Looking to get into Linux

[vitalym]

I would consider myself as somewhere in between a beginner and intermediate with respect to Unix/Linux knowledge, however I would love to move to intermediate - advanced.

I'm going to format my laptop to Linux. So can anyone suggest good readings and a good distribution to start with? I know they are they are all mostly similar, but I'm sure there are some differences that I don't know about.

Also I've tried to find a free version of Red Hat, I've heard there is a non-enterprise free one, and I cannot find the download for it.

Thanks for your time guys.

 

[dunnen]

Archlinux is amazing for what you are looking to do. It is optimised for th i686 so it is very small and powerful. It lets you install only the stuff you need. The forums and wiki are very good. They walk you through everything step by step. Here is the beginner wiki. That should be all you need to get you on your way to really exploring linux.

 

[deathstar550]

That would be CentOS. It's basically RHEL, without the paid commerical support. You can get it here: http://www.centos.org/

If you want something a little more bleeding-edge RH, try Fedora.

You're right; there are some differences between the distributions, but they are mostly minor quibbles having to do with package management and philosophy (su vs sudo, etc). Unless you are a sysadmin trying to manage servers running a bunch of different distros, I wouldn't worry about learning too much distro-specific knowledge -- just learn enough to get by with on the distro you're using at the moment. When you get to the level where you're compiling your own kernels and installing from source, most of the stuff you will need to know will be distro-agnostic anyway.

 

[vitalym]

2 posts, 3 Linux suggestions

What is the difference between i686 vs x86 64 vs i386

 

[dunnen]

If your processor is i686 and you use an OS optimized for i686 than you can take advantage of instructions. If your processor is 64 bit I would suggest using 32 bit linux because 64 bit can be a pain and is not really worth it at this point. If your processor is not i686 then i would use debian.

edit: Unless your laptop is really old then it is most likely i686 compatible.

 

[eeyrjmr]

2 posts, 3 Linux suggestions

What is the difference between i686 vs x86 64 vs i386

x86 is basically the family of processor you will more then likely be using (IBM derivative)
i386
i466
i586
i686

define what CPU commands are available. i386 is like the 1st 32bit x86 processor - each one after it provided additional commands

x86_64 is basically a i686 with 64bit capability

You will have a i386 capabile CPU and unless you are using a low-power VIA system or a computer older then a few years you will be using a i686 processor


if you have alot of RAM (>4gig, although there is an arguement for going 64bit if you have >=2gig) or want todo fast precision maths there really isn't any benefit of going 64bit. everything works for me (java,flash...) without a problem here, but I do sims and have 6gig of RAM


My choice would be to just install Ubuntu. fiddle with it for a week or two. This will get you use to a window-manager/Desktop-manager other then Microsoft explorer.exe. Plus it will let you fiddle with the filesystem layout plus lets you see what programs are out there ( half the battle with getting use to linux is knowing what program to use... gimp<=>photoshop, Openoffice<=>MS-Office...)

Problem with Ubuntu is... it does alot for you and if you start trying to fiddle it bitch-slaps you.
Archlinux is really good for a binary distribution since it only installs what is needed todo what you ask it todo - thus you can see a filesystem layout for what you have asked for.
CentOS is a good one to learn your way around since it is identical to RedHat so if you can manage a CentOS box and get dropped infront of a RH box you know what you are doing

 

[brucedeluxe169]

good readings? try the slackware handbook:

http://www.slackbook.org

 

[jb_hafo]

2 posts, 3 Linux suggestions

I examined a few boxed linux sets. (suse, etc)
found at fry's a cd set of Freebsd, was looking to upgrade win98 usb support.
read a book on sale, 4th edition "running linux" to get a gist of unix/linux/bsd
dual-booted 2004-on with freebsd/win98-FE. Though the latter is
temporarily not booted due to too much physical memory.
..............
the freebsd-questions list yearly has threads this-vs-that-linux. I'd definitely
check there, people dual boot and/or use linux professionally and know
a lot about which distro.
..............

 

[vitalym]

The more and more I'm starting to work with Linux, the more newbish I feel.

I have a Lenovo R60 Core 2 Duo laptop

So I'm trying to get Arch Linux, I downloaded the i686 from the FTP ISOs link.
Burn in, boot from it, select install, after a little while I'm prompted at a still dos screen to login to root, I try typing and the keyboard doesn't type anything.

Then I want to try Fedora, I'm looking at the download list here
http://torrent.fedoraproject.org/

The Live CD boots the OS from a CD, which one would I want to download if I want to fully install Fedora 10 onto my laptop?

 

[Shaggy3zx]

LiveCD's allow you to try the distro before installing. Usually there is a link on the desktop to start the installation.

 

[Private_Ops]

So I'm trying to get Arch Linux, I downloaded the i686 from the FTP ISOs link.
Burn in, boot from it, select install, after a little while I'm prompted at a still dos screen to login to root, I try typing and the keyboard doesn't type anything.

It SHOULD display "root" when you type it in, but when it asks for the password (this is pretty universal on linux) it won't show what you type.

 

[vitalym]

It SHOULD display "root" when you type it in, but when it asks for the password (this is pretty universal on linux) it won't show what you type.

I know that it shouldn't show what I type, but the keyboard does not respond at all.
It tells me that I have the option of logging in as arch or root and right below that is the blinking cursor for me to login, however nothing I press on the keyboard has any effect.

 

[DimFilter]

I would definitely recommend CentOS as you can learn linux and be familiar with RHEL at the same time. I see tons of RHEL installation in the field on software projects.

Also if your laptop has enough ram you may also consider downloading a 30 day free trial of VMware workstation and try out a bunch of distro and find the one you like most then install it on your laptop.