What next?

[bstemp]

I am a newbie Linux user.

I have read that Knoppix is a great way to try Linux, without having to install anything. If I like what I get after running Knoppix, what do I then use? Do I just continue to run Knoppix from the live CD, or do I install a permanent (and presumably different) distro?

[OErjan]

Knoppix can be installed or i would recomend Debian Sarge. not as up to date but less trouble on the hard drive )Knoppix is designed to run from CD).
another advantage is that this forum can likely help you as Knoppix is based on Debian versions sarge and Sid.

Different versions of Debian are Debian stable (Woody) this is ROCK SOLID, and tested almost beyond reason.
Debian testing (sarge) not as tested but stable enough for 99% of situations (next stable release).
Then we have Debian unstable (Sid) whis is in constant change and upgrade... things might crash or not work well... if you are unlucky.

Id go with Debian or Slackware, they are NOT the easyest around but they work well when finaly configured, if you want easy i would go with Fedora, Suse or Mandrake. but they tend to be almost Windows, with that i mean somewhat dependant on wizards, menues... to get setup and configured, they might even delete changes made by you amnually...

[CrashedAgain]

If you like it, Knoppix can be installed to HD. It can also be 'poorman's installed', which basically copies the CD to the HD so it runs from HD just as if it were CD.

There are those (as above) who say Knoppix is not designed to be installed on HD & therefore shouldn't be. I disagree....I have used various versions of Knoppix on HD for quite some time (years) and IMHO it is just about the easiest way to get a Debian system installed...all the hardware is set up for you already, a lot of applications are already included etc.

There is also Kanotix. Knoppix-based, very similar to Knoppix but offers a different package mix, has a few less bugs & IS recommended for HD install.

Mandrake, SuSE & Fedora are all RPM based distros (instead of Debian based). They may be real easy to install as an initial install but a Debian system will win out hands down as soon as you start adding or upgrading applications or otherwise customizing & maintaining your system because Debian's apt-get package management system is so much easier than urpmi or apt as adapted for rpms.

[rrfish72]

If you really like knoppix you can go with kanotix. It is suited better for a HD install and is a devitive of knoppix. I run it and it is one of the easiest and best distros I've tried with no major problems.

For the lastest kanotix reslease check here: http://kanotix.com/info/index.php