InstallFest / Distribution Advice

[Matt Wyant]

I've always been attracted to GNU/Linux because of it's configuration
and manipulation options. I've played with the Mandrake distribution,
but it wasn't any fun because I didn't have to do anything. I need a
distribution that will force me to learn all the dirty details. From
what I've gathered online, Slackware is just that. A powerful,
configurable, advanced distribution. I have two questions:

A) Am I jumping in over my head? I'm very proficient with computers,
I've been programming since before junior high with various flavors of
basic and c. I'm certainly not daunted by the shell, command line, or
non-graphical interfaces, in fact, they hold some sort of sick romantic
draw for me. Should I start with a more user-friendly distribution or do
you think I can handle Slackware?

B) I read about the upcoming InstallFest June 22nd. I am very
interested, and will probably attend if I haven't gotten this figured
out by then (I'm pretty busy, so that's a definite possibility). I know
I need to drag my tower, monitors and cables along, but do I need to
bring a distribution?

I will be installing to a swappable primary drive, so loss of
productivity and time is not a problem during installation. I want to
cut my teeth on my workstation, and then eventually run
samba/apache/mysql on my (currently) file server. I've got a dual
Pentium III 1.0Ghz with dual monitors. I do a lot of web and SQL
development, as well as audio/video editing. Is any of this going to
pose roadblocks? Is there anything I should know before I dive in?

Just looking for a little friendly advice and counseling.


"Three o'clock is always too late or too early for anything you want to
do."
 -- Jean-Paul Sartre


matt wyant | friend, gentleman, scholar
zanfar@nospam.zanfar.com | http://www.zanfar.com

Tempe, AZ