Hi all,

I'd like to learn Linux and convert my K6-2 machine into a dedicated Linux cruncher this summer (with the optimized SETI apps). I played around with Mandrake for a bit back in 2000 (version 7.1 I believe), and found it to be fairly intuitive. At the time though I couldn't have Linux as my main OS.

Is Mandrake still a good beginning Linux distro? I have the time to invest in learning it now, and I believe I can get just about any distribution I want through my university, retail or otherwise. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Dig

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I know you Linux folks are a good sort who are always happy to help a newbie get started. :)

I'm looking for a good Linux distribution to learn and become proficient with, and ultimately start converting some older machines into crunchers for SETI. The advanced Linux stuff can come much later... for right now I'd just like to get the operating system on my machine and start learning it properly.

I did pretty well with Mandrake a few years back, but there's just so many distributions to choose from, I would greatly appreciate any advice you may have.

Thanks,

Dig

mandrake, fedora, knoppix, debian, and suse are all fairly popular. mandrake used to be the easiest to get going with, but i havent used it in years and don't know what the current version is like

Personally I like Fedora. I Use Fedora Core 3 and find it excellent. Seems to be updated regularly too.......only ever had one problem ....that was with an unsupported graphics card but that was soon resolved. My FC3 host has been running for 3 months without reboot so reliability seems good too. Hope that helps.

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Spacemeat and Tigher, thanks for the input.

I think I will go ahead and work with Mandrake (or I guess Mandriva it is now called), as it still seems to be as popular and well-rated as when I first experimented with it. Also, when I previously loaded that distribution on this very same machine 5 years ago it recognized all of my hardware and got up and running without a whole lot of fuss. I can only assume that this will still be the case today. Several reviews I've read since posting here seem to indicate that it continues to be a very good distribution for Linux newbies.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. :)

Dig

I'd like to learn Linux and convert my K6-2 machine into a dedicated Linux cruncher this summer (with the optimized SETI apps).

fyi: the optimized i686 clients do not work on K6-2, linux treats it as a 586. Metod has a client that works on k6-2, but it isnt any faster than the one i compiled without special optimizations

Being a recent convert myself, Fedora Core 3 .... i've had no problems at all and i knew absolutely nothing, very helpfull forums too.

I know you Linux folks are a good sort who are always happy to help a newbie get started. :)

I'm looking for a good Linux distribution to learn and become proficient with, and ultimately start converting some older machines into crunchers for SETI. The advanced Linux stuff can come much later... for right now I'd just like to get the operating system on my machine and start learning it properly.

I did pretty well with Mandrake a few years back, but there's just so many distributions to choose from, I would greatly appreciate any advice you may have.

Thanks,

Dig