformate?

 

[Hyperblaze]

Originally posted by: joe360
Am I suppose to install with my os (win98) or should I reformate?

that is up to you.

You can easily have dual boot (win98 and linux) or more (win98, linux, another os)

all a matter of preference.

 

[osage]

a very good place to find out about a lot of distros is DistroWatch, they provide links to most currrent and some older distros as well as general Nix info.

 

[JaakRandmets]

i suggest to install debian

current sarge is quite easy to install, and you can actually learn some linux using it, not like with suse, where you even dont have to use console (you dont have to in debian, but its much more easier this way).

You can install most of distros next to windows installation, simply make some empty pace with partition magic (or some similar app). When you install linux, simply check "install in empty space" and install lilo or grub (the 2 most commonly used boot loaders) into mbr so you could dual boot between windows and linux.

sounds simple, but in real life there could be complications (like hardware support) and simply installing linux isnt victory over it, configuration and installation of different apps just begins... and that could prove much harder.

 

[joe360]

So what exactly can I do once I get Linux up and running?

 

[Nothinman]

So what exactly can I do once I get Linux up and running?

What do you do once you get windows installed?

 

[TheVrolok]

Just outta curiosity.. if you had/have absolutely no idea what linux is.. what caused you to decide to install it in the first place?

 

[Presence]

Once you have Linux installed you can start to use the terms "M$" "Winblows" "Winderz" and dream of how Bill Gates $uck$

 

[Randabis]

No love for ubuntu?

http://www.ubuntulinux.org

 

[joe360]

Originally posted by: TheVrolok
Just outta curiosity.. if you had/have absolutely no idea what linux is.. what caused you to decide to install it in the first place?

Just heard alot of people talking about it, and I wanted to see what it was all about

 

[silverpig]

That's as good a reason as any

Start off with a knoppix livecd I'd say.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Presence
Once you have Linux installed you can start to use the terms "M$" "Winblows" "Winderz" and dream of how Bill Gates $uck$

Wnders is more of a southern thang.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Jero
...
Which is really GNU/Linux.
...

If you want to go down that route, tell it how it really is: GNU/Sendmail/exim/postfix/qmail/XFree86/X.org/BSD/Apache/OpenSSH/nVidia/Intel/AMD/holy crap that's a lot of stuff/Linux.