New to this OS, Which Linux Version should I learn ??

[pjamies]

OK, I am so new to this OS ... I don't even have it running on my PC yet !!

I am a x-Windows/Novell Tech guy who wants to jump onto the Linux band wagon, but needs to know which version of Linux to learn on ...

Being a x-Novell guy ... I and naturally drawn to Suse Linux ... but feel that this distro maybe too tied down ...
I am also looking at RedHat ... and training with there distro ...

I am getting confused, because there are soo... many distro's out there .. and all of them seem different ... which should I choose ... I want to get into the technical field with this OS, but not sure which distro would be the best to throw my teaching behind ??

Is there a difference ??

I have heard that RedHat is big in the business community, but that Suse with Novell behind it now is making great head way in the field ...

If I was to get my certification with RedHat could I use any distro in the field, or would I have to re-study to use another companies OS variation ??

Windows and Novell's older variations were always so straight forward ..

Please help ...

Thx ..

Pjamies (The Newbie) ...
Toronto, Canada

[aysiu]

There really aren't that many distros. Take this quiz:
http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/

[pjamies]

OK, I am so new to this OS ... I don't even have it running on my PC yet !!

I am a x-Windows/Novell Tech guy who wants to jump onto the Linux band wagon, but needs to know which version of Linux to learn on ...

Being a x-Novell guy ... I and naturally drawn to Suse Linux ... but feel that this distro maybe too tied down ...
I am also looking at RedHat ... and training with there distro ...

I am getting confused, because there are soo... many distro's out there .. and all of them seem different ... which should I choose ... I want to get into the technical field with this OS, but not sure which distro would be the best to throw my teaching behind ??

Is there a difference ??

I have heard that RedHat is big in the business community, but that Suse with Novell behind it now is making great head way in the field ...

If I was to get my certification with RedHat could I use any distro in the field, or would I have to re-study to use another companies OS variation ??

Windows and Novell's older variations were always so straight forward ..

Please help ...

Thx ..

Pjamies (The Newbie) ...
Toronto, Canada

Holy Crap .... I can't even spell .... that is WHICH .... NOT WITCH ... lol

[Vergil83]

In addition to what aysiu said, take a look at http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/lin...e-posting.html

[pjamies]

There really aren't that many distros. Take this quiz:
http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/

Aysiu, Thx for that great little test ... I had no idea that there was an
easy way to determine what distro I should use ...
But ... Graphical interfaces aside ... I would like to learn the underlying technologies that make Linux what it is ....
If I go for a job at a bank that has Linux running, I suspect that most of my work will probably be backend work ... and that will entail batch processing, scripting ... and server work.
So I guess my question is ... is all Linux distro's have the same underlying technology ... or are they as different as there graphical interfaces ??

Thx ...

Pjamies

[Trio3b]

Above links are very good. Most distros are based on the three grandaddys -
Redhat, Debian, and Slackware and I believe SLS linux was before them, so yes, as a general rule, most commands and processes are similar, but modern distros tend to "layout" menus and some commands and app installations differently.

If new to linux:

try live distros to check out the layout of linux ( these will run slower than HD installs)
decide if you like GNOME or KDE desktop better
Then learn how to install the HD version of the live distro you tried. (many live versions will install to disk).

Since you mentioned learning the nuts and bolts - try Gentoo, Slackware or if you you're REALLY fanatical, try LFS (build your own distro).

Try to avoid hopscotching around distros as it delays the inevitable "learning curve".

Hope this helps

[Roxoff]

Yeah - go for Linux from Scratch. I dont normally recommend particular distributions, but you sound the kind of guy that would eat the technical headaches for breakfast.

If you're not that masochistic, then go for Slackware, 'cos that forces you do things the raw way too, but has an installer.

For a nice cushy time, pick the major distros, RedHat or SuSE or Ubuntu, or maybe one of the free equivalents thereof (SuSE EL or CentOS, etc.). My fave is CentOS in this arena, but you must pick your own favourite, dont just grab mine.

[burntfuse]

So I guess my question is ... is all Linux distro's have the same underlying technology ... or are they as different as there graphical interfaces ??

They've all got the Linux kernel (most have 2.6 by now, so even the same major version) and GNU base system, the Xorg graphics server, as well as a lot of the common libraries, like GTK, Qt, libpng, etc. The main "under-the-hood" differences are in the parts of the system config that aren't dictated by the kernel, like how the network profiles are stored/used and the boot process. Different distros also use different packaging formats, but most are based on RPMs or Debian packages. In general, if you learn how to compile software, set up a Samba share, or something like that, it'll work on all distros.

[Redman]

There are many distro's to choose from. As has been mentioned before, take a look at DistroWatch. You will find a lot of information there.
Look also here.

I am closing this topic.
Not out of rudeness, but simply because this is an issue asked (too) many times by new people who want to move toward Linux. There is no "the best" Linux distro. Each one has its own advantages and disadvantages...