Linux distros
TipMonkies posted a “beginner’s gude to Linux distros”. Worthwhile reading, although it appears that the writer didn’t have in-depth experience with any of the distros he/she describes. That being said, here are some of my experiences. As a background: I started out using RedHat, first by failing to install version 6.something, and then by successfully installing and running version 7.1. I then tried out Slackware 8 and 9 for a while, experimented with Debian, and finally drifted into the orbit of Gentoo. Today, I administer two Gentoo desktops, two Debian servers, a Debian desktop, a Debian laptop, and a whole bunch of RedHat Enterprise Linux 2, 3, and 4 servers at work. I also occasionally deal with Slackware and various Fedora Cores. My primary machine runs bleeding-edge Gentoo.
It is my firm belief that there is no ideal distro for every task. So let’s discuss tasks.
- My First Linux Distro ™
- Fedora, Mandriva, Ubuntu, etc. If it’s your first time installing and using Linux, you need all the hand-holding you can get. I am somewhat prejudiced against Linspire, Mepis and their ilk, but I’ve never tried them out — perhaps they aren’t as brain-damaged as rumors hold, in which case they may also be worthwhile candidates.
- Workstation or gaming box
- Gentoo. Fast, extremely configurable, and doesn’t need to be reinstalled ever. Excellent support for bleeding-edge software. Vast package repository. One of the best package managers in existence. Doesn’t shy at supporting non-free packages (that means good support for commercial games, Java, DVD, and video codecs). The downside is the need to compile everything — but since it’s running on a workstation, presumably you have the CPU horsepower to compile KDE…
- LAMP server
- Debian. Doesn’t need to be reinstalled ever (like Gentoo). Vast package repository (like Gentoo). One of the best package managers in existence (like Gentoo). Packages are not as bleeding-edge as Gentoo, but who cares — it’s a server. Plus, packages are binary, so your CPU time is spent answering MySQL requests rather than compiling the newest version of glibc. Slackware can also work in this role, although upgrades can be a pain.
- Oracle server
- RedHat. Installing Oracle is an extraordinarily painful experience. Don’t make it painful and impossible by installing on unsupported distros.
- Random Pentium 75 with a bizarro non-standard chipset that you found in the dumpster
- Slackware. It is my firm belief that Slackware can install and run on any piece of odd x86 hardware manufactured before 2000. If you are dumpster-diving for a firewall machine, it’s a prime candidate for a Slackware install.