Where to get linux?

C

Cryptic

Gawd
Joined
Aug 22, 2004
Messages
836
Is there someplace that I can dl a version of linux that i can run off a hdd leagly? Because I'm really wanting to try it out. But I dont know where to get it. Any help would be great! Thanks.
 
Oh, and if you cant get it free from somewhere, I know you use to be able to buy it from walmart...can you still or do they not carry it anymore?
 
The whole concept of linux is "freely distributed" and "open source". There are many flavors of linux, check out http://www.distrowatch.com ...they have links to the download mirrors of every kind of linux.

The ones you buy...like Redhat, Mandrake, etc. offer free versions with no tech support. You could also try a live cd distro such as Knoppix (http://iso.linuxquestions.org/distro.php?distro=5) . The full distro runs dynamically from the CD so you can try it out without installing.
 
Which one is the best, most stable, and easiest to start out on? Thanks.
 
Try Mandrake or Debian. Redhat is dirt-easy, but it has no real potential. Use it if necessary, but if it seems that you can't go anywhere with it, a) i told you so, and b) go back to mandrake or debian.

apt-get is your friend.
 
SuSE and Mandrake are both good starter distros...Fedora Core is also a good one to start on.
 
http://mirrors.kernel.org/ <---Fast mirror for above mentioned distros
http://torrent.linux.duke.edu/ <---Fedora torrent page
http://www.centos.org/ <---CentOS, my current favorite
http://www.gentoo.org/ <---Gentoo, optimized linux
http://www.debian.org/ <---Debian, another solid build
http://slackware.com/ <---Slackware, another one of my favorites
http://www.freebsd.org/ <---FreeBSD, Unix (linux-like)

The best thing you can do is read up on the various distros, and decide which one works best for you. For starters, I'd recommend Fedora, and move later to something else.
 
I'd also suggest reading a few of the relevant threads in the linux/BSD/ forum. Most of the above distros, and several others, have been recommended and/or discussed to some length.
The "Tell us why your Linux distro is the best"-thread, for instance.
 
For a complete beginner though I would probably want to go with a precompled ISO (cd image) version of the distrobution, infact I never want to compile anything... but such is the life of linux.
 
I tend to go to LinuxISo_Org. Not always that fast but they do have a wide selection of distros. Also have mirrors, sometimes they will be fast, sometiems they won't but I mean Linux is free so why complain? That is where I go, but then again i'm a linux noob so... :p
 
For you, I would highly recommend Knoppix (http://www.knoppix.net)

Knoppix is a Linux LiveCD, which means that all you have to do is boot the computer off the CD and you have a full Linux system. Your hard drive isn't touched (everything is loaded to RAM) and you don't have to worry about installing. Perfect for trying out Linux and is very handy just to always have a copy around for data recovery and whatnot.

So you download the ISO from the Knoppix site, burn it to a CD using a program like EasyCDCreator or Nero, then just stick it in your CD drive and reboot.
 
I third linuxiso.org. Since this is your first plunge into Linux, I would recommend buying a boxed edition that comes with a book like Suse or Mandrake. Personally I like Debian and Slackware, but those may not be ideal for someone new to Linux.
 
I started on gentoo simply because I heard it was the best. It definitely was not easy to get running since I had no clue what I was doing. However, I'm glad I started with it instead of something like Mandrake simply because of how much I learned just getting it running. They have installation guides at the Gentoo homepage if you are interested that will walk you through it. The portage system makes installing programs painless.
 
I've found a goverment run mirror in Illinoise near me and its always fast but I'm not giving it up :)
 
kernel.org is always fast for me.

suse and mandrake are the worst distros, imho.

Debian, Gentoo, and Fedora are where I spend a majority of my time. Of those three, only fedora is worthy of recommendation to a n00b.
 
xveganx, your sig is way to long, you might want to change it before a mod sees you...
 
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