New install using on obuntu linux 8.04 desktop

I am new to zen cart and although I consider myself IT lierate I am also new to linux. Can someone please confirm the version of XAMP(LAMPP) to download to work with the latest version of ZC. I bought the book by Goh Koon Hoek but it only refers to installing on a windows platform. I downloaded XAMPP(LAMPP) ver 1.4.16 for Linux but it did not contain the Mercury webserver or filezilla as per book.

Applogies if this is answered somewhere else on this site.

Mercury is a mailserver application for Windows. You'll need an equivalent on your linux server if it doesn't already have such a service running on it.

As for an appropriate version of XAMPP/LAMPP, you'll want one that has PHP 5.2.x or older. Don't use PHP 5.3.x or newer if you're using Zen Cart v1.3.8a or older.

I am attempting to set up a development zen cart environment on on my laptop by running obuntu 8.04 in a virtual window. I am fairly new to linux but reasonably IT literate.
I have setup a LAMP server successfully and even have Zencart installed and can access the home web page and admin via localhost.

I actually purchased the zen cart installation book by Goh Koon HoeK but this relates on setting up a windows server only.

My problem relates to installing and configuring a mailserver since mercury is not included in the LAMP install. I have tried setting up postfix using the guide on the Obuntu forum but have had problems and I do not have enough experience to troubleshoot the problem

I am sure there must be loads of you out there that have had to go through this.
Which is the best mailserver to use with Zencart on a LAMP server and does anybody have an idiots guide to installing and configuring it to work with Zen Cart.

Any help would be appreciated:

Hi,

With Ubuntu I would stick to the standard method of installing using apt.

There are plenty of tutorials for installing a LAMP stack under Ubuntu.

e.g.

http://lijamez.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/lighting-up-lamp/