From: Chris Robinson 

Geo's is a good suggestion to find out compatibility issues.  I run
Mandrake 9.1 like Adam and it's pretty easy to use once you've got the hang
of things.  This said, it uses a non-standard directory structure for
certain things which mean that when you install third-party apps, you don't
get things like entries in the menus - it can also cause problems when
installing things yourself (make sure you use the Mandrake RPM's).

I'm thinking of trying Debian (I think Knoppix is based on that) cos I've
found that the ease of use in Linux (for me anyway) has come from using KDE
3.1 more than from Mandrake's tools (although the Mandrake installation is
very simple).  Debian's also very standards-compliant (from what I've
heard) and so any third party apps should work as intended.

From a networking POV I'd install a package called Webmin.  Webmin lets you
configure (amoungst many other things) your Samba (Windows Networking)
server/ client.  You access it via a webpage and it's very useful.  As for
mounting shares I use either Mandrake's tool or LinNeighborhood.

I've found that you get used to Linux fairly quickly - it's not as hard to
use as some people make out (although software installation can often be a
real bitch - especially when it comes to dependancies).

When it comes to upgrades, I ran Mandrake 9 and then upgraded to 9.1 with
no problems at all.  I even swapped out my Motherboard, CPU and RAM for new
ones and just booted straight back up afterwards.  I've never upgraded from
a major version to another though (e.g. Mandrake 8 to Mandrake 9).

I have a Matrox Video Card and a Sounblaster Soundcard so you shouldn't
have a problem.

Here's some useful info that helped me:
- CTRL+ALT+BACKSPACE - Linux is sturdy but sometimes X isn't.  This key
sequence will restart X (afterall, it's just another server).
- I always found a lot of sites saying "drop to a command line and
install this as root" or similar.  When you're at the command line,
type "su" to get root ("Super User") access (you'll be
prompted for root password).
- Also, to install software (very generally), you type "./configure"
first and then "make" or "makeinstall" after (at a command line).
- Once you've got X up and running, take a backup of your XF86Config
(might be XF86Config-4) file (holds the settings for your X session). It's
in /etc/X11 (I think). - If X fails to start after you change something
(graphics driver, resolution etc), this will come in handy.
- Oh yeah, for software always check Freshmeat.net and Sourceforge.net
before looking elsewhere - there're really good sources of info.

Hope this helps (these are things I've found out and have come in handy as
a Linux newbie).  I've found that Linux people are generally pretty
friendly and willing to help so you shouldn't have too much hastle finding
an answer to something if you get stuck.

Chris.

"Richard B." wrote:

> Okay, I'm going to try to make the time (again) to check out Linux. I
> mainly see it for additional servers here initially, for things like
> archived files. Most users are only familiar with Windows, so they
> need to be insulated from anything that would cause them pain, other
> than waking up in the morning.
>
> I'm checking around on the net for newbie sites. A good beginners
> guide would be helpful, especially from the POV of going from Windows
> to Linux, with emphasis on networking. Btw, what happens when it's
> upgrade time, is it painful, painless, or just irritating?
>
> Installation will be on older PII machines initially. Intel NICs,
> Matrox video, maybe even SoundBlaster 16 bit audio.
>
> Any suggestions, advice, etc?
>
> - Richard

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