*BSD News Article 89949


Return to BSD News archive

Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.carno.net.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!munnari.OZ.AU!news.ecn.uoknor.edu!feed1.news.erols.com!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!su-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.bbnplanet.com!newsxfer3.itd.umich.edu!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!uunet!in3.uu.net!199.79.199.5!news.kersur.net!not-for-mail
From: "Thomas F. Sandholm" <sandholm@aics.net>
Newsgroups: alt.os.linux.caldera,alt.os.linux.slackware,comp.os.linux.advocacy,comp.os.linux.misc,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: PC Unix implementations
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 00:39:59 -0500
Organization: Kersur Technologies
Lines: 38
Message-ID: <331129AF.1648@aics.net>
References: <01bc21c2$8f14ac40$4258ec8a@host.domain>
NNTP-Posting-Host: 206.137.220.36
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01Gold (Win95; I)
Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au alt.os.linux.caldera:1348 comp.os.linux.advocacy:85539 comp.os.linux.misc:160710 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:36010

Brian M. Choc wrote:
> 
> Greetings, people who probably know more about Unix than me,
>         Since you seem to be the people who know most about such things, I am
> going to ask you this question:  which PC Unix implementation should I
> commit to?
> 
>...<snip>...

 So my question is this:  which OS do you think
> I should aquire, and why?  Any advice would be appreciated.
> 
>         Thank you very much,
>         Brian
I've been a STRONG advocate of the Slackware release for the last
couple of years.  I'll agree that the RedHat release is perhaps one
of the easiest, turn-key, (bullit-proof?) releases around, but I've
run into numerous problems with Redhat when it comes to development,
and porting of applications.  There doesn't seem to be as much support
for the hacker-types, who like to dl latest-and-greatest and compile
it up on their systems.  Realize that the Redhat release was created
to simplify the installation/administration of Linux.  That's okay if
your a novice to Unix.  But I for one would prefer to wrestle with the
beast, and edit system files by hand.  At least this way I can be sure
of whats been added/modified/deleted, versus relying on some GUI to do
the job for me.  Besides, people who can administer a Unix system using
a GUI, or system-administration tool are a dime-a-dozen.  Those
"old-timers" who edit the files by hand are not!  
  It really depends on how-much your committed to learning Unix.  If
you don't have the time to spend figuring out how to do things, then
I'd go for the Redhat.  If you plan on implementing latest & greatest
applications, you're probably going to have to compile them up, and
the Redhat can give you some difficulty.
  My votes for Slackware96.  My hat's off to Patrick Volkerding, and
the GREAT JOB he's done!  

Tom Sandholm
sandholm@aics.net