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The below information is slightly out-of-date. I am
in the middle of updating it, please be patient. But don't worry,
it'll be updated soon enough! :)
Linux comes in many "flavors" called distributions, each geared
towards a different type of user. This article
has more information about Linux basics, including what a distribution is.
Below is a list of distributions
available. For more information about the various distributions, try
the following outside links:
Note: If you know what distribution you want, and have access to
a CD recorder, you may want to download and burn the ISOs for the
distribution before arriving at the InstallFest. This ensures you will
have copies of the install mediums, in case you wish to reinstall Linux
on your own, install it on another machine, or use the CDs to install
extra software (although most distributions allow you download the extra
software from the internet with ease). We will be glad to give away a few
sets of CDs to those who really want them, but we can't give everyone a set.
Listed below are links to where you can download the ISO files, where available.
BTW - If you require
Linux for a class, most likely you will need RedHat Enterprise Linux 4. Please make sure
which version will be officially supported by your Prof and TAs before
you come, if necessary.
There are of course many more distributions. Below is a list of the
distributions we will have at the Installfest, and under that some descriptions
of most of those. If you want something other than what is listed, look around
on the net. We will try to help you with the distribution, but can't make any
guarantees.
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 AS and WKS x86 CDs
- Fedora Core 4 i386 on CD
- Fedora Core 4 i386 on DVD
- Fedora Core 4 x86_64 on DVD
- Mandrake/Mandriva x86 on DVD and CD (versions currently uknown)
- Red Hat 9 x86 on CD
- YellowDog Linux 3.0.1
- YellowDog Linux 4.0
- Gentoo 2005.1 x86
- Gentoo 2005.1 ppc
- Gentoo 2005.1 ppc (G5-specific)
- Gentoo 2005.1 amd64
- Gentoo 2005.1 sparc64 (just in case...)
- Slackware 10.1
- FreeBSD 5.4 i386 *
- Ubuntu x86
- Ubuntu x86_64
- Ubuntu ppc
- Smoothwall 2.0 x86 (for routers/firewalls)
The below distros have yet to be confirmed ... this list
will be updated soon.
- OpenBSD 3.6 i386 *
- NetBSD 2.0 i386 *
- Solaris 10 for x86 *
- Solaris 10 for SPARC *
- OpenDarwin 7.2.1 (x86/ppc)
- Debian 3.0r4 x86 on DVD
- Knoppix (and Game Knoppix) x86
- SuSE 9.2 i386 on DVD
- .. and more, but older versions
* BSD and Solaris are not Linux. Like Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, etc are based on UNIX.
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Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Advanced Server and Workstation versions 3 and 4 are now available
to Georgia Tech students for free. We will provide media, but you will need to get your own
registration key. It's good stuff. The CoC resources now run on it. I'll provide more info
on it soon. :)
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Red Hat 9
Red Hat Linux is considered by many to be the best distribution for
beginners. It has been replaced with RHEL4 (see above) and is
no longer supported by Red Hat. Please consider Fedora Core or RHEL.
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Fedora Core 4
Since the changes Red Hat made to the structure of their development
team, they have handed over the maintenance of Red Hat Linux to the Fedora
team, and their third release, Fedora Core 4 maintains the same look and feel
of Red Hat but with many new features, and up to date software packages.
You can also consider getting FC 3.
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Mandrake 10.1
Mandriva (formerly known as Mandrake) was once known as the "better Red Hat." This is because
they used to wait a month or two after a major Red Hat release and redo the
things that they thought Red Hat did wrong. But now Mandrake has evolved
into its own fully developed distribution. Mandrake now competes with Red Hat
for the easiest to install and use. Mandrake also touts itself on being
one of the first to support new hardware and software. Mandrake is a
good choice for someone is who is just starting Linux
and wants all the new hardware support. The best thing about Mandrake is
that is still Red Hat compatable so support is as plentiful as Red Hat
support from the Linux Community.
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Debian 3.0r4
Debian is a distribution for those who wish to dig deeper into the inner
workings of Linux, yet still want the ease of maintenance provided by a
package management system. Debian lacks many of the friendlier features
of distributions like Red Hat or Mandrake, yet doesn't share the minimalist
philosophy towards software management found in Slackware. Though Debian
has a more strict interpretation of what constitutes "free" software,
there are a wide range of packages available, and dependencies and upgrades
are handled in a user-friendly manner through apt. Prior knowledge of
Unix and Linux is recommended. 3.0 is called "Woody" and the most recent
release is 3.0r4.
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Gentoo 2005.1
Gentoo is a relative newcomer amongst Linux distributions, but offers
fresh new ideas for installing, running, and maintaining a Linux system.
Through the "Portage" system (which draws its inspiration from the
FreeBSD "Ports Collection"), intermediate and advanced
users can keep their system up-to-date quickly and easily. Like Debian,
prior knowledge of Unix and Linux is recommended before
trying this distribution. Gentoo will also work on PPC. Note: Since much of a Gentoo system is
compiled from source code, we highly recommend (actually, require) that you
arrive early! Double Note: We will refuse to to start a Gentoo install
after 4 PM.
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Slackware 10.1
Slackware is one of the oldest distributions of Linux. It lacks many
'user-friendly' features that can be taken for granted with many other
distributions. However, for those who want to get into the guts of Linux, there
is not a better choice. This gives the system administrator more power
and control to make Linux exactly what he wants it to be (assuming he
can wield all that power). To see how it used to be done back when Linux
was still young, give this distribution a try.
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SuSE 9.0
Originally begun as a German Linux distribution, SuSE is a popular distribution
in Europe. Focusing on completeness, SuSE boxed sets include just
about every application you may need in the base distribution (at the
expense of lots of disk space). The YaST system configuration system
centralizes many system maintenance tasks into a single user interface.
- SuSE does not offer installation ISO images for download. Therefore,
we cannot install SuSE on your system unless you bring your own SuSE
install CDs.
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Yellow Dog Linux 3.0
Yellow Dog is a PowerPC port of Linux based on Red Hat 7.0 components,
designed to be easy to use and compatible with a wide range of PowerPC-based
hardware.
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FreeBSD 5.3
FreeBSD is a "Linux-like" free Unix operating system based on the BSDlite
source code. Its main focus is for servers, but it can also function as
a workstation OS, supporting most Linux applications. The extensive
"Ports Collection" makes installation of software simple and relatively
painless, and the "Linuxulator" system allows compiled Linux
applications (such as Netscape, StarOffice, and VMWare) to run without
modification. However, hardware support tends to lag behind Linux.
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