Operating Systems > Linux and UNIX

Turning over to Linux...

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Kat:
I would reccommend Mandrake.  It is pretty easy to use. As for instant messengers, i use Gaim.  I understand you can talk to everybody on it, but all of my buddies have AIM, so i haven't tried that. You can get Gaim on freshmeat.net. Licq is on the Mandrake CDs and i am sure you can find it on freshmeat as well.

LorKorub:
I would recommend either SuSE, RedHat, or Mandrake to start out with. What you are looking for you can find on any distro out there. Your goal with Linux should be to not only get a superior operating system, but to find out how some of this stuff works and to learn exactly what you were missing out on when you got butt-reamed out of $300 for buying a piece of shit like XPiss. SuSE comes packed with the most apps (seven CDs in the Professional version...on sale at CompUSA for $70), but this can be a little overwhelming for someone starting out. Don't get me wrong, it is cool to get all of those packages, but it is a lot different than Win$hit.....they all don't install in the $tart Menu. Many are commandline driven, and you have to manually configure a lot of them, as well. But, when you are reading about some program that everyone is using (like on this site for example), chances are, you have it on your distro.  Installation on it is a piece of cake, too. Just boot the CD and read the instructions.

Mandrake is, at least from my experience (which isn't much compared to some people here) the most user-friendly.  A very easy install process, and very easy to maintain once you get it going. I haven't tried 8.2 yet, but I have used 8.0. Pretty simplistic, yet has everything you could possibly need to get started.

Red Hat is another very user-friendly distro.  If you are interested in getting into networking, then this is the ticket. The documentation it provides is stellar.

Anyone you choose will be about a hundred steps ahead of what you were using before.  Why not just try them all?  You can get them for free from www.linuxiso.org.  However, on your first shot, I would reccommend buying one just so you can get the documentation that comes with it. Plus, your money will be going to a good cause and not to line the pockets of a bunch of greedy, imperialistic, oligopolistic, anti-trust law violating, soon-to-be John Rigas's cellmates.

choasforages:
i would also recomend going out and buying a thick $50 linux book, good chances that they will already have an install discs in the book. and youll have enough documentation to keep you going for a while

lazygamer:
Hey do I have to get a book for a specific distro, or is there such a thing as general purpose books? What about books 3 or so years old. I do not want to pay $50, I would like $10 and second hand.  

Also, Mandrake sounds like really user friendly. But even for a Linux master, would they say that if offers alot of customizability and power to them?

voidmain:
I would not recommend a distro-specific book. Something like "Linux Unleashed" should be good, but I saw the first release of it several years back. It was pretty good then, I imagine it should be just as good or better now.

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