[wplug] Newbie questions

[Vanco, Donald]

Anand Nimbalkar wrote:
> Hi,
> I am new to Linux and this group. I have a couple of basic questions.
> (1) If Linux Desktop = WIndows 98/2000/XP then what is Windows
> 2000/2003 Server =  ???
Likely broken?
Seriously - Linux is a desktop or a server - it's all in what you load.
There are distros that aim to be better at desktop stuff, and those that aim
to be better at servers stuff, but for the most part - It's Linux.

> (2) Is Linux Server software also free ?
Most distros are based on 100% free code

> (3) Are there any special hardware requirements to run Linux Server.
> I have a 600 Mhz machine which I wanna use for Linux Server
> installation. Will it suffice?
Again - it's all up to what you want to run.  This machine will suffice for
just about anything a home user could want in a server.  For a workgroup
server it might be a bit taxed if asked to do too much (file & print AND web
AND DNS AND FTP and MAIL) - but then in a workgroup or bigger situation
you'd likely not want all this on one box anyway....

> (4) Are there any good books that I can use to learn Linux Server.
Linux in a Nutshell by O'Reilly - just got it myself.  But there are also
many that are distro specific.

> I am heavily biased towards Linux Server. Linux Desktop doesnt
> interest me much. I would appreciate if someone can answer the above
> questions specific to Linux Server software
	Grab a copy of a distro and load it and you'll see for yourself.
see http://www.distrowatch.com or any of dozens of other similar portals..
	Red Hat, SuSE, and Debian are likely where I'd consider starting

	Good luck & welcome...

Don