By orthoducks on

I'm currently doing Drupal development under Windows XP. I want to learn to use Linux and shift my development work to that. I'm seeking advice on which Linux to use.

My criteria are that:

  • it should be simple to set up and use,
  • it should be robust and stable,
  • it should have minimal compatibility issues, and
  • whatever else I'd kick myself later for not considering.

I'm proposing to run Parallels on a minimal Linux system, and within Parallels, to run Linux for my Drupal development and Windows XP for my other work.

Parallels supports the following versions of Linux, so my choices will be among them:

  • Ubuntu
  • Fedora
  • Red Hat Enterprise
  • Red Hat Linux 9
  • SUSE
  • Mandriva
  • Debian
⋅ Categories: Drupal 6.x

Comments

ToshoFreny’s picture

ToshoFreny commented

I use Ubuntu8 on VMWARE and it works wonderfully for me. I installed Samba additionally on my ubuntu for accessing my development files on windows also.
Loving Life,
Tosho Freny,

matt2000’s picture

matt2000 commented

I also use and recommend Ubuntu 8.

----
Drupal Micro-Blogging at Twitter

thmo’s picture

thmo commented

Debian / Gentoo (they don't have that one but they should :)

dman’s picture

dman commented

Ubuntu is probably the best one I can imagine starting with. Support all though the early steps (ubuntu forums) is the best I've seen so it's as comfortable as it's ever going to get.
Plus it's actually just a flavour of Debian under the hood, so it's not like choosing an easy option to begin will ever hinder you in the long term or hold you back.

.dan.
How to troubleshoot Drupal | http://www.coders.co.nz/

.dan. is the New Zealand Drupal Developer working on Government Web Standards

orthoducks’s picture

orthoducks commented

I'm not going to make a decision until everyone has had a chance to check in, but the voting seems to be going strongly for Ubuntu. The forum support is an important point which I hadn't considered.

Two other questions: first, what about driver support for tape drives (in my case, an IBM Ultrium 1)? I gather that this comes automatically with Linux, but I want to be sure I don't buy the one system that has issues with it!

Second, what book would you recommend as an introduction to using Linux? I'm looking for something that is well-organized and accurate, and will get me started quickly, but will have enough depth to help me configure the system properly and use it intelligently, and solve whatever problems I'm likely to encounter as a new user doing software development.

FredJones’s picture

FredJones commented

> I'm proposing to run Parallels on a minimal Linux system, and within Parallels, to run Linux for my Drupal development and Windows XP for my other work.

Why not install your main OS as a native OS and then run a free tool like VMWare or VirtualBox for your guest OS? This is what I do.

I tried Ubuntu and ended up switching to Debian. But Ubuntu is better for a newbie. Also check out LinuxMint, based on Ubuntu--some find it even easier to use. :)

Good luck

orthoducks’s picture

orthoducks commented

Why not install your main OS as a native OS and then run a free tool like VMWare or VirtualBox for your guest OS? This is what I do.

Because Parallels is used (on a Mac) and recommended by an associate whose expertise and judgment I deeply respect.

I'll keep an open mind about free tools, and I'd like to know about your experience with them. If I'm satisfied that one of them is as good as Parallels I'll naturally prefer it. But the amount of research I'm willing to do to save $49.99 is limited. So is the amount of uncertainty I'm willing to accept.

I tried Ubuntu and ended up switching to Debian. But Ubuntu is better for a newbie.

Would you please comment on your reasons for preferring Debian? If I would find it technically superior in the long run, that will count. I don't value initial ease of use above all else; I've been writing and caring for software since 1967, so I should be able to figure out anything that is reasonably well designed and packaged. I just don't want to spend any more time climbing the learning curve than I reasonably have to.

orthoducks’s picture

orthoducks commented

I've settled on Ubuntu. The fact that drupal.org has a "Drubuntu" group was the deciding factor, indicating to me that I'm joining a substantial community.

I did some sifting of the books, first on Amazon.com and then at a local bookstore. I've narrowed my choices down to two. I'm going to buy one. (If I want a second book later, when I have some experience, it will probably not be the runner-up.)

I'd appreciate input from people who can comment on these books in the light of their experience, whether they are familiar with the books or not.

A Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux

Linux Bible, 2008 Edition

Both appear to be thorough, well-written, and well-organized. Naturally, the first one has more information about Ubuntu, while the second one has information about other Linuces.