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Want to wet my beak with Linux,need suggestions on distro.

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on-disk:
Hi guys, thought I would stick my nose in this one too. 

Through the On-Disk.com Developers Portal, I have gotten to know more than my share of Linux distros and the guys that have created them. 

I would agree, that if you're looking to test the waters, I would go with a liveOS. 

One thing I won't agree to is Linux Distros being behind the times with hardware detection.  I think something like PCLinuxOS would knock your socks off with ease of use, and advanced hardware detection.  Not to mention it is a live OS and will run from a CD, but it can also be installed as a full blooded, stand alone OS.

~Karlie
Owner, Webpath Technologies
BTW, I can send you a CD with any Linux OS you want if you're still intrested, I have a lot of linux at On-disk.com. http://on-disk.com/index.php/cPath/28
You don't have to download it. 

Carol Haynes:
Reading around the Linux forums I have yet to find a native Linux driver that will support Linksys Speedbooster 54g cards - which are not exactly uncommon hardware.

Without native support for networking you can't connect to the outside world: ergo Linux is pretty well dead fro me until this sorted out.

The only solution I have found is wrappers for Windows drivers - and these give a less than ideal solution as far as I am concerned.

The other thing is I have used 4 different distros so far and have yet to find one that will properly support any of the 4 different common printers I have used (Lexmark and Canon). They have all been supported to some extent but none of the finer features are ever available.

USB device support is also pretty hit and miss ... I have yet to find a driver for any of the three scanners I have used.

Not that its an issue for me but dial-up modem drivers are pretty hit and miss too. If you happen to have a bog standard external, self-powered modem you are probably going to get it to work. If you have a USB, PCI or Reiser modem forget it (unless you are extremely luck).

Elf Wizard:
Just for OS fans who loved SUSE (I'm one of those) and don't want to give money, take a look at www.opensuse.org . Stable release at September 2006. You can add yourshelf at announce maillist too. Its a SUSE full release, for free. :)
Regards! Giorgos. 8)

on-disk:
With your hardware issues, look for udev (http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/kernel/hotplug/udev.html)  to be getting a lot more attention in the coming Linux releases.  PCLinuxOS has been using it since last year... hence the knock your socks off  comment in my previous post. 

In short, udev replaces the current devfs.  It will create drivers on the fly... even for the above mentioned cards and USB equipment. 

And in reality, if you are going to compare Windows to Linux, hardware detection on Linux is a lot more native than on anything MS has ever put out.  Don't get confused by a hardware manufacture making a driver available and the ones that are native to the OS. 

Besides, Linux and BSD has always been more like an Erector set.  There have always been a lot more pieces with a Linux OS than there have been with Windows.  You just need to know what you have in mind before you start building... All the parts are there, you just need to put them together. 

~Karlie

dtrud0h:
I second the nomination for PCLinuxOS.  I tried the liveCD deal, loved it immediately.  Installed it toHD and still love it.  The only caveat(if that's the right word)  is I needed a hardwired nic card to initially get the synaptic manager to download the madwifi drivers and kernel sources in order to get my wireless card working. Other than that it installed with ease,and is very easy to navigate and configure.

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