[wplug] Second round of questions from newbie...

[Rafael E. Herrera]

When I was switching to Linux fom HP-UX, I read a review on several 
distros. It recommended Redhat and Suse.

We tried, the then current, Redhat 5.x and couldn't get it to install. 
Tried Suse and worked. Also, Suse came with a lot of applications, so it 
was an advantage not to have to download and compile extras. If you are 
going to mantain a large user base, it's a pain in the ass to have to 
ensure the application works with your distro. Downloading packages from 
the wild is risky.

We've stuck with Suse. Never had major problems with it. Their 
development suite, compilers, libs, etc. are reliable and well done.
We use it as NFS server, NIS server, DNS, desktop, devlopment, CVS 
server, personal firewall, etc. Will use it for mail, MySQL server

The user mailing list is very helpfull and friendly.

I have used Debian on occasion, their package management is exellent. 
Distribution upgrades can be done on a single command line. No messing 
around with CDs. It's hard to use if you are used to GUI admin tools. 
Haven't used it heavily, though.

I have not used Redhat. Have heard good and bad things about it. I know 
it is very popular and that you can find a lot of packages in the wild 
that claim to be Redhat compatible.

If I were you, I'd would make a selection based on experience or 
journalistic review. You can download Redhat for free and you can 
download a demo CD of Suse 8.1 (the full distro becomes downloadable one 
or two months after the distro is delivered.) The professional Suse 
version is $80, the equivalent Redhat is $150.
-- 
      Rafael