> Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2005 17:00:24 -0600 > From: Joey Rockhold <joey.rockhold at gmail.com> > I am re-learning linux in my spare time (I used to know Unix a long time > ago), and would like to set up a machine which starts with just basics > of linux. After that point, I would like to install programs as I need > them. For example, if I want to learn KDE, then only at that point would > I download and install KDE. > > Right now the best way I have come up to do this is using Redhat Fedora > Core 4, do a minimal install, and use yum to add packages as I want > them. Does anyone know a better way to do this? I am open to any > distribution that anyone thinks would be better at this also. > > Thanks. > - Joey I think it depends on your goals. If you want to learn to *use* Linux (some administration, configuring packages, get work done), then Fedora is a great choice. I've stuck with Red Hat and Fedora for no good reason other than I know them, and they take care of a lot of things for me, so I can get to work. (Also, if I have a problem with Fedora, I can use Google to find a hundred other people who've had the same problem, and five or six who actually bother to write down how they fixed it.) If you want a deeper understanding, or a more generic approach (not so Red-Hat-centric) then you want one of the many other fine distros. I've installed Gentoo, Debian and Slackware, and each has its own strengths... and weaknesses, and it depends on what you want to get out of it and what you want to put into it that will determine your best fit. Chris