🚀 go-pugleaf

Paul Wilkins wrote:

> Jacob Joseph wrote:
> >
> > Can I download Redhat Linux anywhere.  I would like to see what linux
> > is and have no experience using it.  If anyone can help, please e-mail
> > me or just post a message that will help everyone.  I'm sure I am not
> > the only one.
>
> ftp.redhat.com
>
> OR
>
> get the Redhat Power Tools CD set. Redhat on disk one, and lots of RPMS
> on other disks.
>
> Paul


blaablaa.... well, seems like I'm in a good mood because here comes a real
instruction for a real newbie. I wish I had had someone telling me all that
when I decided to install Linux. There you go...

First of all: are you completely sure of what you are putting yourself
into? Installing Linux and, most of all, learning how to use it afterwards,
is not for the faint of heart, especially not for Win95 users. Read as much
as you can concerning Linux, the net is full with infos. To put it in other
words: just to see what Linux actually is you most probably won't take all
the time to install it. Besides I can answer that question to you right
now: Linux is an operating system like Windows 95, but much better of
course. It is mostly compatible with Unix, which means in fact that it's
made for the internet and of course other networks. I guess you knew that
allready. Further, if you wanna do it like I did, you have to download
about 200 megs,  and that's a long way to go even with a good connection :)

Your Windows programs won't work anymore, but you do not have to give it
all up. Linux and Windows can live together on a computer system  without
any problems, but Linux has to be installed on a separate partition. The
best situation you can possibly have is that you have an unused harddisk in
your comp. Then you just chose this one to put Linux on. You'll run into
some more probs when you have to repartition a harddisk, because some data
may be lost. If your harddisk already has an empty partition or one with
unimportant data, you'd just be able to delete that one and use this space
for Linux.

Even more curious now? Okay, good decision. Here's what I have done not
long ago:

Connect yourself via FTP to 'sunsite.unc.edu', using a ftp-client like
CuteFtp or FtpExplorer. Change the directory to

/pub/Linux/distributions

Here you will find mirrors of the different linux distributions. I suggest
Red Hat. It's easy to install and I really like it. Slackware is harder to
install, but more famous. Sorry, no experience with it.

If you take my advice, change into the directory

/redhat

Here's a lot of documentation and Howto's about the installation and  other
stuff. Now go to

/images

and download the 2 files 'boot.img' and 'supp.img'. With these you will
make your boot disks later. Then look for a directory called 'dosutils' and
download the file 'rawrite.exe'. With this you will write those two files
on 2 diskettes to make them linux-bootable. Then change to

/redhat/current/i386/RedHat

Make a directory on your own harddisk called redhat, then download the two
directories 'base' and 'rpms' into that directory. In the 'rpms' directory
you find so called packages, which is nothing else than software for your
RedHat Linux. I think there is a file mentioning the packages so you would
be able to decide which ones you want to download and which not. Heck, I
downloaded them all :)  Of course this is not something you can do on one
evening.

Well, if you have done so you're finnished with the download. The rest is
another story. Read the docs,  search the net, post questions.

Hope could provide some help,

s0ush1