itching for some new Linux

[billy_gates]

I found a cool different linux... Simply GNUStep.  I can't actually get XFree86 to work , but they have a demo boot disk, it boots off of the cd and it looks really cool.  Very different from standard linux.  Its a lot like NeXT and OSX.  No Eye candy except good photo realistic icons.

http://simplygnustep.sourceforge.net

P.S. if you get XFree86 to work could you tell me how.

[suselinux]

I would have to say Red hat.

easy to use, easy to install (most newer distros are), and really easy to find software.

Many Linux Programs found in RPM format are designed for Red hat first then tweaked for other RPM based Systems. MDK SuSE etc  (I said MANY not all apps)

Looks very very clean and professional.

I think bluecurve is headed in the right direction
for attracting new users to Linux.

being that it is the most popular of distros its very easy to find answers to the most impossible of questions.

I will say Nay to Mandrake only because If they really are Bankrupt you won't know if you can get MDK specific RPMs (not that it really matters to most users with a LITTLE experience)

Other than that I understand your dilema, you've got to choose between two of the best.  

Frankly I would install MDK first then put Red hat on and boot both in GRUB with Redhat.

[jtpenrod]

quote:I will say Nay to Mandrake only because If they really are Bankrupt you won't know if you can get MDK specific RPMs

That's not going to be a problem at all. It's so easy to download "tarballs" and use them to roll your own RPMs that 'Drake RPMs will remain available even if MandrakeSoft goes bye-bye.
_______________________________________
Live Free or Die: Linux

"There: now you'll never have to look at those dirty Windows anymore"
      --Daffy Duck

[realist]

Psyjax, Slackware is easy. If you really want an adventure, and a change from Linux, get a BSD. FreeBSD 4.8 has just come out so you're timing's good.

Oh and many Lycoris 3.0 rpms are compatible with Mandrake and vice versa, in case you are interested.

[ May 21, 2003: Message edited by: The Realist ]

[bloodpet]

If you're a speed phreak and you're up to the challenge try one of these:
Gentoo
Sorcerer or
Linux From Scratch.
If you're not interested in compiling everything from scratch, and just want to learn much about the system, try Slackware, it's actually the easiest distro to use if you want to learn the processes in your GNU/Linux box.
But if you just wanna try out a debian-based distro, try Morphix.
Most of all, since you've got time, i recommend trying the BSD's, specifically, FreeBSD. Also, OpenBSD, or NetBSD.

I didn't know FreeBSD already released 4.8. - i'll try it. I have here their 4.7-RELEASE and 5.0-CURRENT, but i still can't get it to run X.

[Siplus]

i'd say redhat9, but that's cause it's what i use. i don't know if you want to count my very biased vote cause i've never really used mandrake (i tried 8.2, but you can't use that to compare rh and md when ur using the newest releases)

[Doctor V]

Psyjax, ignore these porple and take my advice.      I have been using Red Hat 8.0 almost since its release.  Over the months I've fucked it up by adding so many apps built for other versions of redhat or other distros, along with numerous alpha and beta packages, that it could be mistaken for Windows ME with a facelift!  After accepting the fact that my redhat was lost I decided to try somthing new.  I downloaded 4 distros to try so I could make a dual boot with the two I liked best.  I just had to check out Evil Entity just to see what its like and let me tell you: it ROCKS!

Its fast, lightweight, stable, and very interesting.  If you're looking for somthing fun, new, interesting, and different from other the standard distros, nothing will beat Evil Entity.  Its a few rungs up from Red Hat in the challenge department, but much easier to install and use than Slackware, Debian or Gentoo (which I'm still fighting with).  Installation takes just over a half hour.  The desktop is Enlightenment which is quite different from KDE or Gnome and might take a bit of getting used to; but looks really cool esp. if you're into gothic.  I wasn't expecting it to function very well, but I was wrong.  Actually it is very stable and, so far at least, seems to run much more efficiently than Red Hat ever did.

Give it a try at least, version 0.25 is out, and be sure to jot down you monitors specs before installing.

Good Luck and Have Fun

      V    


edit: I really am a bad speller.

[ May 22, 2003: Message edited by: Doctor V ]

[Pantso]

Of all the newest distros I've tried so far, I'm really fond of RH 8.0 as well as Mandrake 9.0. I haven't tried RH 9.0 or Mandrake 9.1 just yet, but if I had to choose between these two, I'd take RH.    

I also have to say that SuSE was my distro of choice, until versions 8.0 and 8.1, which were really disappointing. However, I've read many positive reviews about 8.2.

As for Slack, I still haven't given it a try, but I'll take the others' word for it that it rocks.    

Anyway, it's a tough choice psyjax, but my final suggestion would be RH 9.0.  

[psyjax]

Hmmm... this evil entety intrigues me  

What kind of Package Management does it use? And how can I be sure that most linux apps will work on it without annoying compile times and gcc errors?

I do want to use this as a dev. platform to get used to programming on X86. I am familiar with KDevelop wich I realy enjoyed for teh brief time I used it... can you install KDE easely on EvilE? Or will I be stuck programming with emacs  

hhehe.... well ya see what I mean.

Anyway, the linux seems quirky, speedy, and kinda fun. What do you know about the answers to my questions?

[KernelPanic]

It is slackware based, so it uses tgz slackpacks. (EvilEntity)

[Doctor V]

Evil Entitys own package management system, the Masoleum, is still being developed.  But yes, any linux app should work with no trouble .  That being said, you might be able to get RPM or portage to run, who knows.  Then again, there's nothing wrong with tgz files.  You can install KDE on it like any other app, but EvilE has Enlightenment set up so well that you might not want to.  I'm sure there are plenty of other dev tools that can be put on there that work in Enlightenment.  It does come with dev tools, I'll take a look at them again and report back.

If you do install it, when it brings up a  option on a green screen where you can choose (Y)es  or  (N)o  you have to enter a small 'y' for yes.

V

[Jordan]

I should be getting Mandrake 9.1 in the mail soon, so when I do, I'll let everyone know how it is!     [got it for one cent on ebay]

[Laukev7]

Did Mandrake go bankrupt? I heard that they have finanacial difficulties, but I was not aware of their demise. I don't see any mention on their website.

I would recommend FreeBSD over Slackware or Debian. It is much easier to set up, and just as customisable. Even recompiling the kernel is a simpler process (I think). The disadvantage is the limited number of applications available (although you can run Linux programs just as well as natively). I don't think you can do that for kernel modules or drivers, though (such as support for filesystems).

I have tried many Linux distributions, but I never found anything suitable to my liking. Even FreeBSD is not quite what I need. I am constantly changing between distros and OSes.

Maybe I'll check Evil Entity. Anyone has a link?

[GoodwillMan]

quote:Originally posted by psyjax: plain 'ol psyjax:


Isin't slack supposed to be the MOST challanging distro?

Mandrake 9 is looking very apealing. It has anto-aliased fonts! *gasp*

I'm a sucker for eye candy.

No, realy, how hard is slack?

Not hard at all really, it is pretty fucking easy actually.

[Doctor V]

For evil entity go to:

undeadlinux.com

Psyjax:
As far as development tools, it comes with VIM (ugh), jedit which is a text editor like nedit or kedit, Qt Designer which I think is like kdevelope, Glade - a visual basic like development thingy for linux, and GCVS which I don't know a hell of alot about.  I think you should be more than all set for programming using Evil Entity.

V