[Sderby] newbie on list

[Mike Hemstock]

On Saturday 27 September 2003 14:01, Patrick Barber wrote:
> Hi Claire,
> IMHO, SuSE is probably the best for x86, a few on the list will back me
> up, To me SuSE is more user friendly, it is easy to install, and its
> support for different hardware is very good without having to mess around
> trying to find and install drivers most are either on the distribution CDs
> or on the updates website. If it is strange architectures, i.e. not x86
> based Debian is probably your best bet, although not as simple as SuSE or
> RH to install.
>
> Also unless you are going to consider compiling stuff yourself Debain also
> seems to be a bit further behind in the version stakes, although as with
> any distro, you can always get the latest stuff and compile and install
> yourself.
>
> As a side line all the 'members' of the list are helpful, and are always
> willing to make suggestions.
>
> Patrick

OK Pat, I'll back you up!

At the risk of starting a flame war, I think SuSE and Mandrake are best for 
beginners, Debian is good for the experienced user and Red Hat is good for 
nothing!

I haven't played with Mandrake for a while, but I think SuSE has the edge for 
several reasons.  Firstly it has loads (about 2,500) software packages on the 
CDs.  Secondly, the installer is a lot easier, it claims three clicks and 
amazingly they're right!  It guesses a lot of the configuration itself and 
for a beginer it's very accurate.  Also, it does a very good job of detecting 
and configuring hardware.  NICs and Sound cards can be setup without user 
intervention and X server setup is also very easy.  It even includes setup of 
things like TV cards during the installation.  Finally it comes with a tool 
for YaST which is excellent for configureing your system.

My 2p.

/ME grabs the fire proof trousers!

Mike.