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Linux Distribution | by Nameless | 2001-05-06 16:49:40 |
| RE: Linux Distribution |
by am_chan |
2001-05-07 10:40:28 |
| Nameless wrote:
>would like to know what the best Distribution to use
Coincidentally, I just asked an acquaintance linux expert the same thing, and he wrote:
In general, the hardware supported will be the same no matter which distribution you choise because currently Linux includes all device drivers inside the kernel itself and gives applications a /dev/* type interface to access and control the hardware.
Sometimes a given distribution will patch their included kernel to include kernel features that are deemed not stable enough for the stable kernel series. For instance, RedHat included USB support in the 2.2 Linux kernel long before Linus ever officially included it in his version.
That's part of the value add of each different type of distribution. The next value add part is GUI graphical installs and GUI configurations programs. Those are beyond the scope of the kernel developement and so each company creates their own. Some distributions are geared towards Server computers, some towards desktop computers, and others for niche markets like embeded computers.
All Linux kernels have included support for reading FAT16 and FAT32 for a few years now (FAT32 support actually came out about the same time as windows95 itself did). They also include support for most other OS formats like OS/2, WinNT, and even Macs. When accessing a FAT32 partition its pretty much transparent except that you'll notice that unix permisions are unsettable (chmod). Normally, you'll keep your Linux partion in "ext2" format but its nice to have access to your windows partition.
Check http://www.xfree86.org/ for a list of support video cards. DVD drives are fully supported as well in terms of data. Because of the CSS encryption there is not a lot of software around to actually play CDs.
Dual-boot mode is included with all distributions so that you can switch between Linux and Win98.
With most modern distributions you will be able to plug in the CD, boot from it, and be running a fully configured linux in under an hour with no configuration (including your DSL connection).
Here's where I'll jump to opinion mode... Slackware was/is the choice of die-hard hackers but I wouldn't suggest it because it requires too much knowledge to configure the system.
RedHat was the first big distribution that really polished things up. It is geared towards Server computer setups (security wise that is and the types of applications it installs by default). This is the one I currently use. Its most recent version includes a nice instance upgrade feature to upgrade all application software to the latest version. Latest version is 7.1 and I would suggest it since its the first to allow booting Linux on partitions that are past the 2G mark.
Next there is Mandrake which is based off of the RedHat distribution. It is more geared towards the Desktop market. I haven't tried it yet but a lot of people swear by it since most people are looking for the desktop environment.... Security may or may not be as tight as RedHat's server configurations. Latest version is 8.0 and I suggest it as well.
Next, the Debian distributions. Its a distribution written by non-profit group of hackers. Its a little slower to be updated because of it but fits the "free software" concept perfect. It has a world-famious upgrade program called "apt-get" that lets you install new programs or upgrade existing programs using one command line. Its worth a try but will not be as well supported as the comerical distibutions.
And lastly, you have SuSe and TurboLinux. They are mostly popular overseas and mostly in Asian countries. I'll assume that means they really beef up the internationalization features but can say for sure. The US based distributions also have quite a bit of internationalization support.
To meet the GNU policies, most distributions have a free-download version. You can buy those from some web pages for like $5 each. At that price you can try several distributions out to see which you like. Try http://www.LinuxMall.com/ and http://www.cheapbytes.com/ |
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