First Linux... which to get?

[graynightblue]

I am looking to install Linux on my laptop. It's only used for general applications, web surfing and minor web hosting for some friends testing out websites. The laptop is an IBM 2.4 P4, 40 gig HD, and 256 megs of ram. The minimal ram is because the cover that goes over the ram is missing so untill I can find a new one I don't want to upgrade the ram. So the laptop sits in the corner and is used for what I said it was for. lol So what I'm looking for is an easy to use Linux system that will take care of its own install. Something that is fairly user friendly and forgiving with mistakes. Being able to run Apache would also be a huge plus since I'm trying to learn to work with Apache. I have a copy of Solaris 10 which I installed with no probs. One freeze up and a reboot and now it's not working right at all.... lol Ok, that's all for the rambling. Thanks in advanced for any help and info!


Widj

[oz]

Take a look at the link in my signature for lots of good info on getting started with Linux. As for laptop distros, probably any in the top 10 or so over at DistroWatch.com are good to experiment with to see which distro works best on your hardware and suits your own personal tastes.

Let us know how it goes and have fun with Linux!

[kiran_cyberpro]

Hi

You can try first Ubuntu/SuSE since its very user friendly like windows, easy to first understand the way you can use linux. After knowing the concepts of the internal organization of the files and installation methods, mounting procedures and network access then you can think about other distributions. Also check DistroWatch.com

Also, when u want some serious programming and stuff, then slowly you can migrate to Fedora. Believe me, Linux would be so stable that once infact in my office i used the same machine without shutting down for around 40+days

Rgds, Kiran. K