>* Is BLADE a good choice, or should I go with Red Hat?
BLADE is the Basic Linux Alpha Distribution, and is "an interim
distribution [...] until more professional distributions are ported
to Linux/Alpha.". I only have experience with BLADE, but I hear that
the x86 Red Hat is a good package, so the Alpha one should be worth
checking out.
>* Am I stuck using a SCSI CD-ROM or can I use one off the IDE controller?
The NoName board does work IDE/ATAPI CDROMS, but I can't confirm the EB.
if you haven't already found the Alpha FAQ, it's a good place to start:
<A HREF="http://www.azstarnet.com/~axplinux"> AXP </A>
Also the Milo FAQ gives some system specific info.
I've heard the the AXPpci33 233MHz boards are a pretty good buy.
regards,
Conor.