Perpetual Linux Distro Thread - Page 3

Pinger · 4th April 2002, 12:54 AM

I'd just like to say that if you didn't allready know the details of the slackware and debian distros then they are not for you, the best thing you can do is try Mandrake or Suse, just flip a coin on which one to try, or if you like purple try Mandrake or, if you like green more try Suse.

I say this because odds are that you will move away from these distros as you learn more about the system, (I don't know one Linux user who still uses thier original distro) just make sure that you do try to delve into the system past the GUI or you won't learn anything about how it works.

I will give my vote to mandrake as they do have great newbie support on thier websites as backed up here.

http://newsforge.com/newsforge/02/04...6.shtml?tid=46

catharsis · 5th April 2002, 4:40 PM

I didn't see anyone post anything about Lycoris Desktop/LX (formerly Redmond Linux). It's another desktop oriented distro, and probably the most cohesive and coherant of them all. It's nice in that it doesn't install a whole bunch of stuff, ie: only one email client, one browser, etc. It also comes with a 'network neighbourhood' clone that works right off the bat with no config, which is a pretty neat achievment. Basically it's as close as I've seen to linux-for-your-Mum yet - if that's what you're after, check it out. You can find more info and links to a few reviews over at the distrowatch Lycoris page.

Spin · 7th April 2002, 1:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Geo

Testing is not as up to date as unstable but it is more stable and safer, particularly in the package conflict and dependancy area.

You're right, sorry for the confusion.

As an aside, while playing with different distributions is fun, there really are a lot better things to do in Linux then install and test distributions. The main goal of any inital distribution choice is ease of installation, and the easy way to install Linux is to get someone who knows what they are doing to do it for you.

Bern · 7th April 2002, 1:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pinger
I'd just like to say that if you didn't allready know the details of the slackware and debian distros then they are not for you, the best thing you can do is try Mandrake or Suse, just flip a coin on which one to try, or if you like purple try Mandrake or, if you like green more try Suse.

I say this because odds are that you will move away from these distros as you learn more about the system, (I don't know one Linux user who still uses thier original distro) just make sure that you do try to delve into the system past the GUI or you won't learn anything about how it works.

I will give my vote to mandrake as they do have great newbie support on thier websites as backed up here.

http://newsforge.com/newsforge/02/04...6.shtml?tid=46

I agree, best thing to do is play with either one of these for a while and then do a dual boot with slack or deb.

SpecGen · 11th April 2002, 6:30 PM

I'll be brief.

Debian.

I'm going to try out LFS again pretty soon, just as something to do. But otherwise Debian all the way.

hast · 13th April 2002, 5:22 PM

ill put in that gentoo is very good
though not for the new at linux, since it won't set up everything for you

then again, if you follow their documentation, and don't have any interesting hardware.....

elvis · 14th April 2002, 12:32 PM

Someone has to do it, so it may as well be me:

Linux-Firewall solutions

IPCop
Smoothwall GPL
Mandrake SNF (Single Network Firewall)
Coyote Linux
LRP (Linux Router Project)
Clark Connect
Astaro
e-smith

My personal pick of the bunch is IPCop. It's an easy to use distribution (less than 10 minutes complete install time on an old 486) and the development and support team are very friendly. It is more resource hungry than the single-floppy distros like LRP and Coyote, but has a few extra bits and pieces just for fun. It is dead easy to set up for all Australian dial-up ISPs and Optus@Home. Telstra BPALogin is a little more tricky, and requires some tinkering. From what I hear Clark Connect supports BPALogin out of the box.

My advice to anyone wanting to use a firewall and net sharing / NATing) device such as these: figure out what you want to accomplish, and what hardware you have available and make your choice from there.

For instance Coyote and LRP will run happily on a hard-drive-less box with a low-end processor (486 era) and serve a house full of uni students without hassle. If you are planning on setting up an industry-stength firewall and cacheing proxy, ipcop/smoothwall or astaro on a low end PIII, C3 or duron system and a decent slug of ram would suit you nicely.

No firewall distribution is any "better" than another. They all use much the same rule sets and philospohies to create a solution.

muzzi · 18th April 2002, 12:57 PM

Originall called Redmond Linux, Lycoris Linux is a fairly new distribution, based on caldera.

www.lycoris.org www.lycoris.com

its aimed at new linux users, and they kept things very simple, basing their look and feel of the default install around windows XP, using KDE 2.

johnnyriCo · 19th April 2002, 2:00 AM

I'm a first time user and gonna install debian potato tomorrow...

I see you guys dont recommend it, but im sure I'll be fine

I used DOS :P I'm sure I can get my head around this with a fwe HOWTO's.

Quadbox · 25th April 2002, 11:24 AM

It'd be nice to hear from a Solaris X86 user out there, if there are any.

EDIT - Add Darwin x86 to the above.

hast · 25th April 2002, 12:23 PM

Quote:

It'd be nice to hear from a Solaris X86 user out there, if there are any.

supposedly there are only four of them

Grim-Reaper · 25th April 2002, 2:04 PM

what aren't there many Solaris X86 users?

sm · 4th May 2002, 10:13 AM

Ive just started installing Gentoo linux.
Looks good so far. All packages are downloaded as source and compiled as needed. The install is a bit more involved than a normal distro like debian but I wouldnt call it hard as long as you follow the install docs. It just takes a long time.

Previously Ive used debian and redhat. Debian being my pick out those 2 simply because of the ease of use of apt plus the standard install of redhat takes forever to boot up.

hast · 4th May 2002, 12:22 PM

gentoo was fun until i went

emerge --update world

it updated libpng and broke all my apps

Rampage101 · 8th May 2002, 10:51 AM

umm, I started on Mandrake 8.1, was my first usable and operational linux on my machine (had tried previous redhats at work). Used for a couple of months, loved linux since, and decided to try LFS. Linux From Scratch, it rocks, faster, lighter, fully compiled on my machine. Just perfect!

If you love you linux, want to try something that could possibly be a challenge, try LFS.

14th April 2002, 12:32 PM	#37
elvis Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Brisbane Posts: 19,870	Someone has to do it, so it may as well be me: Linux-Firewall solutions IPCop Smoothwall GPL Mandrake SNF (Single Network Firewall) Coyote Linux LRP (Linux Router Project) Clark Connect Astaro e-smith My personal pick of the bunch is IPCop. It's an easy to use distribution (less than 10 minutes complete install time on an old 486) and the development and support team are very friendly. It is more resource hungry than the single-floppy distros like LRP and Coyote, but has a few extra bits and pieces just for fun. It is dead easy to set up for all Australian dial-up ISPs and Optus@Home. Telstra BPALogin is a little more tricky, and requires some tinkering. From what I hear Clark Connect supports BPALogin out of the box. My advice to anyone wanting to use a firewall and net sharing / NATing) device such as these: figure out what you want to accomplish, and what hardware you have available and make your choice from there. For instance Coyote and LRP will run happily on a hard-drive-less box with a low-end processor (486 era) and serve a house full of uni students without hassle. If you are planning on setting up an industry-stength firewall and cacheing proxy, ipcop/smoothwall or astaro on a low end PIII, C3 or duron system and a decent slug of ram would suit you nicely. No firewall distribution is any "better" than another. They all use much the same rule sets and philospohies to create a solution. __________________ Child's Play Charity

18th April 2002, 12:57 PM	#38
muzzi Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,341	Originall called Redmond Linux, Lycoris Linux is a fairly new distribution, based on caldera. www.lycoris.org www.lycoris.com its aimed at new linux users, and they kept things very simple, basing their look and feel of the default install around windows XP, using KDE 2. __________________ Some of my photos

25th April 2002, 11:24 AM	#40
Quadbox Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Brisbane 4065 Posts: 5,088	It'd be nice to hear from a Solaris X86 user out there, if there are any. EDIT - Add Darwin x86 to the above. Last edited by Quadbox; 1st May 2002 at 6:41 PM.

25th April 2002, 2:04 PM	#42
Grim-Reaper Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Melbourne Posts: 1,132	what aren't there many Solaris X86 users? __________________ Desktop Specs: Intel i7 860 \| Gigabyte P55A-UD3R \| 4GB G. Skill DDR3 1600MHz \| Corsair HX-650 PSU \| Antec P183 Fileserver Specs: Intel Q9550\| Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3 \| 8GB G. Skill NT DDR800 5-5-5-15 \| 1x 500GB, 4x 500GB RAID0 \| 2x 1Gb Intel CT NIC's

8th May 2002, 10:51 AM	#45
Rampage101 Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Country NSW Posts: 1,977	umm, I started on Mandrake 8.1, was my first usable and operational linux on my machine (had tried previous redhats at work). Used for a couple of months, loved linux since, and decided to try LFS. Linux From Scratch, it rocks, faster, lighter, fully compiled on my machine. Just perfect! If you love you linux, want to try something that could possibly be a challenge, try LFS. __________________ AMD Phenom 920 \|\| Gigabyte GA-MA790FX-DS5 \|\| Seagate 320gb & A-RAM 64gb Pro SSD \|\| 2x2GB Corsair XMS PC6400 DDR2 \|\| 512MB Powercolor HD4850 \|\| AMD Athlon II 245 \|\| Gigabyte GA-MA770-S3 2.0 \|\| WD 250gb OS, MDADM 5x HD753LJ Raid 5 \|\| 2x2GB Corsair XMS + 2x1GB XMS \|\| Nvidia x16 PCI-E cut down to 1x \|\|

4th April 2002, 12:54 AM	#31
Pinger Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Nth Narrabeen, Sydney Posts: 842	I'd just like to say that if you didn't allready know the details of the slackware and debian distros then they are not for you, the best thing you can do is try Mandrake or Suse, just flip a coin on which one to try, or if you like purple try Mandrake or, if you like green more try Suse. I say this because odds are that you will move away from these distros as you learn more about the system, (I don't know one Linux user who still uses thier original distro) just make sure that you do try to delve into the system past the GUI or you won't learn anything about how it works. I will give my vote to mandrake as they do have great newbie support on thier websites as backed up here. http://newsforge.com/newsforge/02/04...6.shtml?tid=46

5th April 2002, 4:40 PM	#32
catharsis Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: North QLD Posts: 278	I didn't see anyone post anything about Lycoris Desktop/LX (formerly Redmond Linux). It's another desktop oriented distro, and probably the most cohesive and coherant of them all. It's nice in that it doesn't install a whole bunch of stuff, ie: only one email client, one browser, etc. It also comes with a 'network neighbourhood' clone that works right off the bat with no config, which is a pretty neat achievment. Basically it's as close as I've seen to linux-for-your-Mum yet - if that's what you're after, check it out. You can find more info and links to a few reviews over at the distrowatch Lycoris page.

11th April 2002, 6:30 PM	#35
SpecGen Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Brisbane Posts: 514	I'll be brief. Debian. I'm going to try out LFS again pretty soon, just as something to do. But otherwise Debian all the way.

13th April 2002, 5:22 PM	#36
hast (Banned or Deleted) Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: dots in the location field break it. note Posts: 2,034	ill put in that gentoo is very good though not for the new at linux, since it won't set up everything for you then again, if you follow their documentation, and don't have any interesting hardware.....

19th April 2002, 2:00 AM	#39
johnnyriCo Awaiting Email Confirmation Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Perth, WA Posts: 170	I'm a first time user and gonna install debian potato tomorrow... I see you guys dont recommend it, but im sure I'll be fine I used DOS :P I'm sure I can get my head around this with a fwe HOWTO's.

4th May 2002, 10:13 AM	#43
sm Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Melbourne Posts: 810	Ive just started installing Gentoo linux. Looks good so far. All packages are downloaded as source and compiled as needed. The install is a bit more involved than a normal distro like debian but I wouldnt call it hard as long as you follow the install docs. It just takes a long time. Previously Ive used debian and redhat. Debian being my pick out those 2 simply because of the ease of use of apt plus the standard install of redhat takes forever to boot up.

4th May 2002, 12:22 PM	#44
hast (Banned or Deleted) Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: dots in the location field break it. note Posts: 2,034	gentoo was fun until i went emerge --update world it updated libpng and broke all my apps