[LONGHAIR]

They seem just that "OLD". Has anyone used the newest version? It seems like most posts are about Ver3.0 or older. I've been thinking about learning something new and not sure which way to go. Is something like Lindows a "crutch" that will hold back a person that should really just go straight to Linux? If so which Linux is the "one"? I will have to mostly go this alone........I don't know anyone that knows the first thing about Linux or Lindows.

[Mithrilhall]

I don't have much Linux experience.

I've run Mandrake 8.1, 8.2, 9.1 a few times.
I've installed Redhat (can't remember the version).
Fooled around with Gentoo (don't attempt it if you're new to Linux) .
Installed Lindows 3.0 and reformatted within hours.
Installed Lycoris and looked around for about 5 minutes.


I just downloaded Lindows 4.0 but haven't had a chance to burn it or install it but I wasn't really that impressed with 3.0. Sure it's easy to use for someone new to Linux but I was/am looking for something a little more challenging. My favorite distro to date is Mandrake 9.1. I'm sure I'll like Gentoo more but I need more free time to get it setup and school isn't giving me enough time.

[codejockey]

OK, I'm going out on a limb here, so feel free to saw me off at will (and if you don't, I'm sure plenty of others will ... ) ...

The bottom line is that most Linux distributions are "crutches" in the sense that to some extent, they attempt to insulate the user from the nuts and bolts of what's really going on in the O/S. GUIs are not much more than a pretty face on command-line utilities that do the real work. Most distributions are pre-packaged, with a "default" set of packages to be installed that includes everything from Fortran compilers to CD ripping software. The installation scripts typically hide details of disk partitioning and filesystem selection/creation from the user.

There's nothing wrong with this model -- as long as you recognize what's going on. If you're moving from Windoze to Linux, it certainly makes sense to choose a distribution that makes that move easier (Mandrake and SuSe come to mind). If you want to understand the nuts and bolts of Linux, you can still choose a distribution such as Mandrake or SuSe for your initial installation, and later start to investigate what's really happening under the covers.

If you really want to learn Linux, you'll end up reading man pages and working at the command line (shades of DOS! ) far more than you expected. Don't despair -- you are drinking from the fountain of wisdom.

Hope this helps.

[greengeek]

Most distros are easy to install now, it's when you want more that you're likely to run into problems. Fortunately there's plenty of help on the net and from books and magazines. I've been running Linux for years now without asking for anyone's help but I've read thousands of pages of technical stuff and even absorbed some of it. I use SuSE 8.0 Pro.