I want a linux 64bit distro but not sure how to dl/install it!!

[Appledrop]

hello. i am after a linux 64bit distrobution ( i dont know which is the best vendor - gentoo is good i hear??? ) anyway. i have never downloaded or installed linux... how would i do this? i currently have one harddrive running XP Pro, and want to 'dual boot' so i guess i need to use partition magic or other to create a partition for linux.. can someone tell me the package i need to download, and instructions on how to get it installed????

thanks a lot!

 

[bersl2]

Any of them work. Fedora, Ubuntu, SuSE, Mandrake, Gentoo, etc... How much "n00b" do you want in your distro?

 

[Appledrop]

i dont want n00bified. I have windows for that! I'd like something that is considered slightly 'elite' but highly functional if possible ? It must have a good programming environment for learning ASM! I am slightly worried about drivers.. i hear that ati is no good for linux ( i wont be gaming, but i want a good display ).. are there any drivers that will work for my system as well? My primary question is which package should i download for easy installation ( i want a noob set up, but not a noob once it is all set up hehe [so what if im lazy!?])

Thanks

 

[bersl2]

2D with anybody's card is fine.

I mean, I don't think it matters too too much. I would recommend Slackware, but it's not 64-bit (though I plan on using the build scripts to roll my own, once I get all the parts to my new machine). Really, take your pick. Or wait for the other people on this forum. Or go to Distrowatch and read up.

 

[n yusef]

If you have never used Linux before, Gentoo will be pretty hard for you (it was for me too;I had to get my friend to help me). The others that bersl2 mentioned will be much easier though. Ubuntu has a text installer instead of the graphical ones that come withe Fedora Core, Mandrake, and SuSE, but it has much better file management after you install it. (APT instead of RPM.)

 

[Nothinman]

2D with anybody's card is fine.

Depends on your definition of 'fine'. A friend of mine has a notebook with an ATI card and to get swsusp to work he has to use the OSS ATI drivers and they're noticably slower than the non-free nVidia driver I use on my notebook. Of course the OSS nVidia driver is just as bad, but if he wants a 64-bit distro there might be more problems with the non-free ATI drivers.

t must have a good programming environment for learning ASM!

No offense but learning assembly is largely worthless these days. Yes, it will come in handy when debugging things and is required for real low-level things, but for 'normal' programming it's a waste of time.

 

[Infohawk]

Originally posted by: bersl2
Any of them work. Fedora, Ubuntu, SuSE, Mandrake, Gentoo, etc... How much "n00b" do you want in your distro?

I heard it was hard to download the Mandrake one... though it is available on CD. Maybe this has changed recently though.

 

[bpm3k]

I installed Mandrakelinux 10.2 Beta 1 (x86-64) and it worked fine for me.
Get fast .iso downloads here:
http://distrowatch.com/?newsid=02416#0

 

[cowdog]

I have really enjoyed using Gentoo. I've installed and dinked with most of the popular distros, but Gentoo was the one that helped me to learn enough about Linux to develop a base knowedge and start to feel more comfortable with Linux. The Gentoo handbook and other documentation are fantastic! And the Gentoo forums are one of the best resources out there. The downsides are that the compile times can be a drag (w/ Stages 1 or 2), and the time invested in figuring out optimizations, configurations and such are not trivial. But if you persevere, you will have a Linux distro customized exactly as you want it (well, mostly), running only the packages you want. You will also have a good feel for what's going on with your system.

Step1. Gentoo Handbook
Step2. Gentoo Forums
Step3. Gentoo Wiki

Archlinux would be another good option, although their documentation and user base are modest at this point.