To Linux gurus

[Dorganath]

OK, looking for a little input here. 
  I need to set up a Linux box at work to run in a server/SMTP gateway role.  I'm looking for opinions on which distro I should use.  I have a few in mind, but I'm going to keep them to myself to not spoil the responses.

[freemen2]

I like Gentoo, but you need to know what you're doing as you decide what will be installed exactly and what not *shrugs*

[blonde]

I prefer Debian, that's what I use on both my server and laptop. But appart from others im not really religious about my distro

[KageKeeper]

IMHO, the distro you use is almost personal choice as most distros can be configured to look/feel like any other distro.

That said, I am a fan of Gentoo and Ubuntu personally.

I have used Mandrake in the past and started with slackware and Redhat. *shrugs*

I say go with whatever feels the best for you. If you are strictly using it in a server role, you may not even need X Windows, so Gentoo might be good since it is not installed by default. (unless that has changed recently)

Anyway..I have rambled enough.

Let us know which you choose.

[forsettii]

Found http://www.knoppix.org linux for the non linux person.

[Filatus]

Yup, Knoppix is great if you don't know anything about PC's.

[Dorganath]

Well thanks for the input folks.  Though I wasn't really looking for "Linux for Dummies".  I just wanted to get people's opinions on distros to bolster/destroy my own opinions in the matter. There are a few that I've worked with briefly, though it's been a couple of years.
  Perhaps a better question would be: are there any distros I should avoid?

[KageKeeper]

To my knowledge, no.

Again, for me it's just personal preference. *shrugs*

[freemen2]

IMHO:
Linux distros are basically the kernel (and there's one kind, different versions) + whatever the distros threw in on their CDs to make it user friendly as well whatever deal they have with different software creators or inventeurs + whatever they consider, best.
So either you go with a premade template: red-hat and so on or you build your OS from scratch, like you can with Gentoo (I forgot to say, that it's best to have a high internet connection if you build from scratch as you'll be dowloading a lot of things) and some others.  I don't think that any pre-made distro is any better or not, then any other.
It's more: either you enjoy playing lego with your OS or not

[blonde]

Actually there are plenty of differences between the different distros, and not just in the user friendlyness. Too much to get into, but mainly in different packages, implementations, security, and stability. And who said you cant build a Redhat from scratch?

I recommend the Debian solution, mainly because of its great package system which makes it very easy to update and upgrade your installation. If you want a more userfriendly system, we should probably talk window managers.

[OneST8]

My personal preference lies with Debian and Debian based distros but for this particular purpose (headless server it seems) I would say that stock Debian Stable is just what you need.

For ease of maintenance, virtual hosting and general server setup I strongly recommend using DirectAdmin. It costs money but does the job, is actively maintained and is secure (well as secure as these things are). It also supports more than just the Debian distribution so you may do well to check it out regardless of your distro choice.

[freemen2]

blonde - 10/12/2005  7:08 PM

...And who said you cant build a Redhat from scratch?....

Who would want too? :p

'N w'ere ye be Dain? *grumbles* yer brudders been hitten us up fer shinnies, fer days now *grumbles sum mo'e*