UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Hi all,

New to the forum and in fact Unix.

I want/need to start learning Unix and am a bit confused as to which to start using/download...

Could someone please kindly point me in the right direction as how to get started, there seem to be so many different versions, etc... that i'm getting a bit confused.

I want to start getting used to Unix, how to install, how it works, and get a good feel of the product as I would like to add it to my skills...

Could anyone kindly dedicate me a few minutes and point me in the right direction, in particular:

- Which version to use to gain basic experience in Unix.
- Where to download from.
- Basic installation guide.

Thank you in advance.

start with linux... chosse ONE distribution and stuck with it! after getting experience you can switch to a full unix system.

for linux have a look at "ubuntu" or as more experienced user "gentoo".
for unix maybe go for "sun solaris". it's well documented (docs.sun.com) and available for x86.

good luck

The "newbie" friendly distributions, in my opinion, are:

1) Liunx --> Ubuntu Linux
2) Unix --> Solaris or OpenSolaris

OK
I would start by asking what knowledge have you about "what is an OS" and"OS fundamentals"
None? start by learning...
DOS (good knowledge and windows..) ah better...
Download and burn a live CD such as knoppix
let it run a while (I let one run for more than 3 months... you cant do that without altering perfs and having virus risks with ms Wi*ows, and anyway each time I tried it failed after a month...) and watch the magic of *X...
then think what is more important for you:
click is not a great challenge...
So download a unix4dos or cygwin and start by learning a few commands and be sure to use every day vi!
If after that you feel ready for the big...
then any will be fine, each flavour has its pros/cons
and most of all the first will always be the first Love, so if its for professional purpose and you wish to go system, the only free commercial *UX is Solaris then in linux go for an OS that will make you suffer a bit since you are ready and willing to learn: DEBIAN server? or freeBSD
Up to you now...