It is all in your definition of "free." If your definition of free is being
able to download the whole thing of the internet and install it, well
I think Slackware is about the best for that. On the other hand for about
$2 - $11 you can buy a variety of distros on CD-ROM from clearing houses
like Linux Mall. I've done it both ways, and if you have a fast internet
connection (T1 or better) you can have the whole Slackware distro
downloaded in about 2-5 hours (depending on the load on the web at the
time). Or you can have the whole dstro dumped on your doorstep on CD, and
away you go.
Personally, the later is well worth the cost.
All distros are free in the sense that you can copy them freely, and
ditribute them freely. So If you know someone that has a distro already,
even if they paid for it, you can copy it and install it no you machine.
Just a word of advice. When I was a newbie (4 years ago) I bought a distro
(Slackware at the time) that came with a book that went through the whole
install process, gave me an overview of disk and sysadmin, etc. It was
invaluable for getting me started on the right foot. I hear RH 6.0 comes
with a very good documentation, and if you are new to Linux/Unix, you may
find the $75 for a full RH distro with all of the documnetation money well
spent.
Good luck.
Ben Wong wrote:
> Hello, I need some advice concerning the qualities of the most widely
> used distributions.
> Also, I only want know about free ones. Any response will earn my
> gratitude.
>
> -Ben Wong, Keeper of the Squish, Breaker of Sailboats, and Aggravator of
> Cysts
>
> "A closed mouth gathers no feet."
> -Lee Silva
>
> ___________________________________________________________________
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--
Robert B. Haehnel
Ice Engineering Research Division
Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory
72 Lyme Road
Hanover, NH 03755-1290
Phone: (603)646-4325
Fax: (603)646-4477
e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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