Differences between Arch linux and RHEL-based Distros?

Question

Hi there!
So, I am officially trying to make the permanent switch from Windows to Linux. I've used Linux in the past, from Ubuntu, to Fedora, to Mint, and I've always liked Arch the most. Nothing beats the feeling of an OS you had a hand in setting up.
I'm wondering though, what are the differences in Arch vs distros like Red Hat, Fedora, and CentOS? I recently picked up a book called, "The Linux Bible" which provides a course-like approach to learning the intricacies of Linux. I'm wondering if it would be easily possible to adapt the lessons from that to Arch, or to use Fedora or another RHEL-based distro like it suggests.
Thanks

Answer 1

The biggest issue I find is with SE Linux. I don't know if this is default in RHEL itself but Fedora uses it. If I understood it properly, though, I doubt it would be such an issue!
EDIT: I think it would be best to learn one distro first, using documentation for that distro. So if you want to use the book, install something that matches the book as closely as possible. If you want to use Arch, use the wiki as your primary documentation. I say this because there is a big difference between figuring out the ways in which two distros differ when you understand the GNU/Linux basics and (I imagine) trying to do so when you are still learning those basics. I don't just mean ls, grep etc. - other systems use those - but the stuff which is common to any GNU/Linux distro. Obviously this applies even more if you also are learning stuff like ls, grep, cd etc. (which might be true if you're moving from Windows rather than, say, OS X or one of the BSDs).
Last edited by cfr (2013-10-31 23:30:15)