Red Hat or Mandrake.. 1

[MattWray]

I am new to Linux, have never even used it. I am ordering Mandrake and Red Hat online and was wondering what the difference between the two is? Do those include some kind of GUI, or are they just command line? I really have 0 experience with Linux (if you hadn't noticed) Matt Wray
CCNA, MCP
mwray77518@yahoo.com

 

[wmg]

Hello Matt,

I, like you, don't know alot about linux but wanted to learn. I started off with Redhat 6.2 (a while ago) because I knew a guy who used Redhat so I had some help readily available! I recently switched to Mandrake 8.1 as I heard it was a bit easier to use than Redhat - better for beginners in that sense - but still based on Redhat so it uses these handy install packages called RPMs (which is a Redhat-made feature).

Unfortunately, I haven't used Mandrake enough to know whether it is easier to use or not - but I can say the install process seemed a lot nicer and easier to use (not that Redhat is _hard_ just that Mandrake was nicer) ;-)

Have fun!

 

[MattWray]

Thanks for the input WMG, but you didn't mention if there is a GUI or only command line. I have been reading about GNOME being the GUI for LINUX. This is all very confusing..I think it will make more sense once I see it. Matt Wray
CCNA, MCP
mwray77518@yahoo.com

 

[iSeriesCodePoet]

Both can be run in either consol or GUI mode. As far as which is easier or better. That is best left up to you. I would go based on how much help you have. If all of your friends have redhat use redhat. However, Mandrake has a history of being easier to use. Mike Wills
AS400 Programmer

Please, if you find my post useful, let me know.

 

[wmg]

Sorry - you're right - I didn't! ;-)

Both of the latest versions of Redhat (7.2) and Mandrake (8.1) have GUIs included in them - they all have for quite some time from what I can gather. They both included KDE and GNOME gui environments (then there's these other things called 'Window Managers' - I still haven't quite figured out what they do - they seem to run 'on top of' whatever environment you use (ie KDE or GNOME).)

Also, they both have access to command line via a terminal type window - much like cmd.exe in NT - except, it seems, that most stuff that you do in Linux involves the command line to some extent. Which isn't a bad thing at all really!

 

[iSeriesCodePoet]

This is how I have heard it works:

Bottom Layer - Linux
This is the kernel and the "core" system.

Second Layer - XWindows
This is the framework that the window managers use to communicate to the video card.

Third Layer - Window Managers
This layer defines how the windows are created and used. The window resizing is done here. This can be a stand alone environment, however it isn't very glamorous usually.

Fourth Layer - Desktop Environments
This is KDE and GNOME. This is what makes it "pretty".

This may not be 100% accurate. But I think you will get the gist of it. Mike Wills
AS400 Programmer

Please, if you find my post useful, let me know.

 

[MattWray]

Thanks All! Wish me luck with my journey into the world of Linux! Matt Wray
CCNA, MCP
mwray77518@yahoo.com

 

[Maim]

I'd recommend Mandrake for any newbie, it is the simplest installer of ANY OS out there, yes, Windows included.

Actually, any gui in linux is an X window manager, KDE and Gnome are just the two biggest ones. They are also the two biggest resource hogs

Almost all distros come with multiple WMs but most default to KDE (Mandrake,SUSE) or Gnome (Red Hat).

By all means, install them all. If you're familiar with Windows then you might be better off getting your feet wet with KDE, Gnome or IceWM. Once you're feeling more adventurous, try out WindowMaker or Black Box, my two personal favorites. Enlightenment is also good.