Hi Mike
> I am so new to linux that I haven't even got it installed yet! I bought
> the McMillan distribution of Red Hat 5.2 and borrowed Linux for
> Dummies from the local library.
>
> My first question is if there is any major reason to get one of the
> later releases of Red Hat rather than installing 5.2?
I'm sure that you'll get some expert advice from others, but I thought I'd
share my experiences, as a fellow Linux newbie. I installed Red Hat 6.1 about
six weeks ago, and install-wise, everything went relatively smoothly. I had a
few difficulties with X Windows, but after several attempts got the GUI
interface up and working. Version 6.1 is the latest (as far as I know) and has
a number of bugs (particularly with the GNOME desktop environment). There are
patches now available from the Red Hat site, but as a complete newbie who knew
next to nothing six weeks ago, I wasn't sure whether the fact I couldn't rpm
was due to a bug or due to my incompetence. Older versions, I assume, have had
most of the bugs ironed out so this may be a reason to continue with your plan
to install 5.2.
> Is there a FAQ for this list or an archive that I look at and save
> everyone form answering the same question over and over?
Someone else mentioned the following site: www.geocrawler.com/lists/3/Linux. I
haven't checked it out yet myself.
> What is the best beginner level book on linux? The Dummies book
> is OK, but I think I'll want something more by the time I return it to
> the library.
I bought "Mastering Red Hat Linux 6" by Arman Danesh. I see Amazon.com is
selling it for US$31.99 which is oodles cheaper than what I bought it for,
exchange rate or no exchange rate. I found it invaluable for the install
process. The book goes through each install screen as they arise, and advises
when to go with the default responses, etc. It also covers pretty much
everything else you want to know about running Linux as well. I must admit
though, I also use "Linux Secrets", a book written for the Slackware
distribution. It is really good at explaining Linux commands.
A free resource, is the sample chapter of O'Reilly's "Learning Red Hat Linux",
Installing Linux. This is available online at
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/redhat/chapter/ch03.html.
Hope this helps.
Sharon
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