Re: Linux for newbies

[Tomas Wolf <tomas () skip cz>]

Hello,

 I must say that I'm also a newbie with Linux. I'm playing with it for 
two years now and I'm scratching the surface :-)... But I have tried 
three different distributions of Linux - Mandrake, Red Hat, and Debian. 
To me, the easiest to install is Mandrake, with a small lead before Red 
Hat... Out of those three, the most confusing installation is Debian. 
But that is a matter of an oppinion. Because as nice as Mandrake & Red 
Hat are (the guis and ease of installation), that much each of the 
flawors has its own standards... Not that Debian doesn't, but pretty 
much any compilation I did on Debian worked as it should have (sometimes 
with minor tweaks), while RH & Mandrake were sometimes pain to work with 
when it came to compiling some programs. So I would go with Mandrake if 
you want to have it "out-of-box" working and all nice looking, but if 
you go for the functionality... Most definitely Debian. But be avare 
though, it has a huge base of additional software (7 CDs).

 And about books... I was reading one that is great for newbie like me. 
My UNIX teacher refered to it and it payed off. I like that book, it 
takes it one step at a time, while explaining the reasons behind the 
scenes. And after this I would also grab a book about shell scripting 
and C programming... Shell scripting is just amazingly flexible and with 
the programs (internal & external) one can make well automatized systems.

 Anyway, good luck...
Tomas

Matt Atkins wrote:
> First of all, I want to tell all of you what a great mailing list this 
> is.  I am just starting to scratch the surface of network security, and 
> this list is the major source of my information, ideas, and motivation 
> to learn.
>
> In my first of many posts, I would like to ask the group what flavor of 
> Linux is recommended for a newbie.  I have no experience with Linux, and 
> want to teach myself the ins and outs.  I will probably be purchasing a 
> book or 2 to help get things off the ground, so a good book 
> recommendation would also be appreciated.
>
> Thanks in advance and I look forward to your suggestions.
>
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forum Systems PRESIDIO: PGP / XML GATEWAY APPLIANCE
The Presidio integrates PGP data encryption and XML Web Services security to 
simplify the management and deployment of PGP and reduce overall PGP costs 
by up to 80%.
FREE WHITEPAPER & 30 Day Trial - 
http://www.securityfocus.com/sponsor/ForumSystems_security-basics_031027 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------