Linux Questions

Discussion in 'Linux / Unix Discussion' started by Rover977, Mar 11, 2009.

  1. Rover977

    Rover977 Byte Poster

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    Hi I wonder if I could ask some advice re Linux. I am a total newbie in Linux, and I am currently trying to select a suitable distro to get started, and I would appreciate any suggestions. The initial requirements I have are :-

    1) can run on P4 3GHz, Intel D865GBF mobo, Intel 865G chipset, Radeon X1650PRO AGPx8 512MB graphics card, 2GB DDR SDRAM

    2) 20GB hard drive (a spare drive I am using in a caddy as I don't want to dual boot Linux on my existing XP drive)

    3) to run the various web browsers commonly used with Linux - I am studying web design/programming and want to test my web sites on a wide range of platforms/browsers

    4) to configure it as a web sever, and install the LAMP stack

    I've heard that Ubuntu Server has no GUI - is this true ? Does that mean it cannot run a web browser ? I am confused - even on a server this would seem a rather draconian restriction ?

    Also re driver installation - Radeon supply Linux drivers for my X1650Pro graphics card - is it normally straightforward to install these, or is some sort of 'manual' installation needed ?

    Thanks in advance for any suggestions/advice.
     
    Certifications: A+, Network+, Cisco CCNA
  2. LukeP

    LukeP Gigabyte Poster

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    Hey.

    You can easily run every Linux distro on this piece of hardware. I'd suggest ubuntu as it will be a lot easier to get support and reference materials for it. Also you can run web server on every distro (You dont need ubuntu server) as well as you can run different web browsers.
    In regards to drivers unfortunately nothing is straight-forward in Linux.

    Regards
     
    WIP: Uhmm... not sure
  3. dmarsh
    Honorary Member 500 Likes Award

    dmarsh Petabyte Poster

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    A computer is a general purpose device for performing calculations and processing, theres not necessarilly any requirement for it to perform graphical duties. UNIX based OS's originally had no GUI, Then X windows was invented, X windows allows for a seperate server and client, they can run on physically seperate boxes, therefore you can create a 'headless' environment where the server has no GUI.

    Think of the old UNIX mini computers which would have dumb terminal green screens connected to them, no real GUI existed just terminal software.

    Think of it as like the original VNC ! :D
     
  4. Rover977

    Rover977 Byte Poster

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    So there's not much point in me installing Ubuntu Server if I want to run various web browsers (I assume these always need a GUI to run). I only thought I would need a server edition as I want to set it up as a web server with LAMP - but I guess I can just do that on the Desktop version, (just as I can install LAMP on an XP computer).

    (PS I'm well versed in command line prompts - it is only recently that I threw out for recycling a book on MS-DOS v3.3 - yes, I am old enough to have used this OS in an IT job - I remember a DOS program called XTree Gold - this was superior in some ways to the modern day Explorer !)

    What are the commonly used web browsers on Linux systems ?
     
    Certifications: A+, Network+, Cisco CCNA
  5. dmarsh
    Honorary Member 500 Likes Award

    dmarsh Petabyte Poster

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    You can turn Server edition into desktop and desktop into server, its a modular OS, within reason you can add and remove what you want. This is the model Windows 7 and future windows releases are aiming for, less dependencies, less monolithic, more modular.

    I'd advise installing desktop if you intend to use it as a desktop and adding any services/daemons you need, just bear in mind that if you want to make it public it won't be hardened and will have a lot of stuff installed a plain web server would not require.

    I don't use Linux much myself, always mean to use it more but 99% of what I do is windows based, I have to use the odd unix based server at work but normally just to deploy stuff and look at logfiles.

    I think most people use Firefox but I expect you can get Chrome and Safari as well.

    Any Maths tips for me ? :D
     
  6. Rover977

    Rover977 Byte Poster

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    Been a long while since I did any Maths - I graduated 1988, but I will say its a bit like programming as you need a lot of patience, and one small step wrong and everything is messed up :ohmy
     
    Certifications: A+, Network+, Cisco CCNA
  7. Crito

    Crito Banned

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  8. Metalstar

    Metalstar Kilobyte Poster

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    You might like This!

    There are tons of browsers for Linux but I expect firefox is the most popular. I prefer Opera though as it is incredibly quick and lovely to use once you get used to it. The defaults such as epiphany on Gnome and Konquerer are ok but leave you wanting most of the time.
     
    Certifications: A+
    WIP: Network+
  9. BosonMichael
    Honorary Member Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    It's not surprising as to why you don't post there anymore.
     
    Certifications: CISSP, MCSE+I, MCSE: Security, MCSE: Messaging, MCDST, MCDBA, MCTS, OCP, CCNP, CCDP, CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, CNE, SCSA, Security+, Linux+, Server+, Network+, A+
    WIP: Just about everything!
  10. Rover977

    Rover977 Byte Poster

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    Wow - I did not know about this product but will certainly keep a note of it, and try it out when I get time. I and most of my colleagues thought that XTree Gold was a pretty slick product - Windows Explorer just doesn't compare! I also remember 'Brief' from Borland, the programmer's editor, and WordPerfect v6.0 - now that was a real Word Processor! I also recall Windows v3.1, and 486 PC's - now I'm getting nostalgic - oh, and of course Microsoft C v6, OS/2, and networks connected with BNC connectors!
     
    Certifications: A+, Network+, Cisco CCNA

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