Linux distro diffs

[Furmanek, Greg]

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-> My question may require to long of an answer but I will try 
-> to make it
-> easy.  Here are my applications, real and possible.
-> 
-> 1. I want to learn Linux so I am setting up a box as a 
-> workstation to learn
-> Liunux and Linux programming.

Stick with most (defacto) standard ones 
Red Hat, Mandrake
Mandrake is compiled for at least Pentium,
where Red Hat will run on 386.
You may see up to 20% better performance from 
Red Hat.  

-> 2. I am setting up a firewall (eventually proxy server too) 
-> for my home DSL
-> connection.

OpenBSD until Linux has statefull firewall capability.
http://www.obfuscation.org/ipf/ipf-howto.txt : (OpenBSD included packet
filtering package)


http://www.ecst.csuchico.edu/~dranch/LINUX/TrinityOS/cHTML/TrinityOS-071400c
-10.html#ss10.3
explains what is statefull firewall.
I am hoping kernel 2.4 will have all the features I need for this one.
http://netfilter.kernelnotes.org/unreliable-guides/packet-filtering-HOWTO.ht
ml


-> 3. It is possible I will be doing driver and/or kernel 
-> programming at work,
-> if the powers finally decide to go with Linux.

I would probably try creating your own (From Scratch) setup.

-> 4. Maybe (this is a BIG maybe) we will embed Linux into our 
-> products.  This
-> would be in the far (> 1 year) future so I am not too 
-> concerned about it
-> now. [MontaVista maybe, if and when the time comes ;^) ]

Same as 3.

-> 5. Again, based on a decision by the powers that be, we 
-> could be setting up
-> a Linux database server for production and test data input 
-> from a network
-> of stations.

When it comes to setting up servers.  I would stick with 
one of the major distros enhanced by RSBAC:
http://www.rsbac.de/

Workstations:  something easy to administer RPM or DEB based.
Personally I do not have a lot of experience with DEB but 
there are a lot of guys swearing by it.

-> 6. Production and test workstations mentioned in 5 above 
-> would be used by
-> personel through product assembly, test and shipping.  
-> (TCL/TK apps perhaps?)

All distros have TCL/TK.
I think Python is much nicer though.
If you thinking of just running specific apps, 
I would look for a distro which does not force you to
install a lot of applications and allows for
picking and choosing.
If I am not mistaken Debian should be just fine.

-> So, those are the possible "uses" or environments for Linux 
-> boxes.  Knowing
-> the strength of each distro may dictate that one be used 
-> over the other for
-> each of these uses.  For continuity, maybe only one distro should be
-> deployed in all uses, even if that distro is not as good for 
-> a particular
-> environment.  Maybe the different uses are so varied that I 
-> should just
-> pick one distro and stick with it throughout because it is 
-> too much to
-> learn so many distros.
-> 
-> That is my question.  A full answer might need an entire 
-> book!  I don't
-> expect anyone on the list to write one.  (But a 
-> recommendation to one would
-> be good!)
-> 
-> Alan