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LAN Party Forums => Support Group => Started by: _!Rathe!_ on May 26, 2006, 09:10:51 PM

Title: Which Linux Version??
Post by: _!Rathe!_ on May 26, 2006, 09:10:51 PM

Ok, I have an old gateway 300 Mhz computer laying around and I figured I would throw Linux on it with possibly a VPN gateway so I can access my home network while I am away.  Just something to fool around with.  I have never installed linux before (I have used it and unix every now and then).  So which version should I use??

Title: Which Linux Version??
Post by: TekieB on May 26, 2006, 09:20:01 PM

If you don't want to "learn" how to do stuff, and just want a vpn gateway/router,  toss on a distro like m0n0wall, ipcop, smoothwall, pfsense, clarkconnect. It will work like a charm for what you want, but won't be a learning expierence.

If you want to learn, slackware is a great distro to learn on, but be warned, it doesn't hold your hand like distros like fedora do. It can be a very small install if you want. It's what I use, and what powers all the big lan game servers.

Slackware would be my choice, you will come out of it learning everything about a linux system.


Gentoo is also a good distro to learn on, but I have some issues with it (namely gentoo ricers)

I have a feeling billabond is gonna chime in with Debain/Xandros. It is good as well, apt is an amazing package management system, ubuntu will probly get mentioned, but it is a little more bloated than the above.

links:
Slackware http://slackware.com (guide http://slackbook.org )
m0n0wall http://m0n0.ch/wall
Gentoo http://gentoo.org
Debian http://debian.org

Title: Which Linux Version??
Post by: Billabond1 on May 27, 2006, 01:08:33 AM

My Turn!

What tekie said is pretty much right.  If you really want to learn linux, slackware is the place to be.  Just keep in mind that with slackware, you have to do everything.  Gentoo is good too, but from what i have heard it takes days just to install it and get it working.  

The problem with some of the other distro's  is that they are not gunna like your hardware.  Distro's such as debian, xandros (debian based (which i no longer like)), ubuntu, mandrake, etc... are more heavily based on gui (kde or gnome).  These gui's are gunna run very poorly on you system.

If you want to try it out before you install anything check out the live boot cd's.
Slackware's is called slax.  A good one for debian is knoppix.  Ubuntu has it own live cd.

Hope that helped


and yes apt is awesome and has super cow powers.

Title: Which Linux Version??
Post by: TekieB on May 27, 2006, 08:52:05 AM

Billa: when did you start hating debian :D?

Title: Which Linux Version??
Post by: Billabond1 on May 27, 2006, 11:34:43 AM

I got a little carried away with those parentheses.  I like debian, but I no longer like Xandros.

Title: Which Linux Version??
Post by: TekieB on May 27, 2006, 11:38:28 AM

oh, and try fluxbox as a nice slim window manager (comes with slackware)

Title: Which Linux Version??
Post by: Billabond1 on May 27, 2006, 11:41:45 AM

or you could just do everything in cli...

Title: Which Linux Version??
Post by: Fabio on May 27, 2006, 01:51:50 PM

...windows 3.1

Title: Which Linux Version??
Post by: .:F3ar0n:. on May 27, 2006, 10:10:24 PM

dsl? small and good to learn off of...I guess I can't be considered a true linux junkie cause I mainly use Suse 10...Have debian 64 bit as well but never got around to installing it. Always been more of a Gui type guy

Title: Which Linux Version??
Post by: sully! on May 29, 2006, 02:17:37 PM

Just came across this and thought it might help you out. Well, not really, but it's too good not to share.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/glagla/sets/1177687/show/

and this:

(http://www.pvponline.com/archive/2006/pvp20060516.gif)

Title: Which Linux Version??
Post by: TekieB on May 29, 2006, 02:49:57 PM

I like this one too

(http://tekieb.fites.net/forums/20060513.jpg)