Help for Soon-2-Be Linux Rookie

[wlfpackr]

Okay, okay, I'll admit it I'm currently using Windows with little to no knowledge of Linux. However, I'm on the road to recovery.

I would like some advice on where to start. My ideal plans are to start running a Linux-based server at home and at work. I'm probably going to be running FTP, Mail, File, Print, and Web servers. Both servers are going to be in a smaller-type business setting.

Any recommendations on which one I should use? Please keep in mind that my concerns lean more toward ease-of-use (including support, documentation, set-up, maintenance, etc.) and flexibility (will it work with my printers, my Palm, the CDRW, etc.).

I'm currently leaning towards Red Hat. No real reason except that they are a local company and their stock pretty much bought me a brand new car when it went public. So I feel like I owe them some allegiance.

Also, any sites that are helpful (other than this one) would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bluegroper]

Server with some security ?
Possibly consider ClarkConnect. Its based on RH7.3.

 

[krale]

>>>Okay, okay, I'll admit it I'm currently using Windows with little to no knowledge of Linux. However, I'm on the road to recovery.

No problem. The more the OS'es you know, the better ;-)

>>>I would like some advice on where to start. My ideal plans are to start running a Linux-based server at home and at work. I'm probably going to be running FTP, Mail, File, Print, and Web servers. Both servers are going to be in a smaller-type business setting.

OK. As a server OS, I'd reccoment either Debian or Slackware. Debian makes patches and upgrades EASY. Slackware is very cut-n-dry with little default configuration (eg: do it yourself). As a server, both are near-perfect server OS'es. I'd also look at freeBSD if you're willing to go with a non-Linux unix.

>>>Any recommendations on which one I should use? Please keep in mind that my concerns lean more toward ease-of-use (including support, documentation, set-up, maintenance, etc.) and flexibility (will it work with my printers, my Palm, the CDRW, etc.).

Using your server as a desktop is a BAD, read BAD! idea. If I were you, I'd build a lower speed server with lots of disk space. Toss on your required servers along with CUPS and Webmin. Then you'll be able to configure your printer through CUPS admin and Webmin for everything else.

As a desktop, Debian testing , Redhat and Mandrake are all quality desktop setups, but Debian for the desktop can be hairy to set up at first.

>>>I'm currently leaning towards Red Hat. No real reason except that they are a local company and their stock pretty much bought me a brand new car when it went public. So I feel like I owe them some allegiance.

You made money only because people were willing to buy at progressively higher prices. They only ponied up the original X% of the company based on 25$ increments. You simply made a gamble and won big.

Let "feel like allegiance" be seperated from what serves your needs. You should only buy/download what you think will help you best. As a desktop, I'd advise against RH as Fraunhofer has been pressuring ol' red hat for including MP3 decoders. Course plenty of sites on the net have instructions on how to re-enable it.

>>>Also, any sites that are helpful (other than this one) would be greatly appreciated.

http://www.redhat.com

http://www.slackware.com

http://www.debian.org

http://www.mandrake.com

http://www.suse.com

http://www.kernel.org

(for linux kernel download)
linuxiso.com

http://www.sourceforge.com

Hopefully, those sites will help.

Please let Tek-Tips members know if their posts were helpful.

 

[venkman]

Also, as was pointed out by someone else on a different thread, here's the site that lists the different linux distros:

http://www.linux.org/dist/index.html

 

[hvacrman]

Just to put in my two cents worth. I would say that Mandrake is a good place to start. I started there and still run Mandrake boxes today along with Redhat now too