Dozens of popular Linux distributions are available today. Some are generalized distributions that you can use as a desktop, server, or workstation system; others are specialized for business or computer enthusiasts.
Linux at Work
Because I know a lot of people who use Linux, both informally and at work, I want to share my general impressions of how different Linux distributions are being used in the United States. Most consultants I know who set up small office servers used to use Red Hat Linux, but now have mostly moved to Fedora, CentOS (built from Red Hat Enterprise Linux software), Ubuntu, or Debian GNU/Linux. Mandriva Linux (formerly Mandrakelinux) has been popular with people wanting a friendly Linux desktop, but Fedora is also well-liked. The more technically inclined like to play with Gentoo (highly tunable) or Slackware (Linux in a more basic form).
The agreement between Novell and Microsoft at the end of 2006 prompted some open source proponents to abandon SUSE. Whether this will result in a migration from SUSE in the enterprise space, however, has yet to play out. However, right now, Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers the best choice in the enterprise realm for those who object to the alliance.
For people transitioning to Linux with Macintosh hardware, Yellow Dog Linux lets you install on a PowerPC and learn skills that are useful to expand later to Red Hat systems. (Yellow Dog was originally based on Red Hat Linux.) As for the bootable Linuxes, everyone I know thinks they are great fun to try out and a good way to learn about Linux. For a bootable Linux containing desktop software that fits on a full CD (or DVD), KNOPPIX is a good choice, as is Ubuntu; for a bootable mini–CD size Linux, Damn Small Linux works well. However, you can also try out these live CDs from the media that come with this book: INSERT, Puppy Linux, SLAX Popcorn, System Rescue CD, or BackTrack.
You can also try to connect in to the growing Linux user communities because strong community
support results in a more solid software distribution and help when you need it (from such things
as forums and online chats).
Linux at Work
Because I know a lot of people who use Linux, both informally and at work, I want to share my general impressions of how different Linux distributions are being used in the United States. Most consultants I know who set up small office servers used to use Red Hat Linux, but now have mostly moved to Fedora, CentOS (built from Red Hat Enterprise Linux software), Ubuntu, or Debian GNU/Linux. Mandriva Linux (formerly Mandrakelinux) has been popular with people wanting a friendly Linux desktop, but Fedora is also well-liked. The more technically inclined like to play with Gentoo (highly tunable) or Slackware (Linux in a more basic form).
The agreement between Novell and Microsoft at the end of 2006 prompted some open source proponents to abandon SUSE. Whether this will result in a migration from SUSE in the enterprise space, however, has yet to play out. However, right now, Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers the best choice in the enterprise realm for those who object to the alliance.
For people transitioning to Linux with Macintosh hardware, Yellow Dog Linux lets you install on a PowerPC and learn skills that are useful to expand later to Red Hat systems. (Yellow Dog was originally based on Red Hat Linux.) As for the bootable Linuxes, everyone I know thinks they are great fun to try out and a good way to learn about Linux. For a bootable Linux containing desktop software that fits on a full CD (or DVD), KNOPPIX is a good choice, as is Ubuntu; for a bootable mini–CD size Linux, Damn Small Linux works well. However, you can also try out these live CDs from the media that come with this book: INSERT, Puppy Linux, SLAX Popcorn, System Rescue CD, or BackTrack.
You can also try to connect in to the growing Linux user communities because strong community
support results in a more solid software distribution and help when you need it (from such things
as forums and online chats).
No comments:
Post a Comment