Re: First steps towards unix and php

On Thu, 8 Jan 2009 11:44:48 -0500, Frank Stanovcak wrote: >I've been a microshaft punk for some time now, and am just getting ready to >try to step over to unix on one of my own boxes. > >Does anyone have any suggestions on which flavor would be a good idea to >start with? I'm looking mostly for compatibility with php, mysql, and other >web based programming languages. What Nathan said, test each candidate in a VM like VirtualBox to see which you might be comfortable in. Then pick Fedora :) Seriously, any of the major distros (or their derivatives) would be good, as they take care of the build dependencies for you via packaging systems. Check them out here: http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major Picking a desktop is harder, especially coming from a Windows world. Linux has a great many desktops, each with advantages and disadvantages. Many distros allow you to easily switch between at least KDE and GNOME, maybe even XFCE. A tiny distro called DSL-N (damned small linux NOT) allows you to boot up in several of the lighter desktops to check them out. Realise that you can pick a GNOME or KDE desktop and still run apps made to suit one of the others, with maybe just some minor integration glitches; I run GNOME and use a number of KDE programs just fine. You should also check out editors and IDEs - STFW for previous posts made to this and other groups. Then pick Geany ;) And don't forget to add a revision control system, e.g. Subversion. -- Ross McKay, Toronto, NSW Australia "Let the laddie play wi the knife - he'll learn" - The Wee Book of Calvin