Which version?

[linuxnewbe]

I am wondering which version of linux i should get. I currently have 3 windows NT machines w/ adv server running. one as a mail server and the other 2 as web and ftp server/game server/ chat server. i want to switch to all linux and 1 nt probaly. I have 1 staic ip and want to host several website w/ mail and everything. My current Hoster for some sites have 1 ip and have some name based hosting. so i want to beanble to do the same. What do i need? A DNS server. What o/s A webmachine? what o/s etc.
E-mail me @ mcmcomput@usa.net

[bdg1983]

They can usually all do what you want.

Read the MANY 'Which distro' posts in the General Forum.

Also the Distribution NHF here at LNO.

[ 05 April 2001: Message edited by: mdwatts ]

[BigBlockMopar]

Hey, Linuxnewbe:

Now, while I hear enough guffaws that I'm convinced it's not the *best* distro out there, I like Red Hat because of the support, especially for a new user.

You're going to have enough to get used to - ie. no more C:\ drive, and where the hell is AUTOEXEC.BAT? - without having to learn how to make install and all that other fun stuff.

By going to Red Hat's website, you can download "RPMs", which are basically precomplied self-installing programs - exactly what you're used to under Windows.

Red Hat 7 is, by all security accounts, only marginally better than Windows NT. So, for the best in features, support and security, I think you're best off trying to get Red Hat 6.2. It's mature and stable and with minor exceptions (replace the nameserver, BIND!), quite secure.

Don't bother with Red Hat 6.0, it was pretty bad.

Get 6.2 up and running, get familiar with Linux and UNIX-like operating systems. Since I started out with Red Hat last year, I'd moved on to FreeBSD 4.2... but you really want the experience with a popular Linux distro before you take on that challenge.

Good luck and keep at it.

[Energon]

RedHat is THE #1 distro for having security holes, flaws, beta software that should not be included in a mainstraim distribution, and the most incoherent and worthless updating system out there (for business use)...

just go to any security related site and do a search for RedHat bugs... pretty lame if you ask me...

[Ryeker]

Get a test box and start 'learning' Linux. Pick up a book and use the Linux 'version' (called Distribution) that's included. Most likely it will be something like RedHat, Mandrake, SuSE, Caldera, etc. That's the first step. Get it installed, then learn how to setup your services, like http, mail, dns, etc. LNO is a great reference to start. It doesn't matter which version of Linux you use. It doesn't matter too much at this point. You DO NOT want to use Linux in the production/server environment till you understand how it all works. Depending on your skills, that may be a few days, or a few months.

[BigBlockMopar]

Originally posted by Energon:
<STRONG>RedHat is THE #1 distro for having security holes, flaws, beta software that should not be included in a mainstraim distribution, and the most incoherent and worthless updating system out there (for business use)...just go to any security related site and do a search for RedHat bugs... pretty lame if you ask me...</STRONG>

Absolutely and for sure. But there are a couple of reasons why I'll still defend my position. (And I don't want to start a distro war, they only serve to confuse newbies. In fact, I did indicate that RH probably wasn't the *best* overall distro out there.)

I think Red Hat (and, especially Red Hat 6.2, avoiding 7.0 like the plague until we get up to 7.2) is the best newbie distro because:

- No matter how bad it is, it's still more stable and secure than Windows 2000. We want to ease the tradition from M$, right?

- RH is the most popular disto. As such, there are loads of books and websites which provide newbie help specifically for it. Sure, the differences are mostly cosmetic, but when you're a complete *NIX neophyte, the concept of runlevels is daunting enough without trying to figure out how to adjust your startup.

- RH may ship with a lot of buggy software. But, to look at a vulnerability that is big news right now, affected versions of BIND have been shipped with *most* UNIX and Linux distros. A newbie probably doesn't want to learn how to compile new source on his first production server. Better they download and install an RPM from a trusted site than to put off the upgrade because it's way too complicated. (How did *you* do your first time with a Makefile?)

- Fedoras are cool. I like to wear a fedora (it's not red), wear a zoot ;) suit, and drive to work in my best friend's 1948 Chevrolet Business Coupe. (Yeah, that was me sitting on the 401 in the dark blue Chevy, the lone yuppie from another time...)

No, I agree, it's not the best distro out there overall. But if you try to think back to what it was like when you were still learning Linux, it's probably best if we're recommending that newbies use a distro that isn't going to scare the hell out of them. For my money, Red Hat does that, since it's well supported.