Redhat

[echo prime]

Hey guys....
I have a problem..
New term has started and this time, we are starting with unix for the first time.. Ppl at uni are insisting we use redhat. As far as I know, Redhat (Or atleast the version I tried to instal earlier) did not recognise SATA hdd and mine is SATA. Does the newer version support it?? I am posting this in emergency room coz I need to install something by tomorrow night.. If not, I'll stick with Ubuntu.
Thanx guys :)

[JN4OldSchool]

RH is now RHEL which is a pasid for distro (they offer full support). FC (Fedora Core) is the free distro legacy from RH which went to version 9 before becoming Fedora Core. We are now up to FC5 with FC6 rolling out in a few months. FC5 is good with SATA, in fact it is a lot easier than Windows where you most of the time have to load the MOBO driver off a floppy to even install the OS. I would highly (I mean very very highly:nod: ) suggest you give FC5 a shot. They have the best Linux forum around at:

http://forums.fedoraforum.org/?

and once you get past the initial kinks I find FC to be the best distro out there (of course everyone will argue this...) It really isnt any harder than any other distro to set up and it is as cutting edge as you dare or as stable as you want to make it. If you want to stick with older, lots more stable and want an exact RHEL clone then try CentOS or Whitebox. These are highly recomended for servers and business.

[echo prime]

Thanks Sean....
Er... I am a real noob to linux...
If I am going to be learning Unix, it makes no diff whether its Redhat or fedora right? I mean the kernal and all are same right? ANd I guess all I use is the shell(or terminal or what ever.. Noob remember :D ) is the same.... Right??
So Fedora core is the best out of all those?? Including Ubuntu and others?

EDIT: Oops.. U mean its redhat 9 then fedora core...

[JN4OldSchool]

lol, first let me address "the best distro" question. Thats easy, the best distro is the one you like...Seriously, the gurus in here swear by Gentoo. I am just starting to use Gentoo and it's not nearly as daunting as I was led to believe. Linux is Linux. Gentoo just lays things more...out in the open...with usage flags and super high configurability. But...I still would suggest moderate Linux experience before you go there. Ubuntu is the flip side of that coin. It is "dumbed down" Linux. Now I am sure that will piss off plenty of Ubuntu users, and I apologize...But Ubuntu is geared for the new Linux user coming off Windows. It is more Mac like than anything else, and though I personally hate it, it is a great distro with a wide following. For me FC just sits in that right spot where I am most comfortable. SuSE is a close second, though I hate Yast, SuSE's package manager.

For the most part the Linux kernel is the same throughout the distros but each distro will add different kernel modules, or not add the right ones for your system. Theoretically you can make any distro look and act like any other. But the beauty of the direction Linux is going in is that today you dont need to be a computer geek or a programmer. Everything is pretty much GUI these days, though the CLI is still there and adds a new element to computing that Windows lacks. You will need to learn a few commands, but nothing hard. Everything in FC is achievable through graphic tools. I was able to sit down and use it with no problem as a newbie. But as I learned some CLI stuff new possibilities opened up. I had better control of what was happening. So no, you dont just use the shell, or terminal. You have a GUI just like Windows.

The questions you need to look at initially are GUI and package manager. Most distros can use any windows manager. FC defaults to Gnome, but I use and prefer KDE. Distros have different ways to get apps or programs. FC is RPM based and uses YUM. Debian based distros tend to use apt-get. Only experience will tell you which you prefer. I just happen to like FC's system the best. The cool thing is all these distros are free and can be downloaded. FC is HUGE at 3GB I think. Most distros can be downloaded in around 600-700MB. Of course you then have to download all the packages you want too. Another distro I like and recomend for newbies is PCLinuxOS. This is a very easy distro to install and set up and very user friendly. mp3, flash, and most other codecs are installed right out of the box. FC lacks this for legal reasons (it is an American distro) but this stuff is easy to get working.

So I guess I have you confused by this point. Yes, Linux is Linux, but no, all distros are not the same. But the good part is that once you get your feet wet and learn one, then the others are similiar enough that it's really no problem to move from one to another. I am just as comfortable running Gentoo as I am FC or Debian or even Ubuntu.

edit: As far as your needs though, as you will be using RHEL (I take it) in school you will probably want an RPM based distro for home. FC is the natural choice here because, well, FC is RH. The two are virtually identicle. FC is just more cutting edge and geared for home use opposed to corporate. Some have even claimed us FC users are the guinee pigs for RHEL. I suppose this is true to an extent, but dont think you cant build a rock stable FC system as long as you stay away from the testing stuff. A close second choice for you would be SuSE. This is also RPM based and has some advantages over FC. But it also has disadvantages. To me the deciding factor is Yast. I will take Yum any day.

[echo prime]

Thanks. :)