I am a complete newbie to Linux. I got tired of my Windoze 2000 Server re-booting by itself, so I want to setup a Linux server to do my file and print sharing with the possiblility of being an internet router in the future. I would like to know what distro to use that will

1. Allow me to learn the internals of the Linux system
2. Provide a little bit of hand holding (I come from the point and click world of MickeySoft)
3. Provide excellent documentation

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

may as well go for mandrake.

but someone will suggest Redhat soon, and then someone will stick in the slackware vote... but mandrake is the easiest

you only get real docs if you actaully buy the off the shelf version, i don't really think that's all that necesary tho, everythign is very well supported on line, inc places like here

Agree with Acid, mandrake is easy to use. A distro with excellent support and documentation is SuSE. Bare in mind, it will take you all day to install via FTP.

Regular distributions like redhat, debian, suse, mandrake, slackware, etc, etc, etc, etc. are easier to install for a newbie. But practically no single distribution will take care of your first requirement: learn the internal of the Linux system.

You will in time learn how to use Linux, how to configure some things, but it's quite hard to get really down to the core of Linux and learn what makes Linux ticks. Why you have over 1 GB of files installed. What every single file is for. What you can and cannot safely remove. The list goes on for quite some time.

What will allow you to learn all that stuff?
Have a read through the following page:
http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/lfs/intro.shtml


Having that said, Linux From Scratch isn't for newbies. While newbies can install an LFS system just fine if you read the instructions carefully, you really will want to have some prior Linux knowledge to be able to get the most out of it. A regular distribution is a good way to aquire that basic knowledge and if you break something you just pop in the distribution cdrom and you can reinstall the system if you really damaged it.

But keep LFS in mind, perhaps in the future you may want to learn more about what makes Linux really work behind the scenes.

hehe, spot the shameless plug!!!

Lol *busted*

I just hope people will take me seriously and not just think I'm biased towards LFS because I run the project.

I'm almost tempted to write LFS propaganda/advertising/whatever-you-wanna-call-it as a different user here so I can be anonymous and still get my point across

Don't worry, I won't be doing that. That would be quite childish.

1) see that "IP: Logged" thing.... hehe

2) childish...? and???

your welome to post what you like in the general forum, as long as it's not a dreary politcal tirade!

uh oh.. acid has access to the ip numbers of users.. anyway to disable it for him??

Thanks for the input. I needed to get my SAMBA server up fast, so installed a Mandrake 8.2 distro. Had some problems with my DHCP server and the 3c905-TX card running at 100-TX. Finally is running very well.

I have downloaded Libranet distro (Debian) and Slackware. I will try both on another box.

I WILL try the LFS system eventually. I downloaded the book in PDF format to read. I am thinking about junking my NT server at my church for a Linux box. Saves money and I can help teach a new system to kids.

If you have other input, please share!!

Don't turn your back on the BSD offerings also, i am finding FreeBSD 4.4 to be promising. Bear it mind that you will have to install the new XFree86 version since it comes with 3.3.6. But all you have to do is type pkg_add -r XFree86 and it will automatically get the latest version 4 u and then install it so you can run xf86cfg. Once you get X running, its much easier to troubleshoot problems since you have at least a working computer.

P.S. Mandrake 8.2 isn't out yet, unless you have a time machine in which i would like to take part in as well :-)

mandrake 8.2 has been on cooker for a fair while now.

this is a totally wasted post but here goes!

time travel is not possible, not ever. time is something we as humans created in our own mind. to tell a machine to go back or forward in our own time would be impossible as it can't compare anything to go back in time, as time is only used by humans to calculate our life, and to keep track of records and such.

ok, its early morning and i am going back to bed.

Just wondering about LFS.

Does it include the ability to add different things like KDE or maybe an RPM manager, or different web browsers?

well with Slackware u certainly learn more than with most other distros. Im getting intrested in this LFS thing, it sounds really cool, but it scares me for some reason also....