[olug] Linux Web Server Distros

[Nate Rotschafer]

I agree with Dan on this one.  I knew next to nothing about linux before a 
month and a half ago short of basic admin and security audits of a linux 
(Red Hat 6.x) gateway. However I recently installed Red Hat 7.1, Mandrake 
8.1, OpenBSD 2.9(?), and Debian.  Each of these installs was on a seperate 
computer and I found that I have learned more from configureing various 
things to work on my debian box than any other because the base install 
comes with no extra programs to keep the bloat down so it boots FAST.  So I 
had to install and configure a new kernel (2.4.16), new XFree86 (4.1.0.1) 
along with xcdroast, xine (for DVD playback which now supports ac3 
passthrough to my reciever), wireless lan card, laptops, etc.  Configuring 
this has taught me a lot about how linux works such that now I am considered 
a "fairly" knowledgable linux person, right Dan?  So my issue is the build 
it from scratch type of distro's like Debian teach people much more about 
linux than Mandrake which you just install and most things work out of the 
box.  Admittedly most newbies will not have the time or persistence to do 
this, but if they do it is an excellent lesson to be learned.  Just my 
$.02....

Thanks,
Nate Rotschafer

P.S.  Ideas on the topic for the installfest??  DVD playing? CD-Burning?  
Any others maybe I know?


>From: Dan DeVries <ddevries2000 at yahoo.com>
>Reply-To: olug at bstc.net
>To: olug at bstc.net
>Subject: Re: [olug] Linux Web Server Distros
>Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2001 12:28:40 -0600
>
>Then there are also the build it from scratch aka. Linux From Scratch if 
>you can
>even call this a distro. These systems aren't as bloated as the usual Linux
>distro.  I admit a newbie probably wouldn't actually do this.  Not to 
>mention,
>how many times do you install Linux on a machine, once right unless you are
>intentionaly reinstalling for testing or something similar.  Still there is
>something to be said about understanding whats under the hood and I'm not 
>just
>talking about just the kernel.  There are several packages to a whole 
>install
>such as fileutils, findutils, glibc, gcc, bin86, procps, modutils etc... to
>mention a few.   Plus, creating your filesystem manually, chrooting your
>environment to install everything to and actually compiling all your 
>programs
>rather than installing binaries.  If you wanted instead of SysV style init
>scripts you could make BSD style init scripts, the point is you have more
>control, even more of a choice and its a learning experience.  Note this 
>isn't as
>easy as installing from a normal distro.
>
>Dan
>
>ktb wrote:
>
> > On Thu, Dec 20, 2001 at 09:37:37AM -0600, Brian Roberson wrote:
> > > Any linux distro, period, is a great webserver, or db server. lets not 
>get
> > > distro-centric here... I can make ANY distro perform the exact same
> > > (performance / throughput ) lets face it guys... it is ALL linux. what 
>makes
> > > a distro? the packaging mechanism, and they way the package is 
>compiled,
> > > period, performance will always be the same if it is the same OS ( yes 
>I
> > > mean version ).....
> > >
> >
> > OTOH there wouldn't be multiple distros if there were no differences
> > between them.  Sure you can make any distro perform similarly but the
> > way a disto is scripted and the packaging mechanism is certainly
> > significant enough to warrant discussion.  I'm sure you are trying to
> > avoid the usual 'distro wars' that occur on many lists but I think
> > people should have the freedom to mention, 'this disto works for me
> > because...' or 'hey have you tried such and such feature disto X
> > offers...' and so on.  I agree distro centric discussions can become
> > tedious at times but it is one way newbies learn about the various 
>nuances
> > Linux has to offer.
> > kent
> >
> > --
> > "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the
> >    same level of thinking we were at when we created them."
> >                                      --Albert Einstein
> >
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For help contact olug-help at bstc.net - run by ezmlm
to unsubscribe, send mail to olug-unsubscribe at bstc.net
or `mail olug-unsubscribe at bstc.net < /dev/null`
(c)2001 OLUG http://www.olug.org

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