What about for a game server? I have never used any sort of linux/unix before, but have been a long-time (amateur) programmer, and used to run a World of Warcraft WAMP server, so I'm sure I could figure it out eventually. This time around I would like to try my hand at a smaller sort of game. It wouldn't have to support many visitors, maybe 20-50 max.
Can multiple servers be run off one machine (db, web, ftp, game, etc.)? I know you probably can (you can in Windows). Dumb question, but had to ask.
I see a lot of people recommending CentOS and/or Debian (mostly CentOS). Would either of these be ideal in my situation? I only have one machine that I can run full-time, so resource utilization will be very critical. Basically I want to dedicate the entire machine's hardware to the server (which you just can't do in Win).
How difficult would it be to build my own distro? Is it even possible anymore?
Thanks for reading this long post, and for any answers you might be able to give me.