Hi im thinkn about givn redhat 9 a try but ive never used a linux os before im a windows fan! but im willing to give linux a try but i have a few questions well actually only one how much different is it than windows and is it hard to catch on to the linux os?

Liam

[codejockey]

Welcome to TSG -- and congratulations on being willing to give Linux a try. Linux is very different from Windoze (not always better, just a lot different). Linux is more extensive, more complex, more capable, more secure and more fraught-with-peril than Windoze -- which doesn't mean that you shouldn't try it (hey, none of us were born knowing this stuff!) but it does mean that you may feel confused, frustrated and lost at first (we all did, and still do, at times! ). The good news is that you've probably found one of the best spots on the net for technical support, helpful suggestions and sympathy -- and with a little perseverance, you might surprise yourself at how much you can learn and master in Linux.

Hope this helps.

[Al-Firdaus]

Difficulty depends on which distro you choose. In general, Linux is quite technical. Unlike windoze, which configures everything for you in most cases you have to configure everything in Linux. (This is contingent on which distro.) Also, with Linux you have complete access to the kernel for configuring whereas with windoze its kernel and source code are prepriotory. Linux's superiority rests with the fact that you can configure the OS your way! It is far superior in stability, meaning it seldom if ever crashes and it is the OS of choice if you desire to run a server. Red Hat is a very good distro though it is losing favor among the hardcore of the Linux community because of their over commercialization. My preference is Debian for which I plan to build a super-server around within the next year. Follow this link to get a better understanding as to what it is you are getting yourself into. I hope you find Linux to be most rewarding.

http://linux.com/article.pl?sid=02/03/09/1727250

[lynch]

By all means,give it a try! If patience allows,you will feel rewarded for giving Linux a chance.
Now for a few things you should know about Redhat 9:

• As Al-Firdaus said,they are the most commercial(which isnt a bad thing)
• They leave out support for the NTFS filesystem so you cant read XP files out of the box.
• They also leave out MP3 support,but suggest you try ogg-vorbis,an open source format.

Im not trying to scare you off But just thought I'd let you know.Those things can be restored by you,but,there are other distributions of Linux that do provide support for those things RH decided to leave out .The two I like the most are Mandrake and SuSE.
You can also try Knoppix ,which runs entirely from a CD without touching your hard drive.It's like a demo,to see if you like Linux or not.
Anyway,give Linux a try and if you get stuck there's plenty of help here.
lynch