Linux beginner.

Where can I go to get a basic copy of Linux?

I have never used it and want to learn. Every site I see their are dozens of different versions and Kernels and programs. I just want a base Linux OS to work on and learn.

I just dont know which version to get.

 

Which version is a matter of taste & everyone has a favorite, but Ubuntu has become very popular. Checkout www.distrowatch.com for download sites and other Linux versions you may want to try. Most offer a "live CD" you can boot and see what it is like before installing the OS.
They also have a guide http://distrowatch.tradepub.com/free/w_ubun01/

 

Are you talking about A Complete Beginner's Manual for Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx)? There are some hoops to jump through to get it. It's supposedly reserved for business users, as indicated by the questions that must be answered before the manual can be downloaded.

 

Or xdrno007 can get it here like I did:
http://ubuntu-manual.org/

 

Base Linux would be something like Debian or Fedora Core and to build on that takes some knowledge.

There are Distros based on either of these 2 Base OS and each has it's merits and followers.

 

I am currently finishing a double certificate in Networking/PC Repair and Help Desk.

The classes and OS's we are using are all Windows. 2000,XP,Vista, Windows Server etc... We have not used or studied Linux. I would like to learn it because it is an OS which I think I would need to be proficient and knowledgeable in this field. Linux.org has a beginners guide and tutorials which I checked out and they seem pretty basic and helpful for a beginner

I am looking for a Linux OS which I can install on an old laptop I have and just dive in and learn some of the basics. My main concern was that their are so many different versions and I have no clue which one is best for me as a straight Linux beginner. I am fairly proficient in DOS and I just want to learn Linux. Most jobs I look at want some sort of Linux experience along with Windows.

 

I like Ubuntu also, but if you want a more 'Windows' type of experience to start with then PCLinuxOS could fill the bill and use it as a bridge to more of a Linux mode, like CLI commands. You could also load it into a VM like VMWare player which can give you the speed of the HDD but not have to install it as a dual boot, as long as you have the hardware to support the VM.

Something that I found very helpful is to have a purpose besides just learning the OS but an actual real world application so that you can use that as a focuus to learn the basics.

 

Since it is on the clipboard from another post.

Download PCLinuxOS Here

I would suggest LXFE or Openbox- I have Crunchbang installed on my laptop (Dell C840 dinosaur) and am open to another OS for the experience of something beside what I am comfortable with.

 

i have an old dell lappy with 512 ram and successfully running mandriva linux 2008.0 - although compiz won't work:cry

http://distrib-coffee.ipsl.jussieu.fr/pub/linux/MandrivaLinux/official/iso/2008.0/

you could have a go at this chooser, it chooses a few distro's based on your answers

http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/

 

good for all studies.

http://tldp.org/


" I just want a base Linux OS to work on and learn."

get Debian or Slackware.


:major

 

I apologize for piggy backing on this post, but is there a manual (like the one they have for Ubuntu) for Mandriva One?

Thanks in advance

 

ermmm - no,

but there is an errata for mandriva

 

Ok, hawklord, what is an "errata"? :-D

 

http://wiki.mandriva.com/en/Releases/Mandriva/Errata

 

To the OP, I'm also new to Linux. I'm using Puppy Lucid right now. I've also tried Mepis and Knoppix. All were easy to use. The hard part I found are the names for different things. I'm not going back to windows.