Linux for Beginners

by Jason Brooks

Linux is getting hotter and more mainstream all the time, enough so that even IT administrators who deal primarily with Windows would do well to get their feet wet with Linux. After all, even Microsoft, through its recent deal with Novell, has begun to co

There are many Linuxes–and many possible versions–and this means complexity, particularly for proprietary applications that link against the kernel.

Clustered around the kernel are hundreds of other applications, most of which have been developed by separate projects.

The easiest way to test out a Linux distribution is to do so with a virtualization product, like VMwares Player, Workstation or Server; Microsofts Virtual PC or Virtual Server; or Parallels Workstation.

Pick up (if you dont already have it) software for making terminal connections with and for copying files to and from your Linux VM via OpenSSH. For Windows, we recommend Putty and WinSCP.

Following is an evaluation short list of Linux distros.

Fedora is the cutting-edge sibling of Red Hats more staid, stable and costly Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The skills you develop using Fedora will transfer directly to RHEL.

Generally speaking, OpenSUSE is to Novells SUSE Linux Enterprise distributions what Fedora is to Red Hats Enterprise Linux.

Ubuntu has, in just a couple of years, managed to leap into prominence among Linux-based OS options. Ubuntu owes this success in large part to the Debian GNU/Linux foundation on which its based.

What earns Foresight a spot in this short list of Linux distributions for consideration is the rPath Linux foundation on which its built.