Newbie wants to setup Linux Desktop PC 1

[wabob]

Hi all! I am a Telecomm / Network administrator with some Windows XPerience, not a PC expert quite yet.

I am looking to set up a Linux Desktop PC to play with and become familiar with. I am hoping to save myself a lot of trial-and-error by asking you Linux veterans what would be my best bet hardware-wise to build this foundation on. How would I handle device and driver compatibility issues, what flavor is best for me to use, what applications are available, etc.

My intention is to have two CPUs; the one I'm using now which has Windows XP, and another one with Linux. I plan to use a KVM switch so I can use one monitor, one keyboard, and one mouse between both. I do not wish to have both operating systems on one CPU.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[franklin97355]

To start any 486 or pentium (recommended) pc should work. Then download and burn to a CD Knoppix and stick that in and boot to the CD. After you do some study you can go on to something else but that is all you need for now.

The answer has always been 42

 

[rzs0502]

Sometimes handling issues is the best way to learn.
I've been using Linux for anout 5 years but I learnt the most in the last 2 years by using Slackware Linux.
So, if you're in a technical field this might be a good choice.
Else OpenSuse 10 looks pretty good with excellent device management and a lot of included software.
Suse, Redhat, Ubuntu etc. ease you into it, while Slack, Gentoo etc make you get your hands dirty very quickly.
If you look at

http://distrowatch.com/

, you can choose one of the distros that are between 1st and 10 place in popularity.
PS. If you want to easily play MP3's and watch DVD's, stay away from Suse and Redhat for now


"If you always do what you've always done, you will always be where you've always been."

 

[pentode]

This might (or might not) help a little:

http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/

It will recommend a distribution based on your answers to some questions.

 

[rzs0502]

That's a pretty useful site pentode!
Thanks!

"If you always do what you've always done, you will always be where you've always been."

 

[wabob]

Well, I'll tell you guys what I decided to do. I went on ebay and bought a refurb Gateway Pentium III with 256 MB of RAM and a 20Gig harddrive. This CPU is coming with no software or operating system loaded, but is guaranteed to work (the seller has over 500 transactions and a very good feedback record).

I also ordered SUSE Linux 10.0 from Novell. I know I could have got it elsewhere for cheaper, but this will come with documentation and a year of support.

I can't wait for this to arrive so I can get started!

 

[jstreich]

Cheaper? Linux is free, period. What you paid for is shipping, manuals and support. Linux is GPL'd meaning that all the code is WIDE open, that means anyone can make thier own changes to the source if they need to. It also means security patches come out a lot sooner, when a problem is found. I'm not knocking buying support, but realize you didn't buy linux.

My intention is to have two CPUs;
Central Processing Units are only a SMALL part of a computer. Computer != CPU. Keyboard and Monitor are not part of the Computer. I know I seem to be rather pedantic at this point, but you hit both of my really big pet-peeves.

the one I'm using now which has Windows XP, and another one with Linux. I plan to use a KVM switch so I can use one monitor, one keyboard, and one mouse between both. I do not wish to have both operating systems on one CPU.
Dual booting really isn't that bad of an option, and KVM switches can get expensive... but a little 2 port KVM won't run you too much.

Remember when ordering parts for the computer you're going to be running linux on, to check the Hardware Compatability List:

http://www.linuxcompatible.org/compatibility.html

[plug=shameless]

http://game-master.us/phpx-3.4.0/

[/plug]