On Wed, 13 Jun 2001, L.D. Best wrote:
> I have put off, for more than a year, installing PM+ so I could then
> install a pure Linux system along with DOS & dozerware [yech!].
>
> Why?
>
> It's simple: Linux isn't simple.
Linux is every bit as simple as DOS... but since it is SO
much more functional, it may seem overwhelming at first.
> I want to learn how to make Linux jump through hoops, I can't deny that.
> But I also want to be able to USE Linux before I start to learn it.
You can muck around in your ISP's shell. Even if it's not
exactly Linux, you'll get enough of a feel so that once you do
install Linux, it'll feel familiar.
> So here is my plea: Is there a Linux out there [I'll even pay for a CD
> if I have to!] that I can simply run an install program for and have it
> up and working for me?
From first-hand experience, I can say that both Red Hat 6.2
and Mandrake 7.1 fall into this category. Their install programs
walk you through the entire installation, even auto-detecting
hardware, so you don't have to know monitor refresh rates and other
harware specs as you did in the past. They give you an easy way of
partitioning your drive, so you don't have to use fdisk if you don't
want to (though both give you the option to use it if you choose).
IIRC, Mandrake asks if you want GNOME or KDE, while Red Hat
asks if you want GNOME, KDE, or a "server" installation,
which doesn't install a GUI by default... though of course
you can install X later.
Red Hat even still has (in RH 6.2, anyway) a text install
option so you don't need a mouse for installation if you
don't choose to use one.
The biggest difference between them is their hardware
requirements:
Mandrake requires a minimum of a 586 with 32MB RAM and 1 GB
of free space for installation while Red Hat can be installed on
a 386 with as little as 16 MB of RAM, and ~200MB of disk space,
though you're really going to want at least 500MB if you want
some room to stretch your legs a bit.
Caldera is also reputed to be as easy or easier than
Windoze to install.
Distributions to stay away from are probably Slackware
and Debian.
- Steve
