[Shiori]

What's the "better" Linux distro for a newbie? and will it run FPSE?

 

[KillerShots]

Well...I've tried Mandrake, and it seems VERY Windows-like... but I still haven't gotten around to learning the basics (like how to install stuff), and I haven't even seen RedHat yet. All I can say is that Mandrake is VERY easy to install and probably easy enough to get to know once it's up.

 

[CDBuRnOuT]

Mandrake is the best for newbies, by far. On the other hand, RH isn't hard to install either..

FPSE's Linux port, and PCSX's, should run on either distro..

 

[Shiori]

i see, so PCSX's also got a linux version too....well i decided to take the plunge with Mandrake, it's got better reviews anyway.

 

[KillerShots]

Good luck...one thing to remember - DON'T USE THE DEFAULT MONITOR! The default monitor driver (and most of the generics) don't work with any of my home monitors correctly. I got lucky and my main monitor (21") was on the list of vendors .

 

[Betamax]

yep and don't try using a winmodem either. They suck! (if you can get it to work)

 

[Zell]

I prefer RH , was easyer for me !!

 

[KillerShots]

Did you try both?

 

[Kraelis]

I don't know if FPSE will work on either, but if it's just simple gaming you want, with little hassle, I'd opt for Red Hat. Like what has been posted, it _is_ a lot easier to install... something like a Windows installation. (may be even easier... it depends)

If you have a relatively new computer, I'd suggest you go for the latest available version of the two OSes. It'll save you a LOT of hassle if you do.

I haven't tried Mandrake but I do have Red Hat. It's been some time since I booted it up, but I think it's an old 6.x or something. The latest RH distribution is easier to install because of new and updated hardware drivers. However, it's quite buggy due to the kernel overhaul they did on it. But then again, if you're not planning to set up a really serious system (intensive work, server, security, etc..), it's fine for common usage.

Oh... where were you able to get a Mandrake? I've been looking all over for other Linux distributions and all that I've found are Red Hats.

 

[Xeven]

I've used both, I found mandrake easier to install and generally easier to configure, but most packages for mandrake are repacked versions of RH anyway. I guess it should have a performance advantage over RH, because it uses some compiler optimizations for x586 comps and above. But, I haven't ran any sort of benchmarks or anything....

Hey Kraelis, if you want to download [i know.. i know... not everybody has cable or dsl, hell i dont have one...]. You can find
all linux distros, iso/packages and a load of other software at
ftp://www.planetmirror.com..., hope this helps.

 

[Betamax]

Well in my case I "borrowed" the universities copy

anyways assuming you have broadband you can d/l at any of the sites listed in the following page:

http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/ftp.php3

Links to all other distros can be found here:

http://www.linux.com/learn/getlinux/

 

[Shiori]

Originally posted by Kraelis
Oh... where were you able to get a Mandrake? I've been looking all over for other Linux distributions and all that I've found are Red Hats.

in my local warez store. :emb: it's got three CDs....i think the rest are Linux apps i think....

 

[Kraelis]

I got mine from the university too. Actually, since I knew we were gonna take Unix up a few sems from now, I pestered the dep head to give me one of those free copies they give schools. It's pretty old, but hey, it works... after a lot of hair pulling though...

Mandrake's optimized, you say, huh, Xeven? I wonder it's not so popular if it has similarities to Red Hat, at least from where I am...(or maybe I don't know people who do know it...)

How's the robustness of the code? Any issues with stability or security?

 

[Xeven]

well i havent had any major crashes (if any at all) or anything, but that's the same case as RH. With regards to optimization, there's little or no perceptible differences between the performance of RH and MD at least from running GIMP anyway... i don't really run a lot of software on linux... Robustness of code? I dunno, I mean most of the stuff from mandrake are packages from RH compiled with the "-586" option... i think... hmm... maybe someone could explain that better to me too.

 

[Hairybudda]

Originally posted by Xeven
I dunno, I mean most of the stuff from mandrake are packages from RH compiled with the "-586" option... i think... hmm... maybe someone could explain that better to me too.

Optimised for 586 processors, PIII and Athlon i think...

 

[Phuzzi]

European users should try www.mirror.ac.uk

Very fast mirror of many distributions, as well as a lot of other things.

Personally, i prefer mandrake. I've tried both.