Choosing a Linux Distro - Overclock.net

Kittani · 01-15-05

Choosing a Linux Distribution

Before you begin any foray into choosing a Linux Distribution I want you to consider the following things.

1) Do I have the time?
Linux, like all operating systems has a learning curve. This curve tends to be daunting to the relatively inexperienced computer user but can be overcome with diligence. It may have taken you several years to get "good" with windows... it will take longer than that to get to the same level with Linux. I have been using it for almost six years now and I still dont; have the hang of all of it. If you don't have the time... you will only get frustrated.

2) Do I have the extra machine / hard drive space?
There are several distributions of linux that are small and compact or boot from a CD. Invariably you will want to install it at some point and this requires you to re-partition your computer or add a hard drive to it, possibly even getting a second computer (the safest bet) If you aren;t in the habit of backing up your files... start that now. Fdisk can be unpredictable when working with windows and this is especially true of a dual boot machine.

3) Do I have the hardware?
Generally speaking the older the system the better your chances that you do. If you have the newest cutting edge blazing system then you will have to spend ALOT of time gettign all those fancy expansion cards to work right. It's getting better but MS still owns the market on hardware compatibility. If you need to check you can go to...
http://www.linuxquestions.org/hcl/index.php
to check out if your stuff is on the list.

Now then. I will be taking a look into the 3 major distribution types in the Linux market today. Linux tends to congregate it's distros based on the type of Packaging system it uses. Similar to Windows Setup packages these packages install files and programs to your Linux OS. The most common ones are the Tarball based, RPM (Red Hat Package Management), and the DEB (Debian Packages) You also should know that there is also FreeBSD unix. It is based on the original berkley Standard distribution of Unix and while it falls under a very similar liscence to Linux and most software is cross compatible it is not true Linux just as Linux is not true Unix. Perhaps one of the BSD guys here can write a suitable guide to BSD based systems.

I will look at each one and give some examples of the systems that use them and some of the pros and cons of each.

Tarballs (.TAR and .TGZ commonly)

The most notable and one of the oldest distributions of linux is Slackware. Created by Patrick volkerding this build is the newbie's nightmare and the Pro's godsend. If you want to really get into the guts of Linux and learn what every single file does... this is the OS for you hands down. Almost all software is released in some form as a Tarball and as such Slackware's compatibility with other open-source projects is almost unmatched. The largest complaint however is the configuration. Your video, sound, display(s), internet, almost everything must be manually configured. Sometimes this is as easy as changing a line in a config file somewhere in /etc othertimes it requires you to re-compile the entire kernel from scratch. The beauty of this is that when you HAVE to change a settign you'll know exactly where to find it. Once you get good at scripting 99% of the system can be automated. Additionally it is stable. Patrick picks every package that is included with his distribution and modifies the "make" files to ensure compatibility with the rest of the system. This personal monitoring and attention has made Slackware the most successful private build of Linux in the world.

RPM (.rpm commonly)

Red Hat started out as a group of hackers that wanted to make a company out of Linux. They did just that. Now Red Hat is the single largest Linux software company in the world shipping millions of units worldwide. Wjile almost always free to download some of their server management packages are private code and you have to buy it. The good news is that 99% of it is tested in their new Fedora distribution. This distro combines ease of use with rock-solid stability. The install is as graphical as most windows installers (sometimes moreso) and gives clear step-by-step instructions on how to install it onto a hard drive. It does not like windows however and many conflicts with Windows XP and the entire 2000/2003 line have been reported in dual boot configurations. Aside from that it's hardware detection is unmatched and it will see most of your hardware in some format or another right out of the box. The downside to this is that it uses very general settings and it's difficult to get into it to change them.

DED (.deb commonly)

This is pure Linux. Every system in the world originates from this distribution. It is the largest distribution in the world comprising of almost 6 install CD's and almost as many extra CD's. The system is very difficult to install unless you use another Debian based system. The upside is that when it is installed updating all of the system is as easy as one command "apt-get upgrade" The apt package management program can grab any software package in Debian's worldwide archive, configure and install it, in less time than it would take you to do it from the originating website. configuration is largely manual but frequent updating and installation of new packages can quickly clutter the system with unneeded files and begin to effect system speed. Like almost all Linux distros this one is still rock solid even when cluttered.

There you have the 3 major types of distributions. below I will reccomend the top distros under each category with links to the publisher's website for more information. You can get all of these in ISO format at www.linuxiso.org and they are all free downloads.

Tarball

Slackware - http://www.slackware.com (This one powers my Lucid Reality Server)

RPM

Mandrake - http://www.mandrakelinux.com
Red Hat - http://www.redhat.com
Fedora - http://fedora.redhat.com

DEB

Debian - http://www.debian.org
Knoppix - http://www.knoppix.org (bootable CD great for first timers!)

Other places of interest / Useful Info Links

http://www.linuxquestions.org
http://www.linuxiso.org
http://www.gnu.org (handles the legality of linux)
http://www.linux.org

I hope you found this guide informative and I hope it helps you make a decision on your future power penguin based system.

*YiffyGriffy* · 01-15-05

Yet another useful and informative guide, keep up the great work!

*Mr.N00bLaR* · 01-16-05

Ehhh...............................??????????
Ok, I'll explain why im confused
My lack of knowledge about strutures 'n things...
I did a search one day for some program and i was looking in which files it was searching. I happened to see one of the folder i386. About a month ago i was talking to a friend of mine he said those are structures...I went to the mandrake site and dled...3 cds and something called a mini?
Now the thing said i586, i'm a tad confused...do i need to dl somethig with the .386 at the end??????
So i made them cds and i changed the boot order to the cd-rom first but...nothing happens? Please help lol

Chipmonk010 · 01-16-05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr.N00bLaR

Ehhh...............................??????????
Ok, I'll explain why im confused
My lack of knowledge about strutures 'n things...
I did a search one day for some program and i was looking in which files it was searching. I happened to see one of the folder i386. About a month ago i was talking to a friend of mine he said those are structures...I went to the mandrake site and dled...3 cds and something called a mini?
Now the thing said i586, i'm a tad confused...do i need to dl somethig with the .386 at the end??????
So i made them cds and i changed the boot order to the cd-rom first but...nothing happens? Please help lol

x-86 just referrs to the type of machine that disto will run on. 386 486 568 anything-86 is good for 32bit processors (xp,duron, p3, p4,). usually there is mutliple versions of the same distro to run on different platforms like sparc, alpha, a64, but what u want is what u got. anything ix86 is perfectly fine.

*Mr.N00bLaR* · 01-16-05

Hmm ok thanks...But the cds i made dont really work...? it just laods WXP

Chipmonk010 · 01-16-05

u just gotta set the boot order in the bios so that the cd-rom comes before the hd.

lol i forgot to say nice guide lol. very well done good info, lots of guides lately keep it up!

Bullyveldt · 01-16-05

Wow, great write up, it's good that it'sstickied, cause I have recently asked which distro for newbie, my wifes new case comes in with my new ram, and I will throw in the extra harddsrive into her puter to play with linux on.

*Mr.N00bLaR* · 01-16-05

Quote:

So i made them cds and i changed the boot order to the cd-rom first but...nothing happens? Please help lol

....?

*YiffyGriffy* · 01-16-05

Are you sure you actually made a bootable CD instead of just copying the ISO to the disc? I know I accidently did that a couple times

*Mr.N00bLaR* · 01-16-05

Hmm...im not sure i remember i used nero to do it but that was like a month an a half ago i dont really remember

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Choosing a Linux Distro

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