[Asterisk-Users] Linux basics

[james]

On Fri, 2004-12-10 at 16:29, Jim Guy wrote:
> Hello,
>  
> I am just starting to research Asterisk and I would like to install it
> on a PC to try out. I have looked around quite a bit but I haven't
> found much information on the Linux part. I know you need to put Linux
> on the PC first but what version or flavor of Linux do you recommend?
> I contacted Red Hat and they had not heard of Asterisk and they said
> Asterisk is not certified for Red Hat. Are there any Linux
> installation instructions that you would recommend? If there are any
> other getting started suggestions, I sure would appreciate it.

I see you got a lot of replies that assume a significant head start. You
might want to get one of the typical "learn xxx in 7 days" or "running
xxx" or "The xxx Bible" books. Many come with CD's of RedHat or other
distribution. The particular distribution is unimportant, but many
instructions/examples assume RedHat. You should note that any of the
BSD's are not Linux and won't work.

I recommend you learn the OS and not the GUI. There is nothing to fear -
its really simple. If you have a Windows background then it's just new
words for things you should already know (mostly). Since Asterisk runs
from the command line you might as well learn the command line first.
Almost anything you want to do you will/can do from the command line.
And no, vi (a text editor) is not hard to learn, mostly there are only 3
"commands" you will ever use anyways (save file, quit and search).

In Linux (and Unix) there is no escaping the command line (nor in
Windows Server, either), so you might as well conquer it first. Build a
system, get it on a network and learn to manipulate files (copy, move,
permissions, deletion, directories etc.). Everything else you can do by
following Asterisk recipes you will find on the 'net.