For those who see Linux as a way of life

[RKS Computer Solutions]

Yeah Dave, it can be daunting, but the situation when I started with Linux was quite different from what it is now...

I never knew about Distrowatch, just went head first into trying to install Gentoo while not knowing what I was letting myself in for... After having discovered OpenSuse and Fedora things have changed quite a bit...

Gentoo is for compiling linux on your machine to have the absolute newest drivers and perhaps a 3 to 4% edge in performance, but as most people have discovered, that 3% edge you get is just not worth sitting and compiling your own linux which could take anywhere up to 24hours solid....

So, I'm still with Linux as I really do prefer to go about my work without having BSOD failures the whole day...

[SilverNodashi]

Lol.

Linux has its uses. But not as a desktop. A mail server Proxy server, Web Server. They are really one of the best products out there.

Its a matter of how you use it and who supports it rather then how does it work.

As i said i would not sell an end user linux.

Why not a Desktop?

I run Suse 10.1 on my PIV Dual Core, with SATA HDDs & Geforce 7900GT. My MS wireless keyboard & mouse works fine, so does my wireless NIC, and the bluetooth connection to my cellphone. On my HP Pavilion ze4300 Laptop I run Mandrive 2007 without any problems, DVD's & music works fine, so does my LAN & modem

I also have a client (a Dr. in the Transkey) with 8 PC's running only Suse 9.3! They also run on a Wireless LAN, and use ISDN for internet.

Another client has a Fedora Core 5 file / mail / proxy server, and can manage most of it themselves.

Some of the schools we've setup use Ubuntu for file & print / proxy server as well

Have you guys ever installed OpenSUSE? Or Fedora for that matter?

I have a client right now who is contemplating moving over from M$ to Linux desktops, after a successful Linux Server install (Out the window goes Small Business Server - Who wants to pay 20grand anyway) and installing a Linux desktop for him with all the applications needed to run his day-to-day business as a test-bed for future reference...

The new FC & OpenSuse installers are very easy to use, and the interfaces as well, I'd suggest you use KDE though, since Gnome has the menu on top.

Yup, Ubuntu would do the trick as well, though I'd recommend you look at Kubuntu for a similar experience to M$... Same layout of menus and such....

OpenSUSE and Fedora has come a real long way since the old days of having to manually configure everything before anything would run... Can anyone see themselves installing OpenSUSE/Fedora on a Toshiba notebook? Wouldn't recommend it for beginners, that might just be the reason why I'm bald today... ehehehhehe

If anyone reading this really would like to experience the old-skool way of learning Linux, I'd recommend Centos, if only for the fact that I won't be the only bald person on this forum...

Give FreeBSD or Slackware a go