Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Brilliant!!!!
Review: I've only been in the Linux world for a year now (I run Linux on a dual boot with windows 98). In that time I've tried around a dozen different distros. This is the one I stayed with and I love it! Not that the other Linux distros were bad, because they were not, but this one is just so much better!!!OK, some background: I run a Intel Pentium P4 2ghz processor; 512 megs of Ram; a ASUS P4S533-X Motherboard; GeForce 2 MX video card with 64 megs; 40 gig e/ide hard drive; sound blaster live sound card; a LITEON 52X24X52 CDRW IDE; an Epson CX 5200 printer/scanner/fax; read on for my ethernet card...I think that's enough background. First let me give you the bad. I was using a Netware ethernet card that Red Hat 9.0 would not support. I chalk that one up to me because I should have checked. No big deal. I got a $9 D-Link DFE-550TX and everything was great!!! Red Hat loaded up perfect and booted perfect the first time. It found everything, all my hardware and never complained once (which is more then I can say for windows). The installer had some questions that a very new person may not know how to answer, BUT the default settings for these questions are just fine and a new person to Linux could just hit "next" with those settings and have no problems what-so-ever. The display is marvelous! The "Bluecurve" design beats out everything I've seen in other Linux distros. It is very clear, the fonts are sharp and easy to read and...BEST OF ALL!!!...the software that comes with Red Hat is named in a way that a non-Linux guru can understand! (It saddens me that many Linux people think that everyone else has to become a guru and learn all the technical jargon...great way to kill Linux if you ask me) No worries though with Red Hat 9.0! Everything is laid out logically and very comprehensible to someone like me who doesn't have time to read every linux book ever written to understand what's going on. The online update went off without a hitch. I guess I just can't heap enough praise onto this product. Of all the Linux distros I have personally tried plus the others I have researched Red Hat 9 is simply the best.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Linux Distro So Far
Review: I've struggled through many Linux distros recently--printer and modem problems with Red Hat 7.3 and 8.0; configuration challenges with Suse 8.1. I had thought that Mandrake offered the best distribution of Linux, in terms of ease of installation and configuration, until now.
This latest version of Red Hat Linux is by far the most user friendly, as well as the easiest to install that I've ever had the pleasure to deal with.
The graphical interface is very impressive--this is an attractive distribution. Red Hat 9.0 is vivid proof that Linux has arrived as a viable alternative to Windows in the personal desktop market.
Red Hat 9.0 may be the best Linux distribution released up to now. For the curious PC owner who wants to investigate Linux, it is the way to go.
Rating: 
Summary: Linux rocks, RH9 Personal does not
Review: If this was simply a review of RH9 in the contex of a supported environment, then I would give it 5 starts. But RH9 Personal edition, as a means for getting Linux on a home box by a non-sysadmin, is not completely where it could be. The principle reason is the lack of drivers. I tried to get RH8 Personal on my Dell Dimension 2350 and the lack of even a functioning video driver made it all but impossible. Also, fdisk doesn't work with XP, so I had to use PartitionMagic 8.0 which has its own issues (it makes a Linux partition that Linux doesn't think is Linux.) I bought RH9 and things worked much, much better. However, I had to go through a lot of grief to get my Broadcom 440x network driver up and I still can't find one for my Canon i850 color printer. For Linux to be fully competetive with Windows in a home environment, it needs to reach a broader level of hardware compatibility. A dual boot was my best choice and setting it up was largely uneventful for me with RH9. I need Linux as an interface to computational systems that do the serious kind of work Windows is incapable of. But my slide scanner, with a driver embedded in Photoshop Elements, requires either a Mac or Windows. Once more drivers and software are available for Linux, I can finally get rid of XP.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not outstanding
Review: Installed RH9 on HP laptop (Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM). Install is nice and painless, especially compare to Debian I ran before. Bluecurve is beautiful. Worlds ahead over Debian 2.11, Caldera and even Suse 7, ran all of the before.However following is still an issue:
1. Display drivers. Had a resolution problem. Fixed after olaying in a terminal with rpm and driver packages.
2. Does not mount cdrom automatically all the time. Not a problem for me, since I can mount it in command line, but woul be a source of frustration for a first time user.
3. Graphical package management sucks. With windows user is used to Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel. Here you install a package from lets say linux.org and if you wish to remove it, you wont see it in graphical interface. No big deal for a UNIX geek, but a problem for a first time user.
4. Problems upgrading Java plug in in Mozilla.
5. An error trying to use Red Hat Network update, needed to install new packages (command line again), really nasty for a first timer.
6. Quite a hog for Linux (do not try to install on Pentium 2:))
7. Lack of any built in media support (mpeg,real,mp3,etc)
Verdict:
Still not a system for a home user. Red Hat realized this I guess, and there will be no more Red Hat Linux. They are leaving home market for Enterprise Server market.A home user will be stuck with Fedora project, which is free, but totally built for an enthusiast Linux geek.
p.s. For hardcore Linux people. No I am not paid by Microsoft, do not live in Washington and not a personal aquaintance of Bill Gates. :)
Rating:
Summary: Red Hat Linux 9.0 Personal
Review: It is beyond me why this is the most popular distribution. it feels clunky and unfinished, it certainly offers nothing more (and for multimedia support considerably less) than other packages out there. Documentation is pitiful. It's not the cheapest either. I personally think that running Linux on the desktop is as practical as driving around town on a Mack truck, but if you insist on giving it a whirl you'll be better served by the like of Mandrake or Suse.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for every user - Difficult Install
Review: Personally, I found that this was a trying experience from the beginning. First off, few stores even carry Linux software, so that even locating the package is difficult. Thankfully there are on-line opportunities like Amazon to fulfill the dream. Physically installing this product was an even greater difficulty. I could not find this in a 3.5" format and had to upgrade my PC in order to be able to run the CD. After re-booting, I found that the CD was not mounted and that the software could not be recognized. I spent numerous hours on the phone with Red Hat Tech support, only to determine that the system requirements were not fully explained in the promotional literature. This upgrade requires an extremely fast processor, at least 512 Mb memory, minimum 40 Gb hard drive. In fact, the system architecture and operating system are completely different! Who knew? I can tell you it is not recommended for the typical Apple II or Mac Plus customer. This is probably much better suited to the owner of a new PowerMac machine with the latest in video & IO features
Rating:
Summary: Best for users comfortable with using the command line...
Review: Red Hat 9 is very user friendly in terms of the GUI. However it does not include a lot of the multimedia features of other distros (i.e. Mandrake) In order to install Flash or Real player
the user should expect to use the command line.
That being said though. There are countless websites willing to help and if you have access to Red Hat's tech support they are GREAT, friendly and very helpful.
I would strongly reccommend the RED HAT Linux 9 Bible as a compliment to this distro.
Rating: 
Summary: Lack of progress is frustrating.
Review: Red Hat Linux is a fast and stable operating system but don't be fooled by the by the one whole number jump from 8 to 9. Red Hat 9.0 is just Red Hat 8 with a different logout icon. How do they expect us to be impressed anymore? You would expect the leading linux distribution to take charge and improve things, but that is not the case. Multimedia support still stinks, my palm pilot, webcam, scanner, and printer don't work either. They have also chosen to leave out NTFS support in their "New Kernel." This product's only plus is BlueCurve user interface, but 8.0 had that. I wonder which icon they will change for their next release.
Rating:
Summary: Mixed Review
Review: Red Hat Linux Personal is probably all that most people need. Since the programs are free, anything not included in the distro can be downloaded from the Internet, such as rpmfind.com or other similar sites. In fact, even with the professional edition, there are simply so many programs and updates that you cannot possibly find everything in the distro, no matter how complete. Some of the best programs available are only available in Linux or Unix. For example, amateur astronomers can find no better programs than kstars and xephem. And best of all, they are free. Finally, installation keeps getting easier with each release, and RH9 is the easiest so far. Now that I've told you what you already know, let me tell you the headaches that are in store for you. Even owners of popular hardware, such as an IBM Thinkpad, will spend hours downloading and compiling drivers for each new piece of hardware. Some people like the challenge of doing this, and with the proper problem solving skills and effort, there are few hardware problems that cannot be overcome - eventually. But let me tell you, after a while it becomes a real pain. In contrast, whenever I add a new piece of hardware in Windows XP, the system recognizes it right away and installs it without any effort whatsoever. This lack of hardware support has been, and continues to be, the greatest inhibitor to the widespread adoption of Linux on the desktop. And until developers overcome this limitation, Linux will remain the domain of IT departments and hobbyists. Finally, if you do install RH9, remember to download OpenOffice. It is a really great program for the price and the closest thing to MS Office available in Linux. Good luck!
Rating:
Summary: no longer sold or supportd by Red Hat
Review: Red Hat's legacy Linux operating system, launched in 1994. Predecessor of Red Hat Enterprise Linux and the Fedora Project. Last version available was Red Hat Linux 9.
Was $39.95 to $149.95. No longer available for sale - this directly from the Red Hat website. Try SuSE - better product anyway!
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