Screaming Penguin - Source Does Matter

I personally had not tried to install one of the new fancy GUI Linux ditributions until yesterday. I have still been using SuSE 6.2 (with YaST 1) and Redhat 5.x or 6.0Well I had a new project and so I got a new copy of Redhat 6.1 (it was purchased for me, for an official work project, and somehow was copied for this home project, hey wait, thats perfectly legal, sorry, flashback to the old days!)This project is a new webserver for ToTSP. The new box is an AMD k6-2 450 with 512MB ram and several ultra wide SCSI drives. Backup is currently done via DDT (DAT for data) using KDat, and that is still the plan. So the SCSI chain will include the drives and the DDT via an Adaptec 2940 UW. No problems, dont it before, easy. Well, then I decide I want software based (cause I dont have RAID hardware) root RAID 1 for 2 drives so that there is some fault tolerance. I read and print out the root RAID howto and I am set to start hacking the kernel and modifying scripts left and right to make this RAID happen.Enter the new Linux GUI installs. I load up RedHat 6.1 and the new install is super sweet, all X windows based and mouse driven. It autodetects all my devices, including SCSI adapter, video card, and multiple NICs. Pick all the packages via custom, setup the partitions, all no problem. Much better than even the text menu driven system from previous versions (even though that was cake too.) Then I see the partition type of "Linux RAID" in disk druid. WHAT?!? It cant be that easy! I use that partition for 2 drives to setup the RAID 1 1 want and then just click "Create RAID Device." I proceed to read the root RAID howto, just for kicks, but basically its trash, the RAID already works! WOW! This stuff rocks. The new GUI install is fantastic and does the trick, the whole thing is setup as a base system with KDE (gno gnome) and now I can work on Apache-Tomcat-PHP-MySQL-ProFTPD-Phorum, etc. All of which are great products, the best, and of course also FREE! This stuff is just all good!So then I figure, why not check out the other distros? I load up Caldera OpenLinux 2.3, a copy I was given at the Atlanta Linux Showcase. LIZARD also rocks. Setup is easy as pie, very smooth and everything works. It does not have RAID in that version, but was still VERY impressed with LIZARD. Super nice installer (and available open source to anyone who wants to use it.)Now, I have not yet used SuSE 6.3 (with YaST 2) but I hear it is also great. And as for Corel Linux, I hear it rocks too. This stuff is getting too easy. Installs like this and solid GUI desktops == domination! If you have been on the fence because of the notorious rumor that Linux is difficult to install, forget about it. I imagine with a normal system, a NIC and and IDE drive (check the hardware compatability lists for whatever vendor you use, that alone eliminates 98% of headaches) install would take no time at all and require virtually NO technical expertise. Then you have a GREAT product that is either ultra affordable or costs zero (and it does not crash every other time the wind blows.) So go Linux!   Caldera