Im goin to build a server soon, im planning to use it for a dedicated server for my favorite game counterstrike. I also want to use it as a file server for my lan, should i also make this server my internet gateway and dhcp server or should i just continue using my linksys router for those tasks? based on what ive said above which unix distro do you think would be best for my needs and also take into consideration that im a newbie. Hardware and any other suggestions are welcome also. ty.

redhat IMHO. It is easy to install, userconf , linuxconf and etc.. makes it to be userfreindly for users.


But anyway you sould chooose yourself i use both FreeBSD and linux and even windows

I was actualy thinking of gettin redhat myself. the only two linux systems ive ever used before is actualy redhat and freebsd, and as a n00b i liked redhat much better, it had the x-window system, browser, etc installed already which made things a lot easier for me. Just one more question... whats the differece between linux redhat 8.0 personal and professional? other than the $110 price difference...

linux is ok but unix is 4 the hard cores users
i use bsd and linux and commadore amiga 1200 i like my os but if your in to the busnis of the end i would chose bsd over linux is a toy and for basic users bsd is 4 game servers and file servers all thoe there is many bsd vs to

openbsd
netbsd
freebsd
picobsd
bsd
and so on
openbsd is server apps
netbsd is internet
freebsd is both
picobsd you can fit on 1 floppy disk
bsd is the pimping os but is cost a pretty $
os X is the easy to use no typing

Amicrawler, I have to step in and say that you're very wrong about "unix" vs linux vs BSD.
Linux can be used as a toy, and is popular in doing so due to it's physical price, but it is by no means is it limited to that. Many large servers are Linux-based due to it's flexibility. Also, many of the up-and-coming supercomputing clusters, notably those developed for the ASCI project, are Linux based.

Also, OpenBSD is not just a server operating system. I have a box at home that I use for my leisure. NetBSD's goal is to run on as many hardware platforms as possible. FreeBSD is the more end-user friendly, in my opinion, due to the fact that it bundles more software and enables more features by default.

by "the pimpin bsd", I'm guessing you mean BSDi...

And OSX is not in itself Unix. It's wrapped around a Unix-derived system named Darwin, but OSX itself is not "Unix".

SD,
The main difference between Redhats Professional and Personal editions, historically, is service, not product. Typically, they will allow you to use RHN (Redhat Network) for updates and provide more phone/email/fax/etc... support if you spend more money.

If you're confident you can get it going, save your money and get Personal. If you want someone to walk you through installation / configuration over the phone, you'l have to pay more.

Thanks, that's just what i wanted to know, im confident i can get it running, gettin it to dual boot on my current system wasnt that hard. thanx you just saved me $120