On Thursday 22 Aug 2002 5:52 am, you wrote: > All right folks, > > I'm about to order all the parts for my new machine, and I'm going to order > the OS along with it. What do I order? I'm open to anything. I would be > very interested in beginning a Debian learning curve, so that's one > possibility. If I stay with Mandrake (which is where I'm leaning heavily) I > am *VERY* curious which version you all think I should use. I have heard of > various problems in each release, and being bug-free is a major issue for > me. I'll be giving L-M a hefty chunk of money (I'm thinking PowerPack, > unless one of you recommends otherwise) so I don't want to have to put up > with any bullshit. I'm more than happy (in fact I prefer) to configure > everything from the command line, but I just want to find a version that > maximizes hardware support, stability, and usability. > > I'm always psyched to learn more about Linux, but I don't consider spending > eight hours online trying to patch up lousy AC '97 audio support part of my > learning process. With the amount of time I had to spend downloading > software upgrades to make 7.2 work I may as well have learned to program > and written all the drivers myself. In all honesty, though, I love > Mandrake. The frustrations are welcome in the early stages, but at this > point I would like to be spending more time learning how to do things > cleanly and concisely from the command line now that I feel I am > progressing to a certain level of proficiency (3 on a 1-10 scale IMO... but > that's not bad for Linux). I want to begin to develop my skills as a Linux > user without being hampered by the fact that EveryBuddy won't display who's > actually online, that KMail won't thread messages, or that some automated > tool or other has tinkered with my routing tables without permission again. > I don't mind (in fact I enjoy) tackling one or two of these little projects > a week, but right now I feel like there are so many little projects that > they have become obstacles to my learning process. > > So, to trim all of this down to one neat little sentence: I'm looking for a > Linux distribtion, preferably Mandrake, that will provide a moderately > bug-free existence while allowing me to flesh out my rudimentary command > line skills in a way that will allow me to gain an inter-distributionary > (yes, I know I made that up) understanding of Linux. I've got the money to > blow on a PowerPack if that's necessary, and a broadband connection to > download freebies if it's not. Where do I go from here? > > Many thanks, > Isaac
IMHO you have a fundamental problem. Nothing worth while is achieved without a little effort. MS make an OS that - usually - can be running without too much effort, but the corollary is that from that you learn nothing, and when something goes wrong there's nothing you can do about it. If cost is your only reason for linux you will soon get fed up of the learning. If you want more control and to truly learn, then Mandrake is a good distro, and, every bit as important, has a community that will help you learn. Just my opinion, of course. Anne
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