What is a good linux for a 1st timer?

[Nflight]

I really do appreciate everyones insight into this realm of opportunity as I see it. I was reading over the Ubuntu web site and looking at the desktop version, and the server version ~ ? Yes I am perplexed at which one I want !
I want the force of capability to run as fast as possible as this new system would be only a cruncher, nothing more but, I will need to surf to each project web site and download the needed program to run each project. (Does a browser come with the Server version - a windows illiterate person looking into linux would only ask that question?). I want to run fast and hard but the troubles I see with Billy Bob and the Redmond wrist shakers aka M$ with updates and patches out the wazoo frustrate me. Time up and running is the forward thinking here, even if I have to change OS I want to start off using the best version, best equipment, and having the best access to help online is my dream, I have it here at AMD users!

Again Thank You Everyone who has come forward with there help. Also mentioning this will not be a dual boot machine - straight linux.... I will keep both 4200+'s for a bit till I get the hang of the linux server, once accomplished at the beast, I may sell my Rocketship 4200+ to someone who could use him adequately.

[Brucifer]

For Ubuntu Linux you don't need to get hung up on whether to run a server/workstation. For all practical purposes, they are one and the same with the only difference being the package selection. If you are going to use the system primarily as a cruncher, but need to browse to get your clients, etc., you can just load in the desktop version, which I recommend because you will get the largest selection of libraries. Go browse, get your clients. Be sure that you have a text editor that will work in command line mode that you can use......... vi is there for about every linux/unix, but it isn't a snap to use. For beginners I would recommend Joe as a text mode text file editor. Then once you have your clients, go into superuser mode and edit your /etc/inittab file, to change your runlevel from 5 to 3, and then reboot the system. This will put you into text mode only with network/internet access and use this mode for your crunching. This way you don't have all the extra software loaded and running, and memory usage is much lower.

For 64-bit I run both Suse and Mepis. Mepis was a Ubuntu knockoff. To install joe, go into superuser mode, and then issue the command "apt-get install joe" and it will go out and install it for you. The upcoming versions/beta_version of Mepis is supposed to be going back to a Debian based system.

Anyway, that would give you an operational gutted out cruncher, with the ability to switch back and forth if you ever wanted to. I use one linux desktop to get my clients and stuff and then put that on a central drive so that every system can get the new clients and needed.

If you need help Nflight, feel free to PM me and I will walk you through stuff.

[Nflight]

If you need help Nflight, feel free to PM me and I will walk you through stuff.

Thanks Brucifier