OS for Apache Web Server

I'm planning on putting up an Apache web server at home to tinker around w/. I'm experienced w/ 2003 Server and IIS, but refuse to give Microsoft my hard earned bucks. Looking at putting Apache on FreeBSD, OpenBSD or a Linux distro. If Linux, what do you recommend?

Any experience out there? What are your thoughts?

 

I like Ubuntu/Debian. Just because of the huge community. However, at work we use Novell SLES. It's alright, so long as I don't have to touch the GUI.

If you want to go a little more Industry Standard and Secure. Use CentOS. It's basically RedHat minus the commercial and proprietary stuff. I used it on a WebServer once and it worked pretty well. I think I only got rid of it because the hardware failed and I wanted to use Ubuntu Server.

The thing I like about Ubuntu is that there is a complete LAMP stack that you can install quite easily using tasksel.

Otherwise, if you just want to play with Apache/MySQL/PHP, you can load XAMPP on any Windows desktop.

 

I've been looking into Ubuntu and other Linux flavors, and am going to install Ubuntu on an older workstation to test it out.

I'm just new into the Linux/BSD world, and am looking for a rock-solid OS to lay the foundation for. And also to learn on. It's hard for me as a noob to understand the Linux vs. BSD war amongst us geeks. It seems like BSD is almost dying, or at least less support for it. But, BSD folks will agrue in other ways.

I just want to choose a really good OS, and fly w/ it.

 

If you are a Linux Noob, the best OS to get your feet wet is Ubuntu. There are ton's of forums and plenty community support to answer almost any question you have. If you stay with the LTS versions of Ubuntu (I think 8.04 is the current LTS) you get a solid OS, the new versions have more, but they are a little more Bleeding Edge.

 

Get Linux Mint it is an Ubuntu distro....awesome.

 

Ubuntu...hands down. PM me if you need help, I've set up dozens of LAMP (linux, apache, mySQL, php) systems.

 

I do Apache on XP for my PHP development.

Look for XAMPP it's a really easy all in one install.