RedHat Linux: Fedora 9

[Deozaan]

Okay, I'm another one of those life-long Windows users who doesn't know a lot about linux. I've accessed a few linux clusters using PuTTy a few times but other than that (and even including that) I don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to linux. I just started a new semester in school, working on my Computer Science degree, and for my programming class I'm going to be doing a lot of Java, working in a linux shell, and accessing a Linux cluster to submit my homework and test my programs, etc. If you are an experienced linux user, you will most likely be able to tell by my vocabulary that I really don't know what I'm talking about when it comes to linux vocabulary. I decided it was time to get linux installed on a computer of my own and thought I may as well use what my school is using.

So, I just purchased a netbook (MSI Wind U120-024US), and scancode was helpful enough to help me out with nLite and the HP USB Format tool to create a bootable USB drive so I can install Windows XP Pro SP3 on the thing, but I also want to dual boot with linux. The Wind won't arrive until sometime next week so I'm taking this time to prepare getting the software I want on it for installation. So, back to Fedora 9.

After navigating RedHat's website I found this mirror to download Fedora 9. And this is where I'm not sure what to do. It appears as though Fedora 9 uses 7 CDs to fully install (What the smurf is that about? Windows XP fits on a single CD!) but before I even get there, do I download the i386 version or the x86_64 version?

Once that question is answered, should I download all seven ISOs or just the NetInstall ISO or get a Live CD? Just keep in mind that netbooks (or at least the Wind I ordered) doesn't actually have an optical drive, so if I need to boot from CD I'm kind of smurfed unless I can get it to work on my 8GB or 512MB flash stick.

I suppose those are all the questions I have for now regarding which one to download. Also if any of you have personal experience with Fedora I'd especially appreciate your input on whether or not it's a good idea to go with that particular distro or if it's a pain in the neck. The one at school doesn't seem that difficult but then again, it's already been set up for me. I didn't have to mount filesystems or whatever to get it running first. It just boots into a windows-like GUI of some sort and I click the button for the shell from the Fedora equivalent of the quick launch bar.

[f0dder]

Personally, I'd go for Ubuntu or KUbuntu - easy to use, pretty updated, comes on a single install media. Should be possible to netinstall (though I never did that myself. You need a netboot installer, which come as CD ISOs usually, dunno the procedures involved in getting it onto your flashdrive).

Grab the x86 version, you don't have a use for x64 - I'm not sure whether the ATOM CPU in the machine supports 64bit anyway.

8GB SSD for both XP and Linux? Going to be cramped for space.

[Deozaan]

Personally, I'd go for Ubuntu or KUbuntu - easy to use, pretty updated, comes on a single install media. Should be possible to netinstall (though I never did that myself. You need a netboot installer, which come as CD ISOs usually, dunno the procedures involved in getting it onto your flashdrive).

Grab the x86 version, you don't have a use for x64 - I'm not sure whether the ATOM CPU in the machine supports 64bit anyway.

-f0dder (January 23, 2009, 12:54 AM)

I'm sure the ATOM CPU doesn't handle 64bit either. But the iso from the mirror doesn't let me choose x86 or x64. It gives me a single choice of x86_64, which I'm guessing at this point means it contains both x86 and x64 versions on the ISOs.

8GB SSD for both XP and Linux? Going to be cramped for space.

-f0dder (January 23, 2009, 12:54 AM)

No. The Wind has a 160GB SATA drive. But since it has no optical drive the only alternative I can think of is somehow booting ISOs on my 8GB USB stick.

[f0dder]

Ah, my bad - I read that as 8GB (SSD harddisk implied) or 512MB usb drive

AFAIK some of the ATOM models do include 64bit, but the models used in netbooks are 32-bit only - could be wrong, though. But again, even if it supported 64bit, I'd go for 32.

Anyway, there's only "x86_64"? I personally read that as 64bit-only - but it's damn annoying that 64bit x86 has been called so many things, can make the things a bit muddy. Personally I prefer x64, since you can say simple "x86" or "x64", same number of chars. A lot of linux distros prefer "i386" or "amd64", respectively... while I'm not fond of those naming conventions, at least it makes stuff pretty unambiguous. Ubuntu uses this naming scheme, hint hint

Any particular reason you feel like sticking with redhat? It sounds like you've only had relatively limited linux use so far, things that are going to be more or less the same across different distros. Imho Ubuntu is a good choice because it's got a lot of inertia going, and it's relatively easy to deal with - without trying to to clone Windows and such.

[zridling]

Yea, I'd forget RedHat, too for a netbook. Those 7 CDs include the extras, which are tons of drivers and all the extra software (so that you don't have to download them). However, I presume you're not going to be using your netbook as you would a full laptop or desktop, so why not consider a lean cloud-centered distro like gOS?



The latest beta (3.1) works fine and though it sets up a number of gadgets on the open desktop, you can close or dock them. If you need a Gmail/Google account, email me at [email protected] and I'll send you an invitation.

[Carol Haynes]

If you need a Gmail/Google account, email me at [email protected] and I'll send you an invitation.

-zridling (January 23, 2009, 06:22 AM)

You don't need to any more - you just sign up for one.

[40hz]

I'd be happy to snailmail you a copy of the Fedora DVD if you'd like.

Same goes for Ubuntu and several other distros. Let me know what you want.

Just PM me a mailing address and I'll get it out to you if I have it.

Despite the negative attitude many people have towards the USPS, they can still hit most continental US addresses in 2-3 business days. In my home state (CT) 90% of the stuff I mail in the morning to CT addresses arrives the following business day.

I don't know if that's the rule everywhere (CT is one of the smallest and most developed states) but up here, the mail system does work.

IDEA: Maybe we NIX people can set up some informal disk exchange for OSS and save our fellow DoCo members some bandwidth? Not everybody has fast connections, and several ISPs are looking to stop providing "unlimited use" accounts. AT&T is already trying a "test" out in Nevada.

-----
P.S. Edvard: check your messages?

[steeladept]

I honestly don't know why these various groups can't just decide on a good way to describe these different systems!  That said, in Fedora's case, they mean the i386 to be a Wintel compatible 32 bit OS.  The x86_64 is the 64 bit Wintel.  I think they used this notation because so many people write 64 bit as AMD_64 which (I guess) specifies the AMD 64 bit extensions as well as the 32 bit core.  AFAIK AMD64 and Intel64 are completely compatible when it comes to most 64 bit client OS's.

With that explaination, unless you want to use a 64 bit OS and have a 64 bit processor, I strongly suggest the i386 version.  As for the live CD option, that is not a bad way to go so you can see how it works.  If you like it, *most* live CD's have an installer right on the desktop that you can then use to permanently install the system on your hard drive.  With what you already have, that may or may not be an issue.

[cmpm]

Provided by DownloadSquad.

Fedora 10 is at the top of the list here.

http://www.downloads...hat-arent-windows-7/

A 3.5 gig download it says-

http://fedoraproject.org/en/get-fedora

You can create a Virtual DVD Drive and load the ISO in it with Daemon Lite.

http://forum.daemon-...Category&catid=5

It works.

[40hz]

unless you want to use a 64 bit OS and have a 64 bit processor, I strongly suggest the i386 version.

-steeladept (January 23, 2009, 10:16 AM)

As things now stand, you're usually much better off going with a 32-bit distro, even if you have a 64-bit processor, unless you have a very specific application or requirement in mind. And even then, the performance gains vary greatly depending upon which apps you're running.

There are still a lot of driver support and hardware compatibility issues with 64-bit distros, including the ones from such major players as Ubuntu.

A general rule of thumb: If you don't know whether or not you need a 64-bit OS, then you probably don't.
 

[Deozaan]

NOTE: I wrote all this before seeing the most recent 3 replies.

Anyway, there's only "x86_64"? I personally read that as 64bit-only - but it's damn annoying that 64bit x86 has been called so many things, can make the things a bit muddy. Personally I prefer x64, since you can say simple "x86" or "x64", same number of chars. A lot of linux distros prefer "i386" or "amd64", respectively... while I'm not fond of those naming conventions, at least it makes stuff pretty unambiguous.

-f0dder (January 23, 2009, 02:17 AM)

I take it that means I should look for an i386 ISO.

Any particular reason you feel like sticking with redhat?

-f0dder (January 23, 2009, 02:17 AM)

Not especially. The main reason is just that it's what my school uses. As I'm sure you can tell, I don't know a whole lot about linux. I don't really want to worry a whole lot about getting the OS installed. I just need to be able to run the shell and get things like Java and Eclipse installed for this particular class.

However, I presume you're not going to be using your netbook as you would a full laptop or desktop, so why not consider a lean cloud-centered distro like gOS?

-zridling (January 23, 2009, 06:22 AM)

To be honest I don't know exactly what cloud-computing is, but from what I've read on other threads here at DC I've come to the impression that it's not all it's cut out to be. So I dismissed gOS when I read about it a few days ago. By the way does gOS have anything to do with Google? I was also confused. Is the OS called gOS Gadgets or are the gadgets something else entirely?

I'd be happy to snailmail you a copy of the Fedora DVD if you'd like. Same goes for Ubuntu and several other distros. Let me know what you want.

-40hz (January 23, 2009, 08:10 AM)

Thanks for the offer, 40hz. Bandwidth isn't really a problem for me. The problem is that the Wind doesn't have an optical drive so I can't use DVDs or CDs to install anything. It might be more beneficial for me to install some virtual DVD drives on the Wind and download the ISOs myself.

What I've been trying to say is that I know that to install Windows you need to boot from the CD/DVD. Can you set up dualboot and linux from within the Windows OS? That would certainly make getting linux working a lot easier using a virtual drive.

[Deozaan]

Thanks cmpm that answers my question about installing from a virtual drive. 

And thanks steeladept, f0dder, and 40hz for clearing up that 32bit issue.

[Deozaan]

Thanks once again to scancode, who pointed out Wubi^w to me. It's a 0.99 MB file that will download and install Ubuntu from within Windows. As mentioned before, my MSI Wind isn't due until sometime this upcoming week, but I gave Wubi a try on my older XP machine and am now exploring Ubuntu.

I'll probably just use Ubuntu instead of Fedora.

I personally think it's a lot of fun trying to figure out this new OS. So far it's been a good experience. It kind of reminds me of when my family made the transition from Windows 3.11 to Windows 95. I had a general idea of what to do in order to do what I wanted, but I had to explore the OS and menus to find out how to do those things.

Big thanks to everyone in the IRC channel who has helped me understand some of these changes! DC really is great for stuff like this.

[scancode]

scancode was helpful enough to help me out with nLite and USB Multiboot 10 to create a bootable USB drive so I can install Windows XP Pro SP3 on the thing

-Deozaan (January 23, 2009, 12:36 AM)

Nope. We used nLite and HP USB Format tool. Basically turned the USB Drive on a Win98 Boot Floppy and start the XP Setup from there. USB_Multiboot refused to run on your comp, remember?

Have fun with the wind!

[Deozaan]

Nope. We used nLite and HP USB Format tool. Basically turned the USB Drive on a Win98 Boot Floppy and start the XP Setup from there.

-scancode (January 25, 2009, 03:34 PM)

Thanks. I corrected the original post.

[Deozaan]

Despite the negative attitude many people have towards the USPS, they can still hit most continental US addresses in 2-3 business days. In my home state (CT) 90% of the stuff I mail in the morning to CT addresses arrives the following business day.

-40hz (January 23, 2009, 08:10 AM)

This is off-topic, but the USPS may not be so reliable in the near future.

Postmaster General: Mail days may need to be cut.