I'm wanting to install Linux on a machine, but I don't really know the difference between versions, so I though I had better find out before downloading. Some FTP links would be helpful as well…

1. All linux distributions give you the same operating system, but they differ mainly in
   1. Installation procedure
   2. Some utilities to customize your system
   3. Different way to install new applications and make upgrades

   You will see that the 3. is very important in linux as many applications require other applications in order to run (dependencies). Some distributions automatically install all required dependencies when you want to install a new application.

   Also linux distributions are divided in 2 categories: binary and source. Binary distributions give you pre-compiled software that you can install. source distributions give you mainly source code that you compile yourself. The advantage of the first is that it is faster to install, the advantage of the latter is that your applications run faster but take longer to install.

   Mandrake is derived from red hat so they are quite similar in their architecture. They are binary based and they use RPM files.

   Gentoo on the other hand is source based but its main advantage over other source based distributions is that it has some good utilities to automatically download and install all dependencies when you want to install some new software.

   You might consider trying Ubuntu which has a really good system for installing new packages based on debian linux.

   good luck

2. Unfortunately linuxiso.org is down for the forseeable future. I would recommend http://www.distrowatch.com for info on different distros.
   The main differences between the distros is the applications that are included, the installer program, and how applications are installed.
   Some of the big names today:
   Ubuntu, You will need a broadband connection to get all the packages. Comes on 1 CD and is easy to install. (http://www.ubuntu.com)
   SuSE, Comes with many packages and is very user friendly. (http://www.opensuse.org)
   Fedora, Also comes with many packages and is user friendly. (http://www.fedoraproject.org)
   If you want to try Linux out without committing to an install try Knoppix (http://www.knoppix.com). It is a Live Linux that runs completely from CD or DVD. The only disadvantages to Knoppix are that since it runs from CD (DVD) it will be slower than an installed OS and that any changes to the system and downloads will be lost when you shutdown/reboot the machine.
3. made by different people is the main difference, each work slightly differently.
   I would recommend Mandirva, I use mandriva 2006 for my web server but I think mandriva 2007 might be out. http://www.linuxiso.org/ is a good place to download linux images, also you can find about each flavour of linux there too.

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