Help! I'm an old MS-DOS/Windows guy wanting to learn UNIX/Linux

[BigAlOfMD]

I want to learn UNIX/Linux command line tools as well as GUI.
What version should I get and where can I download it from safely? Free would also be great

Thanks In Advance.

[Serk]

I'm personally a big fan of Debian, which can be had for free from http://www.debian.org/

I used to use and recommend Gentoo for it's teaching ability, if you sit down and performed a Stage 1 or Stage 2 install, by the end you'd be very comfortable with getting around in the CLI, but alas, they only support Stage 3 installs now. http://www.gentoo.org/

If you want something a little more "user friendly" and closer to the Windows experience, I'd give Ubuntu a whirl. http://www.ubuntu.com/

I'm personally not a fan of Ubuntu, as I believe that if the user loads a shotgun, points it at their foot, and pulls the trigger, it's the OS' job to blow their foot off, not get in their way and prevent them from doing it because it knows better than they do...

BTW... Did ya' know today is the 30th birthday of MS-DOS?

[Rocketman]

I think that the only time you'll find a pay-for-Linux is if you're paying some company to burn CDs, package, and deliver the goods.  In this age of fast downloads, that service is irrelevant.  Downloading for free, approved by the Linux version developer, is the norm.

I use Ubuntu, simply because that's what I started on, and I haven't ever changed.  Their official webpage is ubuntu.com, and it will give you multiple download options.  As for blowing your foot off, as Serk so elegantly put it, Ubuntu will do so if you go through the CLI.  However, the GUI is a more dumbed down Windows-like experience.
I started with that hoping that my wife would be open to switching if it wasn't too drastic of a change.  It turns out that Ubuntu was too drastic of a change for her to be happy with either, so I could have gone with something else.

One of these days, I'll give some of the other versions a try.

[rogerthat]

Ubuntu is probably the most popular.  But regardless of distro, remember - "Linux is free if your time is worthless."

rh

[mattfidaho]

you could try the knoppix... boots from a CD so you dont have to install it, if you just want to play around

http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html

[Rocketman]

you could try the knoppix... boots from a CD so you dont have to install it, if you just want to play around

A lot of Linux distros will do that.  They can boot from a CD, or a flash drive, or whatever.  That allows for a trial period without messing with your original OS before you do a full install, but it also allows you to boot up a Windows box after the OS there has crashed.  You can then pull files from the hard drive and save them to another medium before you install a new OS.

[bigguy]

Just a second.  Hang on.  OK! Got the fire suite on. Here goes.
You might think about a Mac. The OS is built on the Berkeley Software Distribution Kernel. OS X is simply a GUI built on top of that. Launch a terminal session and you are at a genuine Unix CLI. Unix is the OS of the Internet and most, if not all, main frames. In other words, real computers.
Every Mac comes with Apache Web server built in. With free-ware versions of SQL and PHP, you're ready to start hosting a site as advanced and complex as you care to make it. The Mac only app BB Edit makes coding as easy as it will get without an industrial app, such as Dreamweaver.
There are tons of other free app as well. Open Office is free, and so much like Micro Soft office you'll never notice the difference once you're in the app. (Slight disclaimer here. Some of the more advanced macros in the spread sheet don't port.)
If you go the shrink wrapped versions on mac, it's going to be expensive. And there's nothing wrong with that. If I had the money, I would. But past the initial investment, you can go mostly free-ware as long as you're not trying to integrate into an environment with a lot of third party IE based apps.
If you just have to have Windows, you can load it on you mac using Boot camp. A better option in my opinion would be spending about $80 for Parallels. That allows you to run windows concurrently with the Mac OS. You can bring up a windows desktop if you want it, or run the apps in what looks like finder. (There are other windows options on the mac as well, but I don't have personal experience with them.)
So, with a Mac, you've got a machine which runs Finder (OS X) - Windows, (Any version or multiple versions) - and UNIX.

[Titan]

Just a second.  Hang on.  OK! Got the fire suite on. Here goes.
You might think about a Mac. The OS is built on the Berkeley Software Distribution Kernel. OS X is simply a GUI built on top of that. Launch a terminal session and you are at a genuine Unix CLI. Unix is the OS of the Internet and most, if not all, main frames. In other words, real computers.
Every Mac comes with Apache Web server built in. With free-ware versions of SQL and PHP, you're ready to start hosting a site as advanced and complex as you care to make it. The Mac only app BB Edit makes coding as easy as it will get without an industrial app, such as Dreamweaver.
There are tons of other free app as well. Open Office is free, and so much like Micro Soft office you'll never notice the difference once you're in the app. (Slight disclaimer here. Some of the more advanced macros in the spread sheet don't port.)
If you go the shrink wrapped versions on mac, it's going to be expensive. And there's nothing wrong with that. If I had the money, I would. But past the initial investment, you can go mostly free-ware as long as you're not trying to integrate into an environment with a lot of third party IE based apps.
If you just have to have Windows, you can load it on you mac using Boot camp. A better option in my opinion would be spending about $80 for Parallels. That allows you to run windows concurrently with the Mac OS. You can bring up a windows desktop if you want it, or run the apps in what looks like finder. (There are other windows options on the mac as well, but I don't have personal experience with them.)
So, with a Mac, you've got a machine which runs Finder (OS X) - Windows, (Any version or multiple versions) - and UNIX.

Well, it's nice to see a dyed-in-the-wool Mac guy around here. And you're exactly correct on all points. I've been a Mac user since 1984. After retiring from law enforcement in 2000 I went into the Mac support business and have over 1,100 clients. I have a number of clients who swore they would never touch a Mac and now would never look back. Some of them are deep into UNIX and are really pleased with the underpinnings of the Mac OS.

So, yes, it's an excellent machine for anybody who wants to work in UNIX and be able to also run any program from the Mac world or the Windows world.

And by the way... the lowest end Mac can be had for $599.00.

[hubcapsc]

Just a second.  Hang on.  OK! Got the fire suite on. Here goes.
You might think about a Mac. The OS is built on the Berkeley Software Distribution Kernel. OS X is simply a GUI built on top of that. Launch a terminal session and you are at a genuine Unix CLI. Unix is the OS of the Internet and most, if not all, main frames. In other words, real computers.
Every Mac comes with Apache Web server built in. With free-ware versions of SQL and PHP, you're ready to start hosting a site as advanced and complex as you care to make it. The Mac only app BB Edit makes coding as easy as it will get without an industrial app, such as Dreamweaver.
There are tons of other free app as well. Open Office is free, and so much like Micro Soft office you'll never notice the difference once you're in the app. (Slight disclaimer here. Some of the more advanced macros in the spread sheet don't port.)
If you go the shrink wrapped versions on mac, it's going to be expensive. And there's nothing wrong with that. If I had the money, I would. But past the initial investment, you can go mostly free-ware as long as you're not trying to integrate into an environment with a lot of third party IE based apps.
If you just have to have Windows, you can load it on you mac using Boot camp. A better option in my opinion would be spending about $80 for Parallels. That allows you to run windows concurrently with the Mac OS. You can bring up a windows desktop if you want it, or run the apps in what looks like finder. (There are other windows options on the mac as well, but I don't have personal experience with them.)
So, with a Mac, you've got a machine which runs Finder (OS X) - Windows, (Any version or multiple versions) - and UNIX.

Well, it's nice to see a dyed-in-the-wool Mac guy around here. And you're exactly correct on all points. I've been a Mac user since 1984. After retiring from law enforcement in 2000 I went into the Mac support business and have over 1,100 clients. I have a number of clients who swore they would never touch a Mac and now would never look back. Some of them are deep into UNIX and are really pleased with the underpinnings of the Mac OS.

So, yes, it's an excellent machine for anybody who wants to work in UNIX and be able to also run any program from the Mac world or the Windows world.

And by the way... the lowest end Mac can be had for $599.00.

OS X kernel is based on the mach kernel from CMU... the stuff (ls, rm, tar, ...) came from BSD...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mach_%28kernel%29

-Mike

[Jess Tolbirt]

my recording software and programs in my studio will not run on a mac..period...

[Titan]

my recording software and programs in my studio will not run on a mac..period...

A Mac is capable of being used as a Windows machine. So, if one would like to have a Mac and still be able to use their Windows based software they can have both in one machine.

You can run the machine completely as a Windows machine using what's known as "Boot Camp". You just hold down he option key when you start it up and choose whether to boot under Mac or Windows. You can also use either of a couple of software packages which let you run windows (or linux) in a virtual machine so you have both the Mac OS and Windows running simultaneously.

With a Mac you have no limitations on the software you wish to use. Best of both wolds all in one machine.

[Serk]

With a Mac you have no limitations on the software you wish to use. Best of both wolds all in one machine.

You can do all that with a Hackintosh too for a WHOLE lot less money to boot (Pun intended, I'm ashamed to admit)...

But, we've strayed a bit away from the original question...

[houstone]

Are just wanting to play around with it, or are doing something job-related?
As stated above, any version of Linux will get you some command line time, and if you are truly a former DOS guy, is is very similar.  There are commands, with arguments, that you can use to do stuff.  If you want to do it with a mouse, there is a GUI that goes with it.  nothing to magic, just each version has it's own way of doing things, just like Windows and a (gasp) Mac...did I just almost say something nice out loud about a Mac?   
If it is business related, you might query the community for the specific tasks you have in mind to see what versions they might suggest!
Have fun!
Jeff

[MrArn]

I'm using Fedora 14 on my Netbook and Laptop.

Installed Fedora on my old Laptop to try it out and found the machine was faster. It made an old laptop a usable computer again. You can even run some Windows programs on it using Wine if you have a real need. However with a little searching there is a very good chance you can find a comparable open source (free) linux program.

When my Netbook's XP operating system stopped working and needed to be re-installed I put Fedora on it instead of messing with Windows.

My experience has been positive, take the plunge and see for yourself.

[Piper]

A lot of good advice given.
Just remember that whatever blend of Linux you choose, most have great on line forums for support if you run into a hard spot or have questions about the meaning of anything.

On one netbook I have a quad boot of three separate kernals of Ubuntu/KDE and one Win7. Learned a lot about chaining grub files on that install.
My desktop is yet another release of Ubuntu.
And I have Debian loaded on a tablet PC.

Ubuntu is pretty easy to just install and go. Because I am not a normal home user (spelled GEEK), I get under the hood and dink with stuff and that is when I learn more about linux. Usually by screwing up something big time and then having to fix it.

[bigguy]

OS X kernel is based on the mach kernel from CMU... the stuff (ls, rm, tar, ...) came from BSD...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mach_%28kernel%29
-Mike

Learned something. Thanks Mike.

[BigAlOfMD]

Thanks for all the info, I've downloaded several and will try to create HYPER-V VM's with them.
It looks like Microsoft is trying to support the MAC OSX on HYPER-V.  
I noticed no one menioned Red Hat?
I have 2 spare machines I can try to install on also.

[Serk]

 
I noticed no one menioned Red Hat?

The Fedora distribution referenced by MrArn above is the free (Community Supported) version of Dead Rat, er, I mean Red Hat...

IF you're doing this for a job, then getting to know Red Hat would be beneficial nine times out of ten. If you're doing it just to get a feel for the OS and to learn your way around it, I'm personally not that fond of Red Hat or it's derivatives....

Just my opinion, of course...