help needed with linux

[id1davewp]

hi guys
need some help please.im on winxp pro but want to try linux but which one do i try.i have some linux cds like mandrake linux 10,also suse pro 9.0, fedora core,debian gnu/linux 3.1,knoppix 3.4, which one is the easiest to load and automaticly does everything for you.i have tryed mandrake 10 but i havent been able to connect to the internet.ive rang my isp tiscali but they say there modem {sagem fast 800} isnt supported by linux but he has herd there is a driver for the modem.can anyone help me please.
thanks to all that reply
dave................

[Dapper Dan]

As far as distros go, you'll get varying opinions on this, but I believe SuSE Professional is the best distro for any new Linux user.

[Nerderello]

this modem, is it a PCI card (ie. a winmodem, in which case do searches on Linmodems) or is it some sort of ADSL broadband device, it which case do searches on getting ADSL working with Linux.

Not surprised that Tiscali can't help you, they're okay with windows and Macs, but not with Linux.

Mandrake 10 is probably as good a place to start as any (I started with Redhat which begat Fedora core).

have fun

Nerderello

ps. just did a search on www.google.com/linux (good place for general linux searches) with your modem's name and found this, which will hopefully set you straight. :-


http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/history/202072

[id1davewp]

hi guys and thanks for the quick responce.first of all i appoligise for not explaining the modem i use properly.it is a sagem fast 800 modem it is adsl modem for tiscali.co uk broadband..when i loaded mandrake.everything auto maticly loaded except when it came to the connecting to the internet part where it asked me what driver should it use for the modem.well it came up with a list of drivers as long as your arm and i tryed a few but had no luck. i realy want to use linux and to connect to the internet.
cheers dave......

[drakebasher]

I did a Google search for your modem with additional keywords of "adsl", "linux" and "driver and got tons of hits. First page was all French, so I don't know what's there, but maybe this page was written for you.

[id1davewp]

hi
i found all the info regarding the fast800 adsl modem on the instalation disk but the readme file i couldnt under stand when it asked me to goto the kernal dir and look for cd/usr/src/linux.not understanding linux like i do windows i couldnt find it.wow this is harder than i thought.had installed suse 9. where do i start,sorry for the problems im casing but i realy do whant to learn and use linux
cheers dave....

[Stormblazer]

Actually, Linux isn't very difficult, it just takes some getting used to.
The readme file is probably reffering to the kernel source directory- most distros put this in /usr/src/linux.
I don't know if you've ever used the crippled command line in windows, but the linux command line is extremely useful and powerful, even for an average user. I highly suggest you learn to use it well.

'cd' is a standard command for switching directories in the console/command line for both linux and windows... 'ls' will list the current directories contents (color-coded).
I'm sure there's a listing of basic commands on this site, or just google it.