laconic1

One of the nice things about Linux is you can have it just about any way you want it, and that includes acquiring a distro to begin with. I usually get a distro with a book or magazine so I have some documentation to go with it. For example when I ran Red hat 8 I bought the Red Hat Linux 8 Bible so I would have a comprehensive book to help address any issues that arose, as at that point I was still very new to Linux. I just bought a magazine last month that came with Slackware 9.0 and I'm thinking about installing it just to learn more. So how do you get yours?

Xirax

I use Gentoo, and basically you start out with a minimal CD, then it downloads in compiles the sourcecode on-demand.

Even when I use debian, i just install the base system and let apt take care of the rest.

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SecretMethod70

I too use Gentoo, so I download a VERY small CD (typically I think about 49 MB - used to be 16) and then it downloads and compiles everything as it installs.

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kel

Suse, FTP installer from CD

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Mr.Deflok

I got a copy of RedHat 8.0 from a Linux course I did.

juanvaldes

downloaded it.

oiekeooiyw

download them

urbandev

i downloaded the redhat 9 boot floppies and started the installer, then went to a friends house and hid it in a drawer with a cable going from it to an open port on his router :X
www.urbandev.net/laptop/

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Tandem

In Australia (dunno about elsewhere), LinuxWorld (http://linuxworld.com.au) create "MiniBooks". The last offering was a 6CD set including RedHat 8.0 (3cd's), Mandrake 9.0(2cd's) and an assortment of Linux Applications (KOffice 1.2, Apache & PHP, 8 IM Clients, Mozilla 1.2.1, PostgreSQL 7.3, IBM Java 2, SKD 1.4.1, and other stuff)

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Silvy

I download mine mostly...

I did get a boxed set as a present once, by request I might add.
And I once purchased a set myself for an important project for the support and documentation. (which I used quite a lot so I don't regret the purchase even though I could have d'loaded it...

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Fallon

I downloaded the installer for Libranet which I guess has a similiar concept as Gentoo I guess in that you get the installer, and when you are installing, you dl the rest. I think, I installed ita few years ago so I'm a bit behind.

Think I might have to find another hard drive and try Gentoo soon too...

bullgoose

Generally, if the distro is available in a CD-ROM version, I'll purchase it, and I urge all Linux users to do the same; my personal preference is LibraNet, a fairly small outfit. If we as users don't help the people who produce our favorite distros financially, they won't be around to keep providing high-quality Linux software, besides the most expensive Linux distros are STLL much cheaper than ANY version of Windows.

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I'd do it all over you."

i_t_man

downloaded it from the NASA ftp site.

rmarshall

My buddy bought the distribution of Redhat 8.0. He installed it one computer, and ran diskcopy and made three identical copies and gave me one computer with it all ready to go.

He's also my customer and pays me to do programming for him.

One time I tried downloading. I was getting a CDROM image a week. Then Redhat changed it slightly and all the MD5 sums changed. What I had downloaded was crap. Waste of time!

ack32

BitTorrent supposedly does a good job of "swarming" the latest version of RedHat to you. I usually eschew the RedHat built-in auto software update service for that provided by Ximian, I think it's called Red Carpet. Had much better luck downloading updates from the net using that tool. Plus it's free and doesn't expire or get super slow like the RetHat demo update service.

ratbastid

I bought my first distro--Caldera Linux (shudder). Didn't know any better. Since then I've downloaded every major Mandrake release since 8.0 and every major Red Hat since 7.2. I'm currently running Mandrake 9.1 on desktops and servers. (Yes, Mandrake on servers. Don't bug me.)

pcmunkey

linux is free...

Linux redhat is free, linux mandrake is free, those are the only 2 i have used...

Speed_Gibson

have always grabbed my recent ones from
http://www.linuxiso.org/

got RH 6/6.2 and Mandrake 7 from friends at school, and bought mandrake 7.2 or 8 (forget which one now) in a boxed set from Fry's.

twister002

For a while I only had dial-up access to the interweb so I had to buy my distros. Untill I found "Linux Format" magazine. It's a UK based magazine and they often include a distro or two, especially on their DVD edition.

omar-

cud be a problem for those with dialup access like me :\
i cant download it but im hoping i get cable soon

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meff

I use Debian Sid, just install off of the woody CD, change my sources.list to sid and dist-upgrade then let apt/debfoster do the magic of great package management

Don't be a loser, use Debian

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meff

I think I'll just say this: *sigh*

hehe

frankx

I download them from www.linuxiso.org

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