Which Distribution of Linux?

Hi,

i am looking to experimaent with linux and am wondering whcih is the best distribution for my needs.
im using a dell xps m1530 laptop which i have created a partition on already.
i only really want tot learn how to use it properly and hope to learn so i can begin to learn about programming.
Does anyone know which distribution would be the best for me?
I have considered ubuntu and also fedora.

Both are very good

Try them both. They will coexist peacefully on the same system

Both are good although I am biased towards Fedora.

^

Ubuntu is great for VMs

Fedora is great for booting

BTW: Did you mean European dialect?

You tried terminal yet?

best if you install fedora first.

First terminal command you need to know in fedora is

it installs a program eg. firefox

so like:

You use it terminal

Well every linux distro with a terminal has tons of commands, the command you saw is a basic command. [package manager] [install/get] [program] for .deb apt would be like the only package manager so it would look like: apt get [program]. .rpm has many package managers to choose from (yum, SMART, and more). So rpm would be like yum install [program] or SMART install [program]. There's Konsole/Terminal wiki's if you want to learn more, just google it.

True, Synaptic is awesome and just about every .deb user uses it. It also works with .rpm tho.

What does all this yum, deb and rpm mean? Also how can i select the software development option if im using the Live Disc. will i have to download the full distro and then install? finally when i was running it off the disc yesterday, on the desktop there was the option to install to hardrive. i tried this but i cannot figure it out. i had previously made a 10GB partition in Vista but when i select this (sda\3 ... 4 or something) it wont let me install, it says i havent specified a root (\) something or rather. ANY ideas?

It's better to install from the 4GB DVD http://fedoraproject.org/en/get-fedora

It has an option for software development, select it.

Thanks. Ill try what you suggested.

Hmmm...Maybe you want ArchLinux. But really GCC + Gedit or Kwrite or append from shell input and compile. Get going!

Actually yum is more like apt. Synaptic is only a front-end for apt while yum is a complete package manager so an apt-yum comparison would be more appropriate. There's seems to be a lot of confusion over .rpm, .deb, yum, apt, etc.
.rpm and .deb are package formats like .exe, .txt.
apt, SMART, and yum are package managers. They manage dependencies, installing, uninstalling, and compatibility checks.
Synaptic is a front-end meaning it's a GUI for apt, apt is only available in the terminal via

so Synaptic is a GUI for apt where you can point and click. It also taps into apt's advanced capabilities which would be unusable or useless through text.

Formats | rpm | deb

Managers |yum, SMART | apt

GUI's |yum, SMART | Synaptic

I don't know much about fedora but if you want to learn more about OSes and programming I recommend using Gentoo because you compile the apps yourself. Slackware can help you learn linux, there's a old saying

Of course now that's more like

I thought it was apt get [package] but I only included apt get because that's the command like that's the verb.

Hi,
So yesterday i install fedora, no problems.
i was looking through the applications and noticed no Python.
i then went on the net and downloaded the latest one for linux.
I am having alot of trouble installing because of all the new jargon.
Basically i have run the configure script and it generates makefile, i look in the readme and it says to then execute the "makefile" by typing make in the top level directory.
I am completley lost some one please HELP!

This is the one bit that blew my brother away when I set his EeePc up. All his software in one place, all updated automatically.

I've got his Eee for the next couple of weeks whilst I'm away on business. Free wi-fi in the hotel so he'll find some new toys installed by the time he gets back... For some reason kismet might just be one of them

When it comes to drivers and Windows updates, yeah, there is rebooting involved. However, updating most software doesn't involve a reboot.

That sucks

Please post some pictures for us and let us know exactly what was in the PC.

I'm sure a lot of us would like to know, so we can avoid those parts.

Ouch... tell me you didn't use the same parts as my rig.

I'm gonna expect chargrill.

Well I'd savage what you can... that DDR-400 might be swappable for some DDR-800... if you manage to sell it...

Too bad there's no warranty...

Holly ******** ********* *********** ************!

That's bad

Thanks for the pix

Fixed.

Most people don't bash apple, most people bash MS. I bash apple because they aren't held to the same standards as MS. The mactards then counter with the fact that MS is a monopoly and therefore other companies don't have to be held to the same standards. This is a rather assinine thing to do as it is akin to answering the question "why is the sky blue" with the answer "Because the sun is in outer space". While the answer is technically correct, it has nothing to do with the question at hand. This is much the same as how a company's status as a monopoly has NOTHING to do with whether or not their business practices are anti-competitive.

I remember reading an article a while back about how apple was using hidden APIs which granted safari an unfair advantage over Firefox. Nobody really gave a **** about it. However, if Microsoft did the same thing, everyone would scream bloody murder. I am not a fan of Microsoft, but I am a fan of consistency in the law and fair business practices.

There are plenty of other reasons why I don't like apple, but I'll not stoke this fire any further.

-Zorak

Oh come on, you know I was just taking the piddle. Don't you remember the apple thread down here where I picked up a lot of flack for defending Sypher (who later got banned in the other) when he asked why there was no apple section?